Pope Francis arrives in East Timor

People greet Pope Francis in Dili, East Timor. Pic/AFP

Pope Francis received a raucous welcome Monday as he arrived in East Timor to celebrate its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle, even as he indirectly acknowledged an abuse scandal involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning hero. Timorese jammed Francis' motorcade route into town from the airport, waving Vatican and Timorese flags and toting yellow and white umbrellas - the colors of the Holy See - to shade themselves from the scorching midday sun. "Viva el Papa!" they shouted as he passed by. The 87-year-old Francis seemed to relish the greeting, smiling broadly.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever