As Pope Francis’s sprawling 12-day journey to Asia and Oceania approaches, the local bishop of the remote Diocese of Vanimo in Papua New Guinea says people are overjoyed that the pontiff is once again making the “periphery” a priority.
Speaking to <em>Crux</em>, Bishop Francis Meli, originally from the town of Rabaul, but who has led the Diocese of Vanimo since 2018, called Pope Francis’s upcoming visit “historic” since “no pope has ever visited the diocese and there may not be any more in history".
“It is a great jubilation for people in Papua New Guinea as a whole,” he said, noting that Vanimo “is small and very remote, it’s a very remote diocese in Papua New Guinea which is right at the border with Indonesia, so people are so excited about the visit of the Pope here.”
“The Pope always speaks about the periphery, and the periphery is the most remote, but also, people who are less privileged,” he said, noting that many services in Vanimo are lacking that are present in larger provinces.
Vanimo’s infrastructure is also weak, he said, explaining that the roads are in poor condition and there are no bridges, which makes river crossings difficult, especially after heavy rain.
“Most of our people are living in the bush, you have to follow lonely roads, so it is significant that [the Pope] chose to come to a very, very remote area to see what the real remote people [are like] in Papua New Guinea; the way they do things, where they live, how they live,” Meli said.
Pope Francis will visit Vanimo on 8 September during his broader 2-13 September visit to Asia and Oceania. It will mark the longest trip of his papacy, with stops in four different countries: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.<br><br><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/keeping-body-and-soul-together-in-bangkok-and-singapore/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Keeping body and soul together in Bangkok and Singapore</mark></a></strong>
Located in the northwestern Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea, Vanimo sits near the border with Indonesia and has a population of just 11,204, according to the World Population Review, though the area is surrounded by large bushlands inhabited by scattered remote communities.
The majority of the population is split into various denominations of Christianity, with around 10 per cent of the population adhering to tribal religions.
Missionaries from more than 10 countries are currently working in the Diocese of Vanimo, according to Meli. Among them are a group of nuns from Argentina belonging to the Sisters of the Lord, the Virgin of Matara sisters and a group of Argentinian priests belonging to the Institute of the Incarnate Word, with whom Pope Francis plans to hold a private meeting during his visit, Meli said.
Meli said one of the most important projects in Diocese of Vanimo, a centre for abused women and girls, is run by the Argentinian nuns.
Called the Lujan Centre for Girls, it houses women and girls, some as young as just two or three years old, who have suffered various forms of abuse, including psychological, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, Meli said, noting that some of the residents have disabilities.
“The sisters actually look after these girls like their own children,” he said, explaining that the girls come to the centre and are given a home and are also sent to school. Once they finish their education, many of them leave to find work.
When it comes to poverty and domestic violence, Meli said these challenges are not as acute in towns and are more prevalent in the remote bush areas of Vanimo. This is especially true, he said, in regard to the treatment of young women and girls by the elders.
“What happens is that the elderly people in the bush, they use their authority to abuse young girls,” he said, saying it can often be difficult for police or local authorities to monitor the situation, so the church tries to bridge the gap, including with projects such as the Lujan Center for Girls.
Another important project for the Church in Vanimo, Meli said, is the high school called the Holy Trinity Humanists School, which is run by the Institute of the Incarnate Word fathers in Baro.
The Argentinian priests who run the school “try to instil their charism, their values, to build up good character of the future leaders of Papua New Guinea,” Meli said, adding that they also run an orchestra, the Queen of Paradise Orchestra, which will perform for Pope Francis when he comes to Vanimo.
Meli said the Pope plans to hold a closed-door meeting with the Argentinian priests and nuns while in Vanimo before boarding his flight back to Port Moresby.
Speaking of the inter-religious makeup of Vanimo, Meli said there are many different Christian denominations, and among them Catholics are a minority.
Some of the other Christian communities are hostile to Catholics, he said, voicing hope that the Pope’s visit “may also bring significant unity to other churches with whom we work here together in the province".
Meli also voiced hope that the various Churches would be able to have “a meaningful dialogue to make the diocese, the province, become a model for other dioceses in Papua New Guinea".
“I hope and pray that one of history’s significant visits to the diocese will help to create this unity between Catholics and Christians, so that we can work together in unity, especially in this challenging time,” he said.
Despite some tensions among Christian communities, Meli said there are no major conflicts and there is no violence, and he said the Church has good relations with the government in Vanimo, especially when it comes to collaboration on healthcare and education.
Meli emphasised that the Pope’s decision to come to Vanimo, one of the most remote dioceses in Papua New Guinea, sends “a message to many bishops of the world that it is possible that (a) pope in history may be able to visit their diocese" no matter how small it might be or how remote a periphery it might inhabit. <br><br><strong>Photo: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/pope-to-visit-four-pacific-rim-countries-in-september/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Pope to visit four Pacific rim countries in September</mark></a></strong>
<em>Photo: Pope Francis arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Vatican City State, 5 June 2024. (Credit: Andrew Medichini/AP, via Crux.)</em>
