Caracas, Venezuela: (By Andrés Henríquez for CAN) The first Catholic missionaries arrived in Papua New Guinea just 70 years ago. In a place where the faith is so recent, Father Martin Prado, a missionary with the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) who does pastoral work in the country, highlighted the conversions that are happening “through very simple things that show that it is God who is behind it.”

Pope Francis will visit Papua New Guinea as part of an apostolic journey taking place in Oceania from September 2 to 13, which will also take him to Indonesia, East Timor and Singapore.

In an interview with the papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Prado, who has lived in the country for 10 years, explained that the faith of the local people is “a youthful faith, from which I learn a lot.” “The faith of Christians here is very much alive and very simple,” he said.

However, Prado noted that “indigenous spirituality is still very influential, which makes it difficult for them to achieve a full understanding of Christianity,” adding that “there is a strong commitment here to ancestral and cultural traditions that are not compatible with the Gospel.”

“The spiritual beliefs and superstitions are persistent and sometimes get mixed up with the Catholic faith. Our job, as missionaries, is to help Christians understand that these things don’t mix, and to try to bring about change,” he explained.

His work, he continued, is bearing fruit and many locals are able to distinguish for themselves what is true and what is not, “despite not being able to read or having any kind of advanced education.”

With abortion on the agenda in nine states, pro-lifers ‘must get involved,’ leader says

“Yet, if you don’t take care of your spiritual life, or don’t live for others, it becomes very easy to be influenced by superstitions and superficial elements,” he added.

According to Prado, news of the pope’s trip was “received by everyone with great surprise and joy,” but he also noted that due to limited access to news and social media on the island, few were aware of the pope’s arrival.

As for the pastoral fruits of the visit, the missionary hopes that the faith and spiritual life of the faithful will be strengthened. He emphasizes that the people are preparing with great enthusiasm for the arrival of Pope Francis by praying the rosary every evening.

In addition, the local church has organized talks, hymns, some dances and times for confession in which thousands of people have participated. “It was very moving,” the priest noted.

“People are looking forward with enthusiasm and excitement to the coming of the Holy Father and are waiting for the meeting with the Lord that they so desire,” he shared.

“Young people have no models to follow or to inspire, and only a few have the support and guidance of their parents to commit themselves to their spouses for life. Forming good families is a challenge, but we see that things are beginning to change little by little,” the priest stressed.

Prado encouraged Catholics around the world to pray for the country, the local people and the pope’s trip. He also asked the faithful to pray much for Papuan missionaries and vocations to the priesthood, “which can really bring about change.”

“In 2019, we started a group to pray for vocations, and since then the number of priests has doubled. We have started to see local vocations, which we had never had before. We already have three seminarians and two novices,” he concluded.

(Andrés Henríquez is a Venezuelan writer specializing in religion and politics, with more than five years of experience in bilingual media. He is a member of the Regnum Christi Federation)