Address by Pope Francis to bishops and priests of Papua New Guinea

Below is the speech of Pope Francis during the meeting with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, seminarians and catechists of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands this September 7:

Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon!

I greet you all with affection: bishops, priests, men and women religious, seminarians and catechists. I thank the President of the Episcopal Conference for his words, as well as Santiago, Gracia, Sister Lorena and Father Emmanuel for his testimonies.

I am happy to be here, in this beautiful Salesian church: the Salesians know how to do things well. Congratulations. This is a diocesan sanctuary dedicated to Mary Help of Christians: Mary Help of Christians – I was baptized in the parish of Mary Help of Christians in Buenos Aires – a title so dear to Saint John Bosco; Mary Help of Christians, as you lovingly invoke her here. When, in 1844, the Virgin inspired Don Bosco to build a church in her honor in Turin, she made him this promise: “Here is my home, from here is my glory.”

Mary promised him that, if he had the courage to start building that sanctuary, great graces would come to him. And so it happened: the church was built, which is wonderful – but the one in Buenos Aires is more beautiful! – and has become a center for the spread of the Gospel, for the formation of young people and for charity, it has become a point of reference for so many people.

So the beautiful sanctuary in which we find ourselves, which is inspired by that story, can also be a symbol for us, especially in reference to three aspects of our Christian and missionary path, as the testimonies we have heard have underlined: the courage to start, the beauty of existing and the hope to grow.

First: the value of starting. The builders of this church began by making a great act of faith, which bore fruit, and which was only possible thanks to many other brave beginnings from those who preceded them. The missionaries arrived in this country in the mid-19th century and the first steps of their work were not easy, in fact some attempts failed. But they did not give up: with great faith and apostolic zeal they continued to preach the Gospel and serve their brothers and sisters, many times starting over where they had failed, with many sacrifices.

These stained glass windows remind us – which cannot be seen now because it is night – through which the sunlight smiles on the faces of the Saints and Blessed: women and men of all origins, linked to the history of your community: Pedro Chanel, protomartyr of Oceania, Juan Mazzucconi and Pedro To Rot, martyrs of New Guinea, and later Teresa of Calcutta, John Paul II, María McKillop, María Goretti, Laura Vicuña, Zeffirino Namuncurà, Francisco de Sales, Juan Bosco , María Dominica Mazzarello.

All brothers and sisters who, in different ways and at different times, starting and restarting works and paths so many times, have contributed to bringing the Gospel among you, with a multicolored wealth of charismas, animated by the same Spirit and the same charity of Christ. (cf. 1 Cor 12, 4-7; 2 Cor 5, 14). It is thanks to them, to their “departures” and “departures again” – missionaries are women and men of “departure”, and if they return, of “departure again”: this is the life of the missionary, leaving and leaving. , it is thanks to them that we are here and that today, despite the challenges that are not lacking, we continue forward, without fear – I don’t know if always -, knowing that we are not alone, that it is the Lord who acts, in us and with us (cf. Gal 2:20), making us, like them, instruments of his grace (cf. 1 Pet 4:10). This is our vocation: to be instruments.

And in this sense, also in light of what we have heard, I would like to recommend an important path towards which to direct your “exits”: that of the peripheries of this country. I think of people who belong to the poorest segments of urban populations, as well as those who live in the most remote and abandoned areas, where necessary things are sometimes lacking. And I also think of those marginalized and wounded, morally and physically, by prejudices and superstitions, sometimes to the point of risking their lives, as Santiago and Sister Lorena reminded us.

The Church wants to be particularly close to these brothers and sisters, because in them Jesus is present in a special way (cf. Mt 25:31-40), and where He is, our head, we, His members, are also there. belonging to the same body, “well united and well related by the help that all situations give us” (Eph 4, 16). And please don’t forget: closeness, closeness! You already know that the three most beautiful attitudes are closeness, compassion and tenderness. If a consecrated woman or man, a priest, a bishop, the deacons are not close, they are not compassionate and they are not tender, they do not have the Spirit of Jesus. Don’t forget: closeness, compassion, tenderness.

And this brings us to the second aspect: the beauty of existing. We can see it symbolized in the kina shells, with which the presbytery of this church is decorated, and which are a sign of prosperity. They remind us that here the most beautiful treasure in the eyes of the Father is us, huddled around Jesus, under the mantle of Mary, spiritually united with all the brothers that the Lord has entrusted to us and who cannot be here, lit by the I wish that the whole world knows the Gospel and shares its strength and light with us.

James asked how to convey the enthusiasm of the mission to young people. I don’t think there are “techniques” for it. However, a proven way is to cultivate and share with them our joy of being Church (cf. Benedict XVI, Homily at the Inauguration Mass of the V General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate, Aparecida, May 13, 2007), a welcoming home made of living stones, chosen and precious, placed by the Lord one next to another and cemented by his love (cf. 1 Pet 2, 4-5). Thus, as Grace reminded us, by remembering the experience of the Synod, esteeming and respecting each other and putting ourselves at the service of others, we can show them and anyone who meets us how beautiful it is to follow Jesus together and announce his Gospel. .

The beauty of being there, then, is not experienced so much in the great events and moments of success, but rather in the fidelity and love with which we strive to grow together every day.

And so we arrive at the third and final aspect: the hope of growing. In this Church there is an interesting “catechesis in images” of the passage of the Red Sea, with the figures of Abraham, Isaac and Moses: the Patriarchs fertilized by faith, who by believing received numerous descendants as a gift (cf. Gen 15:5 ; 26,3-5; Ex 32,7-14). And this is an important sign, because it also encourages us, today, to have confidence in the fruitfulness of our apostolate, continuing to sow small seeds of good in the furrows of the world.

They seem tiny, like a mustard seed, but if we trust and do not stop scattering them, by the grace of God they will sprout, give an abundant harvest (cf. Mt 13, 3-9) and produce trees capable of hosting the birds of the air. (cf. Mc 4, 30-32). Saint Paul says it when he reminds us that the growth of what we sow is not our work, but that of the Lord (cf. 1 Cor 3:7), and Mother Church teaches it when she emphasizes that, even with our effort, it is God ” who brings his kingdom to earth” (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decr. Ad gentes, 42).

Therefore, let us continue to evangelize, with patience, without allowing ourselves to be discouraged by difficulties and misunderstandings, even when these arise where we would least want to find them: in the family, for example, as we have heard.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us together thank the Lord for how the Gospel takes root and spreads in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Continue your mission in this way, as witnesses of courage, beauty and hope. And do not forget God’s style: closeness, compassion and tenderness. Always continue forward with this style of the Lord! I thank you for what you do, I bless you all from the bottom of my heart and I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me, because I need it, thank you!