Between June 1st and 5th, 2024, Timor-Leste welcomed a team from the Vatican to assess the preparations underway for His Holiness Pope Francis’s visit to the country. This Apostolic Visit, which will take place from September 9th to 11th, 2024, is eagerly awaited and represents a historic moment for our country. 
During the visit, the Holy See team met with the national government team and visited the venues where the Holy Father will be present. They were pleased to witness the significant progress and high quality of the preparations, which are already at an impressive 60 to 70 per cent completion.
The Vatican teams will return to Timor-Leste in July and August to continue evaluating the preparations for the papal visit in September. 
The motto chosen for the Papal Visit, “May your faith be your culture”, is an “exhortation and encouragement to live the faith in harmony with culture, according to the traditions of the Timorese”.
Last April, after the official announcement of the visit, the Government Representative, Vice High-Level Institutional General Coordinator for the papal visit, Minister Tomás do Rosário Cabral, said that it was “with great expectation and enthusiasm that we await the arrival of Pope Francis” and wished “that this Apostolic Visit will be a moment of blessing and spiritual renewal for all Timorese, inspiring each of us to continue building a society based on the values of peace, solidarity and fraternity”. 