Papua New Guinea, a nation of about 600 islands in the Southwestern Pacific that has become a major target of international companies for its gas, gold, and other reserves, was addressed by Pope Francis on Saturday ( Sep. 7 ) for better treatment of workers there.
The 87-year-old pope even made a sincere plea to the country’s political leaders for an end to a wave of ethnic violence that has claimed the lives of dozens in recent months in a conversation addressed to the country’s political leaders, which includes hundreds of cultural organizations and more than 800 spoken languages.
The bishop, visiting as part of an optimistic 12-day journey to four places, said Papua New Guinea’s natural solutions “are destined by God for the entire society”.
It is only appropriate that the requirements of the local people are given due consideration when distributing the money and employing workers, in order to improve their living conditions, said Pope Francis.” Yet if outside experts and significant international organizations had been involved in the harnessing of these tools must be taken into account.
The pope said natural resources should be developed in a sustainable manner that “improves the wellbeing of all, excluding nobody, through… international cooperation, mutual respect and agreements beneficial to all parties”.
Pope Francis was greeted by a group of Papua New Guineans in traditional outfits featuring feathered headdresses and beaded skirts as he addressed the audience at the APEC Haus, a conference center constructed for the 2018 meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The pope, who has knee and back pain, was rolled past an entry foyer with a curved timber screen that was influenced by a customary lakatoi tattoo design.