"Our great hope is that he may come to consolidate the fraternity, the national unity, peace, and development for this new country," said Estevão Tei Fernandes, a university professor.
The atmosphere was vastly different from the last papal visit in 1989 by St John Paul II when Timor-Leste was still under Indonesian occupation.
When Indonesia invaded in 1975, only about 20% of Timor-Leste's population was Catholic. Today, about 98% of its 1.3 million people are Catholic faithful, making it the most Catholic country outside the Vatican.
Pope Francis received a warm welcome from the people of Timor-Leste on Monday as he arrived to support the country's recovery from a bloody independence battle.
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