Pope Francis

Fr. Peter Baquero was born in Manila (Philippines) on September 15, 1970, and made perpetual profession in 1998 and was ordained in 1999 in Parañaque.

From the period of his practical training in PNG he followed the missionary vocation ad gentes.

He made the comments as Donald Trump was being sworn-in as US president in a wide-ranging interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais.

The Pope condemned the use of walls and barbed-wire to keep foreigners out.

But he said it was too early to judge the new US leader, saying "we'll see what Trump does".

Mr Trump has caused controversy with his comments on Mexican immigrants and his plans for a wall to keep them out.

In a letter sent on 28 December but released by the Vatican on Monday, the pope said he begged forgiveness for "a sin that shames us".

"I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst."

Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has taken some steps to root out sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and introduce practices to protect children. But victims' groups say he has not done enough, particularly to hold to account bishops who tolerated sexual abuse or covered it up.

The head of the Catholic Church denounced the continuing suffering of children.

It continues a special dispensation granted last year for duration of the Year of Mercy, which finished Sunday.

The letter states: "I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life. In the same way, however, I can and must state that there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father."

"May every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on this journey of special reconciliation," the letter continues.

The new cardinals come from five continents, and include the Vatican's envoy to Syria.

The range of backgrounds "represents a break with custom", said the BBC's David Willey in Rome.

Pope Francis has now chosen close to a third of the College of Cardinals who will ultimately pick who succeeds him.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote on the next Pope. Thirteen of those named cardinals on Saturday are under 80, and are now eligible to succeed him.

He's appointing a batch of new cardinals on Saturday, reshaping the group that will someday choose the next pope.

Many of the new men come from lands far distant from Rome: Three are from Africa, two from Asia, one from Oceania, and one from the Middle East. All represent places where the Catholic population is in the minority.

Meanwhile, some major cities usually led by a cardinal -- including Los Angeles and Philadelphia -- are being bypassed this time around.

Often seen as wanting to overturn the conservative thrust of recent pontificates, Francis has shown himself to be squarely on the side of Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI when it comes to women's ordination.

"The final word is clear," he said Tuesday when asked about women's ordination during an in-flight press conference returning from Sweden, "it was said by St John Paul II and this remains."

"Forever?" the journalist asked. "Never, ever?"

"If we carefully read the declaration of St. John Paul II it goes in that direction, yes," Francis replied.

The Pope appealed to Catholics and Lutherans to "mend" history and look with honesty at the past, "recognising error and seeking forgiveness".

By tradition, on 31 October 1517 the German theologian Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church.

The papal visit kicks off a year of events to mark the quincentenary.

Pope Francis and Lutheran leaders presided over a ecumenical prayer service in Lund cathedral in southern Sweden on Monday.

O’Neill made the invitation during a meeting with Sir John Ribat, the Archbishop of Port Moresby who is soon to be elevated as Papua New Guinea’s first Cardinal, and Archbishop Kurian Mathew Vayalunkal, the new Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands on Thursday.

O’Neill said he had asked the Apostolic Nuncio to pass on our thanks to the Holy Father for elevating one of our Sons to such an important position in the Catholic Church.

“This is an honor for our people and we are proud of our first Cardinal.