Pope mass draws 600,000 in Catholic-majority East Timor

Pope Francis celebrated a mass for hundreds of thousands of faithful in East Timor on Tuesday, rallying nearly half the population of the world's most Catholic country outside the Vatican in stifling tropical heat.

Pilgrims clamoured to catch a glimpse of the 87-year-old pontiff who appeared in good spirits, greeting him with a rapturous reception in a wide coastal area of the capital Dili.

Around 600,000 people out of a population of 1.3 million attended the mass, the Vatican said in a statement, citing local authorities, in the biggest turnout for a papal event by population proportion outside the Holy See.

"I am so happy for everyone in East Timor. Now I want to see Papa Francisco here and give my present to Papa Francisco. I am so emotional," said Mary Michaela, 17, who attended the service.

The mass was the main event of the third leg of Francis's 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, which has already taken in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and will conclude in Singapore.

Francis used it to hail East Timor's birth rate.

"How wonderful that here in Timor-Leste there are so many children. We can see every corner of your land teeming with life," he said.

He then went off-script once the mass ended, turning to the country's rising rate of crocodile attacks to seemingly make a point about imposing values on other nations.

"Be careful, because I was told that crocodiles are coming to some beaches," he told the crowd.

"Be attentive to those crocodiles that want to change your culture, your history. And stay away from those crocodiles because they bite, and they bite a lot."

As night fell, the elderly pontiff toured the crowd in his popemobile as the crowd shouted "Viva Papa Francesco!".

Many pilgrims had arrived hours before his address to get a prime spot, waiting in the heat.

They held white-and-yellow Vatican umbrellas to protect themselves from the glaring sun, while firefighters sprayed devotees with water.

- Colossal crowd -

Earlier on Tuesday Francis met the Catholic faithful at a cathedral, calling for the "perfume of the Gospel" to be spread against violence and a lack of respect for women.

But it was the mass that energised the faithful of Asia's youngest country.

"I am grateful I can join this Holy Mass regardless of my age. I don't know if I would still be able to come if the pope visited even a few years later," said 49-year-old housewife Felicidade do Rosario.

Around 300,000 people had officially registered for the event, the government said.

Hundreds of thousands more were estimated to have shown up, bringing the total to nearly half the country's entire population, according to the Vatican.

The sheer number of people descending on Dili caused at least one local telecom company to inform customers their signal would be affected by the pope's visit.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao even got involved, joining crowds to lift spirits with a sing-along, before pouring water into the mouths of those waiting to perform for the pope.

Colonel Domingos Soares, a commander of East Timor's military, told AFP 4,000 soldiers and police officers were deployed to secure the mass.

This visit is only the second papal trip to East Timor, where around 98 percent of the population is Catholic, after John Paul II in 1989.

- Cost criticism -

On his first day in East Timor, Francis addressed the country's leaders, hailing a new era of "peace" since independence in 2002.

But he also called on them to do more to prevent abuse against young people, in a nod to recent Catholic Church child abuse scandals.

East Timor's capital had a $12 million makeover before the visit, including $1 million spent on an altar where the pope sat on stage next to a crucifix.

The cost has attracted criticism because East Timor is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Rights groups also say some makeshift homes were demolished in preparation for the mass. The government says they were erected illegally.

Those who made the journey to see the pope were more optimistic about the occasion.

"There are still many problems that need to be taken care of, but the pope has come here to bring joyful news," said Felix Kosat, an Indonesian Catholic priest.

"So let's make changes."

cmk-jfx/mtp