For years the Catholic Church played a fundamental role in this Southeast Asian country, especially during the period of war with Indonesia. The members of the institution were in charge of providing support to those affected by the strong wave of violence, turning them into heroes. But years later, data has been revealed showing that members of the Church were involved in cases of pedophilia in the most Catholic country in the world, with 97% practicing.
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During the bloody Indonesian occupation between 1995 and 1998, priests played a key role in hiding, caring for or protecting residents fleeing repression and massacres.
Since the country’s independence in 2002, they have been considered true national heroes.
This is the case of Monsignor Carlos Belo, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1996 and former bishop of the capital Dili. He was expelled by the Holy See in 2002 and now leads a discreet life in Portugal to protect himself from the accusations against him.
But Carlos Belo allegedly took advantage of his iconic image to abuse, for many years, young people whom he invited to his residence.
Another national hero, Father Richard Dashbach, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for multiple rapes committed against girls in the orphanage he had run since the 1970s.
This investigation is based on unpublished testimonies, in a country where the silence in the face of these crimes reveals the preponderant influence of the Church within Timorese society, as well as the disturbing cultural relationship between it and pedophilia.
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