Timor Leste Religion had a huge influence of the Roman Catholic faith when the country was occupied by the Indonesians during the years of 1975 to 1999.The number of people who believed in the Catholic faith found in the Timor Leste religion greatly increased during the tenure of the Portuguese. Timor Leste is one of the few Catholic oriented countries in East Asia along with the Philippines and more then 90 percent of the people follow the Roman Catholic Religion.
Timor Leste was under the occupation of the Portuguese for a very long period of time from the sixteenth century itself and the influence of the Portuguese culture are also evident in the religious beliefs. The minority population of Timor Leste who follow other religions are the followers of Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. After the Indonesian rule which was officially recognized in the year 2002 there was an increase in the member ship of the church as the Indonesian people do not believe in the in the theory of Pancasila and wants all the citizens of the country to believe in the presence of God.
One of the religious idols of the Timor Leste Religion Catholic movement is Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo who has managed to win the Nobel Prize for Peace in the year 1996. The constitution of East Timor has supported the role of the Roman Catholic Church in Timor Leste religion but wants the people of the country to follow an idealism of secular viewpoints.
But the present Prime Minister of Timor Leste Mari Alkatiri is the follower of the Islamic faith.
People of East Timor