Crowds celebrate Pope Francis' arrival in Papua New Guinea's remote town: Video
Papuans in Vanimo, a small town on Papua New Guinea's remote northwest coast, expressed their joy and gratitude following a historic visit by Pope Francis.
The 87-year-old pontiff arrived in Vanimo on September 8, marking the halfway point of his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour.
After travelling for two hours aboard an Australian C-130 military transport plane, Pope Francis landed in the remote town to a crowd that had been excitedly awaiting his presence.
“If you see the crowd, meaning that his words are touching, that's why you can see a lot of other denominations also here. So I believe his presence here will bring a lot of changes, especially to convert Christians,” said Bony Enda, a Vanimo resident, as reported by AFP.
David Jones, another local, shared his excitement: "It's a vast thing, right now we are thinking about it. So it's a vast thing, when the Pope comes into our country we feel like we are happy, all of us, we are happy right now. So it's a vast thing right now. It's a prominent thing we have never seen before, right now we see it."
Pope Francis visited Vanimo at the invitation of local Catholic missionaries, who have evangelised since the mid-19th century and been instrumental in establishing churches, schools, hospitals, and missionary centres in the remote area, according to the Vatican. The Pope acknowledged their efforts, saying these institutions help the faithful to “flourish in all their beauty for the sake of the common good.”
During an address on September 7 to politicians and diplomats in Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, Pope Francis urged the country’s leaders to ensure the sustainable use of the island’s natural resources for the benefit of the entire population.
