Almost half of the population of the small Southeast Asian nation, which is the only country the pontiff is visiting on his Asia-Pacific tour and has the highest Roman Catholic population on Earth, is represented by the outdoor congregation.
At least one local telecom firm had warned clients that their signal will be impacted at the location due to the expected large number of people.
In Tasitolu, where officials recently razed homes and expelled about ninety people, the mass on Tuesday is being conducted on contested land.
Hundreds of people who had relocated there from rural areas of the nation over the previous ten years expressed significant disapproval of the move.
Many arrived in the capital in search of employment and erected rudimentary dwellings there.
They are squatting, according to the authorities, and don’t have the right to occupy the land. A government minister told the BBC that people living in the area were informed about intentions to evacuate it in September 2023.
Many issues have clouded the pontiff’s visit, such as the case of a well-known East Timorean bishop who was hailed for his independence but also accused of sexually abusing young boys in the country in the 1980s and 1990s.
