The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
18 April 2004

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Pope still favourite of young Catholics

Church groups unite in call for poverty inquiry

Lisa’s struggle to make ends meet

Sydney education office helps Solomons rebuild

US ‘marriage rescue’ plan

After the pregnant pause: ‘Extra special’ - The most beautiful baby, of course

PM’s award to Fr Chris Riley

Cardinal Pell keynote speaker

Editorial: Duty to the poor

Letters: Baby blessed

Conversation: Lyndon Cox, director of Catholic Youth Services - Drawing the young back to the parish

St Vincent de Paul: How we help our twins

Sybil pushes the boundaries

Peace, love inspire student art

Christians, Muslims, Jews gather in prayer for peace

Jesus is the meaning of life, bishop tells Vietnamese

Salesians fight poverty, hunger in East Timor

Joey’s just pipped

Salesians fight poverty, hunger in East Timor

SALESIAN PROGRAM: Lunch is the main meal of the day for many students at the Tequinuamada Village School, Laga parish

Br Michael Lynch of the Salesian Missions Office shares his reflections with Catholic Weekly readers after his 12th field visit in four years to East Timor.

Each time I visit East Timor I see some signs of new development. But progress is slow. Nowadays many seem to be on the move – there are more cars on the road, a good number are riding motorbikes and many more are on bicycles.

However the nation’s extreme poverty is never far from the surface. Perhaps the biggest single problem is malnutrition; people are simply not getting enough nourishment.

Tuberculosis is widespread, affecting more than 60 per cent in some areas and nearly everybody has malaria. In addition there are outbreaks of a dengue fever type illness in some districts.

And a two-year drought has reduced food production considerably in many regions. A coconut blight in Baucau is hitting both a source of food and income for local people.

Fr Antonio Transfig Pinto (known as Fr Trans), is principal of St Anthony’s (co-educational) High School, Baucau, with an enrolment of more than 820 students (Years 7-12).

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