Pope Francis asks Papua New Guinea Catholics to spread the Gospel to ‘peripheries’

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 7, 2024 / 07:00 am

Pope Francis called on Catholics in Papua New Guinea on Saturday to continue in their efforts of bringing the Gospel to the most marginalized and remote communities within the country.

During a visit to the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Port Moresby on Sept. 7, the pope addressed bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, and catechists from across Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The pope was warmly welcomed by tribes from Hela Province, Central Province, and many of the island’s remote provinces. The crowd cheered: “God is good all the time. All the time God is good.”

“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the pope. I am so excited that he is coming,” said Gertrude Apisai, a Catholic from New Ireland who now lives in Port Moresby.

Apisai, who often attends Sunday Mass at the Marian shrine, said that the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea is “very spiritual and always friendly.”

Cardinal John Ribat, the archbishop of Port Moresby and the country’s first cardinal, greeted the pope as he arrived at the shrine run by Salesian missionaries.

“I offer you a warm welcome to this beloved country. It is a beautiful land with 800 different languages and cultures and of thousands of tribes,” Bishop Otto Separy, the president of Papua New Guinea’s bishops’ conference, told Francis.

In his address, Pope Francis acknowledged the historical efforts of missionaries who arrived in Papua New Guinea in the 19th century, recognizing their perseverance in the face of initial failures and challenges.

“Missionaries arrived in this country at the middle of the 19th century, and the first steps of their ministry were not easy. Indeed, some attempts failed. However, they did not give up,” the pope said.

“With great faith, apostolic zeal, and many sacrifices, they continued to preach the Gospel and serve their brothers and sisters, starting again many times after having failed.”

Pope Francis praised testimonies of faith by saints and martyred missionaries depicted in the shrine’s stained-glass windows, including St. Peter Chanel, Blessed Father John Mazzucconi, Blessed Peter To Rot, St. John Paul II, St. Mary McKillop, and others.

Francis urged the Catholics present in the shrine to emulate the saints by bringing Christ to “the peripheries of this country.”

“I think of people belonging to the most deprived segments of urban populations, as well as those who live in the most remote and abandoned areas, where sometimes basic necessities are lacking. … The Church desires especially to be close to these brothers and sisters,” he added.

At the shrine, Pope Francis listened to testimonies from a priest, a catechist, a religious sister, and a lay delegate from Papua New Guinea to the Church’s Synod on Synodality.

Grace Wrakia, a single mother of three, attended the Vatican Synod assembly in October 2023 and will return to Rome next month for the second synod assembly. She told Pope Francis: “Many people say that synodality is a way of life in the Church here in Papua New Guinea. But as we continue to merge our Melanesian way of life with other ways and ideas, we risk losing this identity.”

“The method of conversation used at the synod gave me a voice to share the Melanesian beauty of communion and relational way of life. We in Papua New Guinea should develop and use more of such conversation methods so that the wisdom of time simple people ... may be heard, respected, and valued.”

Father Emmanuel Moku, a priest from the Archdiocese of Port Moresby, discovered his vocation later in life and was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 52.

“When I chose the priesthood over my cultural norms, I was ridiculed and rejected,” Moku said. 

“My clan expects a man to become a father and to work and feed his people. As a seminarian, I was therefore viewed as unfruitful,” Moku said.

The priest told the pope about overcoming obstacles to readily accept a priestly or religious vocation. “I believe my service as a priest is my contribution to building up the kingdom of God here on earth.”

Sister Lorena Jenal described the challenging pastoral work with people accused of sorcery or witchcraft.

Pope Francis thanked the speakers for sharing their testimonies and made light of technical difficulties during his speech, quipping: “Let’s hope the pastoral work functions better than the microphones!” At the same time, he emphasized patience, closeness, and tenderness as central elements in spreading the Gospel, concluding with a reminder to “not forget God’s style.”

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“Let us continue, therefore, to evangelize patiently, without allowing ourselves to be discouraged by difficulties or misunderstandings, even when they arise in places where we especially do not want to encounter them: in the family, for example, as we have heard,” Francis said.

Earlier in the day, the pope visited the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, where he met with around 100 children and individuals with disabilities who benefit from the services of a Catholic Street ministry and Callan Services, a significant provider for people with disabilities in Papua New Guinea.

Pope Francis told the children: “To give love, always, and to welcome with open arms the love we receive from the people we care about: This is the most beautiful and most important thing in our life, in any condition and for any person... even for the pope! Our joy does not depend on anything else: Our joy depends on love!”