‘Pope’s message of peace, solidarity will stay with Papua New Guinea for years’
By Claudia Torres – Port Moresby
“The Pope coming to Papua New Guinea is something unique, something that cannot happen frequently because of the distance and because this is not one of the most important countries of the world.”
Fr. Giorgio Licini, the General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, made that affirmation in an interview with Vatican News, just moments before the start of Holy Mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, on Sunday, 8 September.
A PIME missionary from northern Italy, Fr. Licini has been in the South Pacific country since 2003, and his experiences have given him a deeper understanding of the primary obstacles the Catholic Church faces there.
He explained that “when it comes to witnessing Christ and the Gospel in society,” social issues pose the biggest challenge.
Poverty, isolation, and the fact that many people “live in very remote and faraway villages” where schools and health facilities are lacking, are some of the issues he mentioned.
Fr. Licini also cited violence and “unrest, sometimes due to tribal fights and ancestral issues that [people] carry on with them.”
Lastly, he observed that with urban poverty on the rise, many young people find themselves in a sort of limbo: “They cannot see a clear future with a lack of opportunities and poor education.”
Yet, Fr. Licini remains hopeful, certain that Pope Francis’ “message of peace, solidarity, friendship and reconciliation” will accompany the people of Papua New Guinea for years to come.
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