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Rome Newsroom, Sep 8, 2024 / 09:10 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday encouraged Catholics in a remote town in Papua New Guinea to continue to be missionaries where they live, working together to replace superstition and fear with love.

After celebrating Mass in Port Moresby on Sept. 8, the pope traveled 620 miles by air to Vanimo, a coastal town on a peninsula in northwest Papua New Guinea close to the border with Papua, a province of Indonesia.

The pontiff reached the popular surfing destination, known for its white sand beaches, after a two-hour flight aboard an Australian C-130 military plane.

Aboard the plane, Francis brought medicine, clothing, toys, and other necessities to help people living in the remote area, the Vatican confirmed.

Sitting outside of the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Vanimo, the pope told an estimated 20,000 local Catholics to be missionaries where they live: "at home, at school, in the workplace, so that everywhere — in the forests, villages and cities — the beauty of the landscape is matched by the beauty of a community where people love one another."

"In this way, we will increasingly form a great orchestra," Francis added, "able with its notes to 'recompose' rivalries, to overcome divisions — personal, family and tribal, — to drive out fear, superstition and magic from people's hearts, to put an end to destructive behaviors such as violence, infidelity, exploitation, alcohol and drug abuse, evils which imprison and take away the happiness of so many of our brothers and sisters, even in this country."

The Catholic diocese of Vanimo has around 41,000 Catholics, about 30% of the area's population, according to the Vatican.

After a history of missionary bishops, since 2018 the diocese has been led by Bishop Francis Meli, who was born in the Archdiocese of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea.

The diocese, a missionary area, was first formed as an apostolic prefecture in 1963.

Towards the end of the pontiff's meeting with Catholics, Bishop Meli consecrated the Diocese of Vanimo to the Virgin Mary.

"After visiting your country, many tourists return home saying they have seen 'paradise,'" Pope Francis said. "They usually refer to the natural beauty they enjoyed. We know, however, that this is not the greatest treasure. There is a more beautiful and fascinating treasure that is found in your hearts and that manifests itself in the charity with which you love each other."

"The most precious gift you can share with everyone is to make Papua New Guinea famous not only for its variety of plant and animal life, its enchanting beaches and clear sea, but famous above all for the good people you meet here," he said.

While in Vanimo, Pope Francis also visited Holy Trinity Humanistic School, a Catholic school founded in 1964 by Passionist missionaries.

The school, located in the village of Baro, just outside Vanimo, has 400 elementary students and another 100 students in the newly-established middle school.

The pope's day concluded with a private meeting with missionaries, also featuring a short concert by the Queen of Paradise Children's Orchestra, before he flew back to Port Moresby for the night.

Francis' three-day visit to Papua New Guinea, where there are 2.5 million Catholics, was the second leg of an 11-day trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

His meeting with missionaries and Catholics in Vanimo took place in the afternoon after celebrating Mass for approximately 35,000 Catholics from across Papua New Guinea and Oceania in Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby.

Pope Francis will return to the Sir John Guise Stadium on Monday to speak to young people before departing for East Timor, continuing his 11-day apostolic journey to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

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ACI MENA, Sep 8, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The exodus of Iraqi Christians from their ancestral homeland is once again making headlines. Many families are fleeing the country, seeking refuge in neighboring nations as a temporary stopover before heading to distant destinations such as Australia.

Some believe this new wave of emigration began in late 2023 following a tragic fire in Bakhdida in northern Iraq. In its aftermath, despair and frustration permeated the Christian community. However, the exodus has now become alarming, affecting even Christians residing in the relatively secure Kurdistan Region.

The reasons behind this mass departure extend beyond the pursuit of secure job opportunities abroad that guarantee a decent living. Within Iraq, Christians grapple with numerous crises, including delayed salaries, power outages, water scarcity, and other challenges. Some are seeking citizenship elsewhere to secure a better future for their children, while others aim to reunite with extended family members abroad rather than remain isolated in their homeland.

In an interview with ACI Mena, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, civil activist Basma Azuz explained the rationale behind this tragic decision. 

"Emigration reflects a deep conflict between one's identity and homeland versus the search for security and rights. It's not always a negative phenomenon or an escape; it may be the only way to secure a better future. This phenomenon is a consecrated human right," she said.

