The Latest: Debby moves inland as the tropical depression soaks the Carolinas

As Tropical Depression Debby drenches the Carolinas, heavy rainfall from the tropical storm is also expected to cause flooding across portions of the mid-Atlantic states and Northeast through Saturday morning. Meanwhile, residents as far away as the Great Lakes and New Jersey have also experienced heavy rains connected to the slow-moving storm.

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Accuweather’s chief meteorologist Jon Porter said Debby will be remembered for its “very slow movement,” dumping large amounts of rain throughout North Carolina.

Some parts of the state saw 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) of rain an hour — a rate capable of catastrophic flooding, he said.

And even though the rainfall is ending in some areas, Porter warned people still need to be vigilant about runoff from waterways that could have lingering flooding issues for several days. Heavy rainfall is still expected in northern parts of North Carolina into Thursday night, he said.

Over the next few days, the heaviest rain will be west of the Interstate 95 corridor, especially in more mountainous areas where the terrain forces the storm up in elevation and wrings out its tropical moisture, Porter said. That could lead to flash flooding.

Mid-Atlantic states and parts of New York and New England will also see significant rainfall that could cause dangerous flooding into the weekend, including on parts of I-95 near bigger cities. From eastern Virginia up to Vermont, there may be an active stretch of tornadoes on Friday, he said.

“There will be multiple threats in Debby’s final chapter, and it’s a dangerous one,” he said.

Porter said there’s a “long way to go” for hurricane season, noting the historic peak of the season is in mid-September. He anticipates the next few weeks will be a “more active time period” for major tropical storms to crop up in the Atlantic.

Some residents of Southeast Georgia were warned to brace for additional flooding Thursday even after Debby had cleared out for the Carolinas, as rivers swollen with rainfall overflowed their banks.

The Ogeechee River west of Savannah was forecast to reach its major flood stage Thursday night. The National Weather Service predicted the river would continue to rise before cresting at 19.5 feet (6 meters) early Sunday.

Emergency officials in Effingham County called for residents of two roads near the Ogeechee River to evacuate Thursday. In neighboring Chatham County, which includes Savannah, officials were allowing residents to decide whether to leave.

“Expect water where you have not seen water before,” Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis told a news conference. He added: “If you have a substantial amount of water in your yards, I would say evacuate now while you still have a chance.”

Chatham County officials said rescue teams with boats had already taken 17 people to safety from homes threatened by river flooding. Ellis estimated more than 250 people live in the area.

The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Debby to a tropical depression.

Debby has maximum sustained wind speeds of 35 mph (55 kph), as of the weather service's latest advisory at around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. That's just below the threshold to be classified a tropical storm.

Debby originally made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The slow-moving storm was positioned over North Carolina as of Thursday afternoon.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said one prayer has been answered in his state with no deaths or major damage from Tropical Storm Debby.

Now he said the state is waiting to see how bad flooding upstream gets.

Debby moved out of South Carolina on Thursday afternoon after dumping rain there for more than three days. But McMaster said the storm’s effects aren’t completely over.

Rain falling in North Carolina could swell rivers and cause flooding downstream in South Carolina in several days. Officials won’t know how bad that river flooding will be until the rains stops upstream in a day.

Debby brought widespread heavy rain to South Carolina. The highest total was nearly 16.6 inches (42 centimeters) in Green Pond in Colleton County.

North Carolina has increased the number of National Guard troops activated and added more rescue vehicles into the mix as rains from Tropical Storm Debby continue to drench the state.

The state “continues to face unrelenting rain and destruction from Tropical Storm Debby,” said Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday at a National Guard armory in Kinston.

Some 374 guard members were ready to help respond with 131 vehicles, Cooper said.

One death has been reported in North Carolina after a home collapsed in a likely tornado in Wilson County in one of Debby’s storm bands. The overall death toll from Debby stands at seven.

It doesn’t look like North Carolina will suffer as badly as it did in massive floods from Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence. The state has helped repair or rebuild 14,000 homes from that pair of billion-dollar disasters, Cooper said.

Authorities say a tornado death in North Carolina has raised Tropical Storm Debby’s death toll to seven.

The latest death was reported Thursday in Lucama, North Carolina.

Wilson County spokesman Stephen Mann confirmed the death in an email. No further details were immediately provided.

