An estimated 600,000 people—nearly half of East Timor's population—packed a seaside park Tuesday for Pope Francis' final Mass, held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago during the nation's fight for independence from Indonesia. The remarkable turnout was a testament to the overwhelmingly Catholic Southeast Asian country and the esteem with which its people hold the church, which stood by the Timorese in their traumatic battle for freedom and helped draw international attention to their plight. Francis delighted them on Tuesday, staying at Tasitolu park until well after nightfall to loop around the field in his open-topped popemobile, with the screens of the crowd's cellphones lighting up the evening.
"I wish for you peace, that you keep having many children, and that your smile continues to be your children," Francis said in his native Spanish, per the AP. Other papal Masses have drawn millions of people in more populous countries, such as the Philippines, and there were other nationalities represented at Tuesday's Mass. But the crowd in East Timor, population 1.3 million, was believed to represent the biggest turnout for a papal event ever, in terms of the proportion of the national population. The Tasitolu park was a sea of yellow and white umbrellas—the colors of the Holy See flag—as Timorese shielded themselves from the afternoon sun awaiting Francis' arrival.
Francis was following in John Paul's footsteps during his visit to cheer on the nation two decades after it became independent in 2002. East Timor, known also as Timor-Leste, remains one of the poorest countries, with some 42% living below the poverty line, according to the UN Development Program. But the Timorese are deeply faithful—some 97% are Catholic, ever since Portuguese explorers first arrived in the early 1500s.
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