Azuz attributed the ongoing emigration from Iraq to complex social, economic, security, and political factors, "in addition to fear of persecution targeting the Church."

She continued: "Pope Francis' visit provided a temporary ray of hope for Christians. However, the worsening situation and the government's failure to fulfill its promises have renewed Christians' desire to emigrate, especially among young people. They seek a better future away from the challenges of their homeland."

"Christians see their future as uncertain. They view their aspirations for security, dignity, and basic rights as natural human entitlements," Azuz concluded.

Civil activist Dilan Adamat, founder of the "Return" nongovernmental organization, highlighted the challenges of emigration in his conversation with ACI Mena. 

"As people who have experienced emigration and return, we understand the suffering of immigrants in their new environment," Adamat said.

"Although the current reasons for emigration are understandable — such as securing education, health, rights, and services — Iraqi Christians will face major challenges in their new destinations," he explained. "They will encounter difficulties adapting to new cultures, social environments, and concepts of child-rearing."

The wave of Christian emigration has not spared any city in Iraq, including those in the Kurdistan Region, dissolving Christian presence to near extinction. Unofficial statistics from the Shlama Foundation, which focuses on Christian affairs, confirm that Iraq has lost nearly 90% of its Christians over the past two decades, reflecting a profound loss of confidence in a better future.

This article was first published by ACI Mena, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Detroit, Mich., Sep 8, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

For three years, members of Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry have kicked off the academic year at local colleges and universities by offering new students a small, simple bottle of holy water and a prayer.

The gesture attracts students to its table at local college campus involvement fairs, serving as an invitation for new students not only to join in fellowship with Catholics on campus but also to take a blessing with them wherever they live during their first year at college.

Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry serves students at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and surrounding campuses, including Henry Ford College and the College for Creative Studies.

Fall outreach for clubs and groups on campus is an important time for campus ministries, chaplain Father Matthew Hood explained, and holy water has served as a unique draw. 

"People are so interested in the bottles that a lot of people come up to the table and say, 'What are those? Can I have one?' It is a great conversation starter to tell people what holy water is and how it is used," Hood told Detroit Catholic. "Students are always very interested in it, and they usually go fairly quickly once we get to campus."

Most of the students who approach "have no idea what holy water is," Hood continued. "We communicate that it is a way to take a blessing with you, to bless the space that you are in, and bless yourself with the holy water."

Students don't have to be Catholic to take a bottle and are encouraged to use holy water to bless their dorms or apartments or, if they are commuters, their cars and homes.

The bottles themselves have a blessed history, Hood said. Each year, members of Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry organize drives to collect them from parishes, who receive them on Holy Thursday during the chrism Mass with Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron. The bottles originally contained holy oils blessed by the archbishop and used throughout the year in parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit.

"Every year, there are old holy oil bottles that nobody needs anymore and that have to be properly disposed of; you aren't supposed to just throw them out, you are supposed to make sure that the oil is burned properly and that they are purified and cleaned properly as well," Hood said. "What happens in a lot of parishes is they end up farther and farther in the back of the shelf in the sacristy because they haven't had a chance to do that."

Hood said Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry has been able to collect and repurpose the bottles, some of which are very old, that would otherwise be collecting dust.

Campus ministers then invite student members to participate in the proper cleaning and purification of the bottles, which includes making sure all the holy oil is burned, outreach coordinator Anna Picasso told Detroit Catholic. 

"It's an awesome opportunity to teach students about sacramentals as our students help us through the whole purification process," Picasso said. "We teach them about the reality of these tangible signs."

Picasso added the entire process presents a dual opportunity to engage students already involved in campus ministries and to invite new members.

"Holy water is actually something that students are often fascinated by, and that's in many ways thanks to a lot of cultural horror movies," Picasso said. "But this gives us an opportunity to actually teach them what holy water is and also a means to reach them and open up a conversation to convey the reality of the care that we desire for them as they bless their spaces, their cars, and their homes while they are on campus."

Picasso said upperclassmen involved in Catholic campus ministries have told her and Hood that they still have their bottles from freshman year. 

"I still have my bottle to this day. That is how I was interested in [Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry's] table, because I saw they had shirts that said 'God loves Detroit,' and I saw holy water on their table," Wayne State University junior Idalia Shadhaya told Detroit Catholic. "I thought that was really neat, so I grabbed one and sparked a conversation."

