Friar Santiago Saiz of the Order of Preachers, a missionary in East Timor for 11 years, shares with Vatican Radio-Vatican News the story of the Church in the country and the importance of continuing to strengthen the inculturation of faith with the arrival of Pope Francis to the island.
Johan Pacheco – Dili
Pope Francis arrived on Monday, September 9, in Dili, the capital of East Timor, to confirm the faith of a population in which more than 90% identify as Catholics. Dominican friar Santiago Saiz, with extensive pastoral experience in Asia and, for the past 11 years, in the Timorese community, highlights the significance of this visit: “May the message of the Holy Father give them faith in themselves, in God, and hope for a future of peace.”
What is the history of the Church in East Timor, its characteristics, and how do people live their faith?
To the first question, I answer by saying that the Portuguese began trading with the Timorese in 1515 and made this part of the island one of their colonies until 1975. The Portuguese kings assigned this mission to the Dominicans, along with other islands in Indonesia, particularly the Island of Flores and Solor. They began their missionary work in 1556 until 1832 and were the only missionaries on the island. Later, the Salesians, Jesuits, and Verbit missionaries came. The most terrible period for this people was from 1975 to 2002; the struggle for independence against Portugal and Indonesia was filled with deaths, massacres, and misery. The missionaries and the local clergy supported and helped as much as they could during this process. This resulted in the massive Christianization of the island. Currently, 95% of the population identifies as Catholic. The problem has been and continues to be the poor religious and catechetical education. They are Christians but maintain what they call culture: ancestral traditions that mix animism, popular religiosity (they enjoy processions, especially Marian ones), dances, chicken sacrifices… Nowadays, having official documents, the baptism certificate is the only and most important document they possess. This document is necessary to print other documents and to enroll in schools and universities.
How have these people prepared for the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis?
The brief visit of Saint John Paul II in 1989 was providential for this people. That is why Pope Francis’s visit is generating great enthusiasm among the population of 1,300,000 inhabitants. It is expected that more than 600,000 people will accompany the Holy Father at the final mass. In a country without much logistics, this is generating a lot of anxiety.
We are all praying that this meeting will be a great grace for the people. The motto is being explained to the people in a small document issued by the episcopal conference. It explains the office of the Successor of Peter as the Vicar of Christ. It then describes the figure of Pope Francis and his teachings or encyclicals, and finally explains that Timor has an ancient history of beliefs and traditions that give identity to this people. They also recognize that the Catholic faith has been part of their culture for over 500 years. However, it is still necessary to inculturate the Catholic faith, purifying the traditions the people have, but at the same time, making a process of adaptation, acculturation to the culture of the people, so that the Christian faith is not a belated reflection.
Could you tell us about the presence of the Dominicans in East Timor and their pastoral work?
The Dominicans arrived during the time of the Portuguese and, with much suffering, continue to this day. We, Dominicans, arrived at the end of 2013, there are 5 priests and we are involved in a quasi-parish in the Hatoudo mountain, managing a school with 600 students. And, a few years ago, other priests teach at the Major Seminary, serve as chaplains, and teach Ethics at a university called DIT, and we take care of the formation of postulants, both our own and those from other congregations. In the last two years, we opened a secondary school in Hera.
In East Timor, what fruits do you hope will arise from this apostolic visit of Pope Francis?
I hope the fruits will be peace and hope. This very young people, if they receive these graces, will move forward. If they do not have peace and do not have hope for work, people may explode. May the message of the Holy Father give them faith in themselves, in God, and hope for a peaceful future.