Papal envoy's visit to E. Timor pastoral
Papal envoy's visit to E. Timor pastoral
JAKARTA (JP): A special envoy of Pope John Paul II said
yesterday that his planned visit to East Timor tomorrow is not
political in nature.
"My trip is a pastoral visit, it is not a political visit,"
said Cardinal Roger Etchegary, who has been head of the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace for ten years.
Speaking to journalists after paying a courtesy call on
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Cardinal Etchegary said
he would go to the diocese in East Timor.
The Roman Catholic church in East Timor, lead by Bishop Carlos
Felipe Ximenes Belo, is administered directly by the Vatican and
not by the Archbishop in Jakarta like other parts of the country.
The Vatican, following the United Nations line, does not
recognize the integration of East Timor, a predominantly Catholic
territory, into Indonesia.
"I will visit the Catholic church which is there in East
Timor," Cardinal Etchegary said. His translator was the Holy
See's representative here Monsigneur Pierto Sambi.
His visit highlights the continued concern the Holy See has
towards East Timor. Pope John Paul II made a brief stopover in
the territory when he visited Indonesia in 1989.
The cardinal arrived on Thursday for a week-long stay that
will also include a one-day stop in Yogyakarta. He will leave for
Dili tomorrow to open a chapel.
On Monday he will travel to the city of Bakau as well as hold
meetings with Bishop Belo, Governor Abilio Soares and the
regional military commander on Tuesday.
Tonight, he will attend a concelebration at the Cathedral of
Jakarta.
Monsigneur Sambi told The Jakarta Post that the cardinal will
return to Jakarta on Wednesday to meet with President Soeharto,
Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher and members of the
National Human Rights Commission.
Earlier, Cardinal Etchegary told a meeting with Catholic
scholars and intellectuals at the Atmajaya University that they
should strive to maintain peace and harmony with people from
other faiths.
He cited Indonesia as a good example of a country that has
managed to forge peace and unity in spite of the diversity of its
people's ethnic and religious backgrounds. (mds/16)