In dialogue with an Italian Salesian nun who has lived in the country for more than 30 years, speaks of the expectations of a people who have not yet completely overcome the process that led to independence. The unresolved problems in education and health, and the urgent need to train young people in politics. The desire to ‘touch him’ and receive Francis’ blessing.
Milan () – In East Timor, Francis is a source of “mercy” because he is visiting a nation that “has not yet overcome a turbulent period,” even if it is not talked about “at the international level.” Sister Alma Castagna, an Italian nun of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the Salesian congregation that has been working in the country for more than 30 years, tells that the country is a country of great mercy. preparations for what will be the third stage of Pope Francis’ apostolic journey through Asia and Oceania after Papua New Guinea. During the spiritual preparation for his visit, which has been carried out in a “capillary manner in all the parishes”, three documents were chosen: “Amoris Laetitiaon the subject of the family – he explains – which is also in crisis here; Laudato Sifor the ecological issue; and Brothers alldue to the tensions that exist between youth groups and political parties. We have studied these three texts in depth so that they may be an inspiration for a life imbued with faith.”
Coming from Papua New Guinea (and previously from Indonesia), the Pope is expected to arrive in Dili, the capital of East Timor, tomorrow, 9 September, where he will meet in the afternoon with the authorities and civil society, after a private conversation with President José Ramos-Horta. The following day, 10 September, he will meet with disabled children in a Catholic school in the morning, followed by a meeting with bishops and clergy in the cathedral; in the afternoon, he will celebrate Mass on the esplanade of Taci Tolu, where Saint John Paul II also celebrated in 1989, when East Timor was still a province dependent on Jakarta.
Sister Alma, 66, belongs to the congregation of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and has spent half her life on the island – part of whose territory is part of Indonesia – located 600 kilometres north of Australia. She knows first-hand the recent history of the country, from the struggle for independence to the 1999 referendum that sanctioned separation and the recent political turmoil. The country is still governed by men linked to the “struggle for resistance” and the space for young people “in the political and social field is very limited”, although the average age – according to data from 2021 – is only 21 years out of a total of approximately 1.3 million inhabitants. This is why the Church can perhaps contribute more than it has done so far to prepare the younger generations “from a political point of view”.
In the educational and health fields, too, “there are critical elements,” observes Sister Alma, who has a degree in medicine and has worked with tuberculosis and other patients in remote areas. Her experience allows her to clearly identify the problems. “Education,” she explains, “is one of the critical points,” and the work of Catholics fits into this perspective, starting with the Salesian institutions for men and women. [10 y 11 respectivamente, repartidos sobre todo en el sector oriental y en la capital]whose aim is to “qualify the spaces that are offered.” “Our aim is to offer a solid education: we have applicants – he says – who have finished secondary school and want to embrace consecrated life, but do not even know how to read. Our presence in schools aims to improve the level of education, otherwise in the future there will not be a ruling class prepared and capable of taking the reins of the country.”
Pope Francis’ visit has caused a great stir among Catholics, who nominally make up 90% of the population, although this fact deserves clarification: “With the arrival of the Indonesians,” says Sister Alma, “it became mandatory to include on one’s identity card one of the five religions recognised by Jakarta. Faced with the guns of the Muslims and the limited knowledge of Hinduism and Buddhism, many chose Catholicism (or Protestantism).” Especially since, she continues, the missionaries “worked hard helping the population, without forcing anyone to be baptised, and that is why many chose the Catholic religion.” However, probably “only” about 30% have a deep-rooted faith. That is why the motto of this trip is ‘Let your faith become your culture’. “At the moment, there are very few who are really committed,” says the nun, “but about 90% attend Mass on Sundays and places of worship are always full.”
“The expectation for the Pope’s arrival – adds Sister Alma, who today lives 150 kilometres from the capital, in a remote area – also goes in this direction. In the prayers we say in the parish and during masses, we ask him to come to strengthen our faith. Together with the impossible desire that he be able to see the whole reality of East Timor, even the poorest and most peripheral areas, which have remained almost unchanged since independence. Many faithful, especially the most disadvantaged, deeply desire that Francis, who is so concerned about the issue of poverty, be able to see where they live. They would like to ‘touch’ him, to receive a blessing from him. Because the reality is not only that of the capital and the areas that he will be taken to visit.”
Sister Alma lived in Dili for many years, but today she spends most of her time in the orphanages for girls in Venilale and Lava, two villages 150 kilometres further south, where we contacted her by phone in these days of “chaotic and frenetic” preparations. “I have returned to the first mission, far from the capital,” she says, “where we have a small clinic.” Over the years, the Salesian mission has set up “three large structures: an orphanage, which is why we came, where there are still 111 girls aged 4 to 17; then we have a small clinic that works in synergy with a state health centre; and finally a vocational institute for food and catering, with 170 boys and girls, the latter living in the school.”
The nun dedicates a final reflection to women: “The Pope’s visit has a great meaning for them too,” she explains. “Perhaps they cannot express their expectations in words, but it will be an opportunity to recognize their presence, which is very strong in the Church, although at the structural level it is little recognized. Where there is no parish or there is a lack of priests, the catechists are almost all men,” she observes. “Women are numerically few in the most prominent positions, but they are excellent for their work and dedication. There are many female teachers, but at the official level it is always the male part that stands out. That is why,” she concludes, “the presence of the pontiff is so important.” [que reiteradamente ha puesto de relieve el papel de la mujer] It will be an opportunity to recognize or revalue the female figure and her work within the Church.”
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