Port Moresby: The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands extended their heartfelt gratitude and acknowledgement to the government of Papua New Guinea, and those who have contributed to the successful three-day visit of the Pope.
(Papa Visit Committee Chairperson Bishop Rozario Menezes SMM)
The acknowledgement was given during the last of a series of Press Conferences hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference for the Apostolic Journey of the Holy Father on Tuesday September 10, 2024 at the Catholic Bishops Conference.
The Press Conference started off with a word of prayer for thanksgiving by His Grace Archbishop Rochus Tatamai MSC from the Archdiocese of Rabaul.
Speaking during the Press Conference was the Papal Visit Committee Chairperson His Lordship Bishop Rozario Menezes SMM, Papal Visit General Coordinator Reverend Fr Lawrence Arockiaraj and the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference His Lordship Bishop Otto Separy.
“From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank each and every one who worked hard to make the visit of the Holy Father memorable both for the Holy Father and for each one of us”, Bishop Menezes said.
He also expressed his gratitude towards the government of Papua New Guinea especially the Department of Foreign Affairs under the leadership of Hon. Justin Tkatchenko and all the hardworking staff.
Bishop Menezes extended his appreciation of the other government bodies that were also directly involved in assisting the church like the Department of Information and Communication Technology, National Events, The Law Enforcement Agencies, National Capital District Commission, the civil society and everyone.
“Special thanks to the Apostolic Nunciature’s secretary Msgr. Federico Boni for his untiring efforts in organizing this Apostolic Journey. His hardwork and dedication made our work easy”.
Bishop Rozario also extended gratitude to the Papal Visit Committee General Coordinator Fr Lawrence Arockiaraj, the CBC General Secretary Fr Giorgio Licini PIME, the CBC Staff and the members of the Catholic Professional Society for their dedication, hard work and sleepless nights.
“Thank you to Sir John Cardinal Ribat MSC and the hosting Archdiocese of Port Moresby, all the parishes, institutions and religious communities who generously looked after the visiting pilgrims from the different dioceses of PNGSI. May the Lord reward your generosity,” Added Bishop Rozario.
“To the Bishop of Vanimo Bishop Francis Meli, Fr Miguel and the clergy, religious and faithful of the Dioceses of Vanimo, as well as the Hon. Governor Belden Namah and members of Sandaun Provincial Government, you have melted the heart of the Holy Father.”
“Special thanks to the Papal Visit Sub-Committees, especially Logistics, Liturgy, Communication/ Media, Security and Finance for your unwavering support, tireless efforts, which paved way for a cherished experience of grace” Bishop Rozario added.
“Our hearts are full of joy after having spent three days with the Holy Father. What more can we expect, after having experienced the joy of being with the Holy Father, praying, reflecting and sharing? The grace-filled experience lived with the Vicar of Christ is the result of the hard work of all those, tirelessly working around the clock to prepare for the Apostolic and state visit of the Holy Father. It was my privilege to lead the Papal Visit Committee,” Expressed Bishop Rozario.
General Coordinator Fr Lawrence Arockiaraj expressed his utmost and sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister Honourable James Marape and the PNG Government for accepting the Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis as both a State Visit and a Church Visit and the Department of Foreign Affairs for closely working with the Catholic Church to ensure that all went well.
“I would also like to thank the two main broadcasters of the event - NBC and EMTV for a job well done in ensuring that our people were part of the Papal Visit and everyone for their prayers and support”.
CBC PNGSI President Bishop Otto Separy thanked the media for their unwavering dedication in ensuring that the Papal Visit was brought to the Catholic Faithful and people of goodwill who could not be part of the program to be part of it from their homes, sick beds and offices.
“You media people have played a very crucial role in the Papal Visit. You have been with us right from the beginning when we first announced the confirmation of the Papal Visit during our Annual General Meeting Press Conference and you have journeyed with us as we prepared for this historic occasion in all our Press Conferences giving updates, during the event itself and now were are here for the last time to thank you”.
Bishop Otto also thanked the brave young people who put their hands up to be Marshalls during the event.
“To all those young people who volunteered to be Marshalls, your effort is appreciated. I am sure working alongside our Law Enforcing Agencies and playing a crucial role in this historical event has had an impact on your life and you should be proud of the contribution you have made”.
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