Timor-Leste’s Cardinal strengthens faith and ties in Melbourne

The first cardinal ever appointed from Timor-Leste has wound up a visit to Melbourne, where he met with the local Timorese community, giving them a rare chance to connect with their homeland’s spiritual leader.

Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva said the main reason for making his first trip to Melbourne was to engage with Timorese migrant communities and to be what he described as a brotherly presence among them. ‘I’ve visited Timorese migrants in different places over the past nearly three years [since being appointed a cardinal],’ he said. ‘We are encouraging them to keep their faith, their culture, their identity as Timorese and as Catholics.’

The Cardinal reiterated the words he had spoken at the Mass he celebrated for the Timorese community on Sunday 6 July in the school hall of Mount St Joseph Girls’ College in Altona. Speaking to a substantial portion of the estimated 5,000 East Timorese living in Victoria, he underscored the importance of maintaining their Catholic faith and Timorese heritage.

We all always remember that we are Timorese, and we bring with us in our heart Timorese culture and all of the customs that we have in our country.

The Cardinal’s private secretary, Fr Carlos Robel, who accompanied him on the visit, noted the importance of nurturing faith and culture among Timorese living abroad. ‘His Eminence’s message was about strengthening identity—even far from home, we remain Timorese,’ Fr Robel said.

‘But we all always remember that we are Timorese, and we bring with us in our heart Timorese culture and all of the customs that we have in our country.’

One challenge faced by local Timorese Catholics is the limited availability of Mass in Tetum, Timor-Leste’s national language. ‘For sure, they have to learn English because they are working in Australia, but to be more with their mother tongue, using Tetum in the celebration during the Mass would be good,’ Fr Robel said.

He suggested that future support could include more Tetum-language services or even a Timorese chaplain for the community, perhaps one of the priests already studying in Melbourne.

Cardinal da Silva also spoke thoughtfully about the reality of Timorese people migrating for work—particularly to Australia, South Korea and the United Kingdom—and the spiritual and cultural challenges that come with living abroad.

‘The guy leaving his wife and children, or the woman leaving her family behind, they sacrifice a lot. I want to celebrate them, encourage them to persevere in the journey that they are undertaking here.’

He says he was happy to see so many turn up for the Mass in Altona, and to see how proud they were to be Timorese and to be Catholic. ‘They showed up, participated in the celebration, and then enjoyed the friendship and community life together. That’s already something that is very significant to each of them.’

The Cardinal stressed that there are both advantages and disadvantages to having vast numbers of working-age men and women leaving Timor-Leste. ‘We experience all our manpower leaving the country. In some villages, you will find only children and old people. That’s something that really worries us.

For now, I hope more Timorese will have the experience [of working overseas] and that one day they will return and improve the quality of farming and other sectors here in our country.

‘On the other hand, they have to leave because inside the country, we don’t have enough facilities, enough means in order for them to live well.’

Cardinal da Silva expressed hope that the exodus of young people would be temporary. ‘They not only get more money, but they are also exposed to different cultures and learned some skills to bring back,’ he said, adding that some Timorese have returned to start their own small companies and, in turn, teach others.

The Timorese government, he says, has the task of creating more industries so that people can stay, but that is a long-term undertaking. ‘For now, I hope more Timorese will have the experience [of working overseas] and that one day they will return and improve the quality of farming and other sectors here in our country.’

Education is the key to improving life for Timorese people, according to the Cardinal, and that was the other main objective of his visit to Melbourne: to build on existing collaborations with Australian Catholic University (ACU) to support the growth of Catholic education in Timor-Leste.

Two-thirds of our youth are educated by the Church.

The Catholic Church plays a vital role in schooling there, with around 200 institutions serving 100,000 students. ‘Two-thirds of our youth are educated by the Church,’ Cardinal da Silva noted.

He highlighted the recent establishment of the Catholic University of Timor (UCT), now in its fourth year with 1,600 students across faculties including medicine, law and agriculture.

‘We have a nursing school, and we would like, in cooperation with ACU, to lift the standards so that when these nursing students graduate, they are not only fit to work in Timor-Leste, but they can also work anywhere in the world.

‘In that way, we can contribute to sending our future employees out of the country who already have some skills.’

He met with ACU leaders to discuss further collaboration, including scholarships and faculty development. ‘ACU is willing to continue providing assistance for the formation of future professors,’ the Cardinal said.

Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva’s visit came at the invitation of Mary Help of Christians Altona parish priest Fr Michael Kalka, a Melbourne western suburbs stalwart who is hosting Fr Deonildo de Andrade, a young priest from the Cardinal’s diocese, while he completes post-graduate studies.

Fr Michael said as Fr Deonildo would be living at the parish house for three years, he felt that it was important for Cardinal da Silva to meet his protégé’s host. ‘So I went to Timor in September last year and personally offered an invitation. He immediately accepted, and I left it up to him to work out the details.’

For most of us Cardinals, it was our first time to experience the conclave, and it was a wonderful experience ... everybody was happy with who the conclave chose.

He said the large Timorese community in Melbourne were excited when they heard about the impending visit. ‘They started planning last year, even before the dates were finalised,’ Fr Michael said, noting that the Cardinal was equally looking forward to meeting them. ‘He chose to be here for six days, which was amazing and very welcome.’

As Timor-Leste’s first Cardinal, appointed by Pope Francis in 2022, Cardinal da Silva represents his country’s connection to the global Catholic community. When asked about his role in the recent conclave to elect Pope Leo, his eyes lit up. ‘I think for most of us Cardinals, it was our first time to experience the conclave, and it was a wonderful experience,’ he said. ‘The environment itself, and then the results, everybody was happy with who the conclave chose.

‘For me, it showed how important the influence of the Catholic Church is in society today. We can see during this time, the number of people, the number of the journalists who were in the Vatican itself. It made news all over the world.’

His private secretary, Fr Robel, said the elevation of a Timorese bishop to cardinal was an immense privilege. ‘Timor-Leste was the country that the world considered as a periphery, and then we have a cardinal, the only cardinal Timor-Leste has had,’ Fr Robel said. ‘It is a national asset for the country, because when you talk about Timor-Leste, a lot of people don’t know it, or maybe they know that it is an island, but nothing else. Now people know about our country.’

Cardinal da Silva has flown home now, but he leaves behind a reminder of the Church’s role in uniting Timorese people across borders.