Sir John Ribat returns

Faith

Churches in PNG who are members of PNG Christian Leaders Alliance on HIV/AIDS will join Catholic Church members to welcome newly appointed cardinal Sir John Ribat (pictured) who arrives in Port Moresby tomorrow morning.
Sir John was formally appointed as cardinal by Pope Francis in a consistory ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Rome, Italy, last Saturday.
Deputy chairman of the PNG Christian Leaders Alliance on HIV/AIDS Ps Daniel Hewali in a statement said that Sir John was a Catholic Church leader who firmly advocated for church unity in PNG.
Hewali urged all member church leaders to organise their members to assemble at the Jackson International Airport wearing red shirts to welcome Sir John.
He said that Sir John was the current chairman of the PNG Christian Leaders on HIV/AIDS when Pope Francis appointment him as a cardinal.
“He was actively engaged in the planning of hosting the first HIV/AIDS Summit for the Heads of Churches in PNG scheduled to be hosted on the 15th-16th of March 2017,” Hewali said.
“As an alliance of churches in PNG we are also ready to support Sir John Cardinal Ribat to advocate on HIV/AIDS and climate change issues when he prepares to take these two global issues as his first pastoral move within PNG, Pacific Islands and Oceania.”