Pope to meet Papua New Guinea Catholics who embrace both Christianity and Indigenous beliefs

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Pope Francis’s visit to Papua New Guinea will take him to a remote part of the South Pacific island nation where Christianity is a recent addition to traditional spiritual beliefs developed over millenia that remain deeply ingrained. Francis will visit the diocese of Vanimo on the main island of New Guinea. Bishop Francis Meli says his diocese is one of the most remote and disadvantaged in the poor and diverse nation. The pope will meet around a dozen missionary nuns and priests from his native Argentina during his visit to Vanimo scheduled for Sept. 8. The visit is an extraordinary religious highlight in a part of the world that Christian missionaries did not reach until 1961.