St. Mary Our Lady of the Rosary

Pope Francis delivers a video message to participants in the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress, taking place in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 8-15, 2024. The Eucharist teaches us how to have, the pope said in his message recorded at the Vatican, "a profound brotherhood, born of union with God..." / Credit: screenshot of video from Holy See Press Office

Rome Newsroom, Sep 8, 2024 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

The gift of the Eucharist helps us to become the body of Christ for others, Pope Francis said in a video message sent to the 2024 International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador, on Sunday.

The Eucharist teaches us how to have, the pope said in his message recorded at the Vatican, “a profound brotherhood, born of union with God, born of allowing ourselves to be ground, like wheat, so that we can become bread, the body of Christ, thus participating fully in the Eucharist and in the assembly of the saints.”

The 53rd International Eucharistic Congress is taking place in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 8–15, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the country’s consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Over 20,000 people will attend the congress from at least 40 countries around the world. More than 1,500 children will make their first Communion during the opening Mass on Sept. 8. The theme of the 2024 international congress is “Fraternity to Heal the World.”

Pope Francis’ message arrived in Quito, where the first National Eucharistic Congress was held in 1886, while he is in the midst of an 11-day journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.

In the video, he referenced the Church Fathers St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Ignatius of Antioch.

The Church Fathers told us, he said, “that the sign of bread kindles in the People of God the desire for fraternity, for just as bread cannot be kneaded from a single grain, so too must we walk together, for ‘though we are many, we are one body, one bread.’”

The pope also pointed to the example of Venerable Sr. Angela Maria of the Heart of Jesus (born Maria Cecilia Autsch) — a German Trinitarian Sister of Valencia who was imprisoned and died in the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps during World War II — for her “proactive” fraternity.

“Even before she was arrested, when the evil that was looming over the world was already evident, she invited her little nieces and nephews who were approaching Holy Communion for the first time, invited her relatives who had drifted away a bit, and invited even those who had remained devout, to rebel against that evil with simple and, in certain areas, dangerous gestures,” he said, “to get as close as possible to the Sacrament of the altar, to rebel by taking Communion.”

Venerable Angela found in the Eucharist “a bond that strengthens the vigor of the Church itself, a bond that strengthens this vigor among its members and with God, and for her it was ‘organizing’ the plot of a resistance that the enemy cannot rout, because it does not respond to a human design,” Francis continued.

“It is these simple gestures that make us more aware of the fact that if one member suffers, the whole body suffers with him,” he said.

Pope Francis wears a traditional head dress as greets a young girl in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 8, 2024 / Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Sep 8, 2024 / 09:10 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday encouraged Catholics in a remote town in Papua New Guinea to continue to be missionaries where they live, working together to replace superstition and fear with love.

After celebrating Mass in Port Moresby on Sept. 8, the pope traveled 620 miles by air to Vanimo, a coastal town on a peninsula in northwest Papua New Guinea close to the border with Papua, a province of Indonesia.

The pontiff reached the popular surfing destination, known for its white sand beaches, after a two-hour flight aboard an Australian C-130 military plane.

Aboard the plane, Francis brought medicine, clothing, toys, and other necessities to help people living in the remote area, the Vatican confirmed.

Sitting outside of the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Vanimo, the pope told an estimated 20,000 local Catholics to be missionaries where they live: “at home, at school, in the workplace, so that everywhere — in the forests, villages and cities — the beauty of the landscape is matched by the beauty of a community where people love one another.”

“In this way, we will increasingly form a great orchestra,” Francis added, “able with its notes to ‘recompose’ rivalries, to overcome divisions — personal, family and tribal, — to drive out fear, superstition and magic from people’s hearts, to put an end to destructive behaviors such as violence, infidelity, exploitation, alcohol and drug abuse, evils which imprison and take away the happiness of so many of our brothers and sisters, even in this country.”

The Catholic diocese of Vanimo has around 41,000 Catholics, about 30% of the area’s population, according to the Vatican.

After a history of missionary bishops, since 2018 the diocese has been led by Bishop Francis Meli, who was born in the Archdiocese of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea.

The diocese, a missionary area, was first formed as an apostolic prefecture in 1963.

Towards the end of the pontiff’s meeting with Catholics, Bishop Meli consecrated the Diocese of Vanimo to the Virgin Mary.

“After visiting your country, many tourists return home saying they have seen ‘paradise,’” Pope Francis said. “They usually refer to the natural beauty they enjoyed. We know, however, that this is not the greatest treasure. There is a more beautiful and fascinating treasure that is found in your hearts and that manifests itself in the charity with which you love each other.”

