MISSIONARY TRIP TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA—Reported by Dr. Ligaya A. Acosta, February 13-27, 2010.

From the shivering cold United States, where I was in January for the March for Life, I travelled to scorching hot Papua New Guinea.  It was hot for me, who comes from a tropical country, the Philippines, so I imagine it was doubly hard for my mission partner, the walking pro-life encyclopedia, Dr. Brian Clowes, who left the US under two feet of snow.

But, the very gracious reception we received from the members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea, who all came for the three-day Bishops’ training we conducted at the scenic Don Bosco Emmaus House in Port Moresby, was more than enough to fan the heat away.  An offshoot of my first visit in March 2009, the training was personally requested by Italian Missionary Bishop Francesco Panfilo, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, who attended my talks during that trip in his Diocese of Alotau.  After hearing my talks, he said, “All the Bishops should hear this.  Can you come again to conduct training for all the Bishops?”  Of course, I was more than happy to oblige.

Speaking with the Shepherds of the Church

Thirty-nine participants came for the training: 21 Bishops and Archbishops and 18 leaders of national commissions under the Bishops’ Conference.  We came at the perfect time: one week before our arrival, there was a divisive condom issue all over the papers.  Like in the rest of the third world, especially, international death peddlers have spent much money on the massive promotion of condoms to all sectors, as usual under the guise of AIDS prevention and control!  Even a nun leading one of the commissions under the Bishops’ Conference, who also sits on the government-led National AIDS Council, had been trying to influence the Bishops to endorse condom use! Also, the government had been asking the Bishops’ Conference to support its population control program!  The training thus opened the eyes of everyone to the global anti-life agenda and its subtle deceptive tactics.  The Bishops asked many questions and participated actively in the discussions.   Surprisingly, the German pro-condom nun did not ask any questions or give any comments, but walked out just before Brian gave his talk on “The Condom Conundrum!”

Meal times also served as a venue for further discussions.  Those discussions confirmed the fact that international death peddlers are subtly extending their tentacles into the Catholic Church through many grants, visits, and seminars.  This has made some clergy and religious dangerously silent on essential basic Church teachings, and some have even been cooperating in the promotion of evil, like the use of condoms.  For poor countries like Papua New Guinea, the offers of mind-boggling financial assistance from anti-life organizations, especially for the construction of much needed infrastructures (even in the church) are too tempting to refuse.  Some of the Bishops even initially defended the chairman of the National AIDS Council, who is massively promoting condoms, as a “good person” who sits on the board of a popular “catholic” college!

The openness of the Bishops, their simplicity and their humility in attending the full-time three-day pro-life training, was very touching.  In the written comments they gave to us at the end of the sessions, they said they enjoyed and “learned a great deal” from our “excellent presentations and materials” and loved our “enthusiasm and commitment.”  They also said they appreciated our personal testimonies.  However, one questioned whether the “conspiracy and racial theories” still hold true today and didn’t like the term “death peddlers.”  Indeed the strategy of the death peddlers in appointing local representatives who are friends and “respected” members of the community appears to be working.

Overall, the training was a big success, and many more invitations came for us to speak in the other dioceses in the country. Many expressed their profuse thanks to Human Life International for our coming and for our generous sharing of materials, for which they have a great need.  Even the Papal Nuncio, His Grace, Francisco Padilla, who celebrated the closing Mass, expressed his thanks and appreciation to us, saying that the Bishops gave him good responses regarding the training.  He asked us if we could also go to the Solomon Islands, another country in Oceania under his jurisdiction, to conduct the same training, which we happily accepted.

A Conversion to the Truth

Aside from the Bishops’ Training, Brian and I also spoke at four other venues.  We gave two talks in the Archdiocese of Port Moresby: one at an Archdiocesan Congress and another at a pro-life rally with a total of about 500 people in attendance.  We spoke to about 200 people at the Catholic Theological Institute (CTI), a seminary and formation house for various religious orders.  We were invited by Couples for Christ to give a talk at the Chapel of Don Bosco, which was attended by about 150 people – filled to overflowing!  At all the venues, everyone was touched by the message of life.  One very moving comment came from a feminist who shared that she flew to Port Moresby to attend the National AIDS Council Meeting, but nobody met her at the airport, and so, providentially, she found herself at our talk.  She was almost crying as she spoke and said that the session changed her completely when she realized the many anti-life and anti-family things being done.  She expressed the wish that we come to her province.

Another young lady also spoke from her heart, crying, “You parents, you have not been a good example to us.”  She was referring to the widespread practice of promiscuity, abortion, and wife-beating in the country, accepted as “part of the culture!”  She challenged her fellow young people to start a much needed change in their generation.  The youth, to the delight of parents, took the vow of chastity after our talks, promising, among other things, that they would abstain from relations until marriage.

Together, the participants vowed to organize Pro-Life Papua New Guinea, and the Vicar General, Rev. Fr. Rodrigo Campilan (who attended all the sessions), said that the diocese will invite us again.

Training the Government?

As Brian left for home in the early morning of February 21, I left the same day for the highland province of Vanimo on an earlier invitation by Italian Missionary Bishop, His Excellency, Cesare Bonivento, PIME.  The good Bishop, who has been at the forefront of the battle for life and family in Papua New Guinea, organized a two-day Archdiocesan Congress, held at the St. John Vianney Seminary, where I was the lone speaker.  Classes for the seminarians were suspended to allow them, along with the priests and teachers, to attend the entire two days of my talks.  Government officials, led by the “Lord Mayor” and his deputy, also attended, as well as nurses, diocesan and parish leaders, parishioners, priests, and religious, totaling about 500 people.  Media covered the event.  Every session saw an increase in participants, indicating great interest in the topics.  The next day, the Lord Mayor proudly told me that he brought all his children so they could hear the talks.

The time for the open forum was not enough to accommodate everyone who wanted to share their stories, which were remorseful confessions of abortions and promiscuity.  The Bishop attended all the sessions.  He also celebrated the closing Mass with all the priests from the Diocese concelebrating.  He found the sessions so touching and important that he instantly organized another forum for the youth.  About 1,000 students and teachers from four schools came for my last talk, held at Don Bosco School, which was also endorsed by the Lord Mayor. The majority of these students took the Vow of Chastity at the end of my session, which made the Bishop very happy.

At the airport on my way back to Port Moresby, I met the government’s Secretary of Women Affairs, who told me how sorry she was that she was not able to attend and that my talks were the hot topic in the office that morning.  She asked me if they could invite me again for a much bigger audience, this time organized by the provincial government of Vanimo!

Once again, the Papua New Guinea mission proved, in no small measure, the power of the Gospel of Life and that there is joy in the splendor of truth.  Even as I give back all the glory to GOD, I thank and remember you in prayer; you, the many generous benefactors of HLI, without whom we can do nothing.