by Paolo Affatato
Jayapura – “The presence of the Bishops in Papua will be a great sign of hope.” For Father Alexandro Rangga OFM, a Franciscan friar and Director of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office of the West Papua Province, the decision of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference to hold an assembly in Papua in 2027 is above all a gesture of solidarity with a population that continues to experience tensions and violence in some areas.
“The Church wants to listen directly, not just from a distance,” Father Rangga told Fides, expressing the local population’s full appreciation of the decision. Listening, he adds, can become the starting point for rebuilding trust: “Peace is a long process, but meetings like this help create a safe space for people to speak and build trust. And this is always the first step.”
The Bishops’ announcement came at the end of the second annual Assembly of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference for 2026, held in Jakarta from 4 to 10 November under the theme “Building a Sustainable Economy and a Common Home”. The meeting focused on economic justice, environmental protection and human dignity, with the Bishops pledging to turn these priorities into concrete action in their dioceses.
The Bishops’ Conference reaffirmed that the Church cannot “limit itself to issuing statements or drawing up programs”. In this perspective, it has once again placed the region of Indonesian Papua at the centre of its pastoral and social attention. The KWI announced its intention to organize an assembly in Papua in 2027 in order to gain a closer understanding of local communities and the challenges they face, and to work with the population and the authorities to safeguard human dignity and promote dialogue and peace.
According to Father Rangga, the decision has practical significance and could prove meaningful. “This is not simply an administrative meeting,” he emphasizes. The Bishops’ presence could serve as “a bridge for dialogue between the population, the government and all those who seek justice and peace”. In this way, Catholic communities in Papua will know that they “are not alone as they face their present and future difficulties”.
A decision rooted in closeness
The Indonesian Bishops’ decision is part of a broader process. In recent months, the Catholic Church in Indonesia has spoken out on several occasions about the situation in the western part of the island of New Guinea, which forms the Indonesian province of Papua.
In July 2026, the KWI, together with seven other major Christian denominations belonging to the “Indonesian Christian Community Forum” , voiced concern over the “structural humanitarian crisis” in the region, calling for dialogue to be given priority over the use of force.
Last October, Catholic and Christian leaders in Papua called for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to be granted access to the region. They considered an independent assessment necessary in light of reports of civilian displacement, tensions and violence resulting in loss of life.
The Bishops’ Conference has also drawn attention to environmental concerns. On October 29, the Bishops highlighted the need to “restore forests destroyed by fires”, rather than clear them to make way for commercial plantations, linking environmental protection to the safeguarding of the communities living in these territories.
The Indonesian Catholic Society Forum , which brings together lay associations, has also launched a five-year program for 2026–2031. This includes a task force dedicated to Papua, with the aim of supporting the rights of indigenous peoples and addressing the crisis in its various dimensions.
From Jayapura, Father Rangga tells Fides: “The situation here is calm at present. Church, school and pastoral activities are continuing as normal. However, reports of tensions continue to arrive from the central highlands and, in some cases, people have been forced to flee their homes and villages.” “We continue to pray and do our best,” says the Franciscan, explaining that the Franciscans’ JPIC Office in Papua continues to support those affected by the crisis.
“As members of the local Church, we continue to promote dialogue, raise awareness among young people and care for creation,” the friar explains, recalling the vision of Laudato si’. The work of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office focuses in particular on “assisting victims, peace education in parishes and dialogue with village leaders”. In this way, “the Church remains alongside communities, even when the situation is difficult”.
The Indonesian Bishops’ decision follows this same path. Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin OSC, President of the Bishops’ Conference, has stressed that the commitments made by the Bishops must be translated into concrete pastoral initiatives in the dioceses and greater cooperation with people of goodwill for the common good. “Papua, a land marked by poverty, tensions, violence and environmental challenges, is one of the places where the Church continues to seek ways to foster dialogue and closeness,” Father Rangga observes.
The announced assembly of the Bishops, who have chosen to “leave” the capital, Jakarta, and travel to Papua, cannot be “an immediate solution to a complex crisis. But it will be the beginning of a journey in which people listen to one another, meet and gradually rebuild mutual trust”, in order to “build, step by step, the conditions for genuine peace”.
An unresolved issue
Indonesian Papua, the western part of the island of New Guinea, has a long history of conflict and tensions between indigenous communities and the central government in Jakarta. Following the end of Dutch colonial rule, the status of Papua remained disputed. In 1962, under the New York Accords, administration of the territory was temporarily transferred to the United Nations and then to Indonesia, pending a consultation on its future membership.
In 1969, the so-called “Act of Free Choice” took place. It was not a universal suffrage referendum, but a consultation entrusted to just over a thousand representatives selected by the Indonesian authorities, who voted unanimously in favour of integration into Indonesia. The result was formally accepted by the United Nations General Assembly. However, the consultation’s limited representativeness has remained one of the main issues underlying the demands of the local population.
Since then, the territory has been marked by conflict between armed independence groups and Indonesian security forces, amid frequent reports of human rights violations, arrests, violence and displacement. Following the fall of Suharto’s regime in 1998, demands for greater autonomy and self-determination continued. In 2001, the central government in Jakarta introduced a “Special Autonomy Law”, but tensions have persisted, fuelled also by disputes over resource management, economic development, the presence of the State and the rights of indigenous communities.
The central government has promoted development projects in Papua, plans to exploit natural resources and migration from other parts of Indonesia, alongside an increasingly massive military presence. All of this has fuelled discontent and a sense of marginalization among the indigenous population. Papua remains one of the poorest and least developed areas of the Indonesian archipelago, while the presence of the military, mutual accusations of violence, clashes and deaths continue to deepen mistrust between local communities and the government authorities.
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