Justin Tkatchenko, the foreign minister of Papua New Guinea, announced that the government has received official notice from the Vatican of a three-day papal visit in August. Bishop Anthony Randazzo of Broken Bay (Australia), the president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania, welcomed the news.
In response to the announcement, Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said that the trip is only “under study,” with planning in the “very preliminary” stages.
Pope Francis said in a recent interview that he was considering trips to Argentina and Polynesia this year.