Pope Francis hails East Timor era of 'peace and freedom' since independence

Pope Francis on Monday hailed East Timor's new era of "peace and freedom" two decades after it achieved independence from neighboring Indonesia.

"We give thanks to the Lord since you never lost hope while going through such a dramatic period of your history, and after dark and difficult days, a dawn of peace and freedom has finally dawned," he said in a speech to officials in capital Dili.

AFP