A candlelight ceremony and a youth concert are among the significant events scheduled for Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Papua New Guinea in September.
The second stop of his 12-day trip to Asia, the Holy Father is set to arrive in the country on the afternoon of September 6.
Upon his arrival, the pope will be welcomed by the local Church with a candlelight vigil at sunset.
This outdoor event will be open to everyone, even other Christian denominations and non-Catholics.
Before he leaves Papua New Guinea on September 8, Pope Francis will lead the Mass at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Vanimo.
Ahead of the Eucharistic celebration, a group of 70 children from the Queen of Paradise (QOP) Orchestra will welcome the pontiff with a five-minute concert.
Fr. Miguel de la Calle of the QOP Orchestra told local newspaper The National that the children would be waiting for the pope at the end of his 13-kilometer gold cart ride around Vanimo.
Maestro Jesus Briceño, the group’s conductor, revealed they are preparing “two pieces of music” for the pope.
Meanwhile, the pope is set to make courtesy visits to Governor-General Bob Dadae on September 7 and Prime Minister James Marape on September 8.
On the second day of his visit, Pope Francis will also visit the street ministry and Callan services at the Caritas Technical Secondary School and meet with bishops, priests, and religious of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians.
Cardinal John Ribat, Archbishop of Port Moresby, is elated about the Holy Father’s upcoming visit, particularly because of the pope’s decision to make an apostolic visit to Asia despite his old age.
“At his age and with all the issues surrounding his health, he still decided to come,” the cardinal said in an interview with Licas News.
Pope Francis will be the second head of the Catholic Church to visit Papua New Guinea. Saint John Paul II visited the Asian country twice, in 1984 and 1995.
Ahead of Papua New Guinea, the Holy Father will visit Indonesia from September 3 to 6.
From Papua New Guinea, he will travel to Timor-Leste from September 9 to 11 and Singapore from September 11 to 13.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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