We have our own way of speaking out

Chris Dogopia, Papuan Catholic activist.

While enjoying the Sunday before New Year, I talked with Chris Dogopia, a young Catholic activist from the diocese of Jayapura, in Indonesian-occupied Papua.

Three years ago, on December 10, 2020 to be precise, Chris and his friends urged Mgr Leo Laba Ladjar, then Bishop of Jayapura, to take a stand in favor of indigenous Papuans, who have been oppressed by the Indonesian regime for six decades. 

Indeed, gross human rights violations continue to occur and indigenous Papuan Catholics often wonder where their Shepherd was when they were persecuted and massacred?

Although three years have passed and Bishop Leo has now retired, there is still no clear stance from the Diocese of Jayapura. "We have our own way of speaking out (addressing the government)", was his only response.

Chris's account of Bishop Leo's apathy is astounding, as the following YouTube video shows:

New bishop, new hope?

Since February 2, the Episcopal see of Jayapura has passed to Bishop Yanuarius You. Unlike his predecessors, Bishop You is Papuan-born. His ordination as the first Papuan bishop in Indonesia brought hope of radical change. Because so far, the Indonesian Church leaders had only adopted a soft approach towards the authorities, which proved to be a failure.

Unfortunately, the euphoria quickly ended: the new Papuan bishop did not achieve the hoped-for progress. Despite Bishop You's calls for the protection of customary lands and a ceasefire in conflict areas, there has been no significant change in the daily lives of indigenous Papuans. The latter are even more marginalized.

Together with Chris, I tried to analyze this sad situation and we came to the conclusion that as long as the dioceses in Papua are under the pro-government Indonesian Bishops' Conference, the church will have no way to defend the rights of indigenous Papuans, other than with nonsensical rhetoric such as "We have our own way of speaking out"

Moral appeals require bold action! 

In the Gospels, Jesus shows that the only way to stand up for justice is to speak out and act decisively. This is clearly seen when He drove the merchants out of the Temple. It is sad that today's church leaders emulate Pontius Pilate rather than Jesus Christ.

Regarding the Papua issue, we are disappointed not only with the Jayapura diocese, but also with Pope Francis as the supreme head of the Church. Although in 2018 Pope Francis received a report from Franciscan International on the humanitarian tragedy in Papua, to date he has never spoken about it during his general audience.

Ultimately, those of us who long for freedom and justice in Papua can only pray that a strong religious leader emerges to break the status quo, challenging the Indonesian occupation, as did Bishop Ximenes Belo in Timor Leste in the 1990s. We hope that the next pope will be black and will be more sensitive to defending the Papuan cause.

"Papuans have become a minority in their own country. It's very sad". 

(Fr. Frans Lieshout, OFM)

In the face of injustice, the Church cannot remain neutral!