Pope Francis celebrated Mass for hundreds of thousands of faithful in East Timor, bringing together nearly half the population of the world's most Catholic country outside the Vatican in sweltering tropical heat.
Pilgrims clamored to catch a glimpse of the 87-year-old pontiff, who appeared in good spirits on Tuesday, greeting them with a rapturous reception in a wide beach area in the capital, Dili.
About 600,000 people out of a population of 1.3 million attended the Mass, the Vatican said in a statement, citing local authorities, the largest turnout for a papal event by proportion of population outside the Holy See.
“I am very happy for everyone in East Timor. Now I want to see Pope Francis here and give him my gift. I am very excited,” said Mary Michaela, 17, who attended the service.
The Mass was the main event of the third leg of Francis' 12-day tour of Asia Pacific, which has already taken him to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and will conclude in Singapore.
Francis used it to praise East Timor's birth rate.
“It is wonderful that there are so many children here in East Timor. We can see every corner of their land, full of life,” she said.
He then went off script after the mass and referred to the country's rising rate of crocodile attacks, apparently to emphasize the importance of imposing values on other nations.
“Be careful, because I was told that crocodiles are coming to some beaches,” he told the crowd.
“Be aware of those crocodiles who want to change your culture, your history. And stay away from those crocodiles because they bite, and they bite a lot.”
As night fell, the elderly pontiff drove through the crowd in his popemobile as the crowd chanted: “Long live Papa Francesco!”
Many pilgrims had arrived hours before his speech to get a prime spot, waiting in the heat.
They held white and yellow Vatican umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching sun, while firefighters sprayed the worshippers with water.
