Residents in Tasitolu say their homes have been demolished as the Timor-Leste government prepares for Pope Francis's visit.
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00:00There was a parade. The bulldozers rolled in. Moments later, the homes were gone.
00:13I'm very sad. They give us such short notice and now they've come in and destroyed our
00:17homes.
00:20Our children are still at school in this area. We've asked them to create a place for us.
00:25But we have nowhere to go.
00:28Next month, Pope Francis will conduct mass in this area. As many as 700,000 Timorese
00:36citizens are expected to attend. An authority says hundreds of these homes sitting on stateland
00:44are in the way.
00:48They must leave this area. It is part of a protected area. They have to go back to their
00:52home villages.
00:55The evictions are just one phase of frantic preparation in the capital, Dili, ahead of
01:01the Pope's arrival.
01:04New roads are being built. The city is in clean-up mode. In a country where 95 percent
01:12identify as a Catholic, excitement is building.
01:17I'm so happy, so happy. I'm counting down the days.
01:22People have been longing for the visit of the Pope, to come to visit his flock, a separate
01:29flock.
01:31But on top of the evictions, there are questions over the budget. The government is spending
01:39$18 million on the Pope's three-day visit.
01:42This altar behind me is being proposed, built for the event. In a country facing several
01:48developer challenges, not everyone thinks it's money well-spent.
01:53We prefer asking, let's put more money for the health issues, because there is a lot
01:59of demand from the poor people.
02:02A big sacrifice for a big event.