Pope Francis is the first pope to visit Timor-Leste in 35 years.
Catholic faithful wait for Pope Francis to lead a holy mass at Taci Tolu Park in Dili, Timor-Leste, Sept 10.Pope Francis attends the Holy Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu during his apostolic trip to Asia, in Dili, Timor-Leste, Sept 10.Pope Francis attends the Holy Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu during his apostolic trip to Asia, in Dili, Timor-Leste, Sept 10.Medics carry an attendee on a stretcher during the holy mass led by Pope Francis at Taci Tolu Park in Dili, Timor-Leste, Sept 10.
Rev Pedro Amaral, one of hundreds of priests celebrating the Mass, said he came with 800 of his parishioners from Zumalai, a village about 140km away.School teacher Jamie Belo, 60, said he left home 12 hours before the Mass to secure a spot to see the pope. Many in the crowd on the outskirts of Dili, the capital, appeared young, with mothers and fathers holding babies or keeping children around their legs.Timor-Leste, or East Timor, lost at least 102,800 people in the 1975-99 conflict with Indonesia, according to the UN It now has a median age of 20, according to official estimates.
John Paul's Mass, held during the occupation, ended with a small chair-throwing melee between anti-government demonstrators and police officers. The late pope was unharmed.Crowds gathered for kilometres in the streets around Dili throughout Sept 10 to follow the pope's events, which also included a meeting with Catholic bishops at the cathedral and a visit with disabled children at a local Catholic school.
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