Pope Francis was greeted by dancers adorned with feathers and brightly-painted faces, signing traditional hymns.
Thousands of people gather for a holy mass held by Pope Francis during his three-day visit to Papua New Guinea.
The previous day, in an address to political and religious leaders, Francis made a special call for the protection of women and girls.Photo shows The Pope holding a paper while sitting on a chair next to the Indonesian president Papua New Guinea was ranked 151 out of 166 countries on the UN Development Program's gender inequality index in 2022.
The pope also drew specific attention to Bougainville in a speech – calling for a peaceful and "definitive resolution" to the island's bid for independence, "avoiding the rekindling of ancient tensions".Others have asked the pontiff to direct his attention to a much darker issue for the Catholic church, calling for redress for victims of institutional abuse in the Pacific.
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