The Catholic Diocese of Daru-Kiunga

The church and the poor

The recent election of Pope Francis brought about smiles on many faces and hope in many hearts around the world. Through his words and attitudes he immediately showed the clear direction he wanted to give his ministry as Bishop of Rome and leading Shepherd of the Catholic people. During his meeting with the journalists the Saturday after his election Pope Francis said: “How I would like a poor Church for the poor!”

The second Vatican council and the poor

At the end of the Second Vatican Council a group of bishops gathered at night to celebrate the Eucharist at the Catacombs of St. Domitila. During that gathering they signed a pact known as The Pact of the Catacombs. The title of the Pact they signed was A Servant and Poor Church. Later on about 500 other bishops signed the Pact. A Church that is servant and poor is a Church that is poor and for the poor. Did Pope Francis sign this Pact? It is easy to believe that he did so.

Recently I was reading a publication about the Second Vatican Council. The author of the publication was himself a Father of the Council. He was sharing that during the Council there were many informal groups formed and each one with a different interest. One of those groups was called the ‘Group of the Church of the Poor’. That group of bishops took up their interest based on words spoken by Pope John XXIII in a radio message on September 11, 1962, a month before the opening of the Council. Pope XXIII said: “The Church wants to be a Church of all the people, and in a special way the Church of the poor. The Church will become servant and poor”. These words were always present in the minds and hearts of many bishops at the Council. The bishops who were part of ‘The Group of the Church of the Poor’ met regularly to reflect on a Church for the poor and with the poor. They made sure that this message was not lost by repeating it to all the bishops through their interventions.

The author wrote that eventually there was no document written on this specific topic but that this idea had become like an undercurrent during the whole of the Council.

Some of the ideas promoted by that group of bishops were:

Let me quote from a few of the Documents of the Council

Gaudium et Spes – Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, no. 1

Ad Gentes – Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, no. 24

Ad Gentes, no. 5

Presbyterorum Ordinis – Decree on the Ministry and Life of the Priests, no. 6

Christus Dominus – Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, no. 13

The Church in Papua New Guinea

The Church in Papua New Guinea doesn’t have a very long tradition as the first missionaries from Europe landed on its shores 130 years ago. The hierarchy (dioceses and archdioceses) was organized only in 1966. In some parts of the country the work of the first evangelization began only a few years before the start of the Second Vatican Council. You can then imagine how strong an impact the teaching of the Council had on the bishops and their people. I can easily say that the Church being built in Papua New Guinea is a Church of participation and communion, being faithful to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the Church. The Church of the Council is the People of God, a Mystery of Communion, the Body of Christ, a Pilgrim and Servant Church. The bishops are very united in their efforts to build a Church of the Second Vatican Council.

Some years after the Council, in 1975-1976 we organized the Self-Study of the Church, encouraging the people to take ownership of the Church and saying ‘We are the Church’.

After the Synod of Oceania in 1998, we held the General Assembly of the Catholic Church in 2004 after two years of preparation and participation of people across the country. We were promoting a Church Alive in Christ. The tangible result was the writing and acceptance of our first National Pastoral Plan aiming at including all people in the life and mission of the Church.

At this time we are going through a process of evaluation of our first National Pastoral Plan and preparing the Assembly of Faith which is to take part in November this year. The outcome of this Assembly of Faith during which representatives from all the dioceses Papua New Guinea will take part will hopefully be the writing of our second National Pastoral Plan, indicating to us the way to move forward in building a Church of communion and participation, a Church of the Second Vatican Council.

What about the in all this? Are they part of this Church?

Surely they are. Most of our people are subsistence farmers and most of them do not have access to markets. The majority of them live on approximately US$1.00 a day. They suffer much because of the incapacity of the Government to deliver essential services to them. Most dioceses still depend on generous donations from overseas for their running and survival.

If we do not fully include the poor in the life and mission of the Church we are not the Church of Jesus Christ and also not the Church of the Second Vatican Council.

In our National Pastoral Plan we had one section for the poor people. It was entitled “The Poor: self-reliant and respected” and the objective was the following:

So the purpose was not only to take care of the poor but to empower them to be able to walk out of their poverty.

