Indonesian Catholics to meet pope in Timor-Leste, PNG

Aug 22, 2024

By Ryan Dagur
Hundreds of Indonesian Catholics who would otherwise miss out on an audience with Pope Francis in their country will join him in neighboring Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste thanks to support from the government.

The authorities in Indonesia’s Christian-majority Papua province will facilitate some 160 Catholics to meet Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea next month, officials said.

The Catholics will join a papal event at Vanimo in northwestern Sandaun province in PNG on Sept. 8, Papua provincial secretary's assistant for government affairs Yohanes Walilo said in a statement on Aug. 20.

The pope will visit the PNG capital Port Moresby and Vanimo during his Sept. 6-9 visit after his trip to Indonesia.

In Vanimo, Francis is scheduled to meet the Catholics of Vanimo diocese and attend a private meeting with a group of missionaries at the Holy Trinity Humanities School in Baro.

Walilo said the step was taken because Papuan Catholics, especially in the provincial capital Jayapura, were enthusiastic about meeting the pope.

Vanimo is 97 kilometers from Jayapura or a two-hour drive.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian capital Jakarta, where the pope will pay a visit on Sept. 3-6, is more than 3,465 kilometers away.

The government will fund the departure, accommodation, food, drinks and transportation of the Catholics for the trip, he said.

“We have asked the Transportation Agency to prepare vehicles. Because large vehicles cannot pass along narrow roads, small vehicles are needed to enter Vanimo,” he said.

He said that the participants who will go included priests, nuns and lay people.

“We are coordinating with the Papua New Guinea government,” Walilo said.

Bishop Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You of Jayapura confirmed to UCA News on Aug. 21 that most of the people were from his diocese but declined to elaborate.

The Indonesian Bishops’ Conference has asked each diocese to send representatives to Jakarta for the papal Mass on Sept. 5.

All participants are required to fund their own travels and lodgings, making it difficult for low-income Catholics.

Papua is the farthest region from Jakarta, with the cheapest round-trip air tickets costing about 7.5 million Indonesian rupiah (US$481).

The government of Christian-majority East Nusa Tenggara province will facilitate 850 Catholics to allow them to attend the papal Mass in Timor-Leste's capital, Dili, on Sept. 10.

On Aug. 20, the Ministry of Religion announced that 350 registered parishioners from Kupang archdiocese and 500 from Atambua diocese have registered for the papal Mass in Dili.

The officials from the provincial government said they have been working with two dioceses to help Catholics obtain passports easily.

Suparman, director-general of Catholic Community Guidance at the ministry said that the Minister of Religion, Yaqut Cholil Quomas, had met with the Timor-Leste government regarding the presence of Indonesian citizens.

He also said that parishioners who were not on the list could "feel the presence of the pope by watching the Mass live via digital channels."

"Therefore, the diocese and parishes can invite people to attend the Mass together in churches through live streaming," he said.

The 87-year-old pope will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore from Sept. 2-13, the longest apostolic journey of his 11-year pontificate.--ucanews.com