Churches congratulate Sir John

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By OGIA MIAMEL
Papua New Guinea Council of Churches and PNG Christian Leaders Alliance on HIV/AIDS congratulated Port Moresby Archbishop Sir John Ribat on his  appointment as Cardinal in a small ceremony last Friday.
National programme coordinator Andrew Hama said that it was a great honour for their organisation to have their chairman Ribat now being addressed as His Eminence Sir John Cardinal Ribat as it served as a blessing to the organisation.
Hama said: “PNG Christian Alliance on HIV and AIDS, as well as the country as a whole are happy and proud as Christian Churches and members of the board and as we people of PNG on this occasion. We can all commit ourselves in terms of working under his leadership.
“On behalf of the Papua New Guinea Christian Alliance secretariat office and board members, the 20 board members representing  20 churches in Papua New Guinea –  it’s a great honour for us.”
PNG Council of Churches representative Rev Roger Joseph said: “I felt that for the first time  in the whole Pacific that Papua New Guinea was recognised and so PNG is placed on the world map through this man. We want to express our utmost thanks and congratulations to Sir John.”
Sir John said the appointment came as a surprise to him.
“While it gives me a lot of responsibility, I can only say it is God’s blessing to our churches, to our organisation and to our nation so for that. I can say here I never knew of it, I never thought of it, it came to me as a surprise so God has his own ways, all we can say is thank you for he has revealed your intention and plan in our lives,” he said.
“I must say thank you to these bodies – the churches – and also to our government. I’d like to thank the prime minister and members of government who also have expressed their congratulatory messages and the many throughout PNG and also throughout the world.”