VANIMO, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Pope Francis traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea on Sunday to celebrate the Catholic Church on the peripheries, bringing with him medicine, musical instruments and a message of love for the people who live there.
Francis flew aboard a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 transport plane from Port Moresby to Vanimo, on the northwest coast of the South Pacific nation. There, Francis met with the local Catholic community and missionaries from his native Argentina who have been ministering to them.
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VANIMO, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Pope Francis traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea on Sunday to celebrate the Catholic Church on the peripheries, bringing with him medicine, musical instruments and a message of love for the people who live there.
Pope Francis, center, interacts with a woman as gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Attendees wave flags of Papua New Guinea East Sepik province during a meeting between Pope Francis and young people at the Sir John Guise stadium in Port Moresby, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Clerics use their phones as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Dancers in traditional dress perform as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A woman in traditional dress attends an address by Pope Francis during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis, third right, meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An attendee hold a fan with the Pope's likeness as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A man wears face paint a a traditional headdress as he waits for Pope Francis to give an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An aide assists Pope Francis with his cape after he gave an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People smile as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Attendees hoist a picture of blessed Peter To Rot, a catechist who was killed during the Japanese occupation in 1945 and beatified in 1995, during a meeting between Pope Francis and young people at the Sir John Guise stadium in Port Moresby, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A woman stands and holds an umbrella as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People in traditional dress stand in front of the stage as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An Asaro mudman wears his mask as he stand in front of the stage as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An aide assists Pope Francis with his cape after he gave an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Faithful attend a meeting between Pope Francis and young people at the Sir John Guise stadium in Port Moresby, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets a man in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis waves after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is greeted by Father Martin Prado, left, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word as he receives a traditional hat from a faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. . (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is greeted by Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word as he arrives in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. . (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, with the Bishop of Vanimo Francis Meli, right, attends a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, with the Bishop of Vanimo Francis Meli, right, attends a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, center, with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, second from left, and the bishop of Vanimo Francis Meli, right, attends a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there. At right is Vanimo Bishop Francis Meli. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, left, and the Bishop of Vanimo, Francis Meli, right, attend a meeting with the faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, talks with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, left, during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, talks with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, left, during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The pupils of the Holy Trinity Humanities School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, wait for Pope Francis, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A boy has fun on the shoreline of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, where Pope Francis met with the faithful, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A nun waits for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The golf cart used by Pope Francis during his visit to Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, is seen loaded inside the Royal Australian Air Force Hercules C 130Js plane that brought him from Port Moresby to Vanimo on Sunday. (AIGAV Pool via AP)
People coming from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, light candles during an evening mass on the field where they camp for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Batista Au, coming all the way from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, sits outside the tent where he camps for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, light candles during an evening mass on the field where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Mariano Soares who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, plays a guitar near a row of tents belonging to people who camp for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, light candles during an evening mass on the field where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
From left, Jacinto Elu, Blandina Milo and Rosalina Manu who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, sit near the tents where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, sit near the tents where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Venansio Lafo, center, who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, talks with friends outside the tents where they camp for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Children play near a cutout of Pope Francis installed at a church ahead of his visit to East Timor, in Dili, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis hugs a blind pupil of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is hugged by a blind pupil of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pupils of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School and faithful wait for Pope Francis in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A woman and a baby walks by the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, center, poses for a photo in the School & Queen of Paradise Hall at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, where he attended a short concert by the school's student orchestra. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Children draw Crosses on a sandy beach in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A man with an image of Jesus Christ tattooed on his arm attends a Sunday mass ahead of Pope Francis' visit to East Timor, at a church in Dili, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis, left, meets with indigenous people at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis hugs missionary Martin Prado as they meet in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis attends a meeting with the faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis meets with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis on a wheelchair arrives for a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, talks with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, left, during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis wears a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. . (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Bishops gesture as they leave a mass hosted by Pope Francis at Sir John Guise Stadium, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Women in traditional dress attend as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Women in traditional dress attend as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis, right, holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis, second left, holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Dancers in traditional dress perform as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A man carries a child as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Women with traditional headdress and face paint attends a holy mass by Pope Francis at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People with traditional headdress and face paint attends a holy mass by Pope Francis at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Clerics walk past a main in traditional dress as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Clerics walk past a man in traditional dress as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Men wear traditional headdress as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People in traditional headdress use their phones as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People attend as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis presides over the Sunday mass at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis called Saturday for the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea to be particularly close to women who have been abused and marginalized, speaking out in a country where violence against women is reported to be more than twice the global average. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
For an Argentine pope who marveled in 2013 at having been chosen from the “end of the Earth” to lead the church, it was a voyage to another end of the Earth on the longest, farthest trip of Francis' pontificate.
