Banners of Pope Francis had been unfurled across Dili, the capital of East Timor, its streets scrubbed and its walls freshly painted. Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to try to catch a glimpse of the man, who arrived on Monday. But in some corners of the city, the excitement had turned into misery.

       Joana Fraga Ximenes stared at rubble in the district of Bidau that had been her home and a street stall, from which she sold sundries. Earlier this year, she said, the authorities had given her three days to move because the pope was going to be driven down her street. Eventually, they sent bulldozers.

       “Why do we have to hide the poverty?” Ms. Ximenes, 42, said over the weekend. “This is reality. The pope is not coming to see good things in Timor-Leste. The pope is here to see our real lives.”

       Francis’s two-day visit, the third stop on his Asia-Pacific tour, is a momentous occasion for East Timor, or Timor-Leste as it is known in Portuguese, one of two official languages. Nearly all of the 1.3 million people here are Catholic. The church played an important part in East Timor’s struggle for independence, but that history has been stained by its clergy abuse scandal. One of the heroes of the independence cause, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, has been accused of sexually abusing children decades ago.

       Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

       In a speech to government officials and civil society on Monday night, Francis said, “We are called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people.” He did not mention Bishop Belo or the church’s role in other abuse scandals.

       Image

       “Why do we have to hide the poverty?” asked Joana Fraga Ximenes, whose home along the pope’s scheduled route through Dili was demolished. Next to her is Tome da Costa, her husband.Credit...Ulet Ifansasti for The New York Times

       Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.