Local media had an invitation to visit Kalaupapa for a preview of the public tours that will resume next week. It has been six years since public access was opened to the settlement on Molokaʻi.
Kalawao County was set up as a refuge for patients with Hansen's disease, or leprosy, and once the remaining patients live out their lives, the responsibility will be transferred from the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health to the National Park Service.
Gov. Josh Green just returned from a trip to Italy, where he met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. When The Conversation last spoke with Green, he indicated he was going to invite the Pope to come visit Kalaupapa, where two saints, Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope, ministered to the patients.
HPR spoke to Green about his trip, and about military leases set to expire across the state. Green said he is hopeful that Pope Leo will come to visit Hawaiʻi.
Listen to part one of his interview here.
This story aired on The Conversation on Sept. 19, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
