DILI, Indonesia -- Pope John Paul II sharply criticized Indonesia for its handling of the former Portuguese colony of East Timor Thursday as police armed with batons subdued a group of demonstrators at the foot of the altar.
The pope attacked Indonesian rule of the one-time colony saying he prayed for a quick end to war and unrest that have wracked the largely Catholic island for 14 years. Minutes after finishing his sermon a crowd of 20 demonstrators, carrying a banner demanding independence for East Timor which was annexed by Indonesia in 1976, approached the alter.
The protesters chanted slogans in Portuguese supporting Fretelin, a separatist guerrilla group that Indonesian authorities claim has all but been eliminated.
Security forces used batons to subdue the protesters in a struggle that raised thick clouds of dust. Chairs flew through the air during the clash.
The pontiff was not injured or threatened in the disturbance at the end of a two-hour mass during which he issued a strong call for human rights and an end to the conflict and uncertainty in Indonesias 27th province.
The pope later flew back to Jakarta to meet with Catholic students in the capital.
The pontiff's four-hour stop on the island was billed as a pastoral visit but ended as a slap against Jakarta's rule, which began when it annexed East Timor in 1976.
'For many years now, you have experienced destruction and death as a result of conflict,' John Paul said in an impassioned sermon to about 100,000 devotees. 'You have known what it means to be victims of hatred and struggle.'
The pontiff was invited by the Indonesian government to visit East Timor, 1,230 miles east of Jakarta. President Suharto and Foreign Minister Ali Alatas had expressed confidence the pontiff would find a peaceful and harmonious situation on Timor.
The pope initially eased the apprehensions of Indonesian authorities when he stepped off the plane without kissing the ground -- a traditonal blessing each time the pontiff arrives in a new country -- but they apparently were caught off guard by the verbal lashing in the sermon.
'Innocent people have died while others have been prey to retaliation and revenge,' the pope told the faithful assembled on a sun-scorched seaside field, once the site of fierce battles between Indonesian troops and pro-Portuguese guerrillas.
'For too long you have been suffering a lack of stability, which has rendered your future uncertain,' he said.
Amnesty International claimed Indonesian troops have killed 200,000 people since seizing the island in fighting with remnants of Timorese separatist groups, primarily the East Timor independence movement called Fretilin.
'I pray that those who have responsibility for life in East Timor will act with wisdom and good will toward all as they search for a just and peaceful solution of the present difficulties in Timor to bring about a speedy improvement of conditions in life which will permit you to live in social harmony according to your own traditions,' the pontiff said.
Catholicism has been the dominant religion in East Timor since it was introduced by Portuguese sailors who first set foot on the island in 1517.
John Paul began his fourth Asian visit Saturday in South Korea and flew to Jakarta Monday. He travels Friday to Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, and leaves Saturday for the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius en route to Rome.
The pope's pilgrimage to East Timor, the third island visit of his six-day Indonesian tour, followed accusations by Amnesty International, Asia Watch and members of the U.S. Congress that the residents have been suppressed, subjected to Islamization, and plagued with food shortages and health problems. Indonesia has steadfastly denied the charges.
East Timor was virtually sealed off from the outside world until January, when the government opened the island to visits by foreigners, who had been barred without approval from military and civilian authorities.
The government acknowledges about 200 armed guerrillas still are holed up in the hills, while other sources place the figure at 500.
Timor bishop Carlos Belo told reporters the turnout of 100,000 Catholics at the mass was lower than expected because many were reluctant to travel to Dili, fearing the 14,000 Indonesian soliders based on the island.
Earlier estimates said nearly allof East Timor's 400,000 Catholics - two-thirds of the island's population -- would attend the mass celebrated by the highest ranking world figure ever to visit the remote island.
The pope, seemingly unaffected by a blazing tropical sun and stifling heat that caused scores of worshipers to faint, said he hoped to see a future Timor where there was 'respect for the rights which render life more humane, the rights of individuals and the rights of families'
'From the very beginning of my pontificate, I have followed your situation with deep concern,' he said. 'It has long been my wish to express that the whole church and the pope hold you in esteem and in affection.'
At the mass, traditional Timorese gongs, performances of colorful dances and a 1,200-voice student choir entertained crowds waving Vatican and Indonesian flags.
In Dili, John Paul blessed the Immaculata Concepcio Church, the largest cathedral in Southeast Asia, which President Suharto inaugurated in November.
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