East Timor is prepared for the first-ever papal visit since gaining independence.” During his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, Pope Francis was scheduled to land in East Timor on Monday, where he would spearhead a large-scale demonstration for the country with a Catholic majority. Thousands of followers have traveled from far-off places and crossed the border into Indonesia to see the pope. Pope Francis has been called on to address child sexual abuse in the Catholic church during his upcoming visit to Timor-Leste.
The request, made by influential non-profit organisation BishopAccountability.org, asked one of the United States’ most significant archdioceses Cardinal Sean O’Malley to persuade the pope to speak out against sexual abuse during his trip.
Two prominent Catholic figures in Timor-Leste have been at the centre of sexual abuse allegations, including Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, who was previously the head of the country’s Catholic Church. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 and is largely celebrated in Timor-Leste for being instrumental in the country gaining independence from Indonesia in 2002.
But Belo quit that year abruptly, citing health issues, and was sent to Mozambique to serve as a missionary before moving to Portugal.
The Vatican later acknowledged the allegations that he had sexually abused underage boys for 20 years, but not before going public with them and secretly banning him from contact with children or Timor-Leste.
Bishop.. Accountability.org pointed out that Belo is still well-liked in Timor-Leste, where he has received public praise and welcomes from officials like President José Ramos-Horta
