Catholicnews.in shares the speech by Pope Francis to the faithful gathered on the esplanade in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the Diocese of Vanimo in Papua New Guinea on 8 September 2024.
Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon.
I thank the Bishop for his words to me. I greet the authorities, the priests, the religious men and women, the missionaries, the catechists, the young people, the faithful – some of whom have come from very far away – and you, dear children. I thank Maria Joseph, Steven, Sister Jaisha Joseph, David and Maria for what they have shared with us. I am happy to be in this wonderful, young and missionary land.
As we have heard, since the mid-nineteenth century the mission in these lands has never been interrupted. Religious men and women, catechists and lay missionaries have never stopped preaching the Word of God and offering help to their brothers in pastoral care, in education, in medical assistance and in many other areas, having to face many difficulties, in order to be instruments “of peace and love” for all, as Sister Jaisha Joseph told us.
In this way, schools, hospitals and missionary centres all around us bear witness that Christ came to bring salvation to all, so that each person may flourish in all his or her beauty for the common good (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 182).
You are here “experts” in beauty because you are surrounded by it. You live in a magnificent land, rich in a great variety of plants and birds, where one is left speechless at the colours, sounds and smells, and at the magnificent spectacle of nature teeming with life, evoking the image of Eden. Yet the Lord entrusts this wealth to you as a sign and an instrument, so that you too can live in this way, united in harmony with Him and with your brothers and sisters, respecting our common home and caring for one another (cf. Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, 1 September 2019).
Looking around us, we see how beautiful the panorama of nature is. But returning to ourselves, we realize that there is an even more beautiful spectacle: that of what grows in us when we love one another, as David and Mary testified to us when they spoke of their journey as spouses in the sacrament of marriage. And our mission is precisely this: to spread everywhere, through the love of God and of our brothers, the beauty of the Gospel of Christ (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 120).
We have heard how some of you undertake long journeys to reach even the most remote communities, sometimes leaving your homes, as Steven told us. You are doing something very beautiful, and it is important that you are not left alone, but that the whole community supports you, so that you can carry out your mandate with serenity, especially when you have to reconcile the demands of the mission with family responsibilities.
However, we can also help them in another way, and that is for each of us to promote the missionary message wherever we live (cf. CONC. ECUMEN. VAT. II, Decree Ad Gentes, 23), that is, at home, at school, in the workplace, so that everywhere, in the forest, in the villages or in the towns, the beauty of the landscape is matched by the beauty of a community in which people love one another, as Jesus taught us when he said: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn 13:35; cf. Mt 22:35-40).
We will thus increasingly form a great orchestra – as Maria Joseph, our violinist, loves to do – capable, with its notes, of ending rivalries, of overcoming divisions – personal, family and tribal – of expelling fear, superstition and magic from people’s hearts; of ending destructive behaviour such as violence, infidelity, exploitation, alcohol and drug use – evils that imprison and make so many brothers and sisters unhappy, here too.
Let us not forget: love is stronger than all this and its beauty can heal the world, because it is rooted in God (cf. Catechesis, 9 September 2020). For this reason, we must spread it and defend it, even if doing so may cost us misunderstanding and opposition. Blessed Peter To Rot, husband, father, catechist and martyr of this land, has testified to this with his words and example. He gave his own life to defend the unity of the family from those who wanted to undermine its foundations.
Dear friends, many tourists, after visiting your country, return home saying that they have seen “paradise”. They refer, above all, to the scenic and environmental attractions that they have enjoyed. However, we know, as we have said, that the greatest treasure here is not that. There is another, more beautiful and fascinating one, which is found in your hearts and which is manifested in the charity with which you love one another.
This is the most precious gift that you can share and make known to everyone, making Papua New Guinea famous not only for its variety of flora and fauna, its lovely beaches and its crystal-clear sea, but also and above all for the good people who are there; and I say this especially to you, children, with your contagious smiles and your overflowing joy, which flows in all directions. You are the most beautiful image that those who leave here can take with them and keep in their hearts.
I encourage you, therefore, to beautify this blessed land ever more with your presence as a loving Church. I bless you and pray for you. And I ask you, please, to pray for me too. Thank you.