Shadhaya, 20, has been an active participant ever since, serving as a liturgical minister during student Masses. Shadhaya is currently preparing to start her own Bible study small group. 

"[The ministry] has made a huge difference in my college experience," Shadhaya said. "It really promotes fellowship and growing alongside one another and really getting to know people on a deeper spiritual and friendship level." 

Shadhaya said she keeps the bottle of holy water from her freshman year on the windowsill in her off-campus apartment and uses it to bless all the doorways in her home in addition to blessing herself.

"It is cool to see it every day and be reminded of my faith and of Jesus and how sacred the Catholic Church is," Shadhaya said. "It is a daily representation of my role in Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry."

Picasso said she is grateful such a small gesture has stuck with students like Shadhaya. 

"The holy water is a great opportunity to encounter students and invite them into a relationship with Jesus. That's the whole purpose behind it," Picasso added. 

This article was first published by Detroit Catholic on Aug. 30, 2024, and has been reprinted here with permission.

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Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 7, 2024 / 21:43 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis presided over Mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby on Sunday, delivering a powerful message to Papua New Guineans that despite the far distance that separates them from Rome, they are in the center of Christ's heart. 

Approximately 35,000 Catholics from across Papua New Guinea and Oceania came together at the venue, united in their faith and buoyed by the uplifting chants of the Port Moresby Catholic choir's 100 singers honoring the Lord under the tropical sun.

Pope Francis surprised the crowd by arriving one hour earlier than scheduled to preside over the Mass in the stadium to the great relief and joy of those who had been waiting in the stands since before sunrise for his arrival.

"Brothers and sisters, you who live on this large island in the Pacific Ocean may sometimes have thought of yourselves as a far away and distant land, situated at the edge of the world," Francis said in his homily.

"Perhaps, for other reasons, you may also at times have felt distant from God and the Gospel, unable to communicate with him or with each other.  Yet … today the Lord wants to draw near to you, to break down distances, to let you know that you are at the center of his heart and that each one of you is important."

The opening procession began with the beating of drums as dancers from the two largest tribes in Papua New Guinea led the many con-celebrating bishops vested in green.

There are 2.5 million Catholics in Papua New Guinea, making up roughly 30% of the population, according to the latest Vatican statistics. Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape attended the Mass, underscoring the significance of the pope's visit for the island country.

Pope Francis read the opening prayers for the Mass in English, a rare occurrence and something only seen on the Argentine pope's international trips.

The prayers of the faithful were read in three of Papua New Guinea's more than 800 languages: Motu, Tok Pisin, and English.

In his homily, the pope drew on the day's Gospel reading about Jesus healing a deaf man, to emphasize the importance of overcoming distance from God and others, prompting the faithful to reflect on their own relationships.

Pope Francis told Catholics, "whenever we feel distant, or we choose to keep ourselves at a distance from God, from our brothers and sisters or from those who are different from us, we close ourselves off, barricading ourselves from the outside." 

Pope Francis called on the Pacific island nation's faithful to take heart: "Courage, people of Papua New Guinea, do not be afraid! Open yourselves! Open yourselves to the joy of the Gospel; open yourselves to encounter God; open yourselves to the love of your brothers and sisters."

The pope invoked Blessed John Mazzucconi, a 19th-century Italian missionary to Papua New Guinea, praying that "no one of us remain deaf and mute before this invitation."

'Bringing blessings, peace and encouragement'

Cardinal John Ribat, the archbishop of Port Moresby, thanked the pope after Mass, noting that his apostolic visit "brings us blessings, peace and encouragement, and deepens our faith." 

Ribat, who is the first cardinal from his country, highlighted the 142-year history of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea, acknowledging its growth and the country's challenges.

In his Angelus address, Francis entrusted the Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to the Virgin Mary. He prayed for peace "for this great region of the world between Asia, Oceania and the Pacific Ocean," adding: "No to rearmament and exploitation of our common home! Yes to the encounter between peoples and cultures, yes to the harmony of men and women with creatures!"

