They were handed over by the Roman-Catholic Church in Portugal: Bishops Jaime Garcia Goulart and José Joaquim Ribeiro, and Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes, to the Government and Catholic Church of Timor-Leste.
Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart became the first Bishop of Dili after the diocese was separated from Macau. During the Japanese occupation, he took refuge in Australia and later returned to a Dili devastated by war, where even the newly inaugurated cathedral had been destroyed.
Pictures Courtesy Vatican News
His successor, Bishop José Joaquim Ribeiro, continued this pastoral work and entrusted increasing responsibilities to Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes.
Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes was the first priest assigned to Bobonaro. He founded Colégio Infantes Sagres in Maliana, later served as Chancellor of the Diocese of Dili, and eventually became a prominent voice for the Timorese people during the Indonesian occupation.
