As gun battles raged in the hills above Dili in May, rival factions from the East Timor army held their fire after they witnessed an incredible sight. Rebel soldiers from the western region of the country were zeroing in on the home of army chief Taur Matan Ruak, and loyalist soldiers from the east were defending it. Suddenly, a vehicle drove into the epicentre of the mêlée, and as bullets rained over it a Timorese nun popped her head out the side window and brandished her veil.
Sister Guilhermina Marcal, a stoic Canossan nun, was leading a daring mission to rescue Ruak's children, aged 3 years and 8 months, together with their babysitter and three other women who were left stranded in the home. As the vehicle came under fire, Marcal instantly thought of the best way to stop the shooting and secure safe passage. Emerging from the car, Marcal told the soldiers to put down their weapons, and later they helped to push-start the car.
As the Catholic Church in East Timor mobilised in April for a massive humanitarian operation in the wake of the country's political crisis and ethnic violence, many stories of bravery and outstanding service to the people have emerged. Some, like Sister Marcal's, until now were left untold.
Shui-Meng Ng, the UNICEF representative in East Timor, says that 'had the Church–the madres and the padres–not stepped in there would have been a humanitarian disaster'.
"They provided refuge to the people, shared what resources they had. They were very pro-active, and they kept the peace," says Ng.
The Church has been actively involved in this crisis from the very beginning, both as a safe haven for the people affected by it, and as a political player. The Church has for more than a year been one of the most vocal critics of East Timor's first independent government. In April last year it staged a three-week demonstration against the government which involved trucking and bussing thousands of people into the capital from around the country, and then providing food, water and sanitation throughout. The highly disciplined Church network ensured that the demonstration remained peaceful and that it was not hijacked by other groups.
The trigger for the demonstration was the government's plan to make religious education optional in government schools, and its failure to consult on the policy. But the strength and ferocity of the country's biggest