The pope will travel to Vanimo on Sunday afternoon to meet local faithful and missionaries. On Monday, he will return to Sir John Guise Stadium again to speak to young people in Port Moresby before departing for East Timor, continuing his 11-day apostolic journey to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

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Jerusalem, Sep 7, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On Aug. 3, Sabeen Rahil and Elias Johny Al Arja, two young Christians from Bethlehem, were officially engaged. According to ancient tradition there, engagements are a public act and already bind the future spouses together with a priest's blessing and the exchange of rings. 

The couple will marry next year and have decided to begin their life together and raise their children in Bethlehem, despite the prolonged war in Gaza, the severe impact of the war on the local economy, and the escalation of violence in the region.

The couple told CNA that their decision is deeply rooted in their Christian faith and their desire to encourage other Christians to do the same in order to build a new society where Christians feel fully at home in the city where Jesus was born.

"Hopefully, by getting married, starting a family, and having children, we can inspire other Christians, perhaps [even] our [own] brothers and sisters, to do the same," Rahil said. "We hope to start a new generation of people who will fight to stay in Bethlehem."

Rahil, 24, was born in Bethlehem, holds a bachelor's degree in audiology and speech therapy, and works with her father. Al Arja, also 24, was born and raised in Beit Jala (close to Bethlehem), has a bachelor's degree in business, and is now managing his family's hotel.

The couple is building an apartment above Al Arja parents' home — tradition dictates that the man provides the home for the new family.

"We decided to get engaged because no matter what's going on around us or what will happen, we want to be happy, we want to be together," Al Arja told CNA during an interview at Cascada restaurant, which is owned by the Rahil family, the place of their first date.

"It was a difficult decision because of the ongoing war. We considered postponing the engagement, but in the end, we saw no reason to. We have faith that this country will find peace someday," he explained. 

The couple met in 2020 through the "Leo Club," the youth branch of the Lions Club founded in Bethlehem that very year. The organization promotes events and fundraising activities to support charitable works and people in need. Both were members of the board. 

"We worked together; we started to get to know each other more and became interested in each other," Rahil recounted.

After a couple of years of dating, the couple decided to make their relationship official. On Sept. 3, 2023, following local tradition, the two families met and Al Arja formally asked Rahil's father for permission to date her with the intention of getting engaged and married.

The date was chosen carefully and also with some trepidation, as just a few days later, Rahil left for Belgium, where she lived for a year to pursue her master's degree in management.

She shared her feelings about the decision with CNA: "I was going to leave, but I still decided to make our relationship official. I felt that I wouldn't find anyone else with his qualities, and that's what I wanted. That's why I was ready to take this step." 

Living in a long-distance relationship, she added, "wasn't easy, but it was worth it: It made our relationship stronger and our love more powerful."

When Rahil left, the sky was clear, but just a month later, the clouds of war darkened both the sky and their thoughts.

"After the war started, we talked about living abroad," Rahil said. "These thoughts came to our minds often."

"We began to wonder: What if it takes a long time to end the war?" Al Arja added. "What if the war spreads to Bethlehem? What should we do? We also think about our future children." 

Together, they made the decision to get officially engaged but also to remain in their homeland.

"After Oct. 7, many Christians left the country because they were afraid of what might happen and concerned about their children's future," Al Arja said. "We told each other that there's no better place to live than where Jesus was born."

He continued: "I'm going to build a house… If the war comes to Bethlehem, we would have to leave everything behind, but for now, we can still manage to live here. Our families are here, and I want my children to be born here, to live here, to know their grandparents, and to experience my childhood."

The engagement ceremony was held on Aug. 3, when tensions spiked again after Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

In accordance with tradition, Al Arja brought a gold necklace, earrings, and a bracelet for Rahid in addition to the rings. The engaged couple, along with their parents and close relatives, appeared before a Greek-Orthodox priest, as Al Arja is a member of that church and the tradition is to follow the man's religious affiliation.

The priest blessed them, then took the rings and prayed over them. 

"He took my ring, prayed over it, and let Rahil kiss it. Then she placed it on my finger. I did the same with her ring. After that, the priest said something like 'You're bound together.'" Then the party began.

The couple deeply feel their Christian identity and the responsibility of being Christians in the Holy Land. This identity is reflected in their decision to get married and remain in Bethlehem.

"Jesus was born here; it needs to remain a Christian place," Rahil said. "We hope to support the community by raising a new generation of people who will stay here and believe that this city is for us, for Christians — not exclusively, but it is a city for Christians."

