DILI (East Timor), Sept 10 — Pope Francis yesterday called for action on abuse of young people after arriving in East Timor, the Catholic-majority nation that has been shocked by several child sexual assault cases involving clergy members in recent years.

The 87-year-old pontiff is set to host a huge mass on today expected to draw more than half the country’s population, but in a speech to a smaller crowd of officials the night before he tackled the most sensitive issue of his trip head-on.

"Let us not forget the many children and adolescents whose dignity has been violated. The phenomenon is manifesting all over the world,” he said in a speech in the capital Dili.

"We are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people,” the pope added.

He did not mention a specific case or acknowledge any Vatican responsibility.

Advocacy groups had called for Francis to speak out on the issue in Asia’s youngest country and he has previously met victims on trips to Ireland and Portugal, but his official schedule this time includes no such events.

Recent cases in East Timor include Nobel-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, who the Vatican secretly punished over allegations he sexually abused young children for decades.

The Vatican went public in 2022 about the restrictions put on Belo after it was revealed his movements and interactions were limited following claims he abused young boys in East Timor until he retired and moved abroad two decades earlier.

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

Before his speech yesterday, Francis was met by a rock star welcome in Dili, where tens of thousands of devotees lined the streets, screaming and waving flags as he was driven by in an open-top car flanked by security.

Catholic devotees which number around 98 percent of the country’s 1.3 million people have clamoured to see Francis — making pilgrimages from faraway towns, across its 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 made the trip from Australia, told AFP.

‘Peace and freedom’

East Timor has a complex history marked by centuries-long Portuguese rule, decades of occupation by neighbouring Indonesia, and a United Nations-backed referendum that allowed it to break free.

The pope’s comments on abuse came after he was welcomed on arrival by the man who shared the Nobel with Belo, President Jose Ramos-Horta, a liberation icon for his work towards achieving East Timor’s independence.

The leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholic faithful also hailed the country’s new era of "peace and freedom” in his evening address, two decades after it achieved independence from neighbouring Indonesia.

East Timor emerged from the brutal occupation that left more than 200,000 Timorese dead, and Francis is the first pope to visit the country since then.

Locals said they wanted the pope to bring a message of harmony — as he did in Indonesia last week.

"I hope that through this visit Papa Francisco will bring a message of peace,” said Francisco Amaral da Silva, a 58-year-old lecturer.

Celebrations begin

The city had a $12 million makeover before the visit and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao helped sweep the streets with locals as the government rolled out the red carpet.

Authorities have also relocated street vendors in areas where Francis will travel, prompting criticism on social media.

Rights groups say some makeshift homes were demolished in preparation for the mass. The government says they were erected illegally.

Francis’s schedule includes meetings with Jesuits, children and the Catholic faithful.

But the trip’s highlight will be the colossal mass today, expected to draw 700,000 worshippers.

Some locals saw his visit as an opportunity to sell pope merchandise.

Teacher Silverio Tilman, 58, set up a stall selling pope T-shirts, raking in more than US$600 (RM2,600) in two days — double the average monthly salary.

"We prepare these items, in case the pilgrims need them to attend the holy mass. We are not seeking big profits,” he said. — AFP