Governor general addresses Pope on contributions of Catholic church in PNG

Papua New Guinea’s governor general Sir Bob Dadae was full of praise for the Catholic church, pointing the contributions in the growth of the country.

Sir Bob when addressing his holiness Pope Francis, said the Catholic Church was amongst the key development partners of the government in service delivery in PNG.

“Our government recognizes the strong contribution of the Church in supporting children, communities, future church leaders across education, health and spiritual care,” governor general said.

“We appreciate the global leadership in advocacy that the Vatican continues to provide on the global humanitarian issues like war, human rights, gender issues, climate change, health and education.”

The vast input made by the church in education and health sector has played a pivotal role especially in the rural parts of PNG.

Since its establishment in 1845, Catholic ecclesiastical has grown to be one of the reliable partners of the national government.

“Our inspiration is the dedicated life of service of the missionaries of the Catholic Church across the length and breadth of this beautiful country,” Dadae said.

“Our government is intensifying efforts to strengthen the existing partnerships through funding support, institutional alignment and other State-Church collaborative arrangements. As a government, we continue to fund church run institutions.

“We truly value this partnership and affirm support to the work of the Catholic Church and other Christian churches in the country".

Sir Bob told the head of Vatican that the catholic church has been active in advocating against pressing issues which include gender violence and human rights abuse.

He also recognized the physical and spiritual care provided by the church to those that are abused, neglected or rejected by families and communities.

The governor general said Pope’s visit was also fitting as the Catholic church would be celebrating its 179 years of existence in PNG.

“As you bless our land with your presence, we are filled with profound gratitude and humility, as can be seen through the magnitude of pilgrimage to the city just to get a glimpse of Your Holiness,” he said.

“We know that your visit will leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all our citizens.

“We pray that the seeds of faith, hope, and love that you sow here will bear fruit for generations to come.”