The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and his wife Caroline arrived in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, early on Saturday morning.

The Archbishop and Mrs Welby are on a 10-day visit to Anglican provinces in the Philippines and Oceania. The trip forms part of the Archbishop’s plan to visit all his fellow primates around the Anglican Communion during his first 18 months in office.

On Saturday morning Archbishop Justin met privately with the Archbishop of Papua New Guinea, the Most Revd Clyde Mervin Igara, and also met diocesan bishops.

On Saturday evening he spoke at the launch dinner of the Anglicare Foundation. Anglicare is the social outreach arm of the Anglican Church in Papua New Guinea, working mainly with people affected by HIV/AIDS.

Before arriving in Papua New Guinea, the Archbishop was in the Philippines, where he met with the Most Revd Edward Malecdan, Prime Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, and diocesan bishops.

The Archbishop also celebrated and preached at a Eucharist at the National Cathedral of St Mary and St John in Quezon City, the Mission Center of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines. On Friday the Archbishop took part in a liturgy and re-signing of the Concordat of Full Communion between the Church of England and the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) at the IFI’s National Cathedral in Manila. The Concordat of Full Communion was signed in October 1963 by Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Obispo Maximo Isabelo de los Reyes Jr.

Over the next week the Archbishop will visit Melanesia; Australia; and Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.