Review
'A rich and evocative portrayal of our beloved Monsignor Lopes, a man whose humanitarian ethos and deeds set an example for the Church and gave hope to his people through the very darkest days of their history' - Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor and formerly President of the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT)
Product Description
Martinho da Costa Lopes was the first Timorese leader of the East Timorese Catholic Church and the first person to speak out publicly within East Timor about abuses perpetrated by the Indonesian occupation forces. Born in East Timor in 1918, he was educated in the traditional hierarchy of the Catholic education system. During the early 1970s he edited the church newspaper, Seara, until it was closed by th Portuguese secret police in 1973. After the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975, Dom Martinho worked tirelessly to protect human rights. Criticised by th Indonesian government and under pressure from the Vatican, he resigned from the position of Apostolic Administrator and left his country in 1983. He then travelled extensively, speaking and raising awareness about East Timor, up to his death in Portugal in 1991.
