At two o’clock in the morning, under a pitch-black sky, hundreds of Papua New Guineans made their way into a large stadium to secure a seat for what many described as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.
By sunrise on Sunday, the venue was packed with more than 30,000 people, gathered for a holy mass held by Pope Francis on his three-day visit to PNG.
He was greeted by dancers adorned with feathers and brightly-painted faces, signing traditional hymns.
Pope Francis greets young performers who welcomed him. (ABC News: Marian Faa)
Held in the capital, Port Moresby, it was the highlight of the pontiff’s public engagements in the Pacific nation.
The previous day, in an address to political and religious leaders, Francis made a special call for the protection of women and girls.
Women “are the ones who carry the country forward, they give life, build and grow a country,” he said in an ad-libbed speech to political leaders and diplomats.
“Let us not forget the women who are on the front line of human and spiritual development.”
The last-minute changes to his speech reportedly came after Francis met with a nun who spoke about the violence faced by women accused of witchcraft and sorcery in PNG.
According to UN Women, 60 per cent of women in the country have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, double the global average.
Papua New Guinea was ranked 151 out of 166 countries on the UN Development Program’s gender inequality index in 2022.
“I think too of the marginalised and wounded, both morally and physically, by prejudice and superstition sometimes to the point of having to risk their lives,” the pope said.
Dancers and performers were in full traditional dress for the special occasion. (ABC News: Marian Faa)
He also raised the issue of climate change and urged leaders to ensure the responsible use of PNG’s rich natural resources, which include gold, oil, gas and timber.
Independence struggles
The pope’s 12-day visit to the Asia Pacific is his longest yet since becoming head of the Catholic church in 2013.
In Papua New Guinea, he has encountered people at the forefront of prominent struggles for independence in Bougainville and West Papua.
West Papuans crossed the border from Indonesia to meet with the pope on his side trip to the remote town of Vanimo this afternoon.
Pope Francis meets performers outside the APEC Haus in Port Moresby. (AP: Gregorio Borgia)
Representatives of the independence movement, which is seeking liberation for West Papua from Indonesia, are calling for his support.
The pope also drew specific attention to Bougainville in a speech – calling for a peaceful and “definitive resolution” to the island’s bid for independence, “avoiding the rekindling of ancient tensions”.
Abusive priests ‘hidden’ in Pacific
Others have asked the pontiff to direct his attention to a much darker issue for the Catholic church, calling for redress for victims of institutional abuse in the Pacific.
The Oceania arm of victim support network, The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), published an open letter to the pope yesterday.
“You will be aware that your church’s leaders … moved child sexual predators from within your church into poor and vulnerable countries in Oceania where they continued to abuse helpless and innocent children,” it said.
Pope Francis meets with the Papua New Guinea’s Governor General Sir Bob Dadae. (AP: Guglielmo Mangiapane)
“Such countries included Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati, and Samoa, to name a few.”
Australian Catholic priest Roger Mount moved to PNG in the 1980s after he allegedly sexually abused boys at his former parishes in New South Wales and Victoria.
The church paid over $100,000 in compensation to the alleged victims of his abuse.
Now-deceased, Mount was eventually deported from PNG for having overstayed his visa.
Christopher Longhurst, a representative of the organisation, said similar cases had not been properly investigated in the Pacific, partly because island nations could not afford large-scale enquiries.
Performers listen to speeches outside the APEC Haus in Port Moresby. (AP: Gregorio Borgia)
“A country like Papua New Guinea has never had an inquiry, an investigation into the churches and the faith-based organisations on its shores who are responsible for the abuse,” he said.
“So I suggest that the church help pay for these inquiries, because the countries can’t afford it on their own.”
Rules to protect minors
Pope Francis has not addressed the issue publicly during his visit.
In a statement to the ABC, a spokesperson for the Holy See – the church’s governing body – said it had legislation and stringent guidelines in place to guarantee safety for minors.
“These rules are in force also in the Pacific and each diocese and religious order is required to be aware of them and fully responsible for enforcing them,” the spokesperson said.
The Holy See said it was not aware of the allegations raised in the letter.
Pope Francis is likely to face more scrutiny around the issue on his next leg of the trip, when he arrives in Timor-Leste on Monday afternoon.
Pope Francis delivered his speech at APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. (AP: Mark Baker)
In 2022, the Vatican sanctioned bishop Carlos Belo following allegations he sexually abused boys there in the 1990s.
It followed the conviction of American priest Richard Daschbach, who was found guilty of sexually abusing girls in an orphanage in 2021.
Timorese president Jose Ramos-Horta told Associated Press that it was up to Pope Francis to decide how to manage the issue, but added the Vatican had taken the matter “seriously”.