Government and Catholic Church Pay Tribute to Four Historic Prelates from Timor-Leste
Between September 1st and 10th, 2026, the Government and the Timorese Episcopal Conference are holding a series of ceremonies to honour Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart, Bishop José Joaquim Ribeiro, Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes, and Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva, in recognition of their pastoral legacy and their contributions to the history of Timor-Leste.
The ceremonies began on September 1st with the arrival in Dili of the mortal remains of Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart, the first Bishop of the Diocese of Dili; Bishop José Joaquim Ribeiro, the second Bishop of the Diocese of Dili; and Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes, former Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Dili.
The mortal remains of the three prelates arrived at President Nicolau Lobato International Airport from Portugal and were received with State honours at a ceremony attended by the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta; members of the Government; representatives of sovereign bodies; leaders of the Catholic Church; and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
During the ceremony, the Government, represented by the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, formally handed over the caskets to the Timorese Episcopal Conference, represented by Virgílio Cardinal do Carmo da Silva, Metropolitan Archbishop of Dili and President of the Timorese Episcopal Conference.
After their reception at the airport, the caskets were carried in procession to Tasi Tolu, where they were joined by the mortal remains of Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva, Bishop of Dili from 2004 to 2015, for a Mass of Thanksgiving in honour of the four prelates.
On September 2nd, the mortal remains of Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart were taken to the Major Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul in Fatumeta and to the Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Fátima in Maloa, where seminarians, trainers, and the faithful paid tribute to the former Bishop of Dili and recalled his contribution to the formation of the Timorese clergy.
On the same day, the mortal remains of Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes were transported to Laleia, in the municipality of Manatuto, his birthplace. The casket was received by his family, the Church, and the local community, then carried in procession to the Parish Church of Laleia, where religious ceremonies in his honour were held.
Tributes to Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes continued on September 3rd, in Manatuto. The programme included the transfer of his remains from Laleia to Manatuto and a ceremony at the Manatuto Bridge, during which the Government Resolution designating the bridge as the “Mons. Martinho da Costa Lopes Bridge” was read out. The ceremony also featured an address by the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, the unveiling of the commemorative plaque, and the blessing of the bridge by the Archbishop of Dili.
Born in Laleia on November 11th, 1918, Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes was appointed Vicar-General of the Diocese of Dili in 1975 and Apostolic Administrator of Dili in 1977. During the Indonesian occupation, he denounced violence against the Timorese population and defended the rights and dignity of the people of Timor-Leste. He passed away in Portugal on February 27th, 1991.
Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart and Bishop José Joaquim Ribeiro also held leadership roles within the Catholic Church in Timor-Leste. They helped consolidate its pastoral, educational, and social structures. Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva, Bishop of Dili from 2004 to 2015, carried out his pastoral mission during the period of consolidation of national institutions following the restoration of independence.
The ceremonies, held under the theme “Portraits of Faith and Eternal Memory of the Church and of Timor-Leste – CELEBRATING THE LEGACY AND SACRIFICE OF OUR BELOVED PRELATES”, mark the return to Timor-Leste of the mortal remains of Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart, Bishop José Joaquim Ribeiro, and Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes, which will be laid to rest alongside those of Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva.
The programme of tributes concludes on September 10th with a Holy Mass at Tasi Tolu, presided over by Virgílio Cardinal do Carmo da Silva, followed by the burial ceremony for the mortal remains of the four prelates at Dili Cathedral, and a visit to the Memorial Monument and Garden on the grounds of Dili Cathedral.
