also Ramos-Horta pays tribute to Cardinal Sin

CBCP News :: Official news agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines

Timor Leste president pays tribute to Sin

MANILA, August 12, 2008­ Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta paid tribute Monday to the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, whom he called a “great man.”

Accompanied by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Mr. Horta offered flowers and prayers at the tomb of Cardinal Sin located at the crypt below the altar of the cathedral.

“I’m here to pay tribute to such a great man and a great priest. He was a man I have always admired over many years,” Mr. Horta told Church reporters.

He said it’s always been a routine for him to visit Sin’s grave every time he visits the Philippines.

“We don’t (leave) the Philippines without paying respect and pray for him and to seek for his blessing,” Horta also said.

Mr. Horta said he met Cardinal Sin several times, adding that the prelate “was a great supporter of the Timor Leste in 1999 during the worst violence caused by militia gangs.”

“I spoke to him on the phone and I asked him to pray for us and to offer his outspoken support and he did,” he added.

The visiting President arrived in the Philippines yesterday for a four-day visit, six months after surviving an assassination attempt on his life.

Mr. Horta, who was instrumental in his country’s campaign for independence from Indonesia, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1996 along with Bishop Carlos Belo, the leader of East Timor’s Catholic population.

When East Timor achieved independence in 2002, Horta was appointed as the country’s first foreign minister. He held the position until his resignation in 2006, and was subsequently sworn in as the second prime minister, following Mari Alkatiri, by then President Xanana Gusmão.

In May 2007, he was elected president of East Timor. (Roy Lagarde)

http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/4180

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Ramos-Horta pays tribute to Cardinal Sin

08/12/2008 | 10:02 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Visiting Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta paid tribute to the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, whom he called a "great man."

A statement Tuesday on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines <http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/4180>website said Ramos-Horta offered flowers and prayers at sin's tomb in Manila Cathedral.

"I'm here to pay tribute to such a great man and a great priest. He was a man I have always admired over many years," Ramos-Horta said.

He said it has always been a routine for him to visit Sin's grave every time he visits the Philippines.

Ramos Horta said he met Cardinal Sin several times, adding that the prelate "was a great supporter of the Timor Leste in 1999 during the worst violence caused by militia gangs."

"We don't (leave) the Philippines without paying respect and pray for him and to seek for his blessing," Ramos-Horta also said.

He recalled speaking to Sin on the phone, and asked him to "pray for us and to offer his outspoken support and he did."

Ramos-Horta arrived in the Philippines Sunday for a four-day visit, six months after surviving an assassination attempt on his life.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1996 along with Bishop Carlos Belo, the leader of East Timor's Catholic population. - GMANews.TV

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