Caritas Sister: Young Papuans will someday lead PNG's development

On the sidelines of Pope Francis’ visit with school children in Port Moresby, Sr. Florentina Cho expresses her trust in the younger generations, saying her religious congregation seeks to make them responsible citizens and future leaders of Papua New Guinea.

By Claudia Torres –Port Moresby

Sister Florentina Cho has been a missionary in Papua New Guinea for 38 years. A Caritas Sister of Jesus (part of the Salesian Family) from the Seoul province in Korea, she was sent to this island country in Oceania “to build a school” and “to look after the poor people and those who are disadvantaged.”

It’s what she shared in an interview on Saturday, 7 September, at the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, as Pope Francis met with children at her school, filling the background with chanted words of welcome for the Holy Father.

Sister Florentina recalled that, in 1997, when she first joined the mission at the Caritas School in Port Moresby, there were 144 students altogether. Now they number more than 1,000, from elementary all the way up to the college level.

“I’m very happy and proud of my junior sisters who are continuing here,” she said with gratitude, explaining that in 2016, after more than 30 years in Port Moresby, she moved to Kimbe, in the province of West New Britain. There, she helped build another secondary school, which has 200 students.

Pope Francis with children at the school (Vatican Media)

Sister Florentina stressed the great value of Christianity in education, which she said can help raise family living standards, especially in such a male-dominated society as that of Papua New Guinea, where sexual and child abuse are prominent problems, and where “a lot of women suffer.”

The plight of women is a recurring theme not only of this papal visit, but of the current pontificate. That’s why Sister Florentina hopes that the Holy Father’s presence in Papua New Guinea will help improve the standing of women in Papuan society.

In the meantime, she and the other Caritas Sisters of Jesus will continue to do their part, educating children and young people to build a more equitable society.

“One day, young generations will be the ones developing the country here,” she said. “That’s our great hope and vision.”

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