At least six other people have died due to the storm, five of them in traffic accidents or from fallen trees. The sixth death involved a man in Gulfport, Florida, whose body was recovered after his anchored sailboat partially sank.

Interstate 95 in North Carolina has reopened after flooding shut down a part of one of the major highways along the East Coast on Thursday morning.

A portion of the highway around Fayetteville, North Carolina, was closed for about three hours after water topped the freeway, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said.

About 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in the area overnight.

An average of more than 50,000 vehicles a day pass through the stretch of I-95, the freeway that connects Florida to Maine.

A falling tree smashed the windshield of two deputies patrol cars overnight as they surveyed flooded roads in a North Carolina county.

Bladen County officials posted images overnight of flooded and cracked roads in the county and downed trees.

The sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post that a tree fell on a patrol car, cracking the windshield. The two deputies inside were not injured.

The county also issued a voluntary evacuation order for residents of Bladenboro, with a shelter open at West Bladen High School.

Elsewhere in the state, a part of Interstate 95 around Fayetteville, North Carolina, was shut down after water topped the freeway, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said. Troopers gave no indication of when the interstate could reopen.

In southeastern North Carolina, near the state line, as much as three feet of standing water was reported in Bladenboro.

That prompted authorities to shut down roads into the town.

“Bladenboro has been barricaded off from the rest of the county,” the National Weather Service said in a post on X. The weather service said a flash flood emergency had been declared for the county.

Elsewhere in the state, a part of Interstate 95 around Fayetteville, North Carolina, was shut down after water topped the freeway, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said. Troopers gave no indication of when the interstate could reopen.

Flooding closed one of the major highways along the East Coast on Thursday morning. A part of Interstate 95 around Fayetteville, North Carolina, was shut down after water topped the freeway, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said. Troopers gave no indication of when the interstate could reopen.

At least 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain have fallen in the area since Debby first started crawling toward the region.

An average of more than 50,000 vehicles a day pass through the stretch of I-95, the freeway that connects Florida to Maine.

An apparent tornado spawned as Debby’s outer bands blew through North Carolina damaged at least four houses, a church and a school in Wilson County east of Raleigh, county officials said.

The county said in a statement the tornado touched down around 3 a.m. Thursday. No injuries were immediately reported.

The storm could bring more tornadoes as the day goes on in parts of North Carolina and Virginia, forecasters said.

Debby on Wednesday influenced thunderstorms from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. And the National Weather Service’s office in Charleston said survey teams earlier confirmed four-Debby related tornadoes.

Tropical Storm Debby is heading up the East Coast as it has made landfall for a second time. The National Hurricane Center says Debby came ashore early Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina.

The storm is expected to keep moving inland, spreading heavy rain and possible flooding all the way up through the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast by the weekend. Debby first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

As Debby drenches South Carolina, heavy rainfall from the tropical storm is also expected to cause flooding across portions of the mid-Atlantic states and Northeast through Saturday morning.

In Bulloch County northwest of Savannah, Georgia, at least four dams have been breached by floodwaters, but so far no fatalities have been reported, authorities said at a Wednesday news briefing.

More than 75 people have been rescued from floodwaters in the county, said Corey Kemp, the county’s director of emergency management. About 100 roads have been closed, he said.

“We’ve been faced with a lot of things we’ve never been faced with before,” Commission Chairman Roy Thompson said. “I’m 78-plus years old and have never seen anything like this before in Bulloch County. It’s amazing what has happened, and amazing what is going to continue to happen until all these waters get out of here.”

Gene Taylor was waiting for a few inches of water to drain back out of his home as high tide passed Wednesday afternoon at his home along French Quarter Creek, not far from the Cooper River in Huger and about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of Charleston.

This is the fourth time his home's been flooded in the past nine years, and he heeded the warnings this time, moving things up or out.

“To save everything, we’ve learned from the past it’s better be prepared for the worst. And unfortunately, I think we got it,” Taylor said. “We got caught with our pants down in 2015. We waited, didn’t think the water was going to come up as quick. But it did, and it caught us. We couldn’t even get the vehicles out.”

A few doors down, Charles Granger was cleaning up after about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of water got into his home — a common annoyance now.

“Eight inches disrupts your whole life,” Grainger said. “You don’t get used to it. You just grin and bear it. It’s part of living on the creek.”

