Pope to youth in Papua New Guinea: Words, gestures of love overcome ‘ugly fruit of hatred’

Rome Newsroom, Sep 9, 2024 / 10:14 am

Pope Francis was joined by more than 10,000 people for a youth festival held at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby on the final day of his apostolic visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG), reminding people of the need to speak the “common language of the heart” that unites people amid diversity.

Acknowledging the beauty and diversity of the peoples of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, the pope on Monday emphasized that “the language of love, the language of closeness, the language of service” is what can unite people in a region in which more than 800 dialects are spoken. 

“Scripture tells us that after the flood, Noah’s descendants dispersed to different islands, each with their own language, by their families, without removing their differences,” the pope said. “And who could tell me what is this language that unites us? What is this language that we need? Who can tell us that?” 

“Love!” cried out the crowds present at the meeting in the open-air stadium, many of whom were waving miniature Vatican flags and displaying banners representing Catholic associations to which they belong. 

During the meeting, Pope Francis said indifference — a “fruit of hatred” — is even uglier than hatred itself and urged his listeners to take care of others and to form friendships amongst themselves. 

“You know that indifference is a very bad thing, because you leave others on the street, you are not interested in helping others. Indifference has the roots of selfishness,” he said. 

Through a musical dance performance based on the PNG papal visit’s motto and theme “Teach Us How to Pray” (cf. Luke 11:1), youth representatives — from groups including the Legion of Mary and the Catholic Professionals Society of PNG — shared with the Holy Father their concerns about family life, the environment, education, and their tradition as well as their fears about the future.

Bernadette, a youth member of the Legion of Mary, told Pope Francis that many young people encounter several difficulties in trying to live their faith and feel helpless when confronted with the realities of poverty, crime, and violence.

“Some of our struggles are caused by young people, but we do not know how to face them and their consequences,” she shared with the pope and the crowds. 

“Poverty is one reason why young people are not completing their studies or pursuing their dreams and desires. It causes them to turn to illegal things, to find ways to earn money by selling drugs and stealing.”  

Moved by testimonies shared by youth representatives, the pope reiterated the need for young people to not lose hope and build a future together by helping one another to rise again after theirs and others’ falls or mistakes.

“In life we ​​can all fall, all of us!” the pope said. “But what is more important? Not staying fallen.” 

“And if you see a friend, a classmate, a girlfriend, a classmate your age who has fallen, what should you do? Laugh at him? You have to look at him and help him get up,” the pope urged. 

Throughout the 90-minute meeting, the pope repeated the gesture of lifting up a person from the ground and asking everyone to imitate him in living out the “challenge” of helping others to get up again after a fall.

Pope Francis concluded the youth meeting by blessing the people of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and praying the Our Father with them in English.

“Don’t forget to pray for me, because this job is not easy,” he said. “Thank you very much for your presence. Thank you very much for your hope!”