By Elise Ann Allen

DILI, East Timor (Crux) — As Pope Francis begins his brief, two-day visit to East Timor, one of the key underlying issues he will have to grapple with is the clerical sexual abuse crisis as the nation reels from allegations against highly revered members of the clergy.

Pope Francis landed in East Timor, also called Timor Leste, on Sept. 9, after visiting Indonesia and Papua New Guinea as part of a broader tour of Asia and Oceania that will also take him to Singapore.

In a speech to national authorities after he arrived in Dili Monday afternoon, Pope Francis made a veiled reference to the abuse issue, calling on authorities to “prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people.”

However, he did not apologize or link the abuse issue to the Catholic Church or to Church representatives.

“Let us not forget that these children and adolescents have their dignity violated,” Pope Francis said, adding in an impromptu remark that “the problem is flowering all over the world.”

In response to this, he said, “We are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people,” but did not press the issue further.

Ahead of his arrival, the clerical abuse survivor advocacy group Bishop Accountability published an open letter to American Cardinal Sean O’Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, asking the pope to vocally address the issue while in East Timor.

In recent years, East Timor has been grappling with allegations of pedophilia against prominent bishop and national hero Carlos Ximenes Belo, a Nobel laureate who has been sanctioned by the Vatican.

Bishop Belo, believed to be residing in Portugal, is a former bishop of Dili who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his efforts in promoting human rights and self-determination for East Timorese during Indonesia’s occupation from 1975-1999 and for promoting a fair and peaceful solution to the country’s conflict as it fought for its independence.

He stepped down in 2002 at the unusually young age of 54 and, in 2022, was publicly accused of the sexual abuse of minors, with the Vatican subsequently saying he had been barred from ministry when allegations that he raped and abused teenage boys arose in 2019.

Bishop Belo’s legacy remains a stain on the Church in East Timor, but his efforts for national independence also have earned him enduring support among many East Timorese, making his case a complex and delicate one that Pope Francis will have to navigate with precision while in the country.

Similarly, American ex-priest Richard Daschbach was defrocked in 2018 after being accused of and later admitting to sexually abusing young girls under his care while serving as a missionary in East Timor.

He faced civil charges and was convicted by a Timorese court in 2021 of sexually abusing orphaned and disadvantaged girls, marking the first time a member of the clergy had been civilly sanctioned for abuse in the country. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Daschbach had served in the country’s remote town of Oecusse and, like Bishop Belo, is celebrated and defended by locals and high-ranking politicians for his efforts to support the country’s push for independence.

East Timor’s Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, has reportedly visited Daschbach at least twice in prison for his birthday. Gusmão’s sons later reportedly wrote letters to victims apologizing for their father’s actions.

Pope Francis is not scheduled to meet with Gusmão privately during his visit to Dili. However, after the pontiff landed in the country, Gusmão attended the pope’s meeting with national civil authorities.

In its letter to Cardinal O’Malley, the Bishop Accountability group asked him to urge Pope Francis “to be the victims’ champion” and to advise the pope “to speak fiercely during his visit on their behalf. Help him understand how alone and frightened they must feel.”

Anne Barret Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, said in a statement, “An untold number of child sex abuse victims in East Timor are likely afraid to report their suffering as they watch powerful predators bask in public affirmation despite the serious abuse allegations against them.”

“It is a grim situation for victims, but Pope Francis could change it. He is revered in East Timor. If he explicitly condemns Belo and Daschbach and praises the bravery of their victims, his words could have an enormous positive impact,” she said.

“To disrupt the people’s attachment to Daschbach and Belo, the Pope must denounce the two men by name … A generic statement that omits the perpetrators’ names will be easily ignored or misinterpreted.”

Pope Francis, who was greeted by thousands of locals who lined the streets to see him after his arrival in Dili, did not address clerical sexual abuse directly or call out Bishop Belo or Daschbach by name in his speech to authorities.

Speaking about social challenges that East Timor faces, such as alcohol abuse and gang violence by groups of young people trained in martial arts, the pope said, “Instead of using this knowledge in the service of the defenseless, they use it as an opportunity to showcase the fleeting and harmful power of violence.”

It is expected that Pope Francis might speak on the topic in more depth while meeting with the country’s bishops, clergy, and religious on Sept. 10.

In the past, the Vatican’s envoy to East Timor, Msgr. Marco Sprizzi has urged Catholics supporting Bishop Belo to respect sanctions imposed on his ministry for the “serious crimes” he committed, despite the favor he still enjoys throughout much of East Timorese society.

East Timor’s last papal visit took place when Pope John Paul came in 1989, prior to the country’s independence. East Timor declared independence in 1975, but it was not recognized until 2002.

Pope Francis acknowledged the violence of East Timor’s recent past as it fought to obtain independence from the Indonesian occupation, and he applauded the role the Catholic faith played in helping them to achieve that goal.

He also praised the country’s commitment to pursuing full reconciliation with Indonesia despite the troubles of the recent past, an attitude he said “found its first and purest source in the teachings of the Gospel.”

East Timor is a majority Catholic nation, where roughly 97% of the local population is Catholic, and the Church enjoys broad support among political leaders and collaboration with the national government.

Pope Francis touched on high levels of poverty, especially in rural areas, urging authorities to harness the country’s natural resources, such as oil and gas, to promote social development.  He called for proper training for political leaders, saying the Church’s social doctrine should serve as “the foundation,” as it promotes integral development and seeks to avoid “unacceptable inequalities” and care for those on society’s margins.

The abuse issue was also a subtle theme during his visit to Papua New Guinea, as the Pacific has long been held to be the Catholic Church’s dumping ground for clergy accused of sexual abuse and who the Church wanted to keep out of the public eye.

Illustrative of the challenges the pope faces in confronting the abuse scandals in places where sensitivities are different from the U.S. and Western Europe may be the case of Father Carlos Miguel Buela, an Argentine founder of a religious order known as the Institute of the Word Incarnate.

Father Buela died in 2023 amid accusations that he had sexually abused seminarians in his congregation.

Speaking to journalists in Vanimo, a remote corner of Papua New Guinea visited by Pope Francis on Sunday, an Argentine missionary and member of Father Buela’s order was largely dismissive of the allegations.

“Yes, he was accused of abuse and absolved by [Pope] Benedict XVI,” said Father Miguel de la Calle, a pastor in Vanimo and part of a group of Argentinian missionaries who met Pope Francis.

“[Pope] Francis himself gave him a blessing before he died,” Father de la Calle said, and faulted reporters for excessively focusing on the accusations.

Noting that the founder had relocated to Genoa before his death, Father de la Calle insisted that he was never condemned.

“Pope Francis liked the founder a lot,” he said. “He appreciates our charisma.”