The exodus of Christians deeply grieves Rahil: "It's very sad; it shouldn't be this way."

She recounted the moment she realized how special Bethlehem is: "I've been living here for 23 years, but I didn't really appreciate it as much as I should have. When I was in Brussels, and people learned that I was a Christian from Bethlehem, they began telling me about their relatives who came here just to visit the Church of the Nativity. Seeing how others view my city truly enlightened me about how special it is."

Al Arja, who works in the tourism sector, is reinventing his job to cope with the economic crisis, which has also affected the West Bank due to the war.

"I'm putting everything in God's hands," he said. "I'm working a little and managed to save some money before the war. It's not easy. Bethlehem depends on tourism for 90%. Most of the hotels and souvenir shops are owned by Christians, and many of them haven't had any income for 11 months."

"Anyway, it's very difficult for me to understand why Christian people are fleeing Bethlehem," Al Arja continued. "Maybe they find a better life outside this country, but we are in a blessed city. God sent his only Son to be born here." 

In the end, Rahil concluded, "this is the city where Jesus was born. It's the city of peace and love, and there's no better place to live."

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CNA Staff, Sep 7, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

In a dating culture that consists of swiping through photos of potential dates on a smartphone, one Catholic dating app is working to create a space where individuals can create genuine connections online. Candid Dating, launched in January, is a virtual speed-dating site for single Catholics.

Taylor O'Brien, CEO and co-founder of the site, had the idea to create the platform when things started opening back up after the COVID-19 pandemic. She felt a deep desire to form Catholic friendships and began to host meetups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for young Catholic women to foster fellowship.

A topic of conversation that kept coming up among the women was dating and the struggle to find available Catholic men. O'Brien, who was newly single at the time after ending an engagement, began to think about this topic. She continued to host these meetups and shared the information for them on her Instagram page. Soon enough, men started to find her events and began reaching out saying they wanted to meet Catholic women, too. 

"From a bird's-eye view I was able to really look and see — the men are there, the women are there, everyone's just missing each other," O'Brien explained to CNA in an interview.

O'Brien decided to get all these single Catholics together for an in-person event. She posted a Google doc on her Instagram for people to register to attend. Thinking she would maybe have 50 singles sign up, in less than 48 hours 400 people signed up. With the help of a friend, she hand-matched individuals based on different demographics and interests and held an in-person event. It was then that she realized this could be something even bigger, so she spent the next two years putting together a team and creating what is now the Candid Dating platform.

"Candid is a Catholic speed-dating platform exclusively for Catholics," O'Brien explained. "We have no profiles, no swiping, and users create an account and during their account creation, they just answer a series of onboarding questions like age, interest, location, just a little bit about them, and then once their account is approved, our algorithm does its thing."

The algorithm works to send individuals a list of virtual events that pertain to them based on their specific interests and location. Once they sign up for an event, they meet five to seven men or women for five to seven minutes at a time. At the end of the conversation, they are sent one question: "Do you want to continue the conversation? Yes or No." If the pair both say "yes," they will receive a notification saying that they matched and can message each other and exchange further contact information.

In addition to the current dating culture's habit of swiping left or right on people based on their physical appearance, O'Brien pointed out that "we've lost the art of conversation."

"What I love about what Candid does is it forces you to be able to have a conversation with someone, even if you know, maybe like after minute 2, that this may not be the best match," she said, adding: "How are you able to then spend the next five minutes? Are you able to receive the person who's sitting across from you? Are you able to give them the gifts that God has given you? How can we really share in communion as brothers and sisters in Christ knowing that maybe you're not my person … but I don't have control over that outcome and I should be able to just sit and enjoy my brother or sister in Christ."

O'Brien shared that her goal with Candid Dating is to "rewire the way we think about dating and undo some of those wires that have been crossed in the swiping culture." 

"Swiping culture has done such a disservice especially as Catholics in the way that we look at dating. We start to objectify," she emphasized. "The same motion that we use to shop for groceries or a pair of jeans in the swiping is the same thing that we're doing to human beings."

She added: "I think whenever we're out there in the secular world and we see the way dating is going, sometimes we feel like maybe it's just better if I sit this out for a while. So I think that a lot of people are getting discouraged in that way."

