Pope's upcoming visit to Oceania, what impact for West Papua?

Pope Francis with PNG's Cardinal John Ribat

After a three-year delay due to the Covid-19 epidemic, Pope Francis will travel to Papua New Guinea (PNG) next August and possibly also to Indonesia.

A historical journey since it is rare for a bishop of Rome to visit the territories of the Pacific and Oceania. However, given the short duration of his visit, it is questionable whether West Papua, occupied by Indonesia, will be part of the pope’s visit.

Will Pope Francis visit Indonesia?

Since the signing of the declaration of human brotherhood in Abu Dhabi in 2019, the Holy See has shown great intentions to strengthen its relations with the Islamic world. Indonesia, as the largest Muslim country in the world, must be taken into account. Furthermore, in 2022, the Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, extended a formal invitation to Pope Francis in person at the Vatican, to "witness the harmony between religious communities" in Indonesia, although in reality the country is far from being as tolerant as it is often portrayed.

Persecution of minorities, especially Christians, is severe enough that since Indonesia's independence in 1945, more than 2,400 churches have been destroyed, mainly by radical Islamists (Source: NGO Foker). Difficulties in building churches, discrimination related to blasphemy laws, and bans on interfaith marriages are widespread in the country. But despite all that, the Pope will most likely visit Indonesia.

Will Pope Francis visit West Papua?

It is an enigma that only Pope Francis himself can answer. However, we can use this as a reference to see if the Vatican cares about humanitarian problems in West Papua due to sixty years of Indonesian occupation. In 2020, Pope Francis, who was due to visit Indonesia, was eagerly awaited by the predominantly Christian inhabitants of West Papua. Similarly, after the end of the pandemic, some West Papuans expressed their hope for a visit from the Pope.

Today, there may still be West Papuans who are considering the possibility of Pope Francis coming to West Papua. But I personally doubt it. Indeed, during his pontificate, Pope Francis has never spoken about the West Papua tragedy in his homilies, Angelus prayers, or public audiences. Not to mention his current nuncio in Jakarta, Msgr Pietro Pioppo, who has so far only visited West Papua for ceremonial purposes.

The Holy See's silence on the West Papua tragedy is understandable. The Vatican is reluctant to confront two major forces: capitalism, through the multinational corporations operating in West Papua, and Islam, through Indonesia as the world's largest Muslim country holding West Papua hostage.

Pope's PNG-Indonesia visit: any impact for West Papua?

Given that West Papua has so far been left off Pope Francis' agenda, does this mean that his visit to PNG and Indonesia will be of no significance to West Papuans? Not necessarily.

This all depends on how West Papuans, solidarity groups especially in PNG, and ULMWP as the West Papuan people's representative organ play the momentum. Given the international press attention, Pope Francis' visit to Pacific-Oceania could actually be a great opportunity to expose what is really happening in West Papua.