PNG sainthood boosts morale, faith - bishop

"Not only Papua New Guinea, but for the whole of the Pacific, this is big news and a big blessing."

A Catholic bishop in Papua New Guinea has expressed his pride over the country's first saint, Blessed Peter To Rot.

Bishop Rosario Menesez from the Lae Diocese told Pacific Waves the news has boosted the public's morale and faith.

"For the church in Papua New Guinea, not only Papua New Guinea, but for the whole of the Pacific, this is big news and a big blessing, I would say, because it is an indigenous man, Peter To Rot, a layman, a catechist, who stood for his faith," he said.

"This is coming immediately after the visit of Pope Francis, and then so we are very proud, and we are very happy as a church.

"Certainly, this is going to boost the faith of not only Catholic but also Christians here in Papua New Guinea."

Last year, Pope Francis made a historic visit to PNG where he heard testimonies about Blessed Peter To Rot.

Blessed Peter To Rot continued his pastoral work during the Japanese occupation of PNG in World War II despite it being forbidden.

His brother reported him to police after he confronted him for taking a second wife and he was sentenced to two months in prison, where he died of poisoning in July 1945.

Blessed Peter Torot, Catechist and Martyr of Catholics in PNG. Photo/The Pomio Catholic Community

Menesez said as far as he knows To Rot is the first indigenous Pasifika saint.

"He sacrificed his life, and he showed us what it means to be a real disciple of Jesus Christ, giving his own life to protect the faith that he received from the missionaries."

Bishop Menesez said during the war, the Japanese tried to convince To Rot to practice polygamy.

"He truly stood by his faith, and he refused to give in to what the Japanese were trying to tell him. So that's why we we consider him as a very brave Catholic, because he could really stand by his faith and say no to the wrong teachings that he was receiving, even going against his own family."

Menesez said that catechists have a very important role in PNG. He said the vocations to priesthood are declining in Europe, and then there are fewer priests in all the dioceses.

"I am the Bishop of Lae and we have very remote places where there are no priests. And then it is the catechist who keep the faith of the people alive in their villages, in the small parishes outside," he said.

"Pope John Paul II, when he came here, he realised the importance of the catechist in the church, especially here in Papua New Guinea. And then he found a man who who lived truly as a catechist, he lived his faith in a very radical way, by giving his own life for the sake of the faith.

"I think that is one of the reasons why the Pope Francis has chosen blessed Peter To Rot for the cause of sainthood, so that he becomes a model for the church here in Papua New Guinea."