Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Dili (Agenzia Fides) - Timor-Leste, will sign a concordat with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on August 15 when it celebrates 500 years of evangelization in the Country.
The evangelization of the island began with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1615.
The treaty has been under negotiation since 2006 but was not finalized until two months ago, said Timor-Leste Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo in an interview on August 6 to a news agency in Asia.
"East Timor is one of the most Catholic countries in the world", said Araujo, adding that Catholicism and the Portuguese language are "two elements which have shaped our identity as a nation and this a good thing".
In an official statement, the government claims that the Catholic Church has for 500 years provided "great spiritual, human and material support to the Timorese people, and also contributed decisively to the liberation process of Timor-Leste". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 07/08/2015)
