Pope Francis visits Papua New Guinea, asks people to end violence

Pope Francis on Sunday visited Papua New Guinea in South Pacific. During his visit, the Pope called upon the people to be good to one another and put an end to tribal rivalries and violence that has become part of culture in Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea is rich in mineral resources and Pope had reached this South Pacific nation, situated close to the border with Indonesia on an Australian aircraft Royal Australian Air Force C-130, a transport plane, from Port Moresby to Vanimo.

Papua New Guinea has huge deposits of gold, copper, silver, nickel, and cobalt. The largest mines in the country include Ok Tedi Copper and Gold Mine, Porgera Gold Mine, Lihir Gold Mine, Hidden Valley Gold Mine, Simberi Gold Mine, Tolukuma Gold Mine, and Ramu Nickel Mine. While mining companies having their roots in rich nations thrive here, the local tribal communities face the brunt of violence and destruction—usually associated with mineral rich nations inhabited by tribes.