(RNS) — Catholicism may be in decline in the West, but in East Timor, thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of the pope from the end of the world.

Nearly half of East Timor’s population —- packed a seaside park Tuesday for Pope Francis’ final Mass, held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago.

Pope Francis celebrated a papal mass in Dili, East Timor on Monday, where almost half the population of the country gathered to participate in the sacrament.

Pope Francis meets with East Timor’s President José Manuel Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a prominent figure in East Timor’s struggle for independence, at the Presidential ...

In East Timor, a country where 98% of the population is Catholic, Pope Francis was met with great enthusiasm on Tuesday by local clergy and religious.

Pope Francis landed in East Timor, also called Timor-Leste, on Sept. 9 for the third leg of his 11-day trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

TASITOLU, East Timor (AP) — Popes are popular. So much so that nearly half the population of East Timor gathered Tuesday in a seaside park for Pope Francis’ final Mass in the small Southeast ...

A billboard welcoming Pope Francis stands above a mural honoring Bishop Belo and three others as national heros in Dili, East Timor, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. Photo by: Achmad Ibrahim / AP ...

An estimated 600,000 Catholics attended Pope Francis’ Mass on Tuesday in East Timor, a small island country that is 98% Catholic. The pope celebrated the youthfulness of East Timor at the ...

The Vatican says some 600,000 people have attended Pope Francis' Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country's population.

TASITOLU, East Timor (AP) — An estimated 600,000 people — nearly half of East Timor’s population —- packed a seaside park Tuesday for Pope Francis’ final Mass, held on the same field ...