Dili (Fides) - Militiamen have launched ruthless retaliation against the Catholic Church in East Timor for supporting the independence cause. Local Church sources inform Fides that a number of priests and religious have been murdered by pro-Indonesian paramilitary. The same source confirms the news of three priests killed in Suai and says that eyewitnesses claim at least 15 other priests have been killed in Dili and Baucau, as well as a number of Sisters in Baucau. Those killed include head of Caritas East Timor, Fr Francisco Barreto.
There is concern also for the apostolic administrator of Baucau, Bishop Basilio do Nascimento, wounded yesterday in an attack on his residence and now in hiding in the forest.
"The target is obviously the Church and the operation is systematic" denounces Fides' source. "The attackers are certainly not Timorese, who have always loved the Church and her leaders - he added - these are people from outside brainwashed that the Church stands for independence". "If the United Nations representatives abandon the island it will be the end" he warned.
The massacre in Suai parish, in which militiamen slaughtered at least a hundred people, took place around mid-night on September 6th. Three priests were among those killed: Timorese Hilario Madeira diocesan from Oekusi, aged 45, Fr Francisco Tavares dos Reis also Timorese aged 54 and Jesuit Fr Tarcisius Dewanto aged 34 from Java, ordained only recently.
According to Fides sources, "militiamen, aided by Indonesian army troops, attacked Suai parish with grenades, one of which killed the three priests". Our source said it was known that Fr Hilario supported the people's desire for independence. Other Fides' sources confirm the attack was retaliation and that Fr Madeira was targeted for speaking with the BBC, which interviewed him a few days earlier without mentioning his name.
"The Suai massacre has caused deep grief and concern among the Indonesian Catholics" commented Fr Ignatius Ismartono, consultant of the Bishops' Conference.
In the meantime men and women Religious are leaving the Island or moving in small groups to West Timor, to the neighbouring diocese of Atambua, which is already offering shelter to thousands of refugees. It was predictable that the Church would be targeted after the initial attacks on the two Bishop's and their compounds housing thousands of terrified people. The militiamen are against the Church in East Timor because she works in favour of equal human rights, reconciliation, democracy as stands as a reference point for the people.
Of East Timor's 800,000 people 85% are Catholics and 11% Muslims. The Church on the island is organized in two dioceses, Dili and Baucau, looked after by Apostolic Administrators, respectively Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo and Bishop Basilio do Nascimento. According to the Church's Year Book of statistics, before the disorder in East Timor there were 44 diocesan priests, 56 priests belonging to Religious orders, 32 Brothers, 305 Sisters, 148 major seminarians, 1780 catechists. (Fides 09/09/1999)
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