Pope calls on East Timor's leadership to take action against child abuse

Dili, East Timor – Pope Francis called for action against the abuse of young people on Monday after his arrival in East Timor. The country, with its majority Catholic population, has been rocked by several cases of sexual abuse of children by clergy in recent years.

The 87-year-old pope will hold a major mass on Tuesday, expected to be attended by more than half the country's population, but in a speech to a smaller group of politicians the night before, he addressed the most sensitive issue of his trip head-on.

“We must not forget the many children and young people whose dignity has been violated. This phenomenon can be observed all over the world,” he said in a speech in the capital Dili.

“We are all called to do everything possible to prevent any kind of abuse and to ensure a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people,” the Pope added.

He neither mentioned a specific case nor acknowledged any responsibility on the part of the Vatican.

Advocacy groups had urged Francis to speak on the issue in Asia's newest country. He has previously met with victims on trips to Ireland and Portugal, but this time there are no such events on his official schedule.

Among the most recent cases in East Timor is that of Nobel Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, whom the Vatican secretly punished for allegedly sexually abusing young children for decades.

The Vatican made the restrictions imposed on Belo public in 2022 after it emerged that his movements and interactions were limited following allegations that he abused young boys in East Timor until he retired and moved abroad two decades ago.

In another case in the country, dismissed American priest Richard Daschbach was found guilty in 2021 of abusing orphaned, disadvantaged girls and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Before his speech on Monday, Francis was welcomed like a rock star in Dili: tens of thousands of believers lined the streets, screaming and waving flags as he drove past in an open car, flanked by security guards.

Devout Catholics, who make up about 98 percent of the country's 1.3 million inhabitants, flock to see Francis, coming from cities far away, across the border with Indonesia and from further afield.

“When I saw his face, I got goosebumps. I firmly believe that his presence brings peace and hope,” Magdalena Tagnipis, a 49-year-old Filipina who travelled from Australia, told Agence France Presse (AFP).