Water levels are rising as Tropical Storm Debby's rainfall drains out to sea. The National Weather Service in Charleston tweeted that the Canoochee River in Claxton, Georgia have neared 18 feet, surpassing previous flood record set in 1925.

No deaths or injuries have been reported from Tropical Story Debby in South Carolina, but Gov. Henry McMaster said Wednesday that the state was just entering Act 2 of a three-act play.

“We’ve been lucky so far. Things have not been as bad as they could have been,” McMaster said of heavy rains Monday and Tuesday that caused flooding that damaged over 60 homes but did not cause significant problems to roads or water systems.

Act 2 is overnight into Thursday when Debby moves back onshore and heavy rain returns, this time to the northern part of the coast and inland. An additional 4 to 8 inches of rain could fall, said John Quagliariello, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia.

“It may not be as catastrophic as what we were saying, but we still think as these rain bans develop they could sit over the same area for long periods of time, produce a lot of rainfall and a lot of flooding,” Quagliariello said.

The final act may come next week if enough rain falls upstream in North Carolina to cause major flooding along rivers as it flows to the Atlantic Ocean.

Emily Peterson Dowless, left, walks past her business Market on Main as residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Randy Sikes speaks to his relatives on a mobile phone as he stands in residual rain water flooding the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

A golf cart sits in flood waters on Atlantic Ave. as Tropical Storm Debby approaches, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Sullivan's Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

A resident measures the depth of the flooded street with storm water from Tropical Storm Debby, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024 Pooler, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Charles Grainger cleans up around his house in the historic district of French Quarter Creek as flood waters recede from Tropical Storm Debby, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Huger, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Gene Taylor watches the flood waters around his house in the historic district of French Quarter Creek as flood waters recede from Tropical Storm Debby, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Huger, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Charles Grainger cleans up around his house in the historic district of French Quarter Creek as flood waters recede from Tropical Storm Debby, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Huger, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Charles Grainger cleans up around his house in the historic district of French Quarter Creek as flood waters recede from Tropical Storm Debby, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Huger, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

DILI, East Timor (AP) — Tens of thousands of East Timorese streamed Tuesday toward a seaside park for Pope Francis’ big Mass, held on the same field where St. John Paul II celebrated an historic liturgy during the nation’s fight for independence from Indonesia.

The Tacitolu park is said to have been a site where Indonesian troops disposed of bodies killed during their rule. Now it is known as the “Park of Peace” and features a larger-than-life-sized statue of John Paul to commemorate his 1989 visit, when the Polish pope shamed Indonesia for its human rights abuses and encouraged the overwhelmingly Catholic Timorese faithful.

John Paul’s visit helped draw attention to the plight of the Timorese people and shine a spotlight on the oppressiveness of Indonesia’s rule, during which as many as 200,000 people were killed over a quarter-century.

Francis celebrates a Mass at the same site Tuesday, following in John Paul's footsteps to cheer the Southeast Asian nation on two decades after it finally became an independent state in 2002. East Timor, known also as Timor-Leste, remains one of the poorest countries, with some 42% of its 1.3 million people living below the poverty line, according to the U.N. Development Program.

Unemployment is high, job opportunities in the formal sector are generally limited and most people are subsistence farmers with no steady income.

But the Timroese are deeply faithful – the territory has been overwhelmingly Catholic ever since Portuguese explorers first arrived in the early 1500s and some 97% of the population today is Catholic. They have turned out in droves to welcome the first pope to visit them as an independent nation, thronging the motorcade route as Francis arrived on Monday and pouring into the Tacitolu site for his Tuesday afternoon Mass.

“Yes this is a very grateful experience for us Timorese," said Ildefonso da Cruz Barreto, who was in the crowd greeting Francis outside the presidential palace. "During our fight for independence, the Catholic Church was a big part of the process.”

Government authorities said some 300,000 people had registered through their dioceses to attend the Mass, but President Jose Ramos-Horta said he expected 700,000 and the Vatican predicted as many as 750,000.

They lined up before dawn by the tens of thousands to enter the Tacitolu park, on the coast about 8 kilometers (nearly 5 miles) from downtown Dili. With hours to go until the service, the roads leading to it were jammed by cars, trucks and buses packed with people; others walked down the middle of the street, ignoring the sidewalks.

