An overview of the Church in Papua New Guinea

By Lisa Zengarini

The evangelization of Papua New Guinea dates back to the 19th century.

In 1844, Pope Gregory XVI created the Apostolic Vicariate of Melanesia, which was initially entrusted to various congregations and missionary institutes, including the Marists priests and brothers, the Italian Missionaries of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), the Missionaries of the Sacred Heartof Issoudun (MSC), who were followed by others.

Difficult beginning

After initial setbacks, towards the end of the 19th century, the Church began to grow steadily. The reorganization of the missions in the area dates back to this period.

However, the Japanese occupation during World War II marked an abrupt setback for the Papuan Catholic Church, with several religious men and women killed. Victims of the persecution included catechist and martyr Pietro To Rot (1912-1945).

The Church resumed its work after the war, and in 1966, the ecclesiastical hierarchy was established, with three Metropolitan Archdioceses and 11 suffragan Dioceses.

Previous papal visits

Pope Francis is the second pontiff to make an Apostolic Journey to Papua New Guinea, which was visited twice by Pope Saint John Paul II.

The Polish Pope visited the country on 7-10 May 1984 and then on 16-18 January 1995, on the occasion of the beatification of Pietro To Rot, the first Blessed of Papua New Guinea.

An overwhelming Christian majority

About 95% of Papuans are Christians, who are predominantly Protestants and in particular Evangelical Lutherans, while 5% belong to other religious confessions.

Although Christians make an overwhelming majority, Christianity is not the state religion and all religions are granted full religious freedom. However, the preamble to the Constitution pledges to uphold Christian values.

In recent years, the Catholic Church has opposed a proposal by some Evangelical groups to amend the Constitution with the aim of affirming the Christian identity of the Papuan State.

The proposed amendments include establishing the Holy Trinity as the source of political authority, renaming the country as the "Independent and Christian State of Papua New Guinea", and including the respect, observance and promotion of Christian principles among citizens’ "social duties".

According to the Catholic bishops, however, the amendments would change the nature of the state, making Papua New Guinea a confessional country in contrast with the cultural and religious diversity that has always characterized Papuan society.

Church’s commitment to education and young people

Catholics make up almost 32% of the predominantly Protestant Papuan population. Most of the clergy and religious are now indigenous, although there still are many foreign missionaries, several of whom are from Argentina.

The Church is well-established in Papua New Guinea, thanks in part to its significant presence in the educational, healthcare and welfare care fields.

It has played a crucial role in the field of education which is all the more important in a country that still records a high rate of illiteracy, especially among women, and where under-twenties represent almost half the population. 70% of Papuan schools are run by Christian Churches, and 3,000 of them are Catholic.

This commitment to education reflects the particular pastoral concern of the Papuan Church for young people. In addition to running schools, it organizes several activities underprivileged children aimed at preventing drug-addiction, youth crime violence and the phenomenon of street children linked to early pregnancies.

In 2018, the Church dedicated a special year to young people and convened a National Youth Congress on the theme "Called to fullness of life and love” to encourage young Papuans to actively witness their faith.

Similarly, the Papuan Church has shown a particular concern for family ministry and has focused its pastoral attention on the media, especially the new media, which have become an important space for transmitting the faith to the new generations

Promoting the role of Catholic lay people in evangelization

Another priority of the Church of Papua New Guinea is the promotion of the role of lay Catholics in the new evangelization, which was the focus of the Papuan Bishops’ pastoral action plan launched in 2020.

The plan is aimed at encouraging Papuan lay Catholics live out their Christian faith in everyday life, bearing witness to Christ also by caring for the most vulnerable in society: the poor, prisoners, refugees, drug-addicts, street children, the homeless, the disabled, and people with AIDS.

Church's commitment to human rights and Creation

Social vulnerability and exclusion are a major concern for the Church in Papua New Guinea, which has been particularly vocal about human rights issues.

It has insistently voiced its concerns for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the Australian-funded 'processing' centres in Manus Island and Port Moresby, and of local indigenous peoples threatened by the activities of extractive industries.

The bishops have also been vocal against the death penalty, which was reintroduced in 2013, and against the rampant scourge of human trafficking.

Earlier this year, the bishops focused their attention on the increasing social tensions which resulted in violent protests in Port-Moresby in January against the cut in the salaries of employees in the public sector.

In a message to the faithful in the wake of the disorders, Cardinal John Ribat, Archbishop of Port Moresby, condemned the violence, but also denounced the lack of action by the authorities to address the sharp increase in the cost of living.

Another issue of particular concern for the local Church is the safeguarding of Creation.

Papua New Guinea is in fact one of the states most affected by climate change and the consequent rise in sea levels (particularly in the Manam islands, in the province of Madang, and in the Cartaret islands in the autonomous region of Bougainville).

The Church has launched several initiatives to raise awareness, but also concrete actions to promote "an ecological conversion" in the archipelago in the spirit of Pope Francis’ Laudato si'.

Relations with other Churches

The Council of Churches of Papua New Guinea has been operating since 1965, bringing together the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the United Church, the Anglican Church, the Baptist Union, Salvation Army and the Gutnio Lutheran Church. 

In addition to fostering ecumenical dialogue among its members, the Council promotes social projects and occasionally intervenes in public debates.