10-year celebration of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aitara
From the 12th to the 14th of October, the Vice Prime Minister, Fernando La Sama de Araújo, participated in the 10 year commemoration of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aitara, held in the sub district of Soibada, in the district of Manatuto.
On this occasion, the Vice Prime Minister said: "It's the first time I participate in this pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Aitara Soibada, and I have a feeling that this pilgrimage will transform people, by deepening their faith and by maintaining the positive values according to Christian doctrine within themselves,. "
In turn, the President of the Republic, Taur Matan Ruak, said that in the future, this can become a place of pilgrimage where all Timorese can gather annually to deepen their faith; he also showed he would like to promote it as one of the destinations in Southeast Asia.
As Bishop Norberto Amaral stated in his homily, he considered this year´s celebration, of the 10 years of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aitara, as the "Year of Faith". According to the Bishop, "it is up to us and our country, to meditate about our faith and deepen it."
Present at the celebration were, the Bishops Don Ricardo and Don Norberto Amaral, the President of the Republic, Taur Matan Ruak, the Vice Prime Minister, Fernando La Sama de Araújo, the Secretary of State for Water, Sanitation and Urbanization, Elías Moniz; and the Secretary of State for Administrative Decentralization, Tomás Cabral.
