Pope Francis faces controversy during historic Southeast Asia visit
The 87-year-old Pope Francis will embark on a twelve-day trip on Monday, during which he will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. Residents of Dili, the capital of East Timor, are raising concerns that authorities plan to demolish the homes of nearly 90 people due to his visit. Francis is scheduled to hold a mass in those regions for hundreds of thousands of people.
At the beginning of next week, on Monday, 2 September, Pope Francis will embark on the longest pilgrimage of his pontificate. He will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.
The Reuters agency, describing his journey, emphasises that Francis' primary objective will be to persuade local politicians to be more involved in the fight against climate change. Rising water levels, heat, and typhoons are significant problems in the region he is visiting.
"We need to do everything in our capacity to limit the global average temperature rise under the threshold of 1.5°C enshrined in the Paris Climate Agreement, for going beyond that will prove catastrophic, especially for poor communities around the world", – said Pope Francis, as the Reuters reports.
Demolition of homes in East Timor. Nearly 90 people to leave their homes
The pope's visit to East Timor will last three days, beginning on 9 September. During this time, the pope will hold a mass in Dili, expected to attract around 700,000 people. The city authorities are preparing an area of 23 hectares for this event.
The BBC reported that in connection with Francis' visit, the homes of residents of nearby Tasitolu are currently being demolished. Eleven families — nearly 90 people — are to be evicted.
The government had promised to compensate them with amounts ranging from £5,500 to £7,700. According to reports, they must leave their homes before the pope's visit.
"The amount is not enough for each household to meet its needs," – Venancio Ximenes, one of the residents, told the BBC.
The East Timor government has responded to the matter. Minister Germano Santa Brites Dias informed the BBC that these evictions are unrelated to the pope's visit. He stated that these people live illegally near the capital.
He also noted that the residents were informed about the plans back in 2023. Dias said that the time has come for the state to reclaim its property.