"So my prayer and my goal with Candid would be that it would just help us rethink and be a little bit more intentional about the way that we're approaching dating as a whole."

For those who might be hesitant to take part in something like this dating approach or desire to meet their future spouse in person rather than online, O'Brien encouraged those people to "release a little bit of that control."

"We always like to pretend like we know exactly the way that we're going to meet someone until we actually meet them in a way that God surprises us and then all of that went out the window and we don't even care because we're just so happy that we met the person we're supposed to be with," she said. 

Has the platform had any success stories yet? 

O'Brien shared a message she received from a user hours before speaking to CNA. It read: "Hi, I participated in one of your events on April 11 and as a result I've got the best girlfriend a guy could ask for. I love her dearly and you all have my deepest appreciation. Thank you."

This is not the first such message O'Brien has received, she said, but each one leaves her "blown away" and amazed at how "the Lord has really provided each next step for us."

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Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 6, 2024 / 23:38 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis began his historic visit to Papua New Guinea on Saturday (local time) with a call for stewardship of the nation's rich natural resources and a plea for peace amidst ongoing tribal conflicts.

The pope was welcomed to the capital city of Port Moresby on Sept. 7 by the beating drums of one of the country's 300 indigenous tribes, who performed a traditional dance in feathered hats and grass skirts.

Papua New Guinea, home to more than 800 indigenous languages, is renowned for its cultural and linguistic diversity. Despite its abundant natural resources, including minerals, timber, oil, and gas, it remains one of the world's poorest nations, with around 85% of its population dependent on subsistence farming and less than a fifth of its citizens having access to electricity.

Addressing Papua New Guinea's political officials and dignitaries gathered at the APEC Haus, the pope emphasized the need for equitable development and responsible use of the nation's natural resources.

"Your country, besides consisting of islands and languages, is also rich in natural resources.  These goods are destined by God for the entire community," Francis said.

"It is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers, in order to improve their living conditions."

The disparity between the country's wealth and living conditions is evident in Port Moresby, where many poorer residents live in makeshift shelters made of scrap wood and plastic tarps. 

Political instability and corruption further complicate the country's economic development. Pope Francis underlined that "increasing institutional stability and building consensus on fundamental choices is a prerequisite for integral and fair development."

In a country that has struggled with tribal conflicts throughout its history, the pope also made a heartfelt appeal for peace.  Earlier this year, 26 people were killed in a gunfight in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province, a region that has been plagued by violence between tribal groups.

"It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development," Pope Francis said. "I appeal, therefore, to everyone's sense of responsibility to stop the spiral of violence."

The pope also marveled at Papua New Guinea's linguistic and cultural diversity in the Pacific archipelago. "This points to an extraordinary cultural richness," he remarked. "I imagine that this enormous variety is a challenge for the Holy Spirit, who creates harmony amid differences!"

Papua New Guinea's Governor General, Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, told the pope that many people traveled far distances to be present for his visit.

"As you bless our land with your presence, we are filled with profound gratitude and humility as can be seen by the magnitude of pilgrimage to the city just to get a glimpse of Your Holiness," Dadae said.

The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in Papua New Guinea, making up about 30% of the population. The Church is deeply involved in education, with over 3,000 Catholic schools serving nearly 340,000 students nationwide.

Pope Francis joked that the simple motto for his apostolic journey to Papua New Guinea – "Pray" — might surprise "some who are overly concerned with 'political correctness.'"

"If so, they are mistaken, because a people that prays has a future, drawing strength and hope from above," he said.

At the end of the Meeting with the Authorities, Pope Francis briefly greeted a number of dignitaries from government, civil society and the Diplomatic Corps in Papua New Guinea and leaders from various Pacific countries and organizations, including the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the President of Nauru, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga and the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

A historic visit 

The pope's visit marks only the third time a pontiff has set foot in Papua New Guinea. St. John Paul II visited the country twice, in 1984 and 1995. 

Reporting from the island nation north of Australia, EWTN Polska's Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi noted on EWTN News Nightly the historical significance of the Catholic Church's presence in Papua New Guinea. 

"After the celebration of the first Holy Mass on July the 4th, 1885, several missions were established in the small country, reaching people living in remote and dispersed areas."

Despite many improvements, Papua New Guinea continues to face challenges. Earlier this year, the government declared a state of emergency following the Jan. 10 "Black Wednesday" riots, which killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds more. 

