Indigenous Christians in Papua province took to the streets on Sept. 4 to seek the pope's attention and intervention against the Indonesian government's military operations in their troubled province.

Catholic priests and Protestant pastors led the Way of the Cross, a unique protest that had nearly a thousand Christians parading through the streets of the provincial capital Jayapura.

The participants carried crosses and chanted prayers and slogans. They also displayed posters with messages for Pope Francis who was in Jakarta as part of his 12-day apostolic visit that also takes in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Timor Leste, and Singapore.

At each stop of the Way of the Cross, participants reflected on their faith and the dire situation in Papua, said Father John Bunay from the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission of Jayapura diocese.

"At the stop where Veronika wiped Jesus' face, we reflected on the importance of helping people who are in trouble," the priest said. Like Veronika, "we hope Pope Francis can care" for the people of Papua, he added.

"Maybe he [Pope Francis] won't talk about our problems in Jakarta, but we hope he prays for us so that there is peace in Papua," Bunay, who is also the coordinator of native Papuan priests, told UCA News.

He said that at the stop where Jesus met his mother, they reflected on the Papuan mothers who were forced to take refuge in the forests because of the conflict.

"Like Jesus, we pray that God will provide strength to our mothers who are forced to flee their homes," he said.

Given that the pope will be in Vanimo – a remote coastal town in PNG which is just nine kilometers from Papua – on Sept. 8, the priest said, "We hope the pope can greet us."

Around 200 Catholics in Papua, facilitated by their provincial government, will be traveling to Vanimo to see the pope.

"Hopefully the pope will see our problem. If not, indigenous Papuans will be reduced to a minority and eventually become extinct. This is an emergency," Bunay said.

Ester Haluk said she chose to join the protest because "there was no other way" as all efforts in the past to push for peace in Papua had failed.

"We want to bring our lamentations, our prayers in this Way of the Cross, and bring them to God," she said.

Fincensius Yogi, a young Papuan, said, "Today, we are suffering just like Jesus, who is expected to one day lead us to resurrection."

Hendrikus Franky Woro said his tribe used to live peacefully but was now threatened by people who were not known to them.

The member of the Awyu tribe in South Papua was referring to the seizure of their ancestoral land by a palm oil company.

"They came and violated us, and seized our rights," he said. "We are sad, we are crying. We have hopes from our Holy Father. We respectfully ask that the Church save us."

The police in Jayapura tried to stop the Christians, saying the Way of the Cross could cause traffic snarls. They were granted permission only after priests negotiated with City Police Chief Victor Makbon.

"We told him we're praying. So, there is no need to be afraid. This was proved right by our peaceful conduct for four hours," Bunay said.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, young Catholics from Papua held a peaceful protest at the Apostolic Nunciature as the pope left to attend a ceremony at Merdeka Palace on the morning of Sept. 4.

They wore the traditional Papuan koteka and carried posters requesting Francis care about them.

The Christian-majority Papua region has been a hotbed of conflict and death for more than six decades since it became a part of Indonesia following the end of Dutch colonial rule in the 1960s.

An armed insurgency and responses from the military have left thousands dead, injured, or displaced.

Despite being rich in mineral resources such as gold, natural gas, timber, and palm oil, the restive region is one of the country's poorest and most underdeveloped.

Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia has also urged Pope Francis to highlight conditions in Papua during his visit.

"The escalation of violence, militarization and suppression of dissent in Papua have resulted in many civilian casualties, displacement and a humanitarian crisis that requires urgent attention," he said.

Hamid said that civilians in Papua, including indigenous peoples, have suffered from large-scale military operations.

"These military operations have resulted in extrajudicial killings by state and non-state armed groups, torture, internal displacement and other violations," he said.

Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/papuans-pray-way-of-the-cross-to-draw-popes-attention/10626