Vatican spokesman pays tribute to Argentine missionaries in Papua New Guinea
September 10, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, paid tribute to the Argentine missionaries of the Institute of the Incarnate Word who minister in a remote area of Papua New Guinea that Pope Francis visited on September 8.
“The sight of Pope Francis in the modest wooden house of the missionaries, sipping mate, was remarkable,” Tornielli wrote. “The room, draped with mosquito nets, had just witnessed him mingle with a crowd of men, women, and children dressed in vibrant garments, adorned with feathers and straw, their bodies painted in colorful patterns.”
“For years, the Successor of Peter has been in close contact with his fellow Argentinians, who bear witness to the unconditional love of God among these people,” the Vatican spokesman continued, adding:
There was joy in the faces of the elderly and the many smiling children. Joy in the sun-soaked, sweat-lined faces of the missionaries dressed in white to welcome their friend, the Bishop of Rome. And joy in the face of Pope Francis, who, while boarding the military plane once more, left with a heart that longed to stay.The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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