Committee preparing for Papal visit in September

By ZARA KANU LEBO
AN inter-government agency committee is making preparations to welcome Pope Francis who will be visiting Papua New Guinea in September.
Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko said the committee responsible for the Papal visit had been working since January to prepare for the three-day visit by head of the Catholic Church.
This visit is part of Pope Francis’ four-nation apostolic tour which will see the Holy Father travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and to Singapore from Sept 2-13.
“We’ve got the right people in the right place and we have all very experienced Papua New Guineans who have handled visits by the Royal family to heads of state and government leaders.
“The Pope’s visit will be accorded a 21-gun salute and guard of honour as a sign of respect and this visit will be completely different to normal programmes that we have conducted for state visits for the head of state, head of governments and other VIPs,” he said. Archbishop of Port Moresby Cardinal Sir John Ribat said the Pope’s four-nation visit was initially planned in 2020 but deferred due to the Coronavirus.
Ribat said the country’s Catholics were honoured to host a world religious leader and his presence would not only unify the PNG faithful but also foster goodwill among fellow Christian denominations.
“He is a head of state and a spiritual leader for everyone and that his visit brings hope, encouragement and also blessings for us,” Ribat said.
“To ensure that this visit is a memorable one for us and the pope as well, preparation is important, because he is 87 and despite his health issues he has confirmed his interest to visit PNG.
“This is an official state visit to our nation and a pastoral mission as a spiritual leader, through a church recognised around the world for his work towards peace, prayer and missionary work and he comes to us with blessing and hope despite all the challenges our nation is facing.” Chairman of the Papal Visit Committee, Bishop Rozario Menezes, said they were looking forward to the visit as it serves as a moment to come together as a church and a country to welcome Pope Francis and importantly to hear firsthand his message to the people of PNG.
Pope Francis will be the second pontiff to visit PNG.
Pope John Paul II was the first head of the Catholic Church to visit PNG in 1984 and 1995.
The second Pope to step on PNG soil was Pope Benedict in 2012.