Pope Francis formalises Sir John’s appointment

Main Stories

Papua New Guinea’s Archbishop Sir John Ribat was formally appointed Cardinal by Pope Francis, pictured, at the Consistory Ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Rome, last Saturday.
After the ceremony, new Cardinals had an audience with their respective delegations, friends and church members.
A small PNG delegation was led by PNG’s High Commissioner to Great Britain Winnie Kiap and Ambassador to the European Union   Joshua Kalinoe, pictured, who is also responsible for the Vatican.
Kalinoe said Papua New Guineans from all works of life were proud of his achievement and that of the Catholic Church in PNG.
The Catholic Church is one of the mainline churches that opened up the country, not only in the Christian faith but also in the provision of basic health and education services.
Catholic Professionals Society president Paul Harricknen said appointment of Sir John was a sign and inspiration for the faithful that local churches had grown and matured.
“As a body of Catholic professionals and the lay faithful in general of the Catholic Church in PNG, we take this time to congratulate the Archbishop of Port Moresby Sir John Ribat,” Harricknen said.
“We thank Pope Francis for recognising the efforts of the local churches in PNG and the Pacific region.
“It is a sign and inspiration for us the faithful that the local churches have grown and matured.
“This investiture also comes at a time when the Church in PNG and the Solomon Islands will celebrate the golden jubilee (50 years) of the formal establishment of the dioceses (15 Nov, 1966 – 15 Nov, 2016).
“The ceremony (in Rome last Saturday) was witnessed by some  of our dignitaries, including Archbishop Panfilo, Archbishop of Rabaul, Bishop Rochus Tatamai, Bishop of Bereina, Fr Victor Roche, CBC general secretary, Fr Rozario Menezes, and ambassador Max Rai, the PNG  Ambassador to the United Nations and a devout Catholic.”
The team will arrive from Rome on Friday.
The Archdiocese of Port Moresby will celebrate the appointment with the jubilee celebrations of the establishment of the dioceses at Jack Pidik Park on Sunday.