As we evaluate our National Pastoral Plan there are many questions for further reflection and clarification in preparation for the Assembly of Faith. For example: to what extent have we implemented the vision of the Second Vatican Council for a truly participatory church? What are the indications and signs of hope that a communitarian model of church, with a special place for the poor and disadvantaged is taking hold?

The Diocese of Daru-Kiunga

The first missionaries arrived at Kiunga on the 20th of June 1959. Our first bishop, Gerard Deschamps, a Montfort Missionary from Canada was Prefect Apostolic at the time of the Council and as such attended the four sessions of the Council. That experience had a very profound impact on him and it resulted in his desire and decision to build a Church of the Second Vatican Council in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, a Church of communion and participation. This has been the guiding principle of all our work of evangelization and human development since that time.

As we worked hard during the last 53 years, how did we take care of the poor? Have we built a Church that is poor and for the poor, a Church that is servant? There can be different kinds of poverty. It is not just about having or not having money. Some are poor because they do not have access to markets. Some are poor because there are no services coming to their villages such as health and education. Some are poor because their lack of knowledge makes them victim of the rapid changes taking place in their society. Some are poor because they cannot see the way forward for a better life.

I can honestly say that from the beginning of our Mission here, we have tried our very best to reach out to all the people, whoever they are and wherever they live, whether rich or poor, male or female, educated or illiterate. Living as Church of communion and participation implies that we believe in the equality among all those who share in that new relationship of being brothers and sisters in Christ. A Church that lives and promotes communion and participation is a Church that is inclusive of persons of all kinds because all persons are created in the image and likeness of God. We all share the same dignity. It is a Church in which all are welcome and have a part to play. We are all one in Jesus Christ. These ideas are clearly expressed and written in our Diocesan Pastoral Plan.

One concrete example of our care of the poor is the care we have been given to the refugees from West Papua since 1984. Because of the care given to them they now feel part of us.

How can we consistently and concretely follow such a direction? Is there anything in place to keep us on the right track? In our diocese we have some pastoral guidelines for our work of evangelization and human development. These are a set of ideas to keep in our minds and our hearts as we plan and program our activities. It ensures that we are in line with the model of Church we desire to build, that all the people will be invited to take an active part in the life and mission of the Church, that what we do will bring the people to live communion through relationships of love.

One point is very clear and often repeated: when we plan and program our yearly activities we keep in mind all the people, making sure that we do not forget the poor people living in the far away villages. We also make sure that the services and training offered at the main centre of the parishes are also offered to the people of the remote villages.

Let me write down a few of those pastoral guidelines that are so important in order to be inclusive and build a Church that is made up of all our people:

With such pastoral guidelines it is difficult to leave the poor on their own and not care for them. With all the others they are the Church. Recently we had a special day for persons with disabilities. They took charge of all the responsibilities for the Sunday Eucharist and other activities afterwards. It was so touching to see them active and happy to take such an active part in the life of the Church. They feel that they belong. They are part of us as we make room for them.

The recent establishment of the Small Christian Communities is to allow all the people, including the poor, to take part in community meetings and get involved in the decisions that are taken for the common good.

The seminar for men that we are holding in all the parishes gathers together old and young men, educated and non educated men, etc. When they come together for reflection they are one.

Each year I write a Pastoral Letter on the value that is lived and promoted during the year. That letter is translated in three languages so that all the people can read it.

We care for those infected with HIV & AIDS, for Persons with disabilities, for young men who do not know what to do with their lives, for the sick and the needy. We teach people how to grow rice and make fish ponds. And most importantly the Parish teams visit the people living in the remote villages and make sure they get all the information needed for them to take an active part in the life of the parish Church. Each Parish is invited to write its yearly budget and this enables the Diocese to treat each parish equally when it comes to finances. We offer spiritual, pastoral and social services to the people and do so many other things to empower them to become responsible for their growth as persons and as communities.

Let me conclude in this way: to be poor and for the poor is never a project that is completed. It is a way of believing and being Church, a way of doing the work of evangelization and human development, the only way to be Christian because that was the way of Jesus. We can never be satisfied with what we have done or are doing for the poor. We need to look at situations with new eyes and see how we can be with the poor in this present reality and walk with them and be Church with them.

I hope and pray that during the years of service of Pope Francis our Church will become a poor Church for the poor.

Bishop of Daru-Kiunga Diocese