ASIA/EAST TIMOR - Talks on Catholic religious instruction in schools fall through. State and Church cannot agree

Dili (Fides Service) - State and local Catholic Church in East Timor have failed to reach an agreement with regard to Catholic religious instruction in schools.
Over the last few days thousands have staged peaceful protests in the streets of the capital Dili. Among the demonstrators, many priests and religious asking the government to keep religious instruction on school curriculum in state schools. Some protesters carried placards calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Altakiri. In February the government made religious instruction in state schools an optional subject. The people of East Timor 800,000 are 96% Catholic and Timor and the Philippines are the two Catholic majority countries in Asia.
The local Church has said it would be better for religious instruction to remain compulsory suggesting that it could include basics of Protestant Christianity and also Islam to meet the needs of religious minorities in East Timor. But seeing the government was immovable after a week of talks the local Church interrupted the talks. Fr Guterres, assistant of the Bishop of Dili said. “We will discuss the matter only with Parliament”. In a letter to the chairman of the Legislative Assembly the two Bishops of East Timor, Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva (Dili) and Bishop Basilio Do Nascimento (Baucau) said the Prime Minister should resign if he is unable to interpret the will of the people.
The Bishops have also voiced concern for the government’s decision to discontinue trials of paramilitary suspected of taking part in massacres of civilians in 1999 after the referendum which led to East Timor’s independence from Indonesia. Local Catholic radio have also urged the people to protest. Observers say the institutional crisis between state and Church is the most serious since the Territory obtained its independence.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/4/2005 righe 27 parole 285)