The Pope of the peripheries arrives in Papua New Guinea

By Linda Bordoni – Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea is 19,047 kilometres from the Vatican. This is the furthest Pope Francis has ever travelled to join his flock, showing them how much they mean to him.

He will spend three days in this large, sparsely populated country, with thundering rivers and waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, gushing volcanoes, thick forests and a magnificent sea.

The country, home to some of the world’s last uncontacted tribes, sits on one of the planet’s tectonic plates, and earthquakes and landslides are almost commonplace, while the lack of infrastructure in more remote areas can pose serious challenges for disaster rescuers and medics, and even for casual travelers exploring the country.

But Pope Francis is undeterred by the challenges and is determined to share the faith in person with the country’s estimated 2.5 million Catholics, including those in the remote town of Vanimo on the northwest coast, where a group of missionaries, mostly Argentinian, shares his mission never to exclude what he calls the “geographic and existential peripheries” of our world.

Due to its geographical location in the eastern Pacific Ocean, like its neighbours in the region, Papua New Guinea is increasingly at risk from the tangible effects of climate change.

As the country strives to adopt a sustainable development model and protect its fragile ecosystems and populations, Pope Francis’ call to listen to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth cannot but resonate strongly.

Thus, pastoral ministry, the care of creation and the call to respect and safeguard indigenous wisdom and culture will almost certainly be in the spotlight during the pope’s three-day presence in the country.

But Francis is also a pope of surprises, and who knows what other topics he will choose to highlight, both as head of the universal Church and as the undisputed moral authority of our time. It will surely be a message of hope and encouragement for the Church, for humanity, and for the people of Papua New Guinea.