Pope Francis hailed the reconciliation process after the war in East Timor as a model for other conflict regions, DPA reported.

- May heaven grant the desire for peace to prevail in other conflict situations in different parts of the world, said the Pope.

The former Portuguese colony has been plagued by violence for decades, but is now considered very stable, DPA notes.

In the capital Dili, Pope Francis met with President Jose Ramos-Horta, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 along with Catholic Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenez Bello. The bishop no longer appears in public after being accused of sexual abuse of minors.

In his speech to the authorities and civil society in East Timor, Pope Francis called for actions to prevent violence against children and teenagers and to ensure a peaceful childhood for young people, reports ANSA. "Let us not forget the many children and teenagers whose dignity has been violated," the Pope said, indirectly recalling the registered cases of sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy.

"We are all called to act responsibly to prevent any kind of abuse and to ensure a peaceful childhood for our youth," the head of the Roman Catholic Church said.

He noted that 65 percent of the country's population is under the age of 30, and declared that "this is a treasure."

"This figure tells us that the first sector to invest in is education - in the family and in the school - education that puts children and young people at the center and promotes their dignity," he said.

East Timor is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia with a predominantly Christian population. Almost the entire population of 1,3 million professes the Catholic faith. Tomorrow's papal liturgy is expected to be attended by more than half of the population of East Timor.

The country is the penultimate stop of the pope's 12-day tour of the region, the longest since taking the papal throne. On Wednesday, the 87-year-old Pope will visit Singapore, and on Friday he will return to Rome.