United in love, young people can change Papua New Guinea, pope says

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (CNS) — In Papua New Guinea, the term “wantok” means people who share a language and culture, and that is what Christians should be, Pope Francis said, but only in the sense of sharing the language and culture of love.

Before leaving Papua New Guinea Sept. 9, the pope returned to Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, where he had celebrated Mass the day before. His second visit was to spend time with an estimated 10,000 young people and to hear their concerns.

About 60% of Papua New Guinea’s population is under the age of 25.

Ryan Vulum spoke to the pope and to his peers about the harm done to children when parents, including his, separate when the children are still young. And Bernadette Turmoni spoke of an even more serious issue, violence and abuse within families.

“We hear about it daily in the news and crime reports,” she told the pope. “Abuse destroys the lives of young men and women. Those who have suffered from it feel unloved and disrespected. They lose hope and may commit suicide or leave their families.”

Bishop John Bosco Auram of Kimbe, the bishops’ conference delegate for youth, told Pope Francis, “Our young people face deep-seated challenges such as living Christian values within the family and society, limited opportunities for growth and development, the strong influence of modern life, various frustrations stemming from unfulfilled expectations of society, government and even the church.”

But, he said, the greatest challenge is for them “to discover Christ within and amidst these realities and situations,” and so the pope’s visit is a celebration of hope.

Pope Francis repeatedly interrupted reading his prepared text to ask the young people questions and have them shout their replies, telling them, “I don’t hear you!”

His questions included: Do you want harmony or confusion? How many languages do the people of Papua New Guinea speak? Can a young person make mistakes?

And — while not exactly following the prepared text — he insisted that young people need each other, they need their grandparents and they need Jesus.

People must “learn a common language, the language of love,” he said, because the words people use can divide them or even become weapons that destroy families.

“Break down divisions, do not close yourselves within your own group,” he said. Instead, “go out to meet others and form friendships and then dream together, walk together, build together.”

“Dear young people,” he told them, “it is my hope that you learn the language of love and thus transform your country, because love brings about change, makes you grow and opens paths to the future.”

Everyone fails at something sometime, the pope said. “What is important is to get back up” and to help others get back up when they fall.