Days before trip, Pope's envoy in Iraq tests positive for COVID
- Feb 28, 2021
A defrocked American priest went on trial Tuesday to face charges he sexually abused young girls at his shelter for orphans and children from impoverished families, marking the first clergy sex case to emerge in East Timor — the most Catholic place in the world outside the Vatican.
East Timor abruptly postponed the trial Monday of a defrocked American priest facing allegations he sexually abused young girls at a children’s shelter he ran in a remote enclave in the country.
India and other Asian countries are preparing for the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The Vatican representative to East Timor said a visit by Pope Francis has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Details are beginning to emerge of a potential trip by Pope Francis to Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea in September.
The newly elevated archbishop of Dili said the number of the Catholics and vocations in East Timor remains high, but the faithful face many challenges, including high unemployment, emigration and proselytism by groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses.