DILI, 6 september 2022 (TATOLI) – His Eminence, Cardinal Virgílio do Carmo da Silva presided over a Mass of Gratitude in Dili following his elevation as the first Cardinal of Timor-Leste, where he congratulated the Timorese people for praising the Document on Human Fraternity.
In his homily, Cardinal Virgílio congratulated the National Parliament for the approval of the Document on Human Fraternity, on may 2022.
Timor-Leste was the first country in the world to adopt The Human Fraternity document, a document promoting peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims that has been endorsed by both Pope Francis and Ahmed el-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar.
He said that approving and adopting the Human Fraternity Document was such a big step for Timor-Leste, which was committed to promoting peace and living together.
“We are very proud that our National Parliament has approved the Document on Human Fraternity,” Cardinal Virgílio said today in his homily in Tasi-Tolu, Dili.
He said that living in a multicultural world, Timor-Leste must embrace diversity and respect differences.
Cardinal Virgílio called Timorese youth from different groups to promote peace and stability in the country: “The Timorese youth should be united as they were once gathered in Aileu, where young people from different Martial Arts Groups joined together to take up the Cross together.”
“I, therefore, encourage all Timorese people, particularly the youth, to promote the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” he said.
The mass of gratitude took place in Tasi-Tolu, one of the historical places in Timor-Leste, where Pope John Paul II visited in 1989.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sa
Editor: Nelia Borges