“The most precious gift you can share with everyone is to make Papua New Guinea famous not only for its variety of plant and animal life, its enchanting beaches and clear sea, but famous above all for the good people you meet here,” he said.

While in Vanimo, Pope Francis also visited Holy Trinity Humanistic School, a Catholic school founded in 1964 by Passionist missionaries.

The school, located in the village of Baro, just outside Vanimo, has 400 elementary students and another 100 students in the newly-established middle school.

The pope’s day concluded with a private meeting with missionaries, also featuring a short concert by the Queen of Paradise Children’s Orchestra, before he flew back to Port Moresby for the night.

Francis’ three-day visit to Papua New Guinea, where there are 2.5 million Catholics, was the second leg of an 11-day trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

His meeting with missionaries and Catholics in Vanimo took place in the afternoon after celebrating Mass for approximately 35,000 Catholics from across Papua New Guinea and Oceania in Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby.

Pope Francis will return to the Sir John Guise Stadium on Monday to speak to young people before departing for East Timor, continuing his 11-day apostolic journey to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Left to right, Victor Fenik, J.P. Ledermann, Jocelyn Reiter, and Anna Picasso distribute bottles of holy water to new and returning students during the involvement fair on Aug. 26, 2024, at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Members of Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry have been distributing holy water at the start of the academic year at local colleges and universities for the past three years. / Credit: Valaurian Waller/Detroit Catholic

Detroit, Mich., Sep 8, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

For three years, members of Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry have kicked off the academic year at local colleges and universities by offering new students a small, simple bottle of holy water and a prayer.

The gesture attracts students to its table at local college campus involvement fairs, serving as an invitation for new students not only to join in fellowship with Catholics on campus but also to take a blessing with them wherever they live during their first year at college.

Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry serves students at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and surrounding campuses, including Henry Ford College and the College for Creative Studies.

Fall outreach for clubs and groups on campus is an important time for campus ministries, chaplain Father Matthew Hood explained, and holy water has served as a unique draw. 

“People are so interested in the bottles that a lot of people come up to the table and say, ‘What are those? Can I have one?’ It is a great conversation starter to tell people what holy water is and how it is used,” Hood told Detroit Catholic. “Students are always very interested in it, and they usually go fairly quickly once we get to campus.”

Most of the students who approach “have no idea what holy water is,” Hood continued. “We communicate that it is a way to take a blessing with you, to bless the space that you are in, and bless yourself with the holy water.”

Students don’t have to be Catholic to take a bottle and are encouraged to use holy water to bless their dorms or apartments or, if they are commuters, their cars and homes.

The bottles themselves have a blessed history, Hood said. Each year, members of Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry organize drives to collect them from parishes, who receive them on Holy Thursday during the chrism Mass with Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron. The bottles originally contained holy oils blessed by the archbishop and used throughout the year in parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit.

“Every year, there are old holy oil bottles that nobody needs anymore and that have to be properly disposed of; you aren’t supposed to just throw them out, you are supposed to make sure that the oil is burned properly and that they are purified and cleaned properly as well,” Hood said. “What happens in a lot of parishes is they end up farther and farther in the back of the shelf in the sacristy because they haven’t had a chance to do that.”

Hood said Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry has been able to collect and repurpose the bottles, some of which are very old, that would otherwise be collecting dust.

Campus ministers then invite student members to participate in the proper cleaning and purification of the bottles, which includes making sure all the holy oil is burned, outreach coordinator Anna Picasso told Detroit Catholic. 

“It’s an awesome opportunity to teach students about sacramentals as our students help us through the whole purification process,” Picasso said. “We teach them about the reality of these tangible signs.”

Picasso added the entire process presents a dual opportunity to engage students already involved in campus ministries and to invite new members.

“Holy water is actually something that students are often fascinated by, and that’s in many ways thanks to a lot of cultural horror movies,” Picasso said. “But this gives us an opportunity to actually teach them what holy water is and also a means to reach them and open up a conversation to convey the reality of the care that we desire for them as they bless their spaces, their cars, and their homes while they are on campus.”

Picasso said upperclassmen involved in Catholic campus ministries have told her and Hood that they still have their bottles from freshman year. 

“I still have my bottle to this day. That is how I was interested in [Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry’s] table, because I saw they had shirts that said ‘God loves Detroit,’ and I saw holy water on their table,” Wayne State University junior Idalia Shadhaya told Detroit Catholic. “I thought that was really neat, so I grabbed one and sparked a conversation.”

