ASIA/TIMOR LESTE - National festivities, cardinal Parolin arrives to preside celebrations for 500 years of Catholicism and the signing of a concordat

Thursday, 13 August 2015

Dili (Agenzia Fides) –Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope’s secretary of state was given a festive welcome by joyful crowds when he arrived in Dili today at the start of a visit which coincides with the 500th anniversary of the evangelisation of East Timor or Timo-Leste (see Fides 7/08/2015).
The central event of the visit, during which there will be the signing of a Concordat between Timor Leste and the Vatican, will be a Mass celebrated on Friday at Taci Tolo, the same place visited by Saint Pope John Paul II 25 years ago in 1989 .
Coinciding with the much loved feast of the Assumption into heaven of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the visit is particularly important as it will mark the first time that the Catholic Church signs a Concordat outside the Vatican and also because the visitor, Cardinal Parolin is the highest Catholic Church authority to visit Timor-Leste since the visit by Pope John Paul II on 12 October 1989.
A report sent to Fides says that for Bishop Basilio do Nascimento, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Timor-Leste, apostolic administrator of Dili and Bishop of Baucau, the event is a historic for Timor-Leste and for the local Catholic community.
In a message released last week, Pope Francis recalled the many "missionaries" who had the "courage" to go to Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste government said in an official statement the "the Catholic Church for 500 years has provided great spiritual, human and material support for the people of Timor, making a decisive contribution towards Timor-Leste’s process of liberation".
(CE) (Agenzia Fides, 13/08/2015)


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