The East Timorese government assured today that preparations for the Pope's visit are ‘more than 90 per cent complete’, but Timorese people heard by Lusa fear that the restrictions imposed will prevent many Catholics from seeing Francis.
"The visit is 90 percent well organized," Timorese Minister of State Administration Tomás Cabral told Lusa today, adding that everything is complete in Tasi Tolo, where the homily will take place on September 10.
Work can still be seen on the site, including the installation of walls to hide the tents that are there.
Several giant screens have also been installed in Tasi Tolo, but they are still covered.
According to the minister, preparations are still underway by the church, in coordination with municipal authorities, parish priests, police commanders and health directors.
Timorese people must register in order to travel to Dili during the visit, which will take place between 9 and 11 September, and according to the minister there are "more than 100,000" registrations, in a country with 1.3 million inhabitants and where almost 97% of the population is Catholic.
Tomás Cabral justifies this limit by saying that the area of Tasi Tolo is only 23 hectares, but the minister referred the assessment of the capacity of the site to the security authorities.
However, he said that, as Francis' visit "takes place 70% in Dili", people will be able to watch the Pope's visit from the streets.
Regarding the organisation of transport for the population to the Timorese capital, the minister said that this is the responsibility of the municipalities and that it depends on the capacity of each one.
Regarding security measures, Tomás Cabral said that the number of personnel will not be disclosed, but added that the operation "will be carried out in cooperation with the Vatican", and that "an advanced security team is expected to arrive on the 24th" of August.
Asked whether the airspace will be closed, the minister said that this will only happen upon the Pope's arrival and departure from Timor-Leste. However, Aero Timor, one of the airlines operating in the country, announced on Tuesday that it would suspend all flights during the three days of the visit.
The restrictions imposed by the authorities do not please Violanto Ribeiro, a student at the National University of Timor-Leste, because "only about 120,000 are registered", which will leave many Timorese Catholics "sad" about not being able to see Francis.
"Then there is the issue of transport, there will be no capacity to bring everyone to Dili, especially those who live in the more rural areas", he lamented, noting that many foreigners will also be in East Timor, which further limits the participation of East Timorese in the events, especially the Tasi Tolo mass.
Regarding the preparations, Violanto Ribeiro believes that the Government started late and that the country is "not well prepared" for the Pope's visit.
"They are filling in the holes in a hurry and have evicted hundreds of families from their homes, without any rehousing plan", he said, referring to several house demolitions ordered by the Government, which are part of the intention to "clean up" the city in the context of the Pope's visit, but the government denies this, arguing that it has to do with the city's planning.
Journalist Romualdo Ximenes das Neves, 27, also mentioned the hustle and bustle that began in the country after the announcement of the Pope's visit, "with the construction of roads, the rehabilitation of churches and the installations in Tasi Tolo" and lamented the displacement of hundreds of families "in the name of the city's ordering".
He also regrets that not all Timorese have the opportunity to see Francis. "Some are unable to register, especially those in the mountains, who have to walk 20 kilometres", he said. Posters with different images of the Pope have already been spread throughout the Timorese capital, in photos of him greeting the Timorese President, José Ramos-Horta, the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, or another group photo that also shows the leaders of the Church in Timor-Leste. Several brands are also using Francis' image for advertising posters placed on the streets, at the airport or on the façades of buildings.
Less enthusiastic about the papal visit is Mário, who sells handicrafts on the streets, especially near a hotel near the port of Dili, in an area that will be closed for security reasons.
"This will hurt business," he said.
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