Pope's mass in East Timor seen by half of population

Pope Francis's mass in East Timor has been attended by about 600,000 Catholic faithful - nearly half of the country's population despite local anger over a demolition drive and the high cost associated with his visit.

- SHWETA SHARMA

The pontiff completed the penultimate leg of his marathon tour through Asia and the South Pacific yesterday before he headed to Singapore for his final stop.

A sea of yellow and white umbrellas – the colours of the Holy See flag – was seen at Tasitolu Peace Park in the capital Dili, where the pope received a rockstar’s welcome in scorching 32C heat.

A Vatican spokesperson said 600,000 people attended the first part of the mass in the tiny country with a population of just 1.3 million, the vast majority of whom are Catholics. The Vatican cited crowd estimates provided by local organisers in Tasitolu Peace Park and surrounding areas.

It is the same site where St John Paul II celebrated a liturgy during the nation’s fight for independence from Indonesia. If confirmed, it would make for the largest gathering of people to attend a papal event proportionally to a country’s population.

The pontiff’s three-day visit to one of the world’s poorest countries was overshadowed by controversy over the budget of around £9.1m allocated for it by the Council of Ministers in February.