![]() Catholic Church in East Timor | |
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Portuguese: Igreja Católica em Timor-Leste Tetum: Igreja Katólika iha Timor-Leste Indonesian: Gereja Katolik di Timor Leste | |
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Type | National polity |
Classification | Catholic |
Orientation | Latin |
Scripture | Bible |
Theology | Catholic theology |
Governance | Episcopal Conference of Timor [1] |
Pope | Francis |
Apostolic Nuncio | vacant [2] |
Region | East Timor |
Language | Tetum, Indonesian, Portuguese, Latin |
Origin | 1515 [3] Pre-colonial Timor (Later Portuguese Timor, Portuguese Empire) [3] |
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The Catholic Church in East Timor is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome.
Upon its independence from Indonesia, East Timor became only the second predominantly Catholic country in Asia (after the Philippines), a legacy of its status as a former Portuguese colony.
About 98.3% of the population was Catholic in East Timor in 2016, which meant over 1,000,000 faithful. [4]
The country was divided into three dioceses: Dili, Baucau and Maliana (erected in 2010). These dioceses are immediately subject to the Holy See.
The Apostolic Nunciature to East Timor is Marco Sprizzi, [5] who took over from Wojciech Załuski in 2022.
In the early 16th century, Portuguese and Dutch traders made contact with East Timor. A Dominican mission was sent by the bishop of Malacca to Solor in 1562, and became established at Lifau in present-day East Timor in 1641. [6] Portugal took over and maintained control of East Timor until 1974, with a brief occupation by Japan during World War II. [7]
Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed the former Portuguese colony. East Timorese animist belief systems did not fit with Indonesia's constitutional monotheism, resulting in mass conversions to Christianity. Portuguese clergy were replaced with Indonesian priests and Latin and Portuguese mass was replaced by Indonesian Mass. [8] Officially splitting from the Portuguese Church in 1975, the Church in East Timor never joined the Indonesian Church. [9] The Church played an important role in society during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. While just 20% of East Timorese called themselves Catholics at the time of the 1975 invasion, the figure surged to reach 95% by the end of the first decade after the invasion.
During the occupation, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo became one of the most prominent advocates for human rights in East Timor and many priests and nuns risked their lives in defending citizens from military abuses.
Pope John Paul II's 1989 visit to East Timor exposed the occupied territory's situation to world media and provided a catalyst for independence activists to seek global support. Officially neutral, the Vatican wished to retain good relations with Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation. Upon his arrival in East Timor, the pope symbolically kissed a cross then pressed it to the ground, alluding to his usual practice of kissing the ground on arrival in a nation, and yet avoiding overtly suggesting East Timor was a sovereign country. He spoke fervently against abuses in his sermon, whilst avoiding naming the Indonesian authorities as responsible. [10] The pope spoke out against violence in East Timor, and called for both sides to show restraint, imploring the East Timorese to "love and pray for their enemies." [11]
In 1996, Bishop Belo and José Ramos-Horta, two leading East Timorese activists for peace and independence, received the Nobel Peace Prize for ""their work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor". [12] [13] [14]
A number of priests and nuns were murdered in the violence in East Timor that followed the 1999 independence referendum. The newly independent nation declared three days of national mourning upon the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005. [10]
The Catholic Church remains very involved in politics, with its 2005 confrontations with the government over religious education in school and the forgoing of war crimes trials for atrocities against East Timorese by Indonesia. [15] They have also endorsed the new Prime Minister in his efforts to promote national reconciliation. [16] In June 2006 Catholic Relief Services received aid from the United States to help victims of months of unrest in the country. [17] The number of churches grew from 100 in 1974 to over 800 in 1994. [18]
In 2015, the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, with the help of an international relief organization Stop Hunger Now, provided more than 1,100 students across the country with better nutrition through fortified rice-meals. [19]
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, SDB, commonly known as Carlos Belo or Ximenes Belo is an East Timorese prelate of the Catholic Church. He became a bishop in 1988 and served as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Díli from 1988 to 2002. In 1996, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with José Ramos-Horta for working "towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor". He is a professed member of the Salesians.
Martinho da Costa Lopes was an East Timorese religious and political leader. He was a priest of the Catholic Church, the highest-ranking official of the Church in East Timor from 1977 to 1983, and a member of the National Assembly in Lisbon.
The culture of East Timor reflects numerous cultural influences, including Portuguese, Roman Catholic, and Malay, on the indigenous Austronesian cultures in East Timor.
St Joseph's High School is a private Catholic secondary school, located in Dili, Timor Leste. The school was founded by the Catholic Diocese of Díli in 1983–84, when East Timor was still part of Indonesia. In 1993 the school was entrusted to the Society of Jesus, with a ten-year commitment.
The União Nacional dos Escuteiros de Timor-Leste is the national Scouting organization of East Timor. It was founded on December 2, 2005 through the merger of the Corpo de Escuteiros Católicos em Timor-Leste and of Timor-Leste Scouting. The organization is a member of the Comunidade do Escutismo Lusófono. It became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement on 22 June 2017.
East Timor was a de facto province of Indonesia that existed between 1976 and 1999 during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Its territory corresponded to the previous Portuguese Timor and to the present-day independent country of Timor-Leste.
Baucau is the second-largest city in East Timor, after Dili, the capital, which lies 122 km (76 mi) to its west.
Maliana is a city in East Timor, 149 kilometers southwest of Dili, the national capital. It has a population of 22,000. It is the capital of the district of Bobonaro and Maliana Subdistrict, and is located just a few kilometers from the border with Indonesia. It is also the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maliana, which was formed by Pope Benedict XVI with territory taken from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dili.
The majority of the population of East Timor is Christian, and the Catholic Church is the dominant religious institution, although it is not formally the state religion. There are also small Protestant and Sunni Muslim communities.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Díli is an archdiocese located in the city of Díli in Timor-Leste.
The Cristo Rei of Dili statue is a 27.0-metre-high (88.6 ft) colossal statue of Jesus Christ situated atop a globe at Cape Fatucama in Dili, East Timor. It is one of East Timor's main tourist attractions.
Basílio do Nascimento Martins was the East Timorese Roman Catholic Bishop of Baucau.
The Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic seminary, located in Dare, Dili, East Timor. Established in 1936, it is the oldest Roman Catholic seminary in East Timor. The seminary was initially established in Manatutu district, south of Dili. In 1951 it was moved to Dare. In 1954 the Vatican canonically registered the seminary. It was taken over by the Jesuits in 1958, and moved to the outskirts of Dili in 1978.
Norberto do Amaral is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Maliana, East Timor. He was appointed on 30 January 2010. Previously, he served as an assistant pastor and as a pastor, as Rector of the Diocesan Minor Seminary in the Diocese of Díli, and in other offices in the Catholic Church in East Timor.
Alberto Ricardo da Silva was the Roman Catholic bishop of Dili, East Timor.
The Church of Santo António de Motael is the oldest Roman Catholic church in East Timor and is located in Dili, the country's capital city. It is dedicated to Anthony of Padua. While the first church at this location was built around 1800, the current building dates back to 1955.
Virgílio do Carmo da Silva SDB is an East Timorese Roman Catholic prelate who was appointed Bishop of Dili on 30 January 2016. He became an archbishop when the diocese was elevated in 2019.
Leandro Maria Alves is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Baucau, East Timor. He was appointed on 26 April 2023. Previously, he served as deputy parish priest, parish administrator and parish priest of Dili Cathedral, and in many other offices in the Catholic Church in East Timor.