(ZENIT News / Roma, 26.01.2024).- In an interview on January 14 with an Italian TV channel, Pope Francis announced that he was planning an international trip to Polynesia . Traditional Polynesia is made up of Hawaii (USA); Rapa Nui (Chile); Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga, Tokelau (New Zealand) and the Cook Islands (New Zealand), surprising, therefore, is the announcement of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea who announced to his country and the world that thew Holy Father will visit the country. Was the Pope referring to that country when he spoke of Polynesia or is it one more stop on the trip? The answer seem to be in a short message of the Pope’s spokesman.
Matteo Bruni, spokesman of the Holy See Press Office, replied to the Prime Minister saying, indirectly, that the Pontiff’s trip, which would take place in August 2024, is still “in a very preliminary phase, without a precise indication of the countries that will be visited.” Such a short reply communicates much, especially because of the use of the plural. It wouldn’t be a visit to one country but to several.
Saint John Paul II, the great traveling Pope, visited Papua New Guinea on two occasions: in 1984 and 1995. Pope Francis has had that geographic area of the world in his sights since 2020, when before the pandemic, he intended to visit Indonesia and East Timor.
According to Justin Tkatchdenko, Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Affairs Minister, the Holy Father would visit the country for three days. Cities such as Port Moresby, the capital, and two others of the North, would be chosen for the papal visit.
Papua New Guinea is part of the British Crown. It’s Head of State is Charles III of England … and of Papua. A quarter of the population is Catholic (26%), Catholicism being the most widespread religion, followed by Lutherans, Adventists, Pentecostals and other minority Denominations. The total population numbers closed to 9 million inhabitants.
