As one of the smallest countries in the world, East Timor packs a lot of punch. Per capita, East Timor has the second largest practicing Catholic population after the Vatican, with more than 96% of population considering themselves to be devoted Catholics.
Dili Cathedral was completed in 1988 as a gift by the president from the Indonesian people to Indonesia’s then 27th province. A year later, in 1989, Pope John Paul II visited Dili and blessed the Cathedral. At the entrance, there’s a plaque that bears his signature.
After Manila’s cathedral, Dili’s is the second largest church in South East Asia. Although it is not as impressive as those in Europe, it can fit roughly 2,000 congregants.
