Missionary Trip to PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Reported by Dr. Ligaya A. Acosta, March 2009

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country in Oceania located between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia. It is slightly larger than California and has an estimated population of only 5,931,769 and a population growth rate of 2.118%.  Its total fertility rate is 3.71 children.

The Myth of Overpopulation

How does one teach chastity to a nation where promiscuous sex and dancing topless in grass skirts is part of the culture?  This was one of the many challenges I had to face in my recent trip to Papua New Guinea, a country besieged by the culture of death.  Abortion and artificial contraception are widely practiced, and the death peddlers are very active.  The government promotes the myth of overpopulation regardless of all the evidence to the contrary. One does not even need to analyze data and statistics to see the truth, but only to look around at the widely uninhabited land.

I was very thankful for the warm reception I received from my host, His Excellency, Francesco Panfilo (an Italian Missionary Bishop), who, by God's grace, entrusted me to the very kind nuns of the Siervas de San Jose.  The great Sr. Lucy thus became my official escort.  At our first meeting, the good bishop, who is also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, showed me a document on the Population Control program of the government.  (Ironically, the government is seeking the assistance of the Church!)  He told me that the country is widely promoting the use of condoms as the solution to AIDS.  And I assured him that I would be addressing these issues. 

Spreading the Gospel of Life

My first full-day talk was with the Presbyterial Council, composed of about 20 priests headed by the bishop.  To maximize my presence, the good bishop opened the talk to all the nuns, seminarians, Church leaders, and parishioners in the diocese, totaling more than 100 people.  The audience was larger in the afternoon because those who attended in the morning called others to encourage them to come.  

After the session, there were more invitations for talks later in the week, which I gladly accepted.  My days were filled with speaking engagements from morning until evening.  It was only by God's amazing grace that I withstood the very hectic schedule without losing my voice.  Prayer and fasting definitely gave me strength.  Three nursing students who represented St. Barnabas School of Nursing asked that I speak at their school.  Since the students were in the midst of exams at that time, the president of the school requested that I come Sunday evening to make sure all the students were present.  Many of those who attended my first session also followed me to my other talks, saying that they wanted to learn as much as they could from my presentations. 

Real Love through Natural Family Planning

Some people requested talks on Natural Family Planning, which were previously not on the schedule.  During these talks, I required husbands and wives both to be present and to sit together.  In the beginning, they were adamantly against this idea because, as I learned later, this was not normal behavior.  Husbands and wives don't usually sit together, and women are treated like second-class citizens.  Even in church, the bishop told me, the men sit in one row and the women in another.  Women are treated like "possessions," partly because of the dowry system still in place.

As I started each session talking about marriage, the wives had the biggest smiles on their faces, especially when I asked the husbands and wives to say "I love you" to each other.  No one recalled the last time they verbally expressed their love to one another, and some later shared with me how they suffered because of that. The women were especially grateful that their need for real love was finally being openly discussed.  The husbands listened with renewed understanding.  I emphasized the necessity of communication when using Natural Family Planning, and the couples opened up as the session progressed, which was very heartwarming.

Challenging the Youth on Chastity

My four sessions with the youth were very enlightening and touching.  The youth confirmed that casual, promiscuous sex and abortion were commonplace.  My first full-day session was with 65 diocesan youth leaders, joined by about 100 students from a Catholic school.  They were in awe as I showed them colored pictures depicting the beginning and development of human life in the womb, and they cringed as I showed them pictures of aborted babies.  It was their first time seeing these, and they vowed never to abort a child again.  Their eyes also widened in amazement as I explained the horrible side effects of contraception, the consequences of premarital sex, and the advantages of being chaste.

I was happy to discover that they understood that we are created in God's image and likeness, and that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and, thus, we should respect them.  However, I saw a big disparity between their understanding and practice.  Surprisingly, as I sought to end with the "Vow on Chastity," no one stood up to take it.  I explained what the vow meant, that it was voluntary, and that it was a serious promise made not to me, but to God, who is all-seeing and all-knowing.  There was a deafening silence.  Thus, I had to lead the group into a discussion.  We had a lengthy open forum in which I explained that even if they had not been chaste before, they could still take the vow as long as they would remain chaste from that moment.  Shockingly, the diocesan youth leaders defended their practice on premarital and promiscuous sex. 

