EAST TIMOR The Pope to the youth of Dili: freedom, commitment and fraternity

While the whole country still has its eyes fixed on the more than 600,000 people who attended yesterday’s mass, this morning – on his last date in East Timor – Francis met with young people, inviting them to “make noise” in order to build the future without being overcome by individualism. Afterwards, he left for Singapore, where the pontiff arrived early in the afternoon.

Singapore () – Pope Francis arrived in Singapore this afternoon, the last leg of his long apostolic journey through Asia and Oceania, which began ten days ago. Greeted at the international airport by the Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, Edwin Tong, the pontiff went to the St. Francis Xavier Retreat Centre, which will be his “home” for the two days he will spend in the city-state. It is here that he will later have his private meeting with the Jesuit brothers who minister here, the only appointment of the day, while his first public address to the Singaporean community is not scheduled until tomorrow morning.

In the great metropolis – the crossroads of Southeast Asia – Pope Francis arrived from East Timor, where the whole world still has in its memory the immense crowd of more than 600,000 people gathered on the esplanade of Tasi Tolu to The great Eucharistic celebration of yesterday. An Indonesian missionary, Sister Ignazia, told about the composure of the people despite the long hours of travel to reach the place of the celebration with such a large crowd: “No one seemed tired or upset, joy reigned everywhere.” Even Sister Immaculata – a nun originally from East Timor who, together with other sisters from other congregations, was in charge of the floral arrangements for both the celebration in Tasi Tolu and in the cathedral – recounts the enthusiasm of the people who came from all over the country. While the Jesuit Joaquín Sarmento highlights the invitation that Pope Francis has made in recent days to everyone to “revive the witness in society of a lifestyle based on the Christian faith.”

And the journey that awaits East Timor was also the central theme of Pope Francis’ last meeting in Dili, the meeting with young people at the Convention Centre, which took place early in the morning, before his departure for Singapore. While recalling the “wonderful examples of faith, of martyrdom and, above all, of forgiveness and reconciliation” of the generations that preceded them, the Pontiff invited the many young people living in this country to “make noise”, to become protagonists of the future of this land. “Do not stop smiling,” he told them, “and you, the young, are the majority of the population of this land, and your presence fills this land with life, fills it with hope and fills it with future.” In a lively dialogue, he warned them against “the sellers of happiness who come to sell you drugs and things that give you happiness for half an hour, nothing more.” He invited them to “dream big things,” to say no more to bullying, to cultivate love and service, to respect their elders. But he pointed out three words in particular as a guide on the path: freedom, commitment and fraternity.

Speaking of freedom, Francis borrowed an expression from the Tetum language, the native language of the East Tiomr community, which here coexists with Portuguese: ukun rasik-an, which literally means “everyone governs himself.” “A young man or woman who is not capable of governing himself, who is not capable of living like that, what are they? They are slaves.”

On commitment, Pope Francis quoted one of the many proverbs that are a source of wisdom for the peoples of the East. “It says that ‘difficult times create strong men’, and that ‘strong men create easy times’, but then it adds that ‘easy times create weak men’ and that ‘weak men create difficult times’,” he quoted. “Look at your parents, your grandparents, who had to face difficult times to build the freedom of the country. That is why you must learn to face difficult times.”

And then there was fraternity: “Be brothers, not enemies,” he admonished, “no hatred, but love and service.” And if a young man or woman quarrels with another young man, what should they do? Love and reconciliation.” “Dear young people,” he concluded, “be heirs to the beautiful history that has preceded you. And continue it. Have courage.”

(contributed by Mathias Hariyadi)