“For us, the pope is a reflection of the Lord Jesus, as a shepherd who wants to see his sheep, so we come to him with all our hearts as our worship,” said Alfonso de Jesus, who came from Baucau, the country’s second-largest city after Dili, about 128 kilometers east of the capital.

De Jesus, 56, was among the estimated 100,000 people who attended John Paul’s 1989 Mass, which made headlines around the world because of a riot that broke out just as it was ending. John Paul looked on as baton-wielding Indonesian plain-clothed police clashed with some 20 young men who shouted “Viva a independência” and “Viva el Papa!”

According to Associated Press reporting at the time, the men unfurled a banner in front of the altar and hurled chairs at the policemen. One banner read “Fretilin Welcomes You,” a reference to the independence movement that fought Indonesian rule since East Timor was annexed in 1976 after Portugal dismantled its centuries-old colonial empire.

Four women were reported hospitalized with injuries suffered after being crushed in the surging crowd. The pope wasn't harmed.

Amnesty International later expressed concern that some 40 people had been detained and tortured, though Indonesian authorities at the time denied any arrests or torture.

“The Mass was run very neat and orderly with very tight security,” De Jesus recalled more than three decades later. “But it was crushed by a brief riot at the end of the event.”

Many of the reports at the time quoted Dili Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo in trying to draw attention to the plight of the Timorese people. Belo would go onto win the Nobel Peace Prize with Ramos-Horta for their efforts to peacefully resolve the Timorese conflict.

But Belo has since been discredited, at least outside of East Timor, after the Vatican revealed in 2022 that he had been sanctioned for sexually abusing young boys. Now living in Portugal and blocked by the Vatican from having contact with East Timor, Belo's historic role has been seemingly erased from any official mention during Francis' visit.

Francis has cheered East Timor for the progress it has achieved since independence and is seeking to encourage the country to strengthen its public institutions and look out for the poorest and most vulnerable.

Francis opened his day Tuesday visiting a home for disabled children run by a congregation of religious sisters. Young girls, including one without arms, presented Francis with a traditional woven shawl known as a tais as he arrived at the Irmas Alma school.

As he stroked the hand of a young boy named Silvano in a stroller, Francis said taking care of children with such health needs “teaches us to care.”

“As he allows himself to be cared for, we must learn to be cared for by God, who loves us,” Francis said.

Francis then met with clergy and religious sisters at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where he praised the women of the church and said their dignity must always be respected.

“Women are the most important thing in the church, because they take care of the most needy,” he said. “They heal them. They accompany them.”

He also heard the story of Florentino de Jesus Martins, an 89-year-old layman who has worked as a catechist, teaching the faith for the archdiocese of Dili, but had to retire because of his Parkinson's disease.

Greeting him, Francis marveled at his dedication, saying he didn't let his ailment paralyze his zeal for spreading the faith. “It seems he's competing with St. Paul the Apostle,” he said.

AP researcher Randy Herschaft contributed from New York.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

People wait for Pope Francis visiting to children with disabilities of the Irmas Alma School in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis greets the people after the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

People wait for Pope Francis near the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

People wait for Pope Francis visiting to children with disabilities of the Irmas Alma School in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

People wait for Pope Francis to arrive at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

People wait for Pope Francis to arrive at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Pope Francis greets the people after the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis greets the people after the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis holds his cross pendant during a visit at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis greets the people after the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

People wait for Pope Francis near the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

People greet Pope Francis as he travels in a car on way to another venue in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Pope Francis greets people in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis leads the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis leads the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis arrives to lead the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis leads the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis leads the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis leads the holy mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Pope Francis arrives at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. "Let us also not forget that these children and adolescents have their dignity violated," Francis said. "In response, we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people." (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis arrives at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. "Let us also not forget that these children and adolescents have their dignity violated," Francis said. "In response, we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people." (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis arrives at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. "Let us also not forget that these children and adolescents have their dignity violated," Francis said. "In response, we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people." (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A child attends Pope Francis's visit at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis arrives at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. "Let us also not forget that these children and adolescents have their dignity violated," Francis said. "In response, we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people." (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis speaks during a visit at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. At left is Archbishop of Dili Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis consoles a person during a visit at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis consoles a person during a visit at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis speaks during a visit at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis arrives at the 'Irmas ALMA' (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Pope Francis has indirectly acknowledged the abuse scandal in East Timor involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis greets people in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)