Dili, East Timor Pope Francis arrived to a rock star welcome Monday in East Timor, where he will rally the Catholic-majority nation's faithful with a huge mass expected to attract more than half the country's 1.3 million population.
Catholic devotees have clamoured to see Francis as he headed to Asia's youngest nation making pilgrimages from faraway towns and hours-long crossings of its border with Indonesia.
Tens of thousands lined the streets of capital Dili, waving Vatican-coloured flags and umbrellas while screaming as the 87-year-old was driven through the streets flanked by security.
He appeared in good spirits after landing from Papua New Guinea for the third stop of a gruelling 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, waving and smiling to a swarm of devotees trying to catch a glimpse of him.
This will be a proud moment for me and my family, I think also for all the people of Timor-Leste, said a waiting 42-year-old Nunsia Karmen Maya.
