VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2002 (VIS) - It was announced today that "the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of East Timor, desirous of establishing relations of mutual friendship, have decided of common accord to establish diplomatic relations between them, at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and of embassy on the part of the Democratic Republic of East Timor."
An informative note published with this news states that, from an ecclesiastical point of view, there are two apostolic administrations on the territory of the newborn nation: Dili and Baucau. There are 750,000 Catholics in 31 parishes, administered by 43 priests. Male religious number 130, with the most numerous being the Salesians. Jesuits were the first to come to East Timor: they arrived in 1899, were expelled in 1910 and returned in 1958. There are 220 women religious. The 350 religious work in 247 educational and welfare institutes.
On the occasion of the declaration of national independence, the Holy Father sent a Message to the people of Timor, conveyed by his Extraordinary Envoy to the official ceremonies, Archbishop Renato Martino, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. The May 19-20 ceremonies were inaugurated by an outdoor Mass that was presided over by Archbishop Martino in Tacitolo, near the capital of Dili.
In the Message, dated May 6 and addressed to the apostolic administrators of Dili and Baucau, to the bishops, the authorities and the people, the Pope writes: "In this moment which is so significant to your history ... I unite myself spiritually to all of you in order to share your feeling of joy and to encourage you to construct a just, free, united and peaceful society.
"The hour of freedom has arrived! The time for reconstruction has arrived!" exclaims John Paul II. "Freedom must always be defended and preserved, whether from that which could imprison it, or from falsehoods which can pervert its genuine character, to the detriment of the person and his dignity."
The Pope asks that the land of East Timor "which God entrusts" to their "diligent hands, base itself on values without which a true democracy cannot exist: respect for life and for all people; effective solidarity among the members of the community; openness to the positive contribution of each one of its categories and of all its members, with respect to different fields; attention to the real necessities of families, and in a special way, of young people who are the promise of the new country's future."
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