DILI, 04 September 2024 (TATOLI) – Cardinal Bishop Virgilio da Silva do Carmo, accompanied by the Vatican representative of the Nuncio Vatican in Timor-Leste, Monsignor Marco Spirizzi, together with the President of the Republic José Ramos Horta and the Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, today blessed the Ambullift Ground Support Equipment for use by Pope Francis at the Nicolau Lobato Comoro International Airport, Dili.
In order to create a suitable space for Pope Francis to relax for a time, Cardinal Virgilo do Carmo da Silva not only blessed the ambulance ground support equipment but also the Very Important Person’s (VIP) room and the clinic room.
Following the blessing, the government was commended by Cardinal Virgilo do Carmo da Silva on behalf of the Catholic Church for making every effort to host Pope Francis, who will be in Timor-Leste in a few days.
“All the preparations for the reception of Pope Francis have been completed; this has been successful because of the hard work of the government. Thus, on behalf of the church, I thanked the government and invited all the people to continue to pray for Pope Francis and invite all the people to prepare to receive Pope Francis in our homeland,” Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva told reporters at Nicolau Lobato International Airport, Comoro Dili, on wednesday.
In the same place, President Horta expressed gratitude for all of the government’s and the church’s cooperation and communication in order to expeditiously finish all building preparations for Pope Francis’s visit.
“We saw all the constructions consist of the altar at Tasi-Tolu; the construction of the VIP room and other related preparatory constructions were only constructed in a short period of time, but the quality was guaranteed,” he said.
Conversely, upon Pope Francis’s return to the Vatican, the government, acting through the Ministry of State Administration in collaboration with the National Development Agency (ADN), will make public all of the expenses incurred in constructing the altar, building the VIP room, buying ground support equipment for ambulances, building clinics, and carrying out related construction.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