Shadhaya, 20, has been an active participant ever since, serving as a liturgical minister during student Masses. Shadhaya is currently preparing to start her own Bible study small group. 

“[The ministry] has made a huge difference in my college experience,” Shadhaya said. “It really promotes fellowship and growing alongside one another and really getting to know people on a deeper spiritual and friendship level.” 

Shadhaya said she keeps the bottle of holy water from her freshman year on the windowsill in her off-campus apartment and uses it to bless all the doorways in her home in addition to blessing herself.

“It is cool to see it every day and be reminded of my faith and of Jesus and how sacred the Catholic Church is,” Shadhaya said. “It is a daily representation of my role in Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry.”

Picasso said she is grateful such a small gesture has stuck with students like Shadhaya. 

“The holy water is a great opportunity to encounter students and invite them into a relationship with Jesus. That’s the whole purpose behind it,” Picasso added. 

This article was first published by Detroit Catholic on Aug. 30, 2024, and has been reprinted here with permission.

Erbil International Airport entry in Erbil, Iraq. / Credit: thomas koch/Shutterstock

ACI MENA, Sep 8, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The exodus of Iraqi Christians from their ancestral homeland is once again making headlines. Many families are fleeing the country, seeking refuge in neighboring nations as a temporary stopover before heading to distant destinations such as Australia.

Some believe this new wave of emigration began in late 2023 following a tragic fire in Bakhdida in northern Iraq. In its aftermath, despair and frustration permeated the Christian community. However, the exodus has now become alarming, affecting even Christians residing in the relatively secure Kurdistan Region.

The reasons behind this mass departure extend beyond the pursuit of secure job opportunities abroad that guarantee a decent living. Within Iraq, Christians grapple with numerous crises, including delayed salaries, power outages, water scarcity, and other challenges. Some are seeking citizenship elsewhere to secure a better future for their children, while others aim to reunite with extended family members abroad rather than remain isolated in their homeland.

In an interview with ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, civil activist Basma Azuz explained the rationale behind this tragic decision. 

“Emigration reflects a deep conflict between one’s identity and homeland versus the search for security and rights. It’s not always a negative phenomenon or an escape; it may be the only way to secure a better future. This phenomenon is a consecrated human right,” she said.

Azuz attributed the ongoing emigration from Iraq to complex social, economic, security, and political factors, “in addition to fear of persecution targeting the Church.”

She continued: “Pope Francis’ visit provided a temporary ray of hope for Christians. However, the worsening situation and the government’s failure to fulfill its promises have renewed Christians’ desire to emigrate, especially among young people. They seek a better future away from the challenges of their homeland.”

“Christians see their future as uncertain. They view their aspirations for security, dignity, and basic rights as natural human entitlements,” Azuz concluded.

Civil activist Dilan Adamat, founder of the “Return” nongovernmental organization, highlighted the challenges of emigration in his conversation with ACI Mena. 

“As people who have experienced emigration and return, we understand the suffering of immigrants in their new environment,” Adamat said.

“Although the current reasons for emigration are understandable — such as securing education, health, rights, and services — Iraqi Christians will face major challenges in their new destinations,” he explained. “They will encounter difficulties adapting to new cultures, social environments, and concepts of child-rearing.”

The wave of Christian emigration has not spared any city in Iraq, including those in the Kurdistan Region, dissolving Christian presence to near extinction. Unofficial statistics from the Shlama Foundation, which focuses on Christian affairs, confirm that Iraq has lost nearly 90% of its Christians over the past two decades, reflecting a profound loss of confidence in a better future.

This article was first published by ACI Mena, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Two children, one of them holding a statue of Blessed Peter To Rot, await the visit of Pope Francis at the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 7, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 8, 2024 / 00:01 am (CNA).

During Pope Francis’ apostolic journey to Papua New Guinea, the pope reflected on the profound sacrifices made by early Catholic missionaries and martyrs in the region who ventured deep into the unexplored rainforests to bring the Gospel to “the ends of the Earth.”

Speaking to Catholics from across the island gathered at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Port Moresby, the pope honored the enduring legacy of those who brought Christianity to the Pacific island. 

“Missionaries arrived in this country at the middle of the 19th century, and the first steps of their ministry were not easy. Indeed some attempts failed. However, they did not give up,” Francis said.

“With great faith, apostolic zeal and many sacrifices, they continued to preach the Gospel and serve their brothers and sisters, starting again many times whenever they failed,” he said, highlighting how missionaries, through their “starts” and “restarts,” courageously laid the foundation for the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea.

