The Catholic Church does not forbid West Papua to be independent!

Markus Haluk, in the center with sunglasses

"Since the beginnings of the Catholic Church in West Papua, bishops, priests, deacons, religious men and women - have always fought for justice, peace, love and the dignity of the Papuan people."

These were the words of Markus Haluk, a Papuan Catholic lay leader, when asked by a journalist whether the Church supported the Papuan independence movement. For Markus, who is also executive director of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), there is no conflict between the Christian faith and the non-violent struggle to liberate his homeland from 60 years of Indonesian military occupation.

Although the Catholic press rarely raises the humanitarian issue of West Papua, Markus appreciates the courageous stand taken by a number of local clergy. They are concerned about the difficulties faced by indigenous Papuans under Indonesian rule. They are in solidarity with the Papuans who are fighting against the unjust regime that has ruled West Papua since May 1, 1963. Some have even protested openly. Their concern and anger are reflected in their correspondence with the Holy See (Vatican).

One of the bishops who explicitly revealed the human tragedy in Papua, particularly in the Freeport mining area in 1996, is Mgr Herman Muninghoff OFM. Protests against human rights violations were also addressed by four Papuan bishops (Archbishops of Merauke, Jayapura, Agatz-Asmat and Manokwari Sorong) to President Gusdur in 2001 at the State Palace in Jakarta.

The bishops' pastoral letters often refer to the struggle of Papuan Catholics. On August 7, 2023, the Bishop of Jayapura, Mgr Yanuarious You, speaking at the ASEAN Conference on Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue at the Ritz-Carlton Mega Kuningan Jakarta, also attended by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, called for an end to violence and a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Papua.

Many Papuan priests are directly involved in the resolution process. Father Neles Tebay is one of them. Through the Papua Peace Network, he continues to call for a peaceful dialogue. 79 indigenous Papuan priests are calling for the same. They urge the Indonesian government to negotiate with the ULMWP, the representative body of the Papuan people.

Although the Catholic Church does not take sides with either the Republic of Indonesia or the Free Papua movement, it constantly defends and fights for the universal values of peace, justice, love, the recognition of human dignity and the salvation of God's people in Papua. The Church does not forbid West Papua to be independent!