The Pope is on tour. He’s currently visiting three different countries: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. In preparation for his visit to the capital of East Timor, Dili, the local government has been bulldozing homes they claim were built illegally. In order to accommodate the estimated 700,000 people that will be showing up, residences of these small enclaves were given a few minutes to prepare before all their earthly possessions and their homes were destroyed.

East Timor is one of the poorest countries on earth, but they are going all in on the visit:

The government has allocated $18 million for the pontiff’s three-day visit, including $1.5 million for a custom-built altar designed by a Vatican engineer… Yet, in a country where 40 per cent of people live below the poverty line, civil society groups are questioning the budget for the visit, as well as the forced evictions.

Hilariously enough, despite all the money being spent and the forced evictions, most of the citizens are looking forward to a billionaire showing up and saying a few magic words. They like the fact that the city is being finally cleaned. It’s a temporary measure, and it’s bound to have no real effect on their lives. But hey, some guy dressed in white who claims to speak to God is coming to town. Better roll out the red carpet! Who cares if hundreds of families are left homeless and afraid!