On Pope Francis’ second full day in Papua New Guinea, more than 20,000 local Catholics flocked to Sir John Guise Stadium, some arriving as early as 2 AM, to secure a spot at Sunday Mass with the Holy Father.
Many had walked for days from remote parts of the country, to reach Port Moresby in time for this special event.
Their anticipation gave way to joy upon the Holy Father’s arrival, a joy they expressed with singing and traditional dancing.
In his homily, the Pope reflected on the Gospel passage from Mark about Jesus healing a deaf man with a speech impediment. He reminded the faithful that, although they may feel far from God, they “are at the center of His heart.”
He stressed that “the most important thing is to open ourselves to God and our brothers and sisters, and to open ourselves to the Gospel, making it the compass of our lives.”
The Pope reiterated that evil and witchcraft do not change lives in a positive way, but lock people up “in lies and fear.”
In the afternoon, the Pope boarded an Australian military transport plane for the two-hour flight to the coastal city of Vanimo in the northwestern part of the country, where he spent a few hours with local Catholics.
He listened to testimonials and conveyed his gratitude for the missionary work being carried out in the area, and he urged the entire community to support the Church’s efforts by being missionaries themselves, be it at home, at school, or in the workplace.
He said that by loving one another they would be able to overcome personal, family, and tribal rivalries and divisions, to drive out fear, superstition, and magic from people’s hearts, and to put an end to destructive behaviours, such as violence, infidelity, exploitation, and alcohol and drug abuse.
After addressing the faithful, Pope Francis made a short visit to the nearby village of Baro to meet a group of Argentinian missionaries and religious sisters belonging to the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE).
He had been invited there by one of the missionaries, Father Martin Prado, an old friend of his who has been working in Papua New Guinea for ten years. The missionaries were overjoyed that the Holy Father made the long trip out to meet them, and they called him “a man of great heart.”
Shortly after this happy reunion, the Holy Father boarded the aircraft back to Port Moresby, where he will rest before concluding his Apostolic Journey to Papua New Guinea on Monday with an encounter with young people.
Then, it’s back aboard the papal plane, this time bound for Timor-Leste, the third stage of his 45th Apostolic Journey abroad.
