Hundreds of people accompanied the procession from the airport to the nunciature. Some walked for a week from the most remote villages in Papua New Guinea to be present. The secretary of the Episcopal Conference, Fr Giorgio Licini, commented: “The lack of work among young people, poverty and victims of witchcraft are some of the issues on which we hope the Pope can illuminate our path.”
Port Moresby () – With candles and torches in the streets to give the first sign of welcome, hundreds of people greeted Pope Francis this evening in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, on the second leg of his apostolic trip to South-East Asia and Oceania. They accompanied the pontiff on his journey by car to the headquarters of the apostolic nunciature, where he will rest tonight before the first public activities, which will begin tomorrow morning with a meeting with the governor and a speech to the authorities and the diplomatic corps.
The Pope arrived at Port Moresby International Airport from Jakarta at 7pm. He was greeted by the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of the government, accompanied by two children dressed in traditional costumes who offered flowers to the Pope on this first visit of Bergoglio to the oceanic continent.
“Thousands of people have arrived in the city,” said Father Giorgio Licini, PIME missionary and secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, from Port Moresby. an interview given to the website World and Missions – They came from nearby provinces, but also from all over the country. Some people literally walked for a week to get to Port Moresby. Others did it by boat…”
There is great expectation in Papua New Guinea about the words that the Pope will pronounce in the coming days in Port Moresby and Vanimo, the missionary frontier within the largest island of the archipelago – where the capital is located – on the border with West Papua, the Indonesian part. “The bishops – continued Fr. Licini – are also concerned about social issues, such as poverty and the lack of work among young people, who will meet the Pope on Monday at the stadium. There are also slightly more thorny issues, such as domestic violence and tribal violence, on which we hope that Francis will be able to say a few words. At the meeting with the pastoral workers, a nun who is dedicated to helping victims of witchcraft will also speak. We hope for some words that will serve as a guide for the pastoral journey of the coming years.”
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