Domingos Maubere
Domingos da Silva Soares (12 May 1952 – 16 May 2025), popularly known as
Padre Maubere or
Amu Du, was an East Timorese
Roman Catholic priest, activist, and independence leader. Born in
Letefoho in what was then
Portuguese Timor, he attended
seminary in Portugal and was
ordained in 1978. In 1980, he returned to
East Timor and became involved in the resistance against the
Indonesian occupation (1975–1999), often supporting the guerrillas and coordinating with the movement's leaders. As a pastor in Timor-Leste, he served in parishes in
Ossu, Letefoho,
Ermera,
Suai, and
Becora,
Dili.
Soares was a founding member of the
National Council of Maubere Resistance (CNRT). In the years following Timor-Leste's independence in 2002, he remained an outspoken activist on issues like
corruption,
abuse of power,
violence against women, and
social inequality. Between 2008 and 2017, he studied and worked in
Macau, briefly returning to Timor-Leste in 2015–2016 to serve as
vicar general of the
Diocese of Dili. He died in Dili in May 2025 after a lengthy illness.
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