Can a papal visit bring peace to restive Papua?
Archbishop Mandagi s request for a papal visit reflects the local Church s sense of powerlessness in promoting peace and justice
A coffin bearing the remains of Oktovianus Rayo, a teacher who was shot dead on April 8 by suspected armed rebels in Beoga district, arrives in Timika in Indonesia s Papua province on April 10. (Photo: AFP)
Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke recently requested a papal visit to Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua. He believes that a papal visit can help resolve Papua’s long history of violent conflict since the early 1960s when the region, arguably involuntarily, became part of Indonesia through the New York Agreement. Hosted by the USA, the agreement was signed on Aug. 15, 1962, by the Netherlands and Indonesia regarding administration of the land.
Arrest of Papua s machine gun pastor is a ticking time bomb
Christian leaders must try to maintain a balance between loyalty to Indonesia and pastoral care for all Papuans
A motorcade transports the body of Brig. Gen. I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha, who headed Papua s intelligence agency, for his funeral on April 26 after he was killed in Indonesia s restive Papua region during a gun battle between police and separatist rebels. (Photo: Sevianto Pakiding /AFP)
The arrest of a pastor in Papua by security forces for allegedly supplying weapons to a separatist group could intensify scrutiny on churches in the restive Indonesian region, according to some, but others believe it was a betrayal of his church and Christians.