An overview of the Church in Timor-Leste

By Lisa Zengarini

The evangelization of Timor-Leste began in the first half of the 16th century along with the colonization of the island by the Portuguese, who maintained control of its eastern part (with the brief interlude of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War) until to 1975, when it was forcefully occupied by Indonesia.

Fight for independence and Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1989

Pope St. John Paul II briefly visited the territory on 12 October 1989, when it was still under the Indonesian rule, as part of the 44th Apostolic Journey to the Far East and Mauritius (6 October - 16 October 1989).

The visit drew international attention to the plight of the East Timorese people and to the atrocities perpetrated by the Indonesian occupying army.

These atrocities were repeatedly denounced by the three successive Apostolic Administrators of Dili.

After the declaration of independence on 20 May 2002, following the UN-backed 1999 referendum, the Holy See and the Republic of Timor-Leste established diplomatic relations.

In 2019, the three dioceses of the country, Dili, Bacau and Maliana, were established as an Ecclesiastical Province.

An overwhelming Catholic majority

With an overwhelming Catholic majority of 95% of its population of 1.4 million, today Timor-Leste is the second Catholic nation in Asia after the Philippines.

The Church’s active role during the 25-year struggle for self-determination and its closeness to the population have contributed to further increase the Catholic population.

Vocations continue to be numerous. Among the religious orders present in the territory are the Salesians, the Jesuits—who arrived for the first time in 1899, were expelled in 1910 and returned in 1958—the Verbite Missionaries, and various women’s religious institutes, some of which are local.

Catholic Church’s active role in East Timorese society

Since Timor-Leste’s independence, the Church has continued to play an active role in East Timorese society, particularly in the education and healthcare and social care sectors. It has also intervened in public issues, as in the discussion of the reform of the abortion law in 2009.

The special role of the Catholic Church in Timorese society is recognized by the 2002 Constitution which, however, guarantees full freedom of conscience, religion and worship to all religions, encourages collaboration between the different religious denominations and prohibits any form of discrimination based on religious affiliation.

Article 11 states that: “The State recognizes and appreciates the participation of the Catholic Church in the national liberation process of Timor-Leste.”

Close collaboration with the state and relations with other religions

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Holy See, there has been a close collaboration with the State.

This collaboration has further strengthened after the signing of a Concordat on 15 August 2015, which defines the terms in which the Church is free to provide its services, both in terms of spiritual assistance in prisons, hospitals and orphanages, and in reference to charitable activities and the organization of educational services. For its part, the State subsidizes the Catholic Church. 

Relations with other religious communities, in particular the Muslim and Protestant communities, are also good.