Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to Timor-Leste's capital Dili to welcome Pope Francis.
In what was labelled the country's biggest event since its independence, Timorese citizens waved special flags and cheered as Pope Francis arrived via a convoy of security vehicles at a massive outdoor space of Tasitolu, just outside central Dili, to deliver a late-afternoon mass.
They chanted "Viva Pope Francisco" as he was escorted onto the alter — a structure purpose-built for the event at a cost of $1.5 million, part of the Timor-Leste government's $18 million spend on the three-day visit.
The Tasitolu area where Pope Francis held the mass is the same spot where St John Paul II celebrated a historic liturgy during Timor-Leste's fight for independence in 1989.
Pope Francis is the first pope to visit in 35 years and since Timor-Leste gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, following a brutal, decades-long occupation.
His visit to the country — the world's most Catholic nation outside of the Vatican — has been met with almost fever-pitch excitement in the capital, with crowds lining the streets, yelling and cheering everywhere the pope has attended or even driven past.
The government has given its citizens three days off for the event.
Worshippers began filing into the outdoor area of Tasitolu by foot early on Tuesday morning and were shielded from the sun by a sea of special yellow "pope umbrellas".
Authorities expected as many as 700,000 people to attend the event but it appeared controls to limit the number of people at the area — and the stifling heat — reduced that number significantly.
'I'm so happy'
Despite the heat, locals told the ABC they were elated with the visit.
"I'm so happy … we hope this visit can transform our country" one resident, Carmen Menenjez, said.
"People are excited. We're very happy to have the pope here," said another, Jalito.
The pontiff is an influential figure in Timor, where about 95 per cent of people identify as Catholic.
Father Luzerio Martins Da Silva, the church's representative for the pope's visit, told the ABC it was a time for celebration.
He said it was also an opportunity for Timorese citizens to "thank" the church for St John Paul II's visit in 1989 — an event many saw as critical for putting the country's push for independence in the international spotlight.
Before holding mass, Pope Francis visited a home for children with disabilities run by a congregation of religious sisters early on Tuesday.
Local resident Silvino Sousa Costa said she hoped his visit would put the young nation on the international stage.
"We hope that the presence of the holy father in Timor-Leste will allow us to remain united, in peace between the people and to create friendship between religions," she said.
However the visit is not without controversy.
Organisers bulldozed squatter settlements at the Tasitolu site to make room for Tuesday's mass.
Local Timorese press freedom advocates, journalists and street vendors have also criticised police for clearing stalls and detaining a reporter ahead of the visit.
Footage, seen by the ABC, emerged last week showing a police operation to remove street vendors in an area where Pope Francis was set to travel in Dili.
The video showed vendors' stalls being smashed by officers and masked people who were with them.
The $18 million cost has also been criticised by civil society groups, who have highlighted that about 42 per cent of the country's 1.3 million people live below the poverty line, according to the UN Development Program.
They are also calling for accountability from the church over recent child-sex scandals involving high-ranking priests, including Timor-Leste independence hero and Nobel prize winner Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo.
Calls for peace
Ahead of the mass there were also more calls for peace from locals.
"He (the pope) is inspiring Timorese here with his message of peace and solidarity," Milnosia Ribeiro said.
"I hope Pope Francis continues to encourage us to have a better future … especially for us as young people."
In a speech to about 400 politicians, diplomats and civic leaders a few hours after arriving on Monday, Pope Francis said Timor-Leste had endured the "greatest suffering and trial".
"We give thanks to God, since you never lost hope … And after dark and difficult days, a dawn of peace and freedom has finally arrived," he said.
President Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta thanked Pope Francis and called his voice "so necessary in an increasingly disfigured world in which the coldness of hearts has replaced dialogue and peace".
Pope Francis is visiting Timor Leste until Wednesday as part of a tour that has also included a stop in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
He travels next to Singapore before returning to Rome.