Pope Francis is scheduled to continue his visit with a public Mass, a meeting with local Catholic charities that serve the poor in Port Moresby, and a brief trip into a remote jungle outpost of Vanimo where Argentine missionaries serve the local indigenous peoples. He will then travel to East Timor on Monday before concluding his apostolic journey in Singapore.

Watch the full report by Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi on EWTN News Nightly here:

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Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 6, 2024 / 23:38 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis began his historic visit to Papua New Guinea on Saturday (local time) with a call for stewardship of the nation's rich natural resources and a plea for peace amidst ongoing tribal conflicts.

The pope was welcomed to the capital city of Port Moresby on Sept. 7 by the beating drums of one of the country's 300 indigenous tribes, who performed a traditional dance in feathered hats and grass skirts.

Papua New Guinea, home to more than 800 indigenous languages, is renowned for its cultural and linguistic diversity. Despite its abundant natural resources, including minerals, timber, oil, and gas, it remains one of the world's poorest nations, with around 85% of its population dependent on subsistence farming and less than a fifth of its citizens having access to electricity.

Addressing Papua New Guinea's political officials and dignitaries gathered at the APEC Haus, the pope emphasized the need for equitable development and responsible use of the nation's natural resources.

"Your country, besides consisting of islands and languages, is also rich in natural resources.  These goods are destined by God for the entire community," Francis said.

"It is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers, in order to improve their living conditions."

The disparity between the country's wealth and living conditions is evident in Port Moresby, where many poorer residents live in makeshift shelters made of scrap wood and plastic tarps. 

Political instability and corruption further complicate the country's economic development. Pope Francis underlined that "increasing institutional stability and building consensus on fundamental choices is a prerequisite for integral and fair development."

In a country that has struggled with tribal conflicts throughout its history, the pope also made a heartfelt appeal for peace.  Earlier this year, 26 people were killed in a gunfight in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province, a region that has been plagued by violence between tribal groups.

"It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development," Pope Francis said. "I appeal, therefore, to everyone's sense of responsibility to stop the spiral of violence."

The pope also marveled at Papua New Guinea's linguistic and cultural diversity in the Pacific archipelago. "This points to an extraordinary cultural richness," he remarked. "I imagine that this enormous variety is a challenge for the Holy Spirit, who creates harmony amid differences!"

Papua New Guinea's Governor General, Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, told the pope that many people traveled far distances to be present for his visit.

"As you bless our land with your presence, we are filled with profound gratitude and humility as can be seen by the magnitude of pilgrimage to the city just to get a glimpse of Your Holiness," Dadae said.

The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in Papua New Guinea, making up about 30% of the population. The Church is deeply involved in education, with over 3,000 Catholic schools serving nearly 340,000 students nationwide.

Pope Francis joked that the simple motto for his apostolic journey to Papua New Guinea – "Pray" — might surprise "some who are overly concerned with 'political correctness.'"

"If so, they are mistaken, because a people that prays has a future, drawing strength and hope from above," he said.

At the end of the Meeting with the Authorities, Pope Francis briefly greeted a number of dignitaries from government, civil society and the Diplomatic Corps in Papua New Guinea and leaders from various Pacific countries and organizations, including the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the President of Nauru, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga and the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

A historic visit 

The pope's visit marks only the third time a pontiff has set foot in Papua New Guinea. St. John Paul II visited the country twice, in 1984 and 1995. 

Reporting from the island nation north of Australia, EWTN Polska's Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi noted on EWTN News Nightly the historical significance of the Catholic Church's presence in Papua New Guinea. 

"After the celebration of the first Holy Mass on July the 4th, 1885, several missions were established in the small country, reaching people living in remote and dispersed areas."

Despite many improvements, Papua New Guinea continues to face challenges. Earlier this year, the government declared a state of emergency following the Jan. 10 "Black Wednesday" riots, which killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds more. 

Pope Francis is scheduled to continue his visit with a public Mass, a meeting with local Catholic charities that serve the poor in Port Moresby, and a brief trip into a remote jungle outpost of Vanimo where Argentine missionaries serve the local indigenous peoples. He will then travel to East Timor on Monday before concluding his apostolic journey in Singapore.