A young man stood up and asked this question, which dropped like a bomb - "What can we do?  Premarital and promiscuous sex are a part of our culture.  What can we do when it is our very own parents who push us to have sex?"  With all the kindness and prudence I could muster, I praised the young man for being open and honest, and I reiterated that I do not condemn his culture.  I said that that is why we go to school and conduct seminars like this - to discover the truth.  That is why HLI exists.  Education is a process of learning and unlearning.  We retain and adopt the good and discard the bad.  After my answer, the young man stood again and said with much conviction:  "Then I challenge everyone here present - let us start from our generation, let us vow that from hereon we shall abstain from sex until we get married."  I fought to control my tears.  Two other ladies from the very last row stood up, and I asked the three to come forward.  As they reached the front, the others followed slowly.  It was a very touching scene.  Although not all took the vow, a majority did - one giant first step!

The bishop learned what had happened before I could tell him.  When we met, he told me how grateful he was that I had given that talk and admitted that the church is partly to blame for being quiet on the issue.   He asked me to speak to the whole school the next day because they all needed to hear the message.

We travelled back to the town of Hagita the next day to speak with about 700 students and teachers of Hagita Secondary School, a Catholic School run by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.  As I arrived, the Sister Principal told me that my talk the day before was the "hot topic," and all those who attended told everyone else that they should hear it, too.  Thus, the hall was overflowing with people, many of them standing outside the windows and doors.  Classes were suspended so that everyone could hear my talk.  I was very pleased to see that even those who attended the previous day's session came to hear my talk again and seated themselves on the cement floor in the front row with smiles on their faces.  It was indeed another show of God's amazing glory.

NURSING STUDENTS PURSUE THE GOSPEL OF LIFE

We arrived in Alotau in time for my 7:00 pm talk at St. Barnabas School of Nursing.  All 57 students attended, along with the president of the school and his wife. Some other 20 health workers and professionals, two nuns, and a priest who had heard of my previous talks also came.  Still others who had already heard me speak came again as well.

As during my other talks, the participants remained glued to their seats for some time after the session ended.  They hungered for more.  Indeed, there is power in the Gospel of Life and joy in the splendor of truth!  Everyone wanted to have a copy of my presentation and were so grateful to have received HLI's Pro-Life CD Library.  They said they are in urgent need of pro-life materials to be able to counter the propaganda of the culture of death. They were also extremely happy to receive the rosaries I brought, which they excitedly asked the bishop to bless.  I did not have enough for everyone who wanted one.  There was one problem though: Since most of the people don't have computers needed to use the Pro-Life CD Library, books like HLI's Facts of Life and The Case Against Condoms are still urgently needed. 

HLI'S FUTURE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The bishop and I left the Diocese of Alotau-Sideia for Port Moresby in the early morning of March 30.  On the way, we had the chance to talk about another speaking tour, but he expressed the concern that Papua New Guinea cannot afford to finance a national congress. He was glad when I assured him that, just like my recent visit, HLI will pay for the travel costs.  I requested that he help us pray for HLI's benefactors, that God may bless them more so they will continue to give, and so we in turn can continue the mission.

The bishop handed me a letter of thanks as we parted.  He wrote, "It is my hope that you and the team of Human Life International could come again and speak to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands because also in these countries family life is in crisis and human life is under attack."  He added,"We need to learn how to bring the message in a gentle but also powerful way to our people, just as you did."

In total, I conducted 11 talks in seven days, speaking to almost 2,000 people.  Many of them were not Catholic, but they were still deeply touched by the message.  I told them, Catholic or not, we are all children of God made in His image and likeness and loved by the One who died for us all.  I have always emphasized that, although HLI is a Catholic organization, our message transcends religions, because everyone should be concerned with the defense of life and family.  Women who take the Pill will suffer the same side effects regardless of their religion, and even if one does not believe in God, abortion will remain the worst murder of all.

On March 31, my last day in PNG, I made courtesy calls to His Excellency, Archbishop of Port Moresby, John Ribat, and His Excellency Francisco Padilla, Papal Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.  Both expressed their support and gratitude for the work of HLI and also their wish to expand the mission to other dioceses.  The Papal Nuncio was especially happy to know of HLI's loyalty to the Holy Father and support of him during the condom controversy.

As I left Papua during the late evening of March 31, I profusely thanked God and Our Lady, as well as all the angels and saints in heaven, for another mission won for His glory.