East Timor bishops prepare for first-ever Ad Limina visit

March 15, 2014: The bishops of East Timor are preparing for their first-ever Ad Limina visit to Rome and for their first meeting with Pope Francis, set to begin on Monday. The Democratic Republic of East Timor, which gained independence from Indonesia 14 years ago, has the second-largest Catholic population in Asia.

Bishop Basilio Do Nascimento of Bacau and president of the East Timorese episcopal conference told Vatican Radio that he and his brother-bishops plan to discuss the current challenges in East Timor. “The main problem for us is the formation (of the faithful),” he said. While the majority of Timorese were baptized during the 24-year war for independence, there was little time and resources for formation in the faith. The Timorese Church is also in need of resources for priestly formation.

During their visit to Rome, the bishops also intend to invite the Pope to visit East Timor in 2015, which mark 500 years of evangelization in the country. “Both the bishops and the Government of East Timor, all of us, would like to extend the invitation to the Pope to come and celebrate with us next year,” he said.