Watch the full report by Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi on EWTN News Nightly here:

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Madrid, Spain, Sep 6, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Socorro Vázquez, a 27-year-old Catholic from Seville, Spain, shared with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, about her experience of Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia and her experience of faith in Jakarta, where she has come because of her work for a year and where the values ??of Islam "are in the air with every step you take."

The young Spanish woman, who has always been "very excited" to live abroad, was assigned Jakarta as her destination after applying for the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade Scholarship Program.

For Vázquez, who will return to Spain in December, the visit of the Holy Father this past week "has been a real gift and totally unexpected at the time when I had to choose a destination."

In Jakarta, the young woman said, "the practices and values ??of Islam are felt at every step you take. This makes the culture shock for a Spaniard more pronounced and, at times, the context reminds you that you are far from home and your loved ones."

Although she grew up in a Catholic environment, she said, that "living abroad has made me question my beliefs and, curiously, has also made me reaffirm them."

Being Catholic in the world's largest Muslim country

Living in the world's largest Muslim country, Vázquez pointed out, means "being Catholic these days, wherever you are, is not easy. And what I mean by this is that, on many occasions, it means swimming against the current."

In the case of Indonesia, where nearly 200 million Muslims live, she remarked that "the tolerance between religions is admirable, the sense of community that surrounds all practices of faith, regardless of religion, and the naturalness with which they affirm they are believers."

In fact, she said that "not believing in a God here is inappropriate. It is a highly spiritual country and that is evident in the people and their values."

Although Jakarta is "dotted with mosques," she said, she is grateful that there is a Catholic church near her office and another one very close to where she lives.

"Both have Mass in English on Sundays and they are always full. In that sense, the truth is that I've had it very easy," she commented.

A visit 'very much appreciated' by Catholics

The young Spanish woman had the opportunity to go to the heavily attended closing Mass that Pope Francis celebrated at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium on Sept. 5.

"I was very moved to see an entire stadium with 100,000 people singing and vibrating with joy. People came from many parts of the country with their traditional attire. It was the mixture of the diversity of peoples that characterizes Indonesia, united by the same faith," she related.

She explained that in a country like Indonesia, "being present in person is very important, both in the business field and in any other context."

"I think that, in this sense, the pope's visit will be highly appreciated by Catholics in the country and has shown that, despite being a minority, they have filled an entire stadium and had waiting lists," she emphasized.

Vázquez also pointed out that Indonesian Catholics "tend to relate to the parish community to which they belong and with the visit of Pope Francis, a much greater sense of community has been created."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Madrid, Spain, Sep 6, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

The bishop of Kundinawa in Papua New Guinea, Paul Sundu, said that of the 300,000 people expected to see Pope Francis this weekend, "many walked two or three weeks before the papal visit" from all the dioceses of the island country.

Some even came from the Solomon Islands, about 885 miles to the east in the South Pacific. 

The Holy Father arrived Friday for a three-day visit to Papua New Guinea, his second stop on a 12-day apostolic journey to Asia and Oceania.

In a statement released by the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain, Sundu predicted that the Holy Father's days in the country "will be a blessing that cannot be forgotten. The presence of the pope will definitely give us more joy and courage to continue our mission."

Papua New Guinea is one of the 1,126 mission territories of the Catholic Church, whose first evangelizers arrived there in 1889. Today, its population is 30% Catholic, a percentage that increases at a rate of 40,000 baptized each year.

In this Oceania nation, 19 dioceses have been established in which 600 priests work in 400 parishes and serve more than 800 social institutions such as orphanages, hospitals, or leprosariums. In addition, the Catholic Church has nearly 3,500 schools in the area, according to data provided by the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain.

For the director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Papua New Guinea, Father Victor Rocha, "the impact of this visit will be seen especially in the faith of the people" in a parish whose commitment is evident because the churches "are full every Sunday; about 70%-80% of the baptized attend Mass."

To sustain this territory, considered 100% missionary, the help of the Pontifical Mission Societies is essential, and it has allocated more than $7 million in the last five years, mostly from the collection for World Mission Day.

This money is invested in covering current expenses and in building houses and parishes, providing transportation and drinking water, and setting up diocesan radio stations along with supporting charitable works and the four major seminaries in which 104 candidates for the priesthood are in formation.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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