Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has expressed deep gratitude to Pope Francis on his de- livery of messages of service, unity and peace to the people of Papua New Guinea.

Prime Minister Marape and his wife, Mrs Rachael Marape, joined the Pontiff, his clergy, and thousands of Catholic worshippers at Sir John Guise Stadium in the 3-hour mass before meeting him personally as Head of Vatican State.

“This morning, Rachael and I had the privilege of meeting Pope Francis. In respect of our Catholic population – the biggest denomination in our country and his Pontiff for visiting our country, we attended the public worship at the stadium.

“I want to offer my commendations to Pope Francis for his message of unity, tolerance, love and care. This is a great message our people need in our land of so much diversity.

“Our country is very ethnically, linguistically and culturally diverse, and the Pon- tiff’s message of unity, love and care, is very relevant to us today. It must be amplified throughout our country.

“Our different Christian churches may read the Bible from different perspectives, but the fundamental tenet of Christianity is the embrace of each other in love, forgiveness, respect and humble service of each other.

“The core characteristic of Jesus Christ runs deep in all Christian denominations. Catholic is the biggest church in our country, and I want to commend the Catholic faithful who showed tolerance, respect, love and care this weekend from the moment Pope Francis arrived by lining the streets with candles to welcome him, to turning up in big numbers to worship with him at the stadium today. They showed respect to him, to our country and to God.

“This weekend was quiet and peaceful. It is exemplary of the goodness that can come from our people. It reflects the soul and innermost character of Papua New Guineans. We are good people, capable of embracing each other in love, unity and peace.

“As we approach our 49th Independence anniversary in a week’s time, I ap- peal to our people to take Pope Francis’ message with us – to continue to respect each other, to respect our country, and respect our God.

“This is a great, timely message for Papua New Guinea, and I thank Pope Francis for it,” said Prime Minister Marape.

PM Marape said in his one-on-one meeting with the Pontiff, Pope Francis blessed the people of Papua New Guinea and said his impression of Papua New Guineans was one of “a smiling people”, highlighting that despite their daily challenges, Papua New Guineans met him with many smiles.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the Pope on his decision to continue his visit to Vanimo considering his advanced age, adding that this is reflective of the character of Christ in serving others.

The Prime Minister once again acknowledged the work of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea in nation-building, pre-Independence and post-Independence through education, health and various humanitarian programmes and projects the church runs in the country today.

Prime Minister Marape will join the Pope to meet young people in another mass gathering on Monday, back at Sir John Guise Stadium, before the Pontiff departs Port Moresby where the Prime Minister will see him off.