is in the Pacific state of Papua New Guinea, where he is set to visit one of the most remote outposts of the Catholic Church on Sunday.
The will visit the town of Vanimo on the northern coast, which used to be a German colony. It has a population of 10,000. It is close to Papua New Guinea’s border with Indonesia and is also known as a surfing destination.
The head of the Catholic Church will bring humanitarian aid, medicine, clothes and toys for the faithful there, a spokesperson said.
On Sunday morning, the pope celebrated Mass at a football stadium in the capital, Port Moresby, which was attended by about 35,000. He urged people in the country nation “at the edge of the world” to come closer to the faith.
The event began with a traditional performance of dancers in grass skirts and feathered headdresses dancing to drum music.
“You who live on this large island in the Pacific Ocean may sometimes have thought of yourselves as a far away and distant land situated at the edge of the world. Yet today the Lord wants to draw near to you, to break down distances, to let you know that you are at the center of his heart and that each one of you is important to him,” Francis told the attendees.
“I think too of the marginalized and wounded, both morally and physically, by prejudice and superstition sometimes to the point of having to risk their lives,” the pope added.
Peripheries trip
Papua New Guinea has very little road connectivity from the capital to other parts of the country. The pope will visit Vanimo in a chartered Royal Australian Air Force C-130 plane.
Francis has previously said the church of the “peripheries” is more important than the center. He has preferred visits to far-away communities rather than European capitals.
He also appreciates the work of Catholic missionaries, especially those who work spreading Christianity.
Papua New Guinea has a population of around 10 million, out of which 2.5 million are Catholics, according to Vatican statistics. They practice Christianity along with local beliefs, rites and rituals.
This is the second stop of his longest trip abroad so far. He started with and is visiting four other countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania. His next stop is East Timor and Singapore.
tg/sms (dpa, AFP, AP)
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