Despite being mineral-rich, conflict-torn Christian-majority region among the poorest and most underdeveloped provinces
Yuliana Langowuyo hopes that Pope Francis will remember to speak about the ongoing rights violations and injustices in the restive Papua region when he visits Indonesia next month.
The Sept. 2-6 visit of the 87-year-old pope can be "a turning point for the Catholic Church to pay more attention to the Papua issue," said Langowuyo, 40, a Catholic rights activist.
For over a decade, the activist has been associated with the Franciscan Secretariat for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Papua, a Church-run advocacy group focusing on human rights in the conflict-scarred Christian-majority region.
"For years, Catholics in Papua have been walking alone in dealing with various human rights violations, and there has been no serious attention, including from the Vatican," she lamented.
"I don't expect that he will speak specifically about the Papua issue," she said, "but he could mention the word Papua, for example, in his prayers or statements during his dialogues with leaders."
Catholic layman Soleman Itlay said, "It is time for Papuan Catholics to receive a greeting from their highest leader amidst the current suffering."
"The Catholic Church in Papua has been present for more than a century, and in my view, the Vatican has a moral responsibility to keep the faith alive by caring about our situation," he said.
Conflict-torn region
The easternmost region has been plagued by unrest and conflict since it became a part of Indonesia after the end of Dutch colonial rule in 1945.
Many Papuans aspired for independence after Indonesia annexed the region with US backing in 1961. A UN-mandated referendum in 1969 that favored Indonesia allowed only 1,022 Papuan representatives to vote, which is considered a sham by rights groups.
This triggered a strong, armed pro-independence insurgency and countermeasures from the Indonesian military, leaving thousands killed and displaced in the past decades.
Despite being mineral-rich – home to the world's largest gold mine, as well as extensive sources of natural gas, minerals, timber and palm oil – the restive region remains one of the poorest and underdeveloped provinces in the country
Langowuyo said the pope's visit comes when Papuans still suffer amid conflict and instability.
"Currently, shootings and killings are still occurring, which have an impact on the security of civilians, while hundreds of thousands of people are still displaced," she said.
Since September 2021, at least 732 people have been killed and 60,642 displaced in the conflict in Papua's six regions "" Maybrat, Gunung Bintang, Nduga, Intan Jaya, Yahukimo and Puncak Regency, according to a report from Human Rights Monitor, a coalition of human rights groups in Papua, released last December.
In the latest incident on Aug. 5, helicopter pilot Malcolm Conning, 50, a New Zealander, was shot dead. Indonesian military blamed the insurgent group, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), for the killing. But the TPNPB dismissed the allegation.
Indonesian military soldiers were accused of shooting three civilians in Mulia district in Puncak Jaya Regency on July 16 after accusing them of connection with the insurgents.
Between January 2018 and June 2024, the security forces and the rebels were involved in 236 killings of civilians, according to rights group Amnesty International.
Observers say conflict and lack of development make Papua the poorest region in Indonesia. According to official figures, the poverty rate stood at 26.03 percent last year, compared to the national average of 9 percent.
Benny Giyai, a pastor and coordinator of the Papuan Church Council, an interdenominational body, says most of the region's more than three million people face an uncertain future.
"After being trapped in conflict for more than 60 years, in the last few years, we have been led into a dead end," he said.
He said that while the issue of basic rights has not received the government's attention, the strategy of a violent security approach still dominates, and political resistance leaders have been subjected to arbitrary arrest.
He mentioned the arrest of activists and the use of treason charges against them, "even though they are fighting for the future of the Papuan people who continue to be the target of injustice in many aspects."
"If there is no effort to find a dignified solution in the future, I think the indigenous Papuan people will become extinct or continue to be marginalized because the wave of migration from outside Papua is also high," he told UCA News.
He said that the problems in Papua must be discussed openly, including the issue of integration politics, which has been suppressed so far.
"That is one of the roots of the conflict, as has also been acknowledged by official government institutions in their research," he said.
In 2009, the National Research Agency identified four main causes of unrest in Papua: discrimination/marginalization, inappropriate development patterns, history and political status, and human rights violations.
Giyai said the issues were never adequately addressed.
Limited attention
Rika Korain, a women activist in Papua, says even the Christian leaders in Papua and Indonesia have not effectively heeded the cries of Papuans.
"Papuans are kind of walking alone because of the lack of concern, including from the Catholic Church," she said.
"We don't see any shared awareness from the Catholic Church in Indonesia and universally," she said.
She highlighted the attitude of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference, which "is mostly silent and does not dare to speak up for Papua."
"When I went to Catholic churches in Papua, I found how the church generally always echoes the importance of maintaining the integrity of the country, maintaining the state ideology of Pancasila, but rarely emphasizes human values, human dignity," she said.
Korain stressed that the human aspects were essential so that Papuans would not be left behind.
"These are issues that the church must pay attention to and raise voice," she added.
In 2021, a total of 147 native Papuan priests and missionaries wrote a letter to Indonesian bishops asking them to end their silence on conflict and rights violations in the region.
The signatories said they felt "called to speak out and voice the concerns and be the conscience of the people that God had entrusted."
Activist Langowuyo said the silence of the bishops continues today.
"We often send reports about the situation in Papua to the bishops, but it seems there is still a reluctance to admit that there is a serious conflict and to speak about it," she said
The voice of the pope
Itlay says, like him, many Papuans no longer trust Church institutions.
Most Church leaders failed to live "what Jesus Christ said, which is to speak out against oppression, to defend those who are marginalized."
"Seeing the conditions in Papua today, I only trust the clerics who care about our problems," he said.
Korain hopes the pope will speak about Papua as the head of the state and the Catholic Church.
"As a pope, he has shown concern for humanitarian issues. He can speak about Papua without offending the Indonesian government," she said.
An Indonesian Bishops' Conference official told UCA News that there are no plans to discuss Papua specifically during the visit "unless there are figures, such as bishops, who convey it."
"I support it if someone speaks up because it will also be a good opportunity to improve the church's attitude," the priest said, requesting anonymity.
"However, I doubt whether the bishops will officially convey it," he added.
Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/papal-visit-to-indonesia-raises-hope-in-restive-papua/10602