Vice governor gets award from Pope

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The Vice Governor of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Piet Alexander Tallo, has received a commendation from Pope John Paul II in recognition of his work in bringing peace and harmony to the province's religious communities.

"I'm quite surprised. I didn't expect to receive an award of appreciation from the Pope," Tallo told journalists Wednesday.

He said the award would add momentum to developing strategies to bring harmony to the community.

"What is more important is that this was conveyed to me at Advent, for Catholics this is the period before Christmas", he was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said the award was recently presented by Kupang Bishop Mgr. Petrus Turang. (mds)