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Port Moresby (Agenzia Fides) - Pope Francis says goodbye to Oceania. After the private celebration of Holy Mass, he said goodbye to the collaborators and benefactors of the Apostolic Nunciature in Port Moresby to go to the "Sir John Guise" Stadium for his last public appointment in Papua New Guinea, the meeting with the young people. After the greeting from the "Papa Mobile", the meeting began with a welcoming dance performed by young people in traditional clothing. After the greeting from the President of the Youth Commission, Bishop John Bosco Auram of Kimbe, there were testimonies from a young woman from the "Catholic Professional Society" and two other young people. This was followed by the Pope's address, the most important passages of which are reproduced below. The event ended with a common prayer and blessing. The Pope then headed to the airport to say goodbye to Papua New Guinea and to travel to Dili in East Timor, the third and penultimate stage of his long Apostolic Journey.
I am happy to have spent these past few days in your country, where the sea, mountains and tropical forests coexist. It is, above all, a young country inhabited by many young people!
Thank you! Thank you for your joy and for recounting the beauty of Papua “where the ocean meets the sky, where dreams are born and challenges vanish”. Above all, thank you for setting before all of us a hopeful desire: “to face the future with smiles of hope!”. And also with smiles of joy
Dear young people, I did not want to leave here without meeting you, because you are the hope for the future.
How do we build a future? What meaning do we want to give to our lives? I would like to answer these questions by starting with a story found at the beginning of the Bible, the story of the Tower of Babel. There we see two models clashing, two opposing ways of living and of building a society: one leads to confusion and dispersion, the other leads to the harmony of encounter with God and with our brothers and sisters.
I ask you now, what do you choose? The model of dispersion or the model of harmony, which one do you choose? [Young people answer: harmony!] You are good! Be careful: He did not create us for confusion but to have good relationships. This is very important.
Confronted with the variety of languages that divide and disperse, we need one language to help bring us together. What is this language? I would like to hear from some of you brave ones... Who can tell me what language this is? Who is the bravest, raise your hand and come forward here. [A boy replies: love]. Are you sure? [Young people answer: yes!] Think about it. And against love, what is there? Hate. But there is also something perhaps uglier than hate: indifference to others. Indifference has its roots in selfishness.
You who are young must have the restlessness of heart to care for others. You must have the restlessness of making friends with each other.
There is a very important relationship in the life of a young person: the closeness to the grandparents.
And you, do you have a common language? Think carefully. The language of the heart! The language of love! The language of closeness! And also, the language of service.
I thank you for your presence here. And I hope that all of you speak the deepest language: that all of you may be a “wantok” of love!
A young person, can he or she make a mistake? [Young people answer: yes!]. And an adult person, can he or she make a mistake? [Young people answer: yes!]. And an old person like me, can he or she make a mistake? [Young people answer: yes!]. We can all make mistakes. Everyone one of us. But the important thing is to realize the mistake. That is crucial. We are not superman. We can make mistakes.
This also gives us a certainty: that we must always correct ourselves. In life we can all fall, all of us. Is it important not to fall? I ask you. [Young people answer: no!] Yes, but what is more important? [Young people answer: get back up!] Don’t stay down. If you see a friend, a companion your age who has fallen, what should you do? Laugh at that? [Young people answer: no!] You are to look at him and help him get up.
Think that we only in one situation in life can look down on the other person: to help pick him up. To help him rise. Do you agree or disagree? [Young people answer: yes!] If one of you has fallen down, is a little down in moral life, has fallen down, should you give him a smack, like this? [Young people answer: no!] Very good.
(F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 9/9/2024)
