Peranan Gereja Katolik dalam Pembangunan Nasionalisme di Timor Leste

Waskita : Jurnal Studi Agama dan Masyarakat. Vol. III, No. 2, November 2006, p. 177 - 195Prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, the Catholic Church remained somewhat aloof from the population, although the beginnings of The importance of the Church began with the founding of the Dare seminary And the publication of the newsletter Seara. These two developments helped push East Timorese identity, which turned to nationalism aimed at ousting the Indonesians after their invasion. During the Indonesian occupation, the Church and clergy became firmly aligned with the people through a process of inculturization, and in return people flocked to the Church as the only reliable refuge from the horrors of the occupation. The membership rate skyrocketed to over 95 percent, although many of these are nominal Catholics who gained tangible benefits from their association with the Church. The Indonesian military and government pursued strategies to deal with the Church, but they ultimately failed. The Catholic Church can be credited with helping to foment the East Timorese nationalism that eventually led to Independenc