Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea reaches out to ‘peripheries’ of Catholic Church

(PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea) — Pope Francis boarded an Australian Royal Air Force C-130 on Sunday and flew over the pristine jungles of Papua New Guinea, travelling to the faraway settlement of Vanimo as the 87-year-old continues reaching out to what he likes to call the “peripheries” of the Catholic Church.

He was warmly welcomed with a series of traditional performances. Speaking to a crowd of about 20,000, the Pope praised the missionaries doing God’s work in the remote region, where communities often depend on them for healthcare, education, access to running water, and electricity.

“You are doing something beautiful, and it is important that you are not left alone,” he said.

The pontiff brought close to a tonne of humanitarian aid, medicine and toys with him. He was gifted a traditional feathered headdress that he chose to wear for part of the event.

The Pope then met with a group of missionaries from Argentina, including one he personally knows, Father Miguel de la Calle, who told Vatican Media people had been “walking for days” to see the Pope.

“People are coming from all over — from the jungle, the mountains, from Indonesia across the border, from other provinces,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Pope held mass in Port Moresby, to a packed stadium of about 35,000.

“Brothers and sisters, 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,” he said. “Today the Lord wants to draw near to you, to break down distances.”

This comes as Pope Francis continues the most ambitious trip of his pontificate; a 12-day, four country, two continent odyssey. Religious harmony was a key part of the Pope’s message on this first leg of his 12-day trip.

Papua New Guinea marks the furthest from Rome he’s ever been.

The Pope’s next stop: Timor-Leste, where over 97% of the population identifies as Catholic.