Papua New Guinea declares itself a Christian nation, RCC opposes move

Illustrative photo from open sources

Lawmakers in Papua New Guinea have voted to amend the country’s constitution to officially affirm the Pacific island nation as a Christian country, PillarCatholic reports.

The constitutional changes aim to solidify the religious identity of the country’s citizens, whose neighbors include Muslim-majority Indonesia on one side and the secular, liberal states of Australia and New Zealand on the other.

The preamble of the constitution now reads:
“[We, the people of Papua New Guinea] acknowledge and declare God, the Father; Jesus Christ, the Son; and Holy Spirit, as our Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and the source of our powers and authorities, delegated to the people and all persons within the geographical jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea.”

Despite the changes, the constitution still guarantees freedom of conscience and religion. Among other newly adopted provisions, the Bible has been recognized as an official national symbol.

With a population of approximately 11.8 million, Papua New Guinea is the second most populous country in Oceania after Australia. Gaining independence from Australia in 1975, the country occupies the eastern half of New Guinea – the world’s second-largest island after Greenland.

Around 40% of the population lives below the extreme poverty line, despite the country’s wealth in natural resources such as oil and gas.

According to the 2011 census, 95.6% of Papua New Guinea’s population identifies as Christian. Catholics form the largest Christian group, accounting for 27% of the population, followed by Lutherans at 19.5%.

However, local Catholic Church leaders have spoken out against the initiative.

Their arguments were outlined in detail in a March 18 essay by Fr. Giorgio Licini, former general secretary of the Papua New Guinea Bishops’ Conference.

“Protestant, Evangelical, and Pentecostal pastors from both mainline Churches and new groups believe that national harmony and progress will materialize when Christianity is formally and emphatically recognized by the national constitution,” Licini wrote.

He argued that the amendments will not address the country's socio-political challenges and could instead lead to greater disappointment.

Licini was not the only Catholic voice expressing skepticism. Fr. Miguel de la Calle called the amendment unnecessary.

“Michael Somare, the founder of the country, was a Catholic, meaning we are a Christian country already ... but for us Catholics, we are also Christian in our mentality, we don't need to declare a country to be Christian,” he said.

His view is shared by the country’s bishops. Last year, the Bishops’ Conference expressed strong opposition to the amendment in a letter to the country's Constitutional and Law Reform Commission.

As previously reported by the UOJ, a Roman Catholic theologian recently criticized Donald Trump for denying the existence of a third sex.

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