Pope Francis’ Mass in one of world’s most Catholic nations gathers almost half its population

Pope Francis received a rapturous welcome from the tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor, one of the world’s most Catholic countries, where almost half the population turned out for an open-air Mass on Tuesday.

The 87-year-old leader’s visit marks the penultimate stop of a marathon trip through Asia and the South Pacific. Local authorities estimate that a crowd of 600,000 gathered for the pope’s Mass, the Vatican told reporters.

By early Tuesday morning, streets in the capital Dili were packed with cheering crowds, from elderly worshippers to babies in strollers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope.

Photos showed a sea of people carrying yellow and white umbrellas, the colors of the Vatican, as they tried to shield themselves from the sun, and at one point a man was seen hosing down the crowd with water to cool them down.