Pope cheers East Timor’s recovery while acknowledging bishop’s abuse scandal

Pope Francis hugs a child as East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta sits with him during a welcoming ceremony upon their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Dili, East Timor (Willy Kurniawan/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis received a raucous welcome as he arrived in East Timor to celebrate its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle, even as he indirectly acknowledged an abuse scandal involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning hero.

Timorese jammed Francis’s motorcade route into town from the airport, waving Vatican and Timorese flags and toting yellow and white umbrellas – the colours of the Holy See – to shade themselves from the scorching midday sun.