Christianity was introduced to Papua New Guinea by Marish missionaries who arrived on Woodlark Island in 1847, only to be forced to withdraw the following year. They were followed five years later by missionaries from the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, but they, too, were forced to leave after three years of work on the island. The first Mass would be offered in Papua New Guinea more than 30 years later on July 4, 1885, by French missionaries on Yule Island. 

The legacy of these missionaries includes both those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their faith and those whose lives of heroic virtue are being recognized through the Church’s beatification process. 

During World War II, 197 Roman Catholics were executed during the Japanese invasion of Papua New Guinea in 1942 and 1943, according to researchers at the University of Papua New Guinea. 

The brutal occupation saw many lives lost, including those of missionaries who steadfastly upheld their faith in the face of oppression. The leading candidate for Papua New Guinea’s first native saint was among those martyred during the Japanese occupation. 

Here is a closer look at three remarkable individuals who shaped the Catholic mission in Papua New Guinea:

Blessed Giovanni Battista Mazzucconi (Italy)

Father Giovanni Battista Mazzucconi, an Italian missionary, was one of the early martyrs of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea.

Born on March 1, 1826, in Italy, Mazzucconi was ordained in May 1850 and joined the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

He arrived in Australia in March 1852, before embarking on his mission to Woodlark Island in Milne Bay Province. Despite his efforts to immerse himself in the local culture and his initial struggles with illness, Mazzucconi remained dedicated to his mission. Tragically, on Sept. 7, 1855, he was ambushed and killed by locals while attempting to continue his work. He was beatified in 1984 for being killed "in odium fidei" (in hatred of the faith), and his canonization awaits the confirmation of a miracle.

Pope Francis encouraged devotion to Mazzucconi when speaking to the roughly 35,000 Catholics gathered for his stadium Mass in Port Moresby. 

“May Blessed John Mazzucconi accompany you on this journey, for amid much difficulty and hostility he brought Christ into your midst, so that no one would remain deaf before the joyful message of salvation, and that all might loosen their tongues to sing of God’s love. May this indeed be so for you today,” the pope said.

Blessed Peter To Rot (Papua New Guinea)

Blessed Peter To Rot, a native of New Britain province in Papua New Guinea, is celebrated for his steadfast faith and bravery in standing up for the truths of Church teaching.

Born in 1912, To Rot served as a catechist in his village, taking on the responsibility of catechizing after the local priest was taken by the Japanese army. During the Japanese occupation, which imposed strict laws against religious practice, To Rot was a fierce defender of Christian values, including the sanctity of marriage. His refusal to comply with Japanese rules restricting religious practice led to his arrest and imprisonment in a manual labor camp. 

In 1945, he was executed by lethal injection. Beatified in 1995 by Pope John Paul II, To Rot's legacy is a testament to his purity of faith and his commitment to his community under dire circumstances.

In Pope Francis’ meeting with Catholics in the remote Diocese of Vanimo on Papua New Guinea’s northern coast, the pope recalled To Rot’s “witness to love.”

“Blessed Peter To Rot, spouse, father, catechist, and martyr of this land gave witness to love by word and example. He gave his life precisely to defend the unity of the family in the face of those who wanted to undermine its foundations,” the pope said.

Venerable Bishop Alain de Boismenu (France)

Bishop Alain Marie Guynot de Boismenu, born on Dec. 27, 1870, in France, is remembered as a pivotal figure in the Catholic Church’s mission in Papua New Guinea.

Ordained a priest and a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Boismenu arrived in Papua New Guinea in 1897. He was appointed Apostolic Vicar of Papua in 1908, a role he held until his retirement in 1945.

During his tenure, he significantly expanded the Church’s reach, establishing new missions, schools, and training centers for catechists. He also founded the Handmaids of the Lord, a religious congregation for women.

Although he is not a martyr, the beatification process for Boismenu based on his heroic virtues was initiated in 1984, and he was declared Venerable by Pope Francis in 2014. His dedication to pastoral care and education left an indelible mark on the region.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 7, 2024 / 21:43 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis presided over Mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby on Sunday, delivering a powerful message to Papua New Guineans that despite the far distance that separates them from Rome, they are in the center of Christ’s heart.

Approximately 35,000 Catholics from across Papua New Guinea and Oceania came together at the venue, united in their faith and buoyed by the uplifting chants of the Port Moresby Catholic choir’s 100 singers honoring the Lord under the tropical sun.

Pope Francis surprised the crowd by arriving one hour earlier than scheduled to preside over the Mass in the stadium to the great relief and joy of those who had been waiting in the stands since before sunrise for his arrival.

