East Timor welcomes Pope Francis as he continues grueling Asia tour

The people of East Timor gave Pope Francis a rousing welcome Monday as he arrived the third leg of his trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania.

DILI, East Timor — The people of East Timor gave Pope Francis a rousing welcome Monday as he arrived in the Southeast Asian country to encourage its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle and celebrate its development after two decades of freedom from Indonesian rule.

Timorese jammed Francis’ motorcade route into town from the airport, waving Vatican and Timorese flags and toting yellow and white umbrellas — the colors of the Holy See — to shade themselves from the scorching midday sun.

“Viva el Papa!” they shouted as he passed by. At one point his open-topped car slowed enough so he could bless a baby who was presented to him in the middle of the crowd.

The occasional Timorese guards along the motorcade route were no match for the throngs of people, many donning T-shirts with Francis’ face on them, who slowed the convoy of cars and vans to a crawl. The 87-year-old Francis seemed to relish the greeting, smiling broadly from the car and waving as he passed by billboard after billboard featuring his image and words of welcome.

Francis arrived in Dili from Papua New Guinea to open the third leg of his trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania. President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, two of East Timor’s most revered independence heroes, greeted Francis at the airport and were meeting with him privately.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-arrives-east-timor-asia-tour-rcna170167

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