In a historic and joyful moment, the people of Vanimo, West Sepik, warmly welcomed His Holiness Pope Francis on Sunday, September 8, 2024, marking a memorable visit to Papua New Guinea. After celebrating a Eucharistic Mass in Port Moresby, Pope Francis made his way to Vanimo, where he was greeted by Member for Vanimo-Green, Belden Namah, and a large crowd of well-wishers. Namah expressed his gratitude for Pope Francis' visit, noting that Vanimo, often overlooked, feels blessed to have been chosen as a destination. "Your visit to Vanimo confirms all we have heard. We are humbled. We are pleased and blessed by your visit." “This land, the sea, and all on and in them are blessed by your presence. God’s people in this province and in this country are blessed by your presence,” Namah said, expressing the deep gratitude and excitement of the local people. Namah also highlighted the strong international ties that Vanimo shares, noting that visitors from Indonesia and workers from abroad were present. “We have friends from Indonesia and many visitors as well as workers from abroad here who are blessed by your presence. Missionaries from your own country, Argentina, have offered tremendous service to our community here and PNG’s first orchestra; the Queen of Paradise Orchestra, comes from here.” Namah’s speech touched on both the beauty and challenges of the region and spoke of the close bond the people share with nature, where Papua New Guineans are deeply connected to the land, animals, and plants. He said that the people depend closely on each other and cling to each other as they have done for generations, but also voiced deep concern over the impact of global warming and unsustainable resource use, which threaten this delicate balance. “This unity and security is now being seriously threatened by the effects of global warming and by the effects of unsustainable harvesting of resources and irresponsible use of them," Namah said, further emphasising the growing threat of climate change, by acknowledging the Pope's call for environment protection and sustainable development. “We are heartened by your description in Indonesia a few days back. You said the world is sick and that it has a high fever which needs love and tender loving care. You have humanized a global catastrophe in the making," Namah said, as he drew attention to the real effects of rising sea levels, which have already displaced people in the Cataret Atolls in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and the Duke of York Islands in East New Britain. He called on industrialized nations to take responsibility for controlling emissions and pollution that harm vulnerable communities like Papua New Guinea. As Namah spoke about the country’s economic and environmental struggles, he expressed hope for divine guidance in facing these challenges. “We are asked to conserve our resources and our forests, and we can do that, but we need to survive economically,” he said, adding that the balance between survival and conservation is difficult but necessary. Namah praised Pope Francis for his courageous visit to Vanimo, expressing gratitude for the divine intervention the Papua New Guinea needs to overcome challenges, noting that a third of the country’s population are devout Catholics, and that Vanimo, often overlooked, feels blessed to have been chosen as a destination. "Your visit to Vanimo confirms all we have heard. We are humbled. We are pleased and blessed by your visit." “Your courage to make this trip, perhaps against the best advice of your doctors speaks volumes about what we must mean to you and that warms all our hearts. It teaches us much. Vanimo is the last post before Indonesia." "We, in turn, pray that God almighty will bless you here and in the balance of your trip and return you safe and sound to Vatican City, Rome." The Pope departed PNG on Monday, September 9th and is now in Timo- Leste, the next destination on his world tour.