On September 8, during his visit to Papua New Guinea, the Pope will take a three-hour flight to the far northwest of the country, 600 miles from Port Moresby. Vanimo, a port town on a peninsula of about 9,000 inhabitants, is known mostly for two things: Surfing, and for being far away.
So why is the Pope going there? Well, he's returning a visit. Here's the story, as told us by Father Martín Prado, a priest from the Pope's native Argentina, and a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word. I.Media tracked him down in late July, and he shared with us both the story of his Rome trip, and his missionary work.
"Just look at this paradise," the 35-year-old priest says, as he moves his phone camera to give us a view of where he and two other members of his congregation live, just a few feet from the beach.
Since 2014, he's been working with the community of some 41,000 Catholics who are spread across the vast territory of which Vanimo is capital.
How did you meet Pope Francis in 2019 ?
I went to Italy with a group of 18 parishioners from Papua New Guinea. It was a crazy trip, but it was good because we trusted in God and Providence really looked after us.
The people that came with me said, “Father, we brought some presents for the Pope.” And I told them, “That is nice, but how will we give them to him?” There was another Italian priest with us who said to try and write a letter in Spanish and go to Porta Sant’Anna [one of the entrances to the Vatican, editor’s note] and deliver it. I did it, without really trusting anything would happen. The Pope was on holiday; it was July or August. To my surprise, the next day in the morning we got a message from his secretary saying the Pope wanted to see us.
We were so happy, we went to Santa Marta and stayed with him for around 20 minutes. He was very happy to see these people who had come from so far. He asked them to explain all the gifts they brought, such as some traditional clothing made from the trees and a mitre made in the traditional style. As you can see, the Pope has a great heart for those on the periphery, those who are most needy.
So since 2019 you have been exchanging letters with the Pope? How often do you correspond and what do you talk about?
Yes, since then we kept communicating by email. I don’t know how often, and it was always through his secretary. But it isn’t because of me, it is because of the people from here. He had said he wanted to keep in touch with us, to know what was happening and how things were going in Papua New Guinea. He showed us he was interested.
After we came back to Vanimo [in 2019] I had sent him an email thanking him for receiving us and for helping us, as when we were in Rome he also gave us financial help. That was Providence; we hung on Providence alone on that trip. I then said that we didn’t want to disturb him anymore and he said to continue this providential friendship. I could see the love that he has for these people in remote areas.
I have told him about our pastoral work, the situation here. He is always encouraging and tells us to keep going and is happy to hear about it.
Why do you think Pope Francis has decided to visit Vanimo specifically?
I think he got to know some people from Papua New Guinea with our visit [to the Vatican in 2019], and he knew we were from Vanimo. So then when deciding to visit PNG I think he thought “why not Vanimo?”
The other dioceses were wondering, “Why Vanimo? It is in the last province, in the most remote area.” The only way you can access it is by sea or plane, there is no road access because of the mountains. The Bishop [of Vanimo, Francis Meli] said it was because the people from Vanimo went to see the Pope, so now he is giving back to them. It is really because of the people here.
His attention to the peripheries is not just words, he really does what he says. He is always quietly caring for and helping people. Also, here in Vanimo, and in some places in Papua New Guinea, the Gospel is just arriving. Where we go, we are funding the Churches, we are baptizing the people, we are teaching them how to make the Sign of the Cross, how to pray to God. We tell them the Good News, that God became man and he is close to us.
How has Vanimo and the Catholic community been preparing for the Pope’s visit?
We are preparing for that day as best as we can but also in a very humble way. Our province is one of the last ones so things are not that easy and fast. We are trying our best but it is not Singapore or Jakarta.
At the end of July for example, we met with some priests and organized a week of catechesis and awareness every night in town. We gathered all our parishioners in this central space, which is where the Pope will come. It is just a field, though, with grass. We built a temporary stage, we played some music and preached. We told the people about the Pope, the Church, and they sat on the grass and listened; it was so simple. People wanted to keep coming, those who live far away organized trucks to bring them. So that is how we are preparing, more spiritually, than logistically or materially maybe (laughs), by praying and trying our best. But the people are happy.
What are the plans for when Pope Francis meets the local Catholic community in Vanimo ?
When the Pope comes we will say a prayer with him. We want to consecrate the diocese and each of us, our families, and even the province itself, to Jesus through our Mother Mary. We are trying to prepare this consecration, which will be the most beautiful thing. We are also preparing for him to give a golden flower to Our Lady … we will see!
We will also have some catechists that will give speeches. The work of catechesis here is so important. For example in one of our parishes in the jungle there are around 11 communities and they are far from one another. There is one village that I can go to only once a month to say Mass. So it is the catechists -- some are missionaries, some are local people from the villages -- that preside over the Liturgy of the Word and prepare people on the catechism. They really are the right hand of our missionary work, so that is why we want them to have some time with the Pope and to receive a special blessing.
After participating in an event in town, the Pope will come by car to our mission here on the west coast. It is maybe a 40 minute drive. Here he will have a more private meeting; of course our parishioners will be present. I think people from the jungle villages will come, and we will show him the school, and the children's orchestra will play. He helped us build the school with some financial donations, so we would like to show him.
What is the atmosphere there like right now, a little over a month before Pope Francis is supposed to arrive?
People are so impressed. I think we passed through different phases. At the beginning we couldn’t believe that the Pope was coming here. Then I would say that many of us priests and Church members were afraid (laughs). We were asking ourselves why the Pope is coming this far, to this little province. But now we are all enthusiastic and happy and trying to prepare as best as we can.
What impact do you think Pope Francis’ trip will have on the country and its Catholic population?
I think there will be a revival and confirmation of the faith. People here are lovely and simple. They are not very influenced by any ideologies in particular. Even those who are not Catholic refer to the Catholic Church as the Mother Church, they call it “mamasios.” They acknowledge that the other churches came after, that they are not the original Church that Jesus started with. Many non-Catholics here recognize the Pope as the head of Christians and they are also happy he is coming.
