By UCA News
THE Papua New Guinean Government has called upon the Australian Defence Force to fly Pope Francis to the remote town of Vanimo in far northwest Sepik province when he tours the country next week.
“The Australian Government has graciously accepted our call for support and will provide an ADF carrier to bring the Pope to Vanimo and back to Port Moresby,” PNG foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko told local media.
Pope Francis will fly to Vanimo on September 8, and will travel to the tiny and remote town of Baro.
Pope Francis will celebrate Mass, meet local missionaries, witness a performance by school children, and interact with young girls who live in a safe house.
He will return to Port Moresby the same day.
The decision comes after a defence pact between Canberra and Port Moresby late last year, which aims to modernise PNG’s capabilities.
The ADF was also responsible for delivering aid after a deadly landslide in May.
PNG’s Post-Courier newspaper reported the ADF had responded with a “resounding yes” following the flight request scheduled for September 8 and is part of a region-wide 12-day papal tour that also includes Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Singapore.
A visit to Vanimo is considered important by the Vatican and the Pope’s desire for inclusiveness of the peripheries of the Church, a sentiment echoed during his trip to Mongolia in 2023.
Bishop Francis Meli of Vanimo noted the “periphery is the most remote” adding it was so remote it was unlikely a Pope would visit the region ever again.
Security personnel have been conducting dry runs for the flight in and out of the region, gardens have been manicured and banners welcoming the Pope have been erected
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