Francis has previously traveled to the edge of the Arctic (to apologize to the Inuit people for church abuses), and into the Peruvian Amazon (to draw attention to its plight), and to the plains of Ur, Iraq (to boost Christian-Muslim ties). But even by his standards, Sunday's trip to remote Vanimo was extraordinary.
An estimated 20,000 people were singing and dancing on the field in front of the Vanimo cathedral when Francis arrived, and he promptly put on a feathered headdress that had been presented to him.
In remarks from a raised stage, Francis praised the church workers who go out to try to spread the faith. But he urged the residents of Vanimo to work at home at being good to one another. He urged them to be like an orchestra, so that all members of the community come together harmoniously to overcome rivalries.
Doing so, he said, would help to “drive out fear, superstition and magic from people’s hearts, to put an end to destructive behaviors such as violence, infidelity, exploitation, alcohol and drug abuse, evils which imprison and take away the happiness of so many of our brothers and sisters.”
It was a reference to the tribal violence over land and other disputes that have long characterized the country’s culture but have grown more lethal in recent years. Francis arrived in Papua New Guinea to urge an end to the violence, including gender-based violence, and for a sense of civic responsibility to prevail.
Francis echoed the theme on Monday morning in a final encounter with young people in Port Moresby, the capital, before flying to East Timor on the next leg of his trip.
Francis was elected pope largely on the strength of a speech he gave to his fellow cardinals in 2013 about the need for the church to go out to the “peripheries” where people need God most. In keeping with that philosophy, Francis has largely shunned foreign trips to European capitals, preferring instead far-flung communities where Catholics are often a minority.
Vanimo, population 11,000, certainly fits the bill of being remote. It is near Papua New Guinea’s border with Indonesia, where the jungle meets the sea, and is for the most part only reachable by plane or boat.
There is a small airport, but no ambulift, the wheelchair elevator Francis needs to get on and off planes. Because of that, and the donated and purchased cargo Francis was bringing in, the C-130 was used so he could be wheeled on and off using the back ramp.
Francis, history’s first Latin American pope, has a special affinity for the work of Catholic missionaries. As a young Argentine Jesuit, he had hoped to serve as a missionary in Japan but was prevented from going because of his poor health. As pope, he often holds up missionaries as models for the church.
The Rev. Martin Prado, an Argentine missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word religious order, was responsible for inviting the pope to Vanimo.
As he waited for Francis to arrive Sunday, he recounted for reporters the “crazy” story of how he accompanied a group of Vanimo parishioners to Rome in 2019, and ended up scoring an audience with the pope after his parishioners insisted that they wanted to give him some gifts.
Prado, who has spent the past 10 of his 36 years working as a missionary in Vanimo, said he wrote a note, left it for the pope at the Vatican hotel where he lives, and the next day received an email from Francis' secretary inviting his group in.
“I invited him, but he wanted to come,” Prado said. “He has a big heart for people. It’s not just words: He does what he says.”
Prado said some people deep in the interior of the diocese, in the jungle where cars have yet to arrive, need clothes, and for them a plate of rice and tuna fish “is glorious.”
Francis brought about a ton of medicine, clothing, musical instruments and toys, the Vatican said. Prado said Francis was also helping to build a new secondary school. He said half of the children of the diocese are unable to go to high school because there simply aren’t enough spots for them.
The event had a very Argentine flair to it: On the stage was a statue of the Virgin of Lujan, the patron of Argentina who is particularly dear to Francis and whose name also graces the local girls' school. When Francis met privately after the event with the nuns and missionary priests, they served him mate, the Argentine tea.
There are about 2.5 million Catholics in Papua New Guinea, according to Vatican statistics, out of a population in the Commonwealth nation believed to be around 10 million. The Catholics practice the faith along with traditional Indigenous beliefs, including animism and sorcery.
