The Church and the Fight for West Papua: Justice Demands Action

Markus Haluk, in the center with sunglasses

The Church and the Fight for West Papua: Justice Demands Action

Markus Haluk, a fearless Papuan Catholic lay leader and head of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), speaks truth to power when he declares that the Catholic Church has always stood — and continues to stand — for justice, peace, love, and the sacred dignity of the Papuan people. For decades, the Church’s servants in West Papua have refused to remain silent amid brutal military occupation and systemic oppression.

The Church in West Papua is not a bystander. Bishops, priests, and religious men and women have been frontline witnesses to the suffering inflicted upon their people since May 1, 1963 — a day that marked the beginning of decades of injustice under Indonesian military rule. Their voices have pierced through the silence, denouncing human rights abuses, exposing atrocities in the Freeport mining region, and courageously confronting the powers that be.

In 1996, Bishop Herman Muninghoff OFM boldly exposed the horrors perpetrated in Papua. In 2001, four archbishops — leaders of the Church in Merauke, Jayapura, Agatz-Asmat, and Manokwari Sorong — confronted the Indonesian state head-on at the Presidential Palace, demanding justice for their suffering flock. Their pastoral letters are battle cries, echoing the cries of a people denied justice.

The recent call from Bishop Yanuarious You at the ASEAN Conference in Jakarta — witnessed by the Indonesian President — is a clarion call for peace rooted in justice. But peace without justice is a lie.

Priests like Father Neles Tebay and 79 indigenous clergy refuse to bow to silence. Through the Papua Peace Network, they demand dialogue and negotiation with the ULMWP, the legitimate voice of the Papuan people. Their courage shines as a beacon in the darkness of oppression.

The Catholic Church’s position is clear and uncompromising: it defends the universal values of peace, justice, and human dignity above political convenience. The Church will not forbid West Papua from pursuing independence — a path that can bring freedom and true peace to a people long denied both.

This is a call to all Catholics — to rise, to pray, but above all, to stand in solidarity with the oppressed. The fight for West Papua is a fight for justice, a fight for human dignity, a fight for the Gospel itself.

The Church stands with West Papua. Will you?