Pope Francis praises East Timor for post-conflict reconciliation

Pope Francis has praised the post-war reconciliation process in East Timor as a model for other conflict regions, at the start of his visit to the South-East Asian state.

"Heaven grant that the desire for peace will also prevail in other conflict situations in different parts of the world," the head of the Catholic Church said on Monday.

The former Portuguese colony was afflicted by violence for decades, but is now considered quite stable. East Timor is also one of the youngest states in the world, having become independent in 2002.

In the capital Dili, Francis met President José Ramas-Horta, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 together with the Catholic Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. The bishop no longer appears in public following allegations of abuse of minors.

East Timor is one of the few countries in South-East Asia with a majority Christian population. As a result of colonization by Portugal, almost all of the 1.5 million inhabitants are Catholic.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend a church service with the pontiff on Tuesday.

After visits to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, East Timor is Francis' penultimate stop on a 12-day trip abroad, the longest of his term of office to date. On Wednesday, the 87-year-old will travel on to Singapore. On Friday he returns to Rome.