Pope Francis in East Timor in first papal visit since independence

DILI, East Timor

Pope Francis arrived to a warm welcome in East Timor on Monday on a three-day stay, the first papal visit since it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002.

Some 97 per cent of the population identifies as Catholic, making it the ‎country with the highest percentage of Catholics outside of Vatican City.

Vatican officials say an open-air celebration of Mass on Tuesday may include more than half the country’s 1.3 million citizens.

His arrival in Dili from Papua New Guinea marked the start of the third leg of the 87-year-old pontiff’s ambitious 12-day visit to four countries across Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Francis was greeted at the airport by President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, both well-respected independence heroes.

Later on Monday, Pope Francis is scheduled to address government officials and diplomats following an official welcome ceremony.

He is expected to encourage the country’s recovery from a brutal decades-long occupation by Indonesia and East Timor’s battle for nationhood, while celebrating its development.

The pontiff’s visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the UN-backed referendum that led to its independence.

Since then, the country which is one of the world’s poorest, has struggled to rebuilding its infrastructure and economy. A 2014 World Bank report estimated that almost half of Timorese live in poverty.

Francis’ visit has once again put the spotlight on the sexual abuse of children within the church. A leading advocacy group for survivors has called on the Pope to speak out about the cases during his stay.