Dili, August 24, 2026 (Media Democracia) – Regarding the late Former Father Martinho Germano da Silva Gusmão, who passed away on August 22, 2026, at the Guido Valadares National Hospital, a Requiem Mass was held at Bekora Church. The celebrant, Father Marçal Dias, praised the late Former Father Martinho Germano da Silva Gusmão for his deep knowledge of the social reality in Timor-Leste.
In his homily, Celebrant Father Marçal Dias said that as a close colleague of Former Father Martinho Gusmão, they had known each other for many years, first as seminarians, then later in 1998 he became a priest, and finally he decided to run as a candidate for President in 2022.
“We were always together with Martinho Gusmão. We met in the seminary in Jakarta. He was a person with deep knowledge of Philosophy. As a priest he had deep knowledge of the social reality of Timor, and he was also a person with deep knowledge of the reality of the Church.” said Father Marçal Dias during the Requiem Mass held at Bekora Parish on Sunday (23/08).
He said that Martinho Gusmão was a person who knew the Church well. His strength was that he knew very well the work of the Church across the three dioceses.
“But what people see and hold onto is Martinho’s unusual way of life. Usually people are afraid of a former priest. Everyone is afraid because he had deep knowledge of Timor’s social reality and also of the Church’s reality. After leaving the priesthood, he had good knowledge and always spoke a lot and always spoke against the Church. But Martinho was a person who was wise in Timorese society.” he said.
He informed that as a priest he spoke about the Church and defended the Church. After leaving the priesthood and being outside, he always spoke out about social realities, but remained firm in defending the Church.
“Because of that I ask everyone to follow his example. Even though today he is no longer with us, his story will always be with us. May his soul rest in peace. One day we will meet again as good colleagues. Farewell, good colleague Martinho Gusmão. There are two things that I see in Father Martinho’s life in our society: he became an illuminator and our inspiration through his spirit, through his reflections on cultural matters, academic matters, and political economy. He offered some points that help Timorese society to reflect.” he said.
Because some of his words and ideas satisfied many people, but some ideas provoked and challenged many people. He also saw that he brought challenges through his ideas that can be part of our lives.
“Some people challenge us that our faith, our nationalism and patriotism can be stronger, deeper in our life together as a people and as a society.” he said.
At the same place, the niece of the late Former Father Martinho Germano da Silva Gusmão, Vanesa Gusmão, informed that Martinho Gusmão was her uncle. He had been sick for three years. His first serious illness was two years ago. The family managed to take him to Malaysia and in the end he got better. Then after a year, he felt sick again, so the family decided to take him to Indonesia for treatment such as physiotherapy.
“Then in July this year, he felt sick again. In the end the family took him to the emergency room at HNGV. After one day the doctors transferred him to the ICU room, and now Mr. Martinho Gusmão passed away in the ICU room at around 5 o’clock. He spent more than a month in the ICU at the national hospital. Our family feels very sad because we lost a good person in the family. But as Mr. Martinho Gusmão’s niece, he watched over us since we were babies until now that we have all finished school. He always supported us with words, with financial help, and supported us in everything.” said Vanesa Gusmão.
Because of this, the family is very sad, because an uncle who was so important in the family’s life, who always made the family complete, is gone.
“But to confirm the cause of Former Father Martinho Gusmão’s illness, I am not yet able to speak about Mr. Martinho’s illness. Because the uncle passed away at the hospital yesterday, the family decided that he will be buried in Baucau because his father and mother are buried there.” she said.
Biography of Former Father Martino Gusmão
He was born in 1968 to Francisco Gusmão and Amélia da Silva. He attended primary school (1974-1983) and pre-secondary school (1983-1985) at the Salesian institution in Baucau.
He then continued secondary education until 1989 at the Sancti Dominici Seminary in Hokeng on the island of Flores, Indonesia, and university studies in Philosophy in Malang from 1991 to 1995. He completed a master’s degree in Malang between 1996 and 1998, and a second master’s in Political Science in Pogorika at the University of Greece in Rome from 2002 to 2005. On February 26, 1998, Gusmão was ordained as a deacon at the Cathedral of Malang, and on September 8, he was admitted to the presbyterate of the Diocese of Baucau.
During the first years of Timor-Leste’s independence, Gusmão served as president of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Baucau. In this capacity, he called for the prosecution of human rights violations committed during the Indonesian occupation. He argued that amnesty would only cause more pain and that reconciliation between Indonesians and Timorese was not necessary.
From 2007 to 2013, Gusmão served as the Catholic Church’s representative on the National Electoral Commission (CNE) and also as the commission’s spokesperson. On the last day of the 2007 presidential election campaign in Timor-Leste, Gusmão publicly supported Fernando de Araújo, the candidate of the Democratic Party. In 2014, while preparing for the 2015 bicentennial celebration of the arrival of the statue of Saint Anthony, an object of local veneration, Gusmão, who was then parish priest of Manatuto, asked the Minister of Transport Gastão Sousa for a vehicle to help with the preparations.
In 2017, Sousa was accused of illicit use of an official vehicle for this purpose. Consequently, in 2018, Sousa, Gusmão, and others (facing separate charges) were brought to trial and acquitted. Gusmão described the corruption accusations against him as politically motivated. He argued that the court process violated the concordat between the nation and the Vatican and noted that neither the Public Prosecutor nor the court had notified the Bishop of Baucau in writing about the case, as required by the agreement. Furthermore, Gusmão refused to comply with the judge’s demand that he not wear priestly attire in court. On January 29, 2020, Gusmão announced his decision to renounce the priesthood, a move that was finally and officially confirmed on January 20, 2021.
On August 30, Bishop Basílio do Nascimento suspended him from all church duties, paving the way for Gusmão to announce on September 1 his intention to run as a candidate in the 2022 Timor-Leste presidential election. Pope Francis formally released him from the clerical state on November 27, 2021. Gusmão was eliminated in the first round of the election, receiving only 8,598 votes (1.3%). Gusmão taught at the Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Dili. He also appeared on the educational broadcaster TVE/TL.
In addition, he wrote several books. His biography of independence fighter Nicolau Lobato was presented in 2018 at an event held at the Presidential Palace. (Story taken from the Internet)
Reporting: Nelson Ferreira
Photo: Nelson Ferreira