Francis’ visit to Vanimo was the highlight of his visit to Papua New Guinea, the second leg of his four-nation tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. After first stopping in Indonesia, Francis heads on Monday to East Timor and then wraps up his visit in Singapore later in the week.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Women wear face paint and traditional headdress before Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis, center, interacts with a woman as gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Attendees wave flags of Papua New Guinea East Sepik province during a meeting between Pope Francis and young people at the Sir John Guise stadium in Port Moresby, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Clerics use their phones as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Dancers in traditional dress perform as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A woman in traditional dress attends an address by Pope Francis during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis, third right, meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An attendee hold a fan with the Pope's likeness as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A man wears face paint a a traditional headdress as he waits for Pope Francis to give an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An aide assists Pope Francis with his cape after he gave an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People smile as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Attendees hoist a picture of blessed Peter To Rot, a catechist who was killed during the Japanese occupation in 1945 and beatified in 1995, during a meeting between Pope Francis and young people at the Sir John Guise stadium in Port Moresby, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A woman stands and holds an umbrella as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People in traditional dress stand in front of the stage as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An Asaro mudman wears his mask as he stand in front of the stage as Pope Francis gives an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
An aide assists Pope Francis with his cape after he gave an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Faithful attend a meeting between Pope Francis and young people at the Sir John Guise stadium in Port Moresby, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets a man in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis waves after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional dress after giving an address during meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is greeted by Father Martin Prado, left, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word as he receives a traditional hat from a faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. . (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is greeted by Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word as he arrives in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. . (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, with the Bishop of Vanimo Francis Meli, right, attends a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, with the Bishop of Vanimo Francis Meli, right, attends a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, center, with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, second from left, and the bishop of Vanimo Francis Meli, right, attends a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there. At right is Vanimo Bishop Francis Meli. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, left, and the Bishop of Vanimo, Francis Meli, right, attend a meeting with the faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, talks with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, left, during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, talks with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, left, during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The pupils of the Holy Trinity Humanities School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, wait for Pope Francis, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A boy has fun on the shoreline of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, where Pope Francis met with the faithful, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A nun waits for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The golf cart used by Pope Francis during his visit to Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, is seen loaded inside the Royal Australian Air Force Hercules C 130Js plane that brought him from Port Moresby to Vanimo on Sunday. (AIGAV Pool via AP)
People coming from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, light candles during an evening mass on the field where they camp for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Batista Au, coming all the way from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, sits outside the tent where he camps for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, light candles during an evening mass on the field where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Mariano Soares who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, plays a guitar near a row of tents belonging to people who camp for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, light candles during an evening mass on the field where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
From left, Jacinto Elu, Blandina Milo and Rosalina Manu who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, sit near the tents where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
People who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, sit near the tents where they camp while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Venansio Lafo, center, who came from Oecusse, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Dili, talks with friends outside the tents where they camp for days while waiting to attend the holy mass presided by Pope Francis scheduled on Sept. 10, in Dili, East Timor, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Children play near a cutout of Pope Francis installed at a church ahead of his visit to East Timor, in Dili, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis hugs a blind pupil of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis is hugged by a blind pupil of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Papuan indigenous people wait for Pope Francis in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pupils of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School and faithful wait for Pope Francis in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A woman and a baby walks by the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, center, poses for a photo in the School & Queen of Paradise Hall at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, where he attended a short concert by the school's student orchestra. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Children draw Crosses on a sandy beach in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A man with an image of Jesus Christ tattooed on his arm attends a Sunday mass ahead of Pope Francis' visit to East Timor, at a church in Dili, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Pope Francis, left, meets with indigenous people at the Holy Trinity Humanistic School in Baro, near Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis hugs missionary Martin Prado as they meet in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis attends a meeting with the faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis meets with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis on a wheelchair arrives for a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for Pope Francis to arrive at a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, talks with Father Martin Prado, a missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, left, during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis celebrated the Catholic Church of the peripheries on Sunday as he traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, bringing with him a ton of medicine and toys and a message of love overcoming violence for the people who live there.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis wears a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. . (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Bishops gesture as they leave a mass hosted by Pope Francis at Sir John Guise Stadium, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Women in traditional dress attend as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Women in traditional dress attend as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis, right, holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis, second left, holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Dancers in traditional dress perform as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A man carries a child as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Women with traditional headdress and face paint attends a holy mass by Pope Francis at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People with traditional headdress and face paint attends a holy mass by Pope Francis at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Clerics walk past a main in traditional dress as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Clerics walk past a man in traditional dress as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Men wear traditional headdress as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People in traditional headdress use their phones as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People attend as Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis holds a holly mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Pope Francis presides over the Sunday mass at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Pope Francis called Saturday for the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea to be particularly close to women who have been abused and marginalized, speaking out in a country where violence against women is reported to be more than twice the global average. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
