Pope calls on Timor-Leste to protect young people from abuse

The Pope made the call as an abuse scandal involving one of the clergy hangs over his visit.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersPope calls on Timor-Leste to protect young from abuseGetty ImagesTimor-Leste is the third stop in the Pope's 12-day Asia-Pacific tourPope Francis has called on young people to be protected from abuse, as he arrived in Timor-Leste on the latest leg of his tour of south-east Asia and Oceania.

The Pontiff landed in the capital Dili on Monday, where he told officials: "Let us not forget the many children and adolescents whose dignity has been violated."

He then called on people to do "everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people".

While the Pope did not mention a specific case, his visit comes after a prominent East Timorese bishop, hailed as an independence hero, was accused of sexually abusing young boys in the country during the 1980s and 90s.

A Vatican spokesman earlier said the Church had been aware of the case against Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo in 2019 and had imposed disciplinary measures in 2020, including restrictions on Belo’s movements and a ban on voluntary contact with minors.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0490d71ww0o

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