Pope Francis, who is on a pilgrimage through Asia and Oceania, ends his visit to Papua New Guinea on Monday. The last stop was a meeting with young people at a stadium in the country's capital. The next destination for the head of the Church will be East Timor, where the pope will stay until Wednesday.
The last point of the Pope's visit to Papua New Guinea was a meeting with young people at the stadium in the capital, Port Moresby.
During a meeting with 10,000 young people from Papua New Guinea in the early hours of Monday morning, Francis said: – I am happy for these days spent in your country, where the sea, mountains and tropical forests coexist, but above all in a young country inhabited by many young people.
– Dear young people, I didn't want to leave here without meeting you, because you are the hope for the future – he said and explained: – We are not Superman. We can all make mistakes. We can all fall. But the important thing is not to stay in the fall.
Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea PAP/EPA/ANTONIO DASIPARU
In a country where there are more than 800 languages, the Pope stressed: – It is important that we learn a common language: the language of love, which makes us one family. The Pope also warned against hatred and indifference.
He addressed the country's problems, encouraging people to “say 'no' to drug and alcohol intoxication”, pornography addiction and all forms of violence.
Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea PAP/EPA/ANTONIO DASIPARU
Pilgrimage to Timor-Leste
The main theme of the pilgrimage to East Timor, which has been independent for over 20 years, is: “May your faith become your culture.”
As explained in Vaticanunderlines the close link between the country's deeply rooted Catholic faith and its culture and recent turbulent history. Catholics make up about 98 percent of East Timor's population.
Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea PAP/EPA/ANTONIO DASIPARU
The papal plane will land at the Dili airport in the afternoon local time. After the welcoming ceremony and a rest, the pope will go to the Presidential Palace to meet with the President of East Timor Jose Ramos-Horta, winner of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize. He will then deliver a speech to the authorities and the public.
Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea PAP/EPA/ANTONIO DASIPARU
On Tuesday, he will visit disabled children, meet with the clergy in the capital's cathedral and celebrate mass on the meadows of Tasitol, where several hundred thousand people are expected, including from neighboring countries. In the same place in 1989, he celebrated mass John Paul II. At that time, these lands were under occupation. Indonesia.
On Wednesday morning local time the Pope will fly to Singapore.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/ANTONIO DASIPARU