DEEPER SIGNIFICANCE FOR TIMOR-LESTE
In specific, the half-island state of Timor-Leste found more significance in the pope’s Asia Pacific tour next year.
The state is likely the most Catholic in the world, with the Vatican saying on 96 per share of Timorese are adherents to the trust.
Its path to freedom was strongly tied to the Catholic Church, which offered safety to its citizens when it was occupied by Indonesia.
Timor-Leste gained freedom in 2002 after 24 years of brutal profession. It had been a Spanish town before that.
Alex Tilman, Timor-Leste ambassador to Singapore, told CNA the church’s part in Timor-Leste has been “very historic” in the country ’s fight to become independent.
“His attend … put Timor-Leste on the planet image. It shows that although we are a little land, we have a lot of problems, but we still managed to network His Holiness in our region for those few nights when he was there, ” Tilman added.
Hosting the bishop was a chance for Timor-Leste to demonstrate its capacity to hold large-scale events – one of the criteria it may serve to become an established member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
Domestically, it is trying to lift its citizens from hunger – a place Pope Francis made during his visit.
Since democracy, the state has struggled with rebuilding its infrastructure and business.
In 2014, the World Bank estimated that about 42 per cent of Timorese lived in poverty and that about 47 per share of babies were stunted because of hunger.
” With the pope’s visit, I think it … instilled that sense of urgency that we must do more to pull our people out of poverty, ” said Tilman.
“ In fact, our national development plan spells (out ) very clearly that by 2030, we would like to have eradicated poverty. ”
INTER-RELIGIOUS HARMONY
A key concept of Pope Francis ’ attend was inter-religious cooperation.
In the Jakarta knee of his journey, evil threats were made against him, highlighting a persistent problem in the region. But the attend proceeded with the bishop and Indonesia’s Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar promoting interracial harmony – a shift authorities said was a step in the right direction.
Pope Francis even went to Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta – the largest dome in Southeast Asia – where he held an interfaith dialogue with officials of different religions.
Indonesia has the largest Arab population in the world – they make up 87 per cent of its entire community of about 280 million.
It also has the third-largest Holy people in Asia after the Philippines and China. Just 2. 9 per cent of the entire population are Catholics.
” I would suggest that interracial conversations, interracial interactions between leaders of diverse communities, spiritual communities … are very, very important, especially for the wider communities who are trying to make sense of all the problems in the world, ” said Kumar Ramakrishna, professor of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University.
The doctor noted that people may also be attempting to understand what their position should be in wars between various religious groups.
“So, when they see the positive campaign of religious accommodation between the pontiff and sheikh of Indonesia, for example, this has a really powerful concept, and it will be successful, ” he added.
Observers said they hope the next pope continues to expand the Roman Catholic Church’s presence in the Asia, and that the Vatican does not lose sight of the region as the continent is an increasingly significant player in global affairs.