VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In Papua New Guinea, Pope Francis confronted discrimination against women and girls in society at large, but particularly in the Catholic Church, where positions of leadership and authority belong nearly entirely to men.
Francis landed Friday (Sept. 6) in Port Moresby, capital of the Oceanian nation that is his second stop of his four-country trip through Southeast Asia. Papua New Guinea is a majority Christian country, with 26% of the inhabitants identifying as Catholic.
After the customary meeting with the diplomatic and political leadership in the country on Saturday, Francis joined Governor General Robert Dadae in making an appeal to protect women and girls in the country, who are widely barred from leadership positions. Domestic violence and sexual abuse are also rampant in the country, with nearly 70% of women reporting they’ve experienced domestic abuse. Over 50% of women say they have been victims of rape, according to a UNICEF study. The country came second to last in the United Nations Gender Inequality Index.
“Let’s not forget, they are the ones who carry the country forward. They give life, build and grow a country. Let us not forget the women who are on the front line of human and spiritual development,” Francis said. In the afternoon, he reinforced his point by visiting the Caritas Technical Secondary School, which caters to young girls and women with disabilities.
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Dadae echoed the pope’s appeal, describing women as “a special gift from God to bear a nation,” saying his government intends to “emphasize the role of women and their need for protection.” He said his government intends to “emphasize the role of women and their need for protection,” pointing to his attempts to implement laws and policies aimed at protecting the rights of women in the country.
But later in the day, in a meeting with the country’s Catholic bishops in the afternoon, Francis was directly challenged about women’s roles in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis receives a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
After a greeting by Cardinal John Ribat, the first Papua New Guinean cleric to be given a red hat, the pope heard testimonies from local Catholics. One of them was Grace Wrakia, a single mother of three who participated in the meeting of the Synod on Synodality in Rome in 2023. Wrakia said that participating in discussions at the synod “gave me, a lay woman, a voice,” but she was skeptical about synodality taking root in the patriarchal society of Papua New Guinea. “I want to see change where women are partners and cooperators, where young people are not ignored or neglected but received with open hearts and minds, where priests and religious work as partners and not as competitors, where priests and consecrated men are not regarded as ‘big men’ but as servant leaders,” said Wrakia.
Sorcery and witchcraft are still practiced in Papua New Guinea, especially in the highlands. Being accused of performing sorcery, or dark magic, often leads to violence, and data shows that many women are victims of aggression when they are accused. One of the testimonies also spoke about the challenges faced by women accused of witchcraft.
Sister Lorena Jenal spoke about her experience at the House of Hope in the Diocese of Mendi, the capital of the Southern Highlands Province, a shelter for women who have been threatened after being accused of witchcraft. She recalled a woman named Maria, who came to the House of Hope in 2017, having been tortured and severely beaten under suspicion of being a witch. Her family would not visit her or care for her, given the stigma associated with witchcraft.
“The family visited Maria eventually and then realized how she suffered. Maria went home to her family after six months. After two years the court ruled, she was innocent,” Jenal said. “Today she is working in our team standing up for human rights and the dignity and equality of women. She witnesses to the importance of love and forgiveness among all people.”
While in Vanimo, Francis seemed to allude to the issue of witchcraft in the country, telling faithful to bring a message of love that will allow “to drive out fear, superstition and magic from people’s hearts, to put an end to destructive behaviors such as violence, infidelity, exploitation, alcohol and drug abuse.”
On Monday, his last day in the country, Francis met with young Papua New Guineans to inspire a message of hope for the country. Addressing the ethnic and linguistic diversity in the country, locally referred to as “wantok,” Francis urged youth to channel that diversity in the context of harmony with others.
“Break down divisions, do not close yourselves within your own group, go out to meet others and form friendships and then dream together, walk together, build together. You, young people, who desire new friendships and new encounters, you can do it. Be wantoks of love!” he said.
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