“Brothers and sisters, you who live on this large island in the Pacific Ocean may sometimes have thought of yourselves as a far away and distant land, situated at the edge of the world,” Francis said in his homily.

“Perhaps, for other reasons, you may also at times have felt distant from God and the Gospel, unable to communicate with him or with each other. Yet … today the Lord wants to draw near to you, to break down distances, to let you know that you are at the center of his heart and that each one of you is important.”

The opening procession began with the beating of drums as dancers from the two largest tribes in Papua New Guinea led the many concelebrating bishops vested in green.

There are 2.5 million Catholics in Papua New Guinea, making up roughly 30% of the population, according to the latest Vatican statistics. Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape attended the Mass, underscoring the significance of the pope’s visit for the island country.

Pope Francis read the opening prayers for the Mass in English, a rare occurrence and something only seen on the Argentine pope’s international trips.

The prayers of the faithful were read in three of Papua New Guinea’s more than 800 languages: Motu, Tok Pisin, and English.

In his homily, the pope drew on the day’s Gospel reading about Jesus healing a deaf man to emphasize the importance of overcoming distance from God and others, prompting the faithful to reflect on their own relationships.

Pope Francis told Catholics: “Whenever we feel distant, or we choose to keep ourselves at a distance from God, from our brothers and sisters or from those who are different from us, we close ourselves off, barricading ourselves from the outside.”

Pope Francis called on the Pacific island nation’s faithful to take heart: “Courage, people of Papua New Guinea, do not be afraid! Open yourselves! Open yourselves to the joy of the Gospel; open yourselves to encounter God; open yourselves to the love of your brothers and sisters.”

The pope invoked Blessed John Mazzucconi, a 19th-century Italian missionary to Papua New Guinea, praying that “no one of us remain deaf and mute before this invitation.”

‘Bringing blessings, peace, and encouragement’

Cardinal John Ribat, the archbishop of Port Moresby, thanked the pope after Mass, noting that his apostolic visit “brings us blessings, peace, and encouragement, and deepens our faith.” 

Ribat, who is the first cardinal from his country, highlighted the 142-year history of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea, acknowledging its growth and the country’s challenges.

In his Angelus address, Francis entrusted the Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to the Virgin Mary. He prayed for peace “for this great region of the world between Asia, Oceania, and the Pacific Ocean,” adding: “No to rearmament and exploitation of our common home! Yes to the encounter between peoples and cultures, yes to the harmony of men and women with creatures!”

The pope will travel to Vanimo on Sunday afternoon to meet local faithful and missionaries. On Monday, he will return to Sir John Guise Stadium again to speak to young people in Port Moresby before departing for East Timor, continuing his 11-day apostolic journey to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The new Maori Queen Kuini Nga wai hono i te po — who is Catholic — leaves the waka (canoe) following her father, Maori king Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, on Sept. 5, 2024, in Hamilton, New Zealand. / Credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Sep 7, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Maori people, the Indigenous population of mainland New Zealand, have crowned a new queen after the death of their king — and she’s Catholic.

King Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII died on Aug. 30 at the age of 69. His death came days after his 18th anniversary as king of the Kingitanga, also known as the Maori King Movement, founded in 1858 to unite the Maori under one sovereign. It is one of the longest-running political organizations in New Zealand. 

The late king’s youngest daughter, Nga Wai hono i te po, was named his successor at the age of 27. She made her first appearance as queen on Sept. 5 and took her place on the throne near her father’s coffin. 

Queen Nga Wai hono i te po is the second Maori queen. The first was her grandmother Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. 

According to CathNews New Zealand, it was Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu who asked that her granddaughter be baptized by the late Auxiliary Bishop Max Takuira Matthew Mariu of Hamilton, the first Maori Catholic bishop.

The late queen’s intention behind having her granddaughter baptized was not only to unite Maori tribes near the Waikato and Whanganui rivers but also to be a unification of faiths, bridging the Kingitanga movement and the Catholic Church.

The new queen’s name, Ngawai Hono ki Parakino, which translates to “Joining of the Rivers” in Maori, was inspired by the symbolism of her baptism.

Queen Ngawai Hono ki Parakino becomes the eighth Maori monarch and continues the direct lineage from the first Maori king. 

Pope Francis visits the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 7, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis called on Catholics in Papua New Guinea on Saturday to continue in their efforts of bringing the Gospel to the most marginalized and remote communities within the country.

During a visit to the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Port Moresby on Sept. 7, the pope addressed bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, and catechists from across Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The pope was warmly welcomed by tribes from Hela Province, Central Province, and many of the island’s remote provinces. The crowd cheered: “God is good all the time. All the time God is good.”

