Jayapura – The arrival of Pope Francis in Dili, the capital of East Timor, on the afternoon of Monday September 9, was welcomed by the Catholic community. The flag of the struggle of the West Papuan nation, the Morning Star flag, was also flown in Dili.
The Morning Star flag was raised by a West Papuan solidarity group in East Timor.
Rogerio Cabral, one of the activists in East Timor, reported that the Morning Star flag was raised by a group of activists in Dili who are concerned about the struggle of the West Papuan nation.
According to Cabral, the flag raising action held by East Timor residents to welcome Pope Francis' arrival in in Dili was a natural thing.
They claimed it was done because they care about and well understand the fate their West Papuan sisters and brother, who to this day continue to fight for independence.
"I also appreciate my friends who consciously help the struggle of fellow sisters and brothers in West Papua", he said.
This is not something that is taboo for the East Timor citizens, continued Cabral, to support the struggle of the West Papua nation when looking at the facts of its prior political history.
"The historical fact is that West Papua is already independent, but Indonesia forcibly annexed it through Indonesian military power. To this day our sisters and brothers are still alive under colonialism. They must separate, be free, independent", asserted Cabral.
The flag of the West Papua nation, added Cabral, was unfurled on the side of a highway as Pope Francis passed by in an open car.
Pope Francis arrived at Dili after "flying" from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Monday morning. The Pope conducted an apostolic visit to Vanimo and Port Moresby over several days after previously "flying" from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Bendera Bintang Kejora Turut Sambut Paus Fransiskus di Timor Leste".]
