The Archbishop of Dili, Cardinal Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, is one of the Catholic church’s most powerful figures in the Asia Pacific, a region where it has more than 100 million followers.
In early May the East Timorese cardinal took part in the papal conclave, an elite group of cardinals charged with selecting the new leader of the world’s Catholics following the death of Pope Francis.
He’s a man who is addressed as “your eminence.”
Yet onTuesday morning las tweek, barely two months on from the conclave in Rome, Cardinal Da Silva and his private secretary, Father Carlos Roben, were sitting in the modest rectory at Mary Help of Christians Parish, in Altona.
Rather than red robes, Cardinal Da Silva was wearing a black puffer jacket to ward off Melbourne’s winter chill.
When asked why he’s traded tropical East Timor for winter in Melbourne’s west, Cardinal Da Silva nodded to the man sitting next to us, Altona parish priest Father Michael Kalka.
“He’s become a friend. He’s come to Timor a few times and this is the second year that one of the priests from the Archdiocese of Dili has studied here at Australian Catholic University and stayed here in Altona.”
Not only do Timorese priests come to study in Melbourne, but many Timorese immigrants have come to live here, with more than 1000 of them attending the Cardinal’s mass in Altona on Sunday July 5.
“Some travelled three or four hours last Sunday for the mass,” said Cardinal Da Silva of the local Timorese diaspora, which he explained came to Australia in three waves.
“Once came to Melbourne in 1975 and are celebrating their 50th anniversary.
“The second was in 1986 and the last is the seasonal workers. A great number of the community are seasonal workers.”
That’s particularly true of Timorese immigrants in Mebourne’s west, particularly those living in Wyndham.
With the diaspora comprising three distinct groups and East Timor having a short but tumultuous history, Cardinal Da Silva said his main message was one of unity.
“Put our differences behind and encourage solidarity, fraternity and unity as Timorese people here in Melbourne.”
