Dili, September 13: Pope Francis was flying to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, heading to one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. Francis wrapped up his visit to East Timor with a rally Wednesday morning of its young people, who make up the majority of the 1.3 million population. He urged them to work together to build their young country, using the foundations of older generations who secured their independence from Indonesia, to grow in peace, prosperity and reconciliation.

슬롯사이트œGo forward with the happiness of youth, but don't forget one thing,슬롯사이트� Francis told them. 슬롯사이트œYou are the heirs of those who persevered in founding this nation. For this, don't lose your memory, the memory of those who persevered with so much sacrifice to consolidate this nation.슬롯사이트�슬롯 머신 사이트 추천The 87-year-old pope, who is on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, ditched his prepared remarks to speak off the cuff in his native Spanish, as he often does when he's around young people. The joyous encounter came just hours after some 600,000 people 슬롯사이트� or nearly half the population 슬롯사이트� packed a seaside park for Francis' Mass. It was held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago, when East Timor was under brutally oppressive Indonesian rule. Francis came to East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to encourage it 20 years after it secured independence as it struggles with poverty and high unemployment.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천Easter 2024: Pope Francis Calls for Gaza Ceasefire in Traditional Easter Speech Amid Health Concerns.

In final, off-the-cuff remarks at the end of the liturgy, Francis warned the Timorese today to beware of the 슬롯사이트œcrocodiles슬롯사이트� who come ashore and 슬롯사이트œwant to change your culture, your history.슬롯사이트� It was an apparent reference both to East Timor's past, as a colonial possession of first Portugal and then Indonesia, but also its current attractiveness to international commercial interests eager to develop its natural gas reserves. The oil and gas industry is the bedrock of the Timorese economy and the main source of government revenue. Development of the promising offshore Greater Sunrise gas field, shared between Australia and East Timor, has been stalled for more than two decades 슬롯사이트� mainly over the question of which country the fuel should be piped to.

Timorese officials believe that piping gas into their country would deliver more benefits for their people despite the added logistical challenges. In an interview last week, President Jose Ramos-Horta said any alternative would have to be 슬롯사이트œa very persuasive proposal.슬롯사이트� Francis, history's first Latin American pope, has long railed against multinational companies that exploit poor countries for their natural resources for their own benefit without taking care to adequately compensate the local population or care for the environment. 슬롯사이트œAnd don't go near those crocodiles because they bite, and bite a lot, a lot,슬롯사이트� Francis said Tuesday night, using a term in Spanish that means both 슬롯사이트œto bite슬롯사이트� and to accept bribes.

The huge turnout in East Timor was a testament to the devout Catholic faith of its people and their reverence of the church, which strongly backed the Timorese' fight for independence. Francis praised the Timorese for having not only built up their country from scratch, but reconciled with Indonesia after securing independence in 2002. One of the Timorese who campaigned for that independence, Fransisco Dionisio Fernandes, was a 15-year-old acolyte at the Dili Mass celebrated by St. John Paul II on the same field as Francis. He went on to become one of the most vocal pro-independence activists in East Timor, known locally by his nom de guerre Maukura. But he chose the path of non-violent resistance rather than joining the guerrillas, preaching a message of reconciliation with Indonesia that Francis underscored during his visit.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천PM Narendra Modi Meets Singapore PM Lawrence Wong, Visits AEM Holdings슬롯사이트� Semiconductor Manufacturing Unit and Discuss Collaboration.

Pope Francis in East Timor

슬롯사이트œWhat's past is past, every nation certainly has its dark history, and we cannot erase history,슬롯사이트� Fernandes said in an interview. 슬롯사이트œEast Timor has made a great effort to reconcile the wounds of the past and found a way to pursue a process of genuine reconciliation.슬롯사이트� Fernandes, who became a career diplomat, said the focus was now on the future. 슬롯사이트œNow is the time for Timorese to fight for the development and people's welfare. With the principle of mutual respect for each other's sovereignty, we rebuild together with Indonesia which is destined to be brothers.슬롯사이트� East Timor remains one of the poorest in the world, with some 42% living below the poverty line. It struggles with high levels of unemployment and malnutrition.

Nearly two-thirds of the country's citizens are under 30 years old, making youth job creation a high priority. From Dili, Francis was flying to Singapore, one of Asia's economic powerhouses. The city-state's transformation from a colonial port lacking natural resources into an economic power since its independence from Malaysia in 1965 has long been touted as a success story. It enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world, and is known for its safety and low crime rate. But it is also one of the most expensive cities to live in and its competitive work environment makes for a stressful, overworked people. Francis has no official program in Singapore on Wednesday other than a private meeting with his Jesuit confreres.