Pope Francis concludes Apostolic Visit to Timor-Leste

By Devin Watkins

The Pope wrapped up his three-day visit to one of the most Catholic countries in the world on Wednesday.

He boarded the papal plane at Dili International Airport and took off at 12:25 AM local time (UTC +9).

Pope Francis was bound for Singapore, where he is due to land at around 2:15 PM (UTC +8).

The final event of his Apostolic Journey to Timor-Leste saw the Pope meet with around 3,000 young people at the Convention Centre in Dili.

He spoke to them about the importance of the values of freedom, commitment, and fraternity, urging young Timorese to embrace freedom as an opportunity to do good for others.

Pope Francis has spent three days in the overwhelmingly Catholic nation in the Pacific: over 95% of the population of 1.4 million profess Catholicism.

Around 600,000 people—according to local statistics—attended his Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu near Dili on Tuesday.

He will spend three days in Singapore, and his first event is a private encounter with his Jesuit brothers serving in the country.

The Pope’s public events begin in earnest on Thursday as he meets with civil authorities and celebrates Holy Mass at the national stadium.