“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the pope. I am so excited that he is coming,” said Gertrude Apisai, a Catholic from New Ireland who now lives in Port Moresby.

Apisai, who often attends Sunday Mass at the Marian shrine, said that the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea is “very spiritual and always friendly.”

Cardinal John Ribat, the archbishop of Port Moresby and the country’s first cardinal, greeted the pope as he arrived at the shrine run by Salesian missionaries.

“I offer you a warm welcome to this beloved country. It is a beautiful land with 800 different languages and cultures and of thousands of tribes,” Bishop Otto Separy, the president of Papua New Guinea’s bishops’ conference, told Francis.

In his address, Pope Francis acknowledged the historical efforts of missionaries who arrived in Papua New Guinea in the 19th century, recognizing their perseverance in the face of initial failures and challenges.

“Missionaries arrived in this country at the middle of the 19th century, and the first steps of their ministry were not easy. Indeed, some attempts failed. However, they did not give up,” the pope said.

“With great faith, apostolic zeal, and many sacrifices, they continued to preach the Gospel and serve their brothers and sisters, starting again many times after having failed.”

Pope Francis praised testimonies of faith by saints and martyred missionaries depicted in the shrine’s stained-glass windows, including St. Peter Chanel, Blessed Father John Mazzucconi, Blessed Peter To Rot, St. John Paul II, St. Mary McKillop, and others.

Francis urged the Catholics present in the shrine to emulate the saints by bringing Christ to “the peripheries of this country.”

“I think of people belonging to the most deprived segments of urban populations, as well as those who live in the most remote and abandoned areas, where sometimes basic necessities are lacking. … The Church desires especially to be close to these brothers and sisters,” he added.

At the shrine, Pope Francis listened to testimonies from a priest, a catechist, a religious sister, and a lay delegate from Papua New Guinea to the Church’s Synod on Synodality.

Grace Wrakia, a single mother of three, attended the Vatican Synod assembly in October 2023 and will return to Rome next month for the second synod assembly. She told Pope Francis: “Many people say that synodality is a way of life in the Church here in Papua New Guinea. But as we continue to merge our Melanesian way of life with other ways and ideas, we risk losing this identity.”

“The method of conversation used at the synod gave me a voice to share the Melanesian beauty of communion and relational way of life. We in Papua New Guinea should develop and use more of such conversation methods so that the wisdom of time simple people ... may be heard, respected, and valued.”

Father Emmanuel Moku, a priest from the Archdiocese of Port Moresby, discovered his vocation later in life and was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 52.

“When I chose the priesthood over my cultural norms, I was ridiculed and rejected,” Moku said. 

“My clan expects a man to become a father and to work and feed his people. As a seminarian, I was therefore viewed as unfruitful,” Moku said.

The priest told the pope about overcoming obstacles to readily accept a priestly or religious vocation. “I believe my service as a priest is my contribution to building up the kingdom of God here on earth.”

Sister Lorena Jenal described the challenging pastoral work with people accused of sorcery or witchcraft.

Pope Francis thanked the speakers for sharing their testimonies and made light of technical difficulties during his speech, quipping: “Let’s hope the pastoral work functions better than the microphones!” At the same time, he emphasized patience, closeness, and tenderness as central elements in spreading the Gospel, concluding with a reminder to “not forget God’s style.”

“Let us continue, therefore, to evangelize patiently, without allowing ourselves to be discouraged by difficulties or misunderstandings, even when they arise in places where we especially do not want to encounter them: in the family, for example, as we have heard,” Francis said.

Earlier in the day, the pope visited the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, where he met with around 100 children and individuals with disabilities who benefit from the services of a Catholic Street ministry and Callan Services, a significant provider for people with disabilities in Papua New Guinea.

Pope Francis told the children: “To give love, always, and to welcome with open arms the love we receive from the people we care about: This is the most beautiful and most important thing in our life, in any condition and for any person... even for the pope! Our joy does not depend on anything else: Our joy depends on love!”

null / Credit: szefei/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Sep 7, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

In a dating culture that consists of swiping through photos of potential dates on a smartphone, one Catholic dating app is working to create a space where individuals can create genuine connections online. Candid Dating, launched in January, is a virtual speed-dating site for single Catholics.

Taylor O’Brien, CEO and co-founder of the site, had the idea to create the platform when things started opening back up after the COVID-19 pandemic. She felt a deep desire to form Catholic friendships and began to host meetups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for young Catholic women to foster fellowship.

