Last Updated on 11/09/2024 by Arun jain
Pope Francis celebrated mass for thousands of worshipers in East Timor, gathering nearly half the population of the world’s most Roman Catholic country outside the Vatican to beat the tropical heat.
Pilgrims flocked to catch a glimpse of the 87-year-old pontiff, who appeared in good spirits on Tuesday to a rousing welcome in the sprawling coastal area of the capital, Dili.
About 600,000 people attended the mass out of a population of 1.3 million, the Vatican said in a statement, citing local authorities, the largest turnout in proportion to the population outside the Holy See.
“I am very happy for everyone in East Timor. Now I want to see Papa Francisco here and give my gift to Papa Francisco. I’m very emotional,” said Mary Michaela, 17, who attended the service.
The mass was the highlight of the third leg of Francis’ 12-day Asia Pacific tour, which has already taken him to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and will conclude in Singapore.
Francis used it to praise East Timor’s birth rate.
“How wonderful that there are so many children here in Timor-Leste. We can see every corner of your land teeming with life,” he said.
He then went off script after the group ended, turning to the country’s increasing rate of crocodile attacks to impose values on other nations.
“Be careful, because I was told that crocodiles are coming to some beaches,” he told the crowd.
“Beware of crocodiles who want to change your culture, your history. And stay away from those alligators because they bite, and they bite a lot.”
As night fell, the elderly pontiff visited the crowd in his popemobile as the crowd shouted, “Viva Papa Francesco!”.
Many pilgrims arrived hours before their address to get a prime spot, waiting in the heat.
They held white and yellow Vatican umbrellas to shield themselves from the blazing sun, while firefighters sprayed worshipers with water.
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