Travelling 1,000km in a C-130 cargo aircraft provided by the Royal Australian Air Force, he arrived with a small entourage in Vanimo, a township of some 12,000 people in the north-western corner of the country's main island, with no running water and scarce electricity.
The 87-year-old Pope brought hundreds of kilograms of items to help support the local population, said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. These included medicine and clothing, as well as toys and musical instruments for schoolchildren.
Pope Francis is visiting the nation of 600 islands as part of his ambitious 12-day, four-country tour of South-east Asia and Oceania, the longest of his 11-year-old рарасу.
He came to Vanimo at the invitation of local missionaries with the Catholic Institute of the Incarnate Word. They, like Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, are from Argentina.
"You are doing something beautiful, and it is important that you are not left alone," Pope Francis told the crowd - which the Vatican estimated at 20,000 - of missionaries and Catholic faithful in a meeting outside the town's onestorey, wood-panelled cathedral parish.
"You live in a magnificent land, enriched by a great variety of plants and birds," said the Pope.
Esta historia es de la edición September 09, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 09, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
HORSEBACK FISHING ALIVE IN BELGIUM
A fisherman on horseback drags his net in the sea to catch grey shrimp in Oostduinkerke in Belgium in October.
K-pop star Jessi cleared of charges in case of fan assault
South Korea-based American singer-rapper Jessi has been cleared of all charges in the case of a fan assault that took place in front of her.
S'pore movies Wonderland and A Year Of No Significance selected for China film festival
Two made-in-Singapore movies have been selected to take part in the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
JJ Lin's concert tour to return to Singapore in December
Home-grown Mandopop star JJ Lin is set to return to Singapore's National Stadium on Dec 28 and 29 for the second leg of his JJ20 World Tour.
Three charged in Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony in October, the Argentine authorities said on Nov 7.
Looks like a lion, purrs like a pussycat
The two-door Mercedes-AMG CLE53 appears stout and aggressive, but is a friendly and easy-to-drive car
Dramatic electric roadster bolsters MG's street cred
The Cyberster is a two-seater convertible that mixes brawn and beauty as well as value and efficiency
V12 performance and looks define new Aston Martin Vanquish
After a six-year hiatus, the Aston Martin Vanquish returns as a meaner and bigger grand tourer.
Lively and sublime all-French concert by Red Dot Baroque
The Tastes Reunited comes from the French phrase Les Gouts-reunis coined by Baroque composer Francois Couperin, referring to a glorious unification of Italian virtuosity and dramatics with French elegance and restraint in musical performance.
Golden age for parks in America
Cities are sprucing up waterfronts, transforming abandoned industrial sites and bringing green space to neighbourhoods