Reporters Crecência & Zemila
Timor-Leste is currently preparing for Pope Francis’s visit. Unlike regular Sunday mass where people just go and attend. For the mass that will be celebrated by Pope Francis himself, registration is required.
People with disabilities are very happy to attend the mass in Tasi-Tolu but still find it challenging to register, as there is no specific mechanism for them.
“I am happy that I will be going to attend the mass. But I heard that there will be no transportation provided to all churches in Dili. This will be difficult for me and my colleagues who are physically disabled. If we have to walk, then it will take a lot of time to arrive in Tasi Tolu. I would like to request assistance with transportation for people with disabilities, if possible,” said Dulcia Freitas Ribeiro to Neon Metin (9/08), a disabled person who has already registered with Aimutin Parish.
The umbrella organization for people with disabilities, ADTL (Asosiasaun Difisiensia Timor-Leste), is advocating for a specific mechanism to register people with disabilities but has not been successful yet.
“We approached the relevant authorities to ask for a specific mechanism to register people with disabilities, but until today we have not received information or forms for registration. We keep on looking for a solution. In the meantime, we also asked our colleagues, people with disabilities, to register with the church that they are part of,” explained Cesario da Silva, Director of ADTL.
Meanwhile, Dare, a parish on a hill near Dili, has started organizing people to attend the mass presided over by the Pope himself. The organizing committee for the Pope’s visit asked the parish to organize two thousand people to attend the mass. Transportation to and from Dare to Tasi-Tolu, as well as food and water, will be provided by the government.
“We have distributed registration forms to each of the hamlets to register Catholics who are able to attend the mass. We are also registering young people and adults, as well as parents who are able to attend the mass. We have prohibited children, people with disabilities, and elderly people who are not able to walk long distances from attending,” explained Domingos Bian, Dare’s Parish Pastor.
In contrast, Santo Antonio’s Parish of Motael has no age-related restrictions for registration. A volunteer working on registration at Motael’s Parish told Neon Metin that registration is open to everyone.
“When doing registration, I observed that many Catholics are willing to go to Tasi-Tolu to attend the mass. We have registered people from various age groups, including elderly and young people. As of now, we have 7,500 Catholics registered with us in Motael, and people still come to register every day. In order to be registered in Motael, people need to bring their Electoral Card and Baptism Certificate,” said Joanico da Silva Guterres, a volunteer responsible for registration at Motael Parish.
From the government side, preparations are ongoing. According to the General Coordinator of the National Organizing Committee, Tomas Cabral, who is also the Minister of State Administration, “everything is on track,” as he said on National TV RTTL.EP (29/07). He also mentioned that coordination and communication are well established with the Papal representative in Dili, the Catholic Church in Timor-Leste, and the organizing committee at the municipal level.
The construction of the altar for the mass celebration is architecturally designed by a Vatican engineer, with a construction cost of 1 million US dollars. The construction is ongoing and has achieved 90% completion. Additionally, the government has allocated 23 hectares of land for participants of the mass. In terms of mobilizing Catholics to receive the Pope and attend the mass, the government has allocated $40,000 to 11 municipal organizing committees and $20,000 to Dili. Catholics from municipalities are expected to arrive in Dili on the 8th or 9th of September. Catholics in Dili are expected to walk from their parish to the mass venue. They are expected to wait for the Pope in Tasi Tolu two hours before the mass begins at 16.30 on the 10th of September. The mass will also be televised live from RTTL Channel and GMN TV.
