The Minister of Territorial Administration of Timor and the Vatican Representative to Timor-Leste this Wednesday began work on the construction of the stage on which the Pope will celebrate Mass in Tasi Tolu during his visit to the country in September.
“The Pope knows that Timor-Leste, the Timorese government and the Church are working so well, seriously, joyfully and effectively to prepare for his visit,” the Vatican’s representative in Timor-Leste said during speeches leading up to the start of work.
The pope, who will visit Timor-Leste from September 9 to 11, is “grateful for everything that is being done,” Marco Sprizzi said.
“Words of praise also for the cooperation between the Holy See, the government and the local church, which is not the same in all countries of the world. In Timor-Leste there is the highest level of cooperation,” a Vatican spokesman said. .
The stage will be completely white, with a canopy and a platform in front of it.
Tasi Tolu, near Dili, was the site where Pope John Paul II also celebrated Mass in 1989 during his visit to the country still under Indonesian occupation, and where a ceremony to restore independence took place on May 20, 2022.
Timorese Public Administration Minister Tomas Cabral stressed that the most important thing for the government is the participation of the population in the Mass with the Supreme Pontiff, stressing that everything is done with the sole purpose of the participation of the Timorese people.
Also present at the ceremony was Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of the Archdiocese of Dili, who stressed the importance of the visit, thanked the government for its cooperation and asked Timorese to prepare spiritually for the Pope’s trip.
The Vatican announced on Friday that Francis will visit Timor-Leste on September 9, 10 and 11.
The visit comes as part of the Pope’s tour of the region, which also includes Indonesia, which he will visit from September 3 to 6, Papua New Guinea from September 6 to 9, and Singapore from September 11 to 9. September 13.
In February, the Timor-Leste government authorized spending of $12 million (€10.9 million) to organize preparations for the visit.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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