A topic of conversation that kept coming up among the women was dating and the struggle to find available Catholic men. O’Brien, who was newly single at the time after ending an engagement, began to think about this topic. She continued to host these meetups and shared the information for them on her Instagram page. Soon enough, men started to find her events and began reaching out saying they wanted to meet Catholic women, too. 

“From a bird’s-eye view I was able to really look and see — the men are there, the women are there, everyone’s just missing each other,” O’Brien explained to CNA in an interview.

O’Brien decided to get all these single Catholics together for an in-person event. She posted a Google doc on her Instagram for people to register to attend. Thinking she would maybe have 50 singles sign up, in less than 48 hours 400 people signed up. With the help of a friend, she hand-matched individuals based on different demographics and interests and held an in-person event. It was then that she realized this could be something even bigger, so she spent the next two years putting together a team and creating what is now the Candid Dating platform.

“Candid is a Catholic speed-dating platform exclusively for Catholics,” O’Brien explained. “We have no profiles, no swiping, and users create an account and during their account creation, they just answer a series of onboarding questions like age, interest, location, just a little bit about them, and then once their account is approved, our algorithm does its thing.”

The algorithm works to send individuals a list of virtual events that pertain to them based on their specific interests and location. Once they sign up for an event, they meet five to seven men or women for five to seven minutes at a time. At the end of the conversation, they are sent one question: “Do you want to continue the conversation? Yes or No.” If the pair both say “yes,” they will receive a notification saying that they matched and can message each other and exchange further contact information.

In addition to the current dating culture’s habit of swiping left or right on people based on their physical appearance, O’Brien pointed out that “we’ve lost the art of conversation.”

“What I love about what Candid does is it forces you to be able to have a conversation with someone, even if you know, maybe like after minute 2, that this may not be the best match,” she said, adding: “How are you able to then spend the next five minutes? Are you able to receive the person who’s sitting across from you? Are you able to give them the gifts that God has given you? How can we really share in communion as brothers and sisters in Christ knowing that maybe you’re not my person … but I don’t have control over that outcome and I should be able to just sit and enjoy my brother or sister in Christ.”

O’Brien shared that her goal with Candid Dating is to “rewire the way we think about dating and undo some of those wires that have been crossed in the swiping culture.” 

“Swiping culture has done such a disservice especially as Catholics in the way that we look at dating. We start to objectify,” she emphasized. “The same motion that we use to shop for groceries or a pair of jeans in the swiping is the same thing that we’re doing to human beings.”

She added: “I think whenever we’re out there in the secular world and we see the way dating is going, sometimes we feel like maybe it’s just better if I sit this out for a while. So I think that a lot of people are getting discouraged in that way.”

“So my prayer and my goal with Candid would be that it would just help us rethink and be a little bit more intentional about the way that we’re approaching dating as a whole.”

For those who might be hesitant to take part in something like this dating approach or desire to meet their future spouse in person rather than online, O’Brien encouraged those people to “release a little bit of that control.”

“We always like to pretend like we know exactly the way that we’re going to meet someone until we actually meet them in a way that God surprises us and then all of that went out the window and we don’t even care because we’re just so happy that we met the person we’re supposed to be with,” she said. 

Has the platform had any success stories yet? 

O’Brien shared a message she received from a user hours before speaking to CNA. It read: “Hi, I participated in one of your events on April 11 and as a result I’ve got the best girlfriend a guy could ask for. I love her dearly and you all have my deepest appreciation. Thank you.”

This is not the first such message O’Brien has received, she said, but each one leaves her “blown away” and amazed at how “the Lord has really provided each next step for us.”

Sabeen Rahil and Elias Johny Al Arja in Bethlehem. In the background behind them is the bell tower of the Church of the Nativity, which stands on the site where Jesus was born. / Credit: Marinella Bandini

Jerusalem, Sep 7, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On Aug. 3, Sabeen Rahil and Elias Johny Al Arja, two young Christians from Bethlehem, were officially engaged. According to ancient tradition there, engagements are a public act and already bind the future spouses together with a priest’s blessing and the exchange of rings. 

The couple will marry next year and have decided to begin their life together and raise their children in Bethlehem, despite the prolonged war in Gaza, the severe impact of the war on the local economy, and the escalation of violence in the region.

The couple told CNA that their decision is deeply rooted in their Christian faith and their desire to encourage other Christians to do the same in order to build a new society where Christians feel fully at home in the city where Jesus was born.

“Hopefully, by getting married, starting a family, and having children, we can inspire other Christians, perhaps [even] our [own] brothers and sisters, to do the same,” Rahil said. “We hope to start a new generation of people who will fight to stay in Bethlehem.”

