It was a reference to the tribal violence over land and other disputes that have long characterized the country’s culture but have grown more lethal in recent years. Francis arrived in Papua New Guinea to urge an end to the violence, including gender-based violence, and for a sense of civic responsibility and cooperation to prevail.

Francis had started the day with a Mass before an estimated 35,000 people at the stadium in the capital, Port Moresby. Dancers in grass skirts and feathered…