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Pope Francis’s unfulfilled wish: declaring PNG’s first saint
@Source: islandsbusiness.com
In one of his final acts, Pope Francis cleared the way for Papua New Guinea to get its first saint — an anti-polygamy preacher who died in prison during Japan’s World War II occupation.
The late pontiff confided to religious leaders in the Pacific nation that he wanted to personally oversee the canonisation of “martyr” Peter to Rot.
Now, that honour will fall to his successor.
“He told me that he wanted to canonise Peter ToRot himself,” said Tomas Ravaioli, an Argentine missionary in Papua New Guinea who met with the pope when he visited in September last year.
“He said that ToRot is the kind of saint that people need in this moment. You know, he’s not a priest or a bishop — he’s a normal man,” Ravaioli told AFP.
“It’s very sad for us because we were expecting him to canonise Peter to Rot.”
ToRot was formally cleared for sainthood on 31 March when the Vatican issued decrees for the “causes of saints”.
His canonisation will take place during a mass in the Vatican at a time yet to be decided, at the discretion of Francis’s successor.
“We don’t know who is going to do it,” Ravaioli said.
“And of course, we love the next pope without knowing him yet. But it will not be the same.”
ToRot’s supporters travelled the country for decades collecting evidence to convince the Vatican of his eligibility for sainthood.
“He’s a layman. He was 33 years old. He was a married man with three children,” said Ravaioli, who has worked for To Rot’s elevation for years.
“He was not a superhero, but he was a normal man of a village,” he said.
ToRot, born in 1912 in Rakunai — 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Port Moresby — was a spiritual guide for Catholics in the area during World War II, the Vatican says.
He fought against polygamy and practised even as religious leaders were detained by Japanese occupiers.
To Rot was imprisoned by Japanese authorities and died of poisoning in July 1945, according to the Vatican.
Pope John Paul II beatified To Rot in 1995, setting him on the path to sainthood.
The final step is canonisation.
Ravaioli said he hoped sainthood for the local preacher would rekindle the “flame of faith” in the devoutly Christian country.
But Papua New Guinea also suffers from poverty, rampant domestic abuse, witch hunts and tribal violence in which thousands have been killed and tens of thousands displaced.
For many in Papua New Guinea, the church is synonymous with healthcare, education and welfare that the state does not provide.
An estimated 98 percent of Papua New Guineans are Christian and about 25 percent are Catholic.
Archbishop Rochus Tatamai, also a blood relative of ToRot, said it was important for Papua New Guinea to get its own saint.
“It is confirmation and affirmation that our people are more than good enough to be raised to become saints,” he told AFP during the papal visit last year.
“You have to work hard to become a saint, you do not inherit holiness,” he said.
Pacific cardinals heading to Rome for Vatican conclave
Two cardinals will be representing Pacific Island countries at the conclave in the Vatican to elect the new pope.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday morning, local time, aged 88.
The pope’s death prompts a period of mourning, after which all cardinals under the age of 80 will convene to pick the next leader of the Catholic Church.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote, although they can take part in the conclave.
There are currently 252 cardinals, 138 of whom are cardinal electors.
Cardinal Mafi of Tonga and Cardinal Ribat of Papua New Guinea will travel to Rome to take part.
The Vatican confirmed Cardinal Mafi’s participation in the conclave to RNZ, and the Catholic church in Papua New Guinea has confirmed travel arrangements are being made for Cardinal Ribat to travel to Rome.
The Bishop of Lae in Papua New Guinea Rosario Menezes said Pope Francis, who visited the country in September last year, has done a lot for the church in PNG.
“This is our privilege, also because of Pope Francis, we have the first cardinal in the person of Cardinal John Ribat,” Menezes said.
“By appointing him as a cardinal, he has put the Catholic church in PNG on the world map, giving us the confidence that even though we are a missionary church here, we can contribute a lot to the universal church.
“We are very proud that PNG can also be part of the part of choosing the next leader of the Catholic church.”
Pacific leaders have joined those from around the world in paying tribute to the late pope.
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