Thousands gather for a “unique” experience of a Holy Mass with Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea

At 2 a.m., under a pitch-black sky, hundreds of Papua New Guineans streamed into a large stadium to secure a seat for what many described as a “once in a lifetime” experience.

At sunrise on Sunday, the venue was filled with more than 30,000 people gathered for a Holy Mass celebrated by Pope Francis during his three-day visit to Papua New Guinea.

He was greeted by feathered dancers with brightly painted faces singing traditional hymns.

The ceremony took place in the capital Port Moresby and was the highlight of the Pope's public appearances in this Pacific state.

The day before, Francis had called in a speech to political and religious leaders in particular for the protection of women and girls.

Women “are the ones who move the country forward, they give life, build a country and make it grow,” he said in an impromptu speech to political leaders and diplomats.

“Let us not forget the women who are at the forefront of human and spiritual development.”

The last-minute changes to his speech reportedly came after Francis met with a nun who spoke about the violence faced by women in Papua New Guinea who are accused of witchcraft and sorcery.

According to UN Women, 60 percent of women in the country have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner, twice the global average.

Papua New Guinea ranked 151st out of 166 countries in the UN Development Programme’s Gender Inequality Index in 2022.

“I am also thinking of those people who have been marginalized and morally and physically injured by prejudice and superstition, sometimes having to risk their lives,” the Pope said.

He also addressed the issue of climate change and called on heads of state and government to ensure responsible management of Papua New Guinea's rich natural resources, which include gold, oil, gas and timber.

Independence struggles

The Pope's 12-day visit to the Asia-Pacific region is his longest since he took over as head of the Catholic Church in 2013.

In Papua New Guinea he met people who were at the forefront of important independence struggles in Bougainville and West Papua.

West Papuans crossed the border from Indonesia to meet the Pope during his visit to the remote town of Vanimo this afternoon.

Representatives of the independence movement, which seeks to liberate West Papua from Indonesia, are calling on him to support him.

In a speech, the Pope also drew special attention to Bougainville and called for a peaceful and “definitive solution” to the island’s quest for independence in order to “avoid a revival of old tensions”.

Abusive priests “hidden” in the Pacific

Others called on the Pope to turn his attention to a far more serious issue for the Catholic Church and demand reparations for victims of institutional abuse in the Pacific.

The Oceania branch of the victim support network “Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests” (SNAP) published an open letter to the Pope yesterday.

“You are certainly aware that the leaders of your church … have trafficked child sexual abusers from within your church to poor and vulnerable countries in Oceania, where they have continued to abuse helpless and innocent children,” it said.

“These countries included Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati and Samoa, to name a few.”

Australian Catholic priest Roger Mount moved to Papua New Guinea in the 1980s after allegedly sexually abusing boys in his previous parishes in New South Wales and Victoria.

The church paid over $100,000 in compensation to the alleged victims of his abuse.

Mount, now deceased, was eventually deported from Papua New Guinea because he had overstayed his visa.

Christopher Longhurst, a representative of the organization, said similar cases had not been adequately investigated in the Pacific, partly because island states could not afford large-scale investigations.

“In a country like Papua New Guinea, there has never been an investigation, no investigation into the churches and religious organizations on its shores that are responsible for the abuse,” he said.

“That's why I suggest that the church participate in financing these investigations, because the states alone cannot manage it.”

Rules for the protection of minors

Pope Francis did not address the issue publicly during his visit.

In a statement to ABC, a spokesman for the Holy See – the church's governing body – said there are laws and strict guidelines in place to ensure the safety of minors.

“These rules also apply in the Pacific and every diocese and order must know them and take full responsibility for their enforcement,” the spokesman said.

The Holy See stated that it had no knowledge of the allegations made in the letter.

Pope Francis is likely to face greater scrutiny on the issue on the next leg of his trip, when he arrives in Timor-Leste on Monday afternoon.

In 2022, the Vatican imposed sanctions on Bishop Carlos Belo after he was accused of sexually abusing boys there in the 1990s.

It followed the conviction of American priest Richard Daschbach, who was found guilty in 2021 of sexually abusing girls in an orphanage.

Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta told the Associated Press that the decision on how to handle the matter rests with Pope Francis, but added that the Vatican is taking the matter “seriously.”