Bishop Belo on a passing visit to Jakarta

 

JAKARTA: 4th November 2006 -- Bishop Belo was invited by the East Timor Government to assist in promoting peace among the different conflicting factions in East Timor. The interim Prime Minister of East Timor, Ramos-Horta, happens to be his co-awardee of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1996, ten years ago.

    After several days in East Timor, Bishop Belo made a visit to Jakarta to meet the Nuncio and exchange thoughts with local Church leaders and Timorese groups. While in the capital city of Indonesia, Bishop Belo stayed with the confreres of the Salesian Post-novitiate house in Sunter-Jakarta. He continued to dwell on themes of peace during his homilies in the Masses for All Saints Day and All Souls Day, celebrated in the St. John Bosco Parish and in the Post-Novitiate Chapel of Sunter.

    His last day in Jakarta, November 3, was spent with the aspirants in Tigaraksa, where he celebrated Mass and visited the Technical Training Center. In his homily, Bishop Belo encouraged the aspirants to prepare themselves to be good Salesians who are at the same time educators of peace and promoters of the culture of peace. He added that the Salesian finds the source of peace in the Eucharist and in following Don Bosco's preventive system as opposed to the repressive system.