Rahil, 24, was born in Bethlehem, holds a bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech therapy, and works with her father. Al Arja, also 24, was born and raised in Beit Jala (close to Bethlehem), has a bachelor’s degree in business, and is now managing his family’s hotel.

The couple is building an apartment above Al Arja parents’ home — tradition dictates that the man provides the home for the new family.

“We decided to get engaged because no matter what’s going on around us or what will happen, we want to be happy, we want to be together,” Al Arja told CNA during an interview at Cascada restaurant, which is owned by the Rahil family, the place of their first date.

“It was a difficult decision because of the ongoing war. We considered postponing the engagement, but in the end, we saw no reason to. We have faith that this country will find peace someday,” he explained. 

The couple met in 2020 through the “Leo Club,” the youth branch of the Lions Club founded in Bethlehem that very year. The organization promotes events and fundraising activities to support charitable works and people in need. Both were members of the board. 

“We worked together; we started to get to know each other more and became interested in each other,” Rahil recounted.

After a couple of years of dating, the couple decided to make their relationship official. On Sept. 3, 2023, following local tradition, the two families met and Al Arja formally asked Rahil’s father for permission to date her with the intention of getting engaged and married.

The date was chosen carefully and also with some trepidation, as just a few days later, Rahil left for Belgium, where she lived for a year to pursue her master’s degree in management.

She shared her feelings about the decision with CNA: “I was going to leave, but I still decided to make our relationship official. I felt that I wouldn’t find anyone else with his qualities, and that’s what I wanted. That’s why I was ready to take this step.” 

Living in a long-distance relationship, she added, “wasn’t easy, but it was worth it: It made our relationship stronger and our love more powerful.”

When Rahil left, the sky was clear, but just a month later, the clouds of war darkened both the sky and their thoughts.

“After the war started, we talked about living abroad,” Rahil said. “These thoughts came to our minds often.”

“We began to wonder: What if it takes a long time to end the war?” Al Arja added. “What if the war spreads to Bethlehem? What should we do? We also think about our future children.” 

Together, they made the decision to get officially engaged but also to remain in their homeland.

“After Oct. 7, many Christians left the country because they were afraid of what might happen and concerned about their children’s future,” Al Arja said. “We told each other that there’s no better place to live than where Jesus was born.”

He continued: “I’m going to build a house… If the war comes to Bethlehem, we would have to leave everything behind, but for now, we can still manage to live here. Our families are here, and I want my children to be born here, to live here, to know their grandparents, and to experience my childhood.”

The engagement ceremony was held on Aug. 3, when tensions spiked again after Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

In accordance with tradition, Al Arja brought a gold necklace, earrings, and a bracelet for Rahid in addition to the rings. The engaged couple, along with their parents and close relatives, appeared before a Greek-Orthodox priest, as Al Arja is a member of that church and the tradition is to follow the man’s religious affiliation.

The priest blessed them, then took the rings and prayed over them. 

“He took my ring, prayed over it, and let Rahil kiss it. Then she placed it on my finger. I did the same with her ring. After that, the priest said something like ‘You’re bound together.’” Then the party began.

The couple deeply feel their Christian identity and the responsibility of being Christians in the Holy Land. This identity is reflected in their decision to get married and remain in Bethlehem.

“Jesus was born here; it needs to remain a Christian place,” Rahil said. “We hope to support the community by raising a new generation of people who will stay here and believe that this city is for us, for Christians — not exclusively, but it is a city for Christians.”

The exodus of Christians deeply grieves Rahil: “It’s very sad; it shouldn’t be this way.”

She recounted the moment she realized how special Bethlehem is: “I’ve been living here for 23 years, but I didn’t really appreciate it as much as I should have. When I was in Brussels, and people learned that I was a Christian from Bethlehem, they began telling me about their relatives who came here just to visit the Church of the Nativity. Seeing how others view my city truly enlightened me about how special it is.”

Al Arja, who works in the tourism sector, is reinventing his job to cope with the economic crisis, which has also affected the West Bank due to the war.

“I’m putting everything in God’s hands,” he said. “I’m working a little and managed to save some money before the war. It’s not easy. Bethlehem depends on tourism for 90%. Most of the hotels and souvenir shops are owned by Christians, and many of them haven’t had any income for 11 months.”

“Anyway, it’s very difficult for me to understand why Christian people are fleeing Bethlehem,” Al Arja continued. “Maybe they find a better life outside this country, but we are in a blessed city. God sent his only Son to be born here.” 

In the end, Rahil concluded, “this is the city where Jesus was born. It’s the city of peace and love, and there’s no better place to live.”