OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT RAMOS-HORTA ON THE PASSING OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCISCO
Dili, April 21, 2025
It is with profound sorrow that I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francisco, who today returns to God our Lord after twelve years of a pontificate marked by humility, courage, and a luminous testimony of faith, justice, and love for humanity.
On behalf of the people of Timor-Leste, I extend our deepest condolences to the Catholic Church and to all the faithful around the world during this time of mourning and prayer.
The memory of Pope Francisco will remain alive in the hearts of the Timorese people, particularly following his unforgettable Apostolic Visit to Timor-Leste in September 2024, during which he deeply touched the spirit of our Nation with words of hope, inclusion, and fraternity. His presence among us was a sign of the spiritual connection that unites the Timorese People with the Holy Father and the Church of Rome, and will be eternally remembered as a blessing.
A man who came from “almost the end of the world,” as he himself said upon his election, Pope Francisco was, from the beginning, a Pope who walked closely with the poor, the excluded, the marginalized, migrants, and victims of war and indifference. He was a Pope of Justice, Peace, Dialogue, Integral Ecology, and the renewal of the Church to meet the challenges of our time.
His choice of the name Francisco revealed from the first moment the spirit of his ministry: evangelical simplicity, compassion, and commitment to the most vulnerable. He leaves us a legacy of living and dynamic faith, inspiring us to continue the work of reconciliation, forgiveness, and service.
Timor-Leste stands in spiritual communion with the Holy See, and the millions of Catholics around the world who today mourn the departure of the Holy Father.
In this moment of grief, Timor-Leste declares one week of national mourning with flags at half-mast from April 22, 2025.
We join our prayers with those of believers worldwide, entrusting Pope Francisco to God’s eternal mercy and love.
J. Ramos-Horta
President and Nobel Peace Laureate
KOMUNIKADU IMPRENSA
DEKLARASAUN OFISIÁL HUSI PREZIDENTE RAMOS-HORTA BA FALESIMENTU SUA SANTIDADE PAPA FRANCISCO
Díli, 21 Abril 2025
Ho laran triste tebes mak hau rona kona-ba falesimentu Sua Santidade Papa Francisco, ne’ebé ohin fila hikas ona ba Maromak ita-nia Nai, hafoin tinan sanulu resin rua pontifikadu ne’ebé marka ho haraik-an, aten-barani, no sasin naroman ba fiar, justisa, no domin ba umanidade.
Hodi Povu Timor-Leste nia naran, ha’u hato’o sentidu kondolénsia profunda ba Igreja Katólika no ba sarani sira hotu iha mundu tomak durante tempu triste no orasaun ida-ne’e.
Memória Papa Francisco sei moris nafatin iha povu Timór nia fuan, partikularmente hafoin nia vizita Apostolika mai Timor-Leste iha Setembru 2024, ne’ebé nunka atu bele haluha, iha momentu ne’ebé nia kona tebes ita-nia Nasaun nia espíritu ho liafuan kona-ba esperansa, inkluzaun, no fraternidade. Ninia prezensa iha ita-nia leet nu’udar sinál ligasaun espirituál ne’ebé halibur povu Timor-Leste ho Santo Padre no Igreja Roma nian, no sei hanoin ba nafatin nu’udar bensaun ida.
Mane ida ne’ebé mai husi “kuaze besik mundu nia rohan,” hanesan nia rasik hatete iha nia eleisaun, Papa Francisco mak, husi inísiu, Papa ida ne’ebé la’o besik ho ema kiak sira, ema ne’ebé sai exkluidu, ema marjinalizadu, migrante, no vítima funu no indiferensa sira. Nia mak Papa ba Justisa, Paz, Diálogu, Ekolojia Integrál, no renovasaun Igreja nian hodi hasoru dezafiu sira iha ita-nia tempu.
Nia hili naran Francisco hatudu kedas husi momentu primeiru espíritu ninia ministériu: sinplesidade evanjélika, kompaixaun, no kompromisu ba ema vulneravel liu. Nia husik hela ba ita legadu fiar ne’ebé moris no dinámiku, hodi inspira ita atu kontinua servisu ba rekonsiliasaun, perdaun, no serbí nian.
Timor-Leste hamriik iha komunhaun espirituál ho Santa Sé, no katóliku millaun ba millaun iha mundu tomak ne’ebé ohin loron halerik ba Santu Padre nia saída.
Iha tempu lutu ida-ne’e, Timor-Leste deklara semana ida lutu nasionál nian ho bandeira sira ho bandeira meia hasta hahú husi loron 22 fulan-Abril tinan 2025.
Ita hamutuk iha ita-nia orasaun ho sarani sira iha mundu tomak, hodi intrega Papa Francisco iha Maromak nia laran luak no domin rohan-laek.
J. Ramos-Horta
Prezidente no Laureadu Nobel ba Pás
