East Timor cardinal meets a delegation of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States—European Union

On September 16, 2025, Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, Archbishop of Dili, East Timor, met the delegation of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) European Union (EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Dili.

The OACPS-EU was led by Dr. Francisco Assis, President of the Delegation of the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, along with a 25-member delegation from the Archdiocese of Dili.

Also present at the meeting were Jorge de Camões, the Ambassador of East Timor to the European Union, and Marc Fiedrich, the Ambassador of the European Union in East Timor, as well as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Dili, Fr. Paul Maya.

In this meeting, they shared their impressions and thoughts about the key role of Timor-Leste, especially in education and social services, to contribute to the development and progress of Timor-Leste's people and land.

OACPS comprises 79 member states from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States. It strives to achieve the sustainable development of its members and their progressive integration into the world economy.

On May 20, 2002, East Timor gained its independence from Indonesia. Earlier, it was a Portuguese colony until 1975 and was under Indonesian sovereignty from 1976 to 1999.

There are three dioceses in the country: Dili, Bacau, and Maliana. It is a Catholic majority with 95% out of 1.4 million. It is the second Catholic nation in Asia after the Philippines.