Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
The Franciscan Friars Minor of the Justice and Peace Commission of Papua Indonesia, through Father Alexandro Rangga (OFM), publicly lamented the recent drone attack on a Catholic church in Irian Jaya. This congregation expresses deep concern about the increase in violence against places of worship and unarmed residents and reaffirms that the protection of human life, the dignity of indigenous communities and the sanctity of religious sites must be respected without exception. They also demand “an independent investigation” and the immediate provision of security and humanitarian aid to all affected families. On May 17, a bomb exploded in the courtyard of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in the village of Mbamogo, Indonesian province, after Sunday Mass. Numerous worshippers were in the church courtyard at the time of the explosion, and four of them were injured. According to several eyewitnesses, the explosive device was detonated by a drone. Hundreds of civilians fled into the forests, exacerbating tensions in the region. The Indonesian military (TNI) immediately denied any involvement, classifying the incident as a possible “provocation” intended to sow chaos and increase tensions between the military and the population. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Papua police launched an investigation to determine the circumstances and those responsible.
Father Yanuarius Yance Yogi, a local Catholic parish priest, coordinated the evacuation of the wounded and expressed his concern for the safety of the faithful. Tino Mote, president of the Catholic Youth of Central Papua, called for a transparent investigation and urged Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to intervene “with serious peace measures.” The faithful of the Catholic community of the Diocese of Timika are deeply shocked. The region has been marked for decades by conflict between Indonesian security forces and Papuan separatist groups. Father Alexandro Rangga, head of the Justice and Peace Commission, expressed his concern about the widespread violence: “The shootings, the security operations against civilians, the deaths of children, women, students and members of indigenous communities, as well as the recent bombings near places of worship, have not only triggered a wave of refugees, but have also caused deep wounds and pain. This situation shows that Papua is trapped in a cycle of suffering and has not yet found a path to true peace.” In fact, the ongoing conflict has robbed the Papuan people of their sense of security, their future and their right to life. Papuan children and women are the face of humanity; they are a wounded image of God himself, who should live and grow up in a peaceful environment, receive a proper education and live without the shadow of violence and the noise of weapons. The Franciscans reject the militarization of civilian areas: “The excessive presence of armed forces in civilian areas,” the cleric observes, “has so far caused trauma, fear, displacement, and new vulnerabilities for communities. We call for an independent investigation of all incidents involving civilian victims, with full respect for the principles of justice and ensuring the moral and material accountability of those responsible.
As the Encyclical ‘Pacem in Terris’ states, true peace is founded solely on truth, justice, love, and freedom. “We appeal to all the faithful to intensify their prayers for peace in Papua, to show solidarity with the victims, and to become peacemakers within the community,” the Franciscan concluded. “We believe that Papua is not a cursed land, but a land of life. Papua should not be a place of endless war. Papua is our common home.” Currently, a low- to medium-intensity conflict is underway in the Indonesian province of Papua (also known as Irian Jaya), concentrated mainly in the central highlands of the region. Indonesian military operations have intensified in recent years, causing massive population displacements: since the beginning of 2026 alone, more than 105,000 internally displaced people, mostly indigenous Papuans fleeing to the forests, have been recorded. The local population accuses the military of killing civilians, burning villages, attacking churches and schools, and severely violating human rights. The military denies this, claiming to be fighting only armed separatists. While the political group Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) operates on the ground, armed separatists carry out attacks and ambushes against security forces, infrastructure, and sometimes even miners, whom they consider “intruders.” The main demands of the Papuan population are independence or, at least, greater autonomy within the framework of recognition of their Melanesian identity, which is distinct from the identity Indonesia. Indonesia, in turn, considers the province of The Papuan community sees the movement as an indivisible part of its territory and views it as a separatist and terrorist threat. A crucial factor in this resource-rich region is the control over these resources (copper, gold, timber, gas, etc.), exploited by large multinational corporations with concessions from the Indonesian central government, without benefiting the local population. Another factor in the conflict is the central government’s decades-long transmigration policy (the migration of people from Java and other Indonesian islands). This has reduced native Papuans to a minority and exacerbated tensions over land and resources. In this complex situation, there are allegations of torture, human rights violations, enforced disappearances, and impunity on the part of security forces. The Catholic and Protestant churches in Papua play a vital role in protecting human dignity and human rights, as well as promoting dialogue and peace. The Indonesian province of Papua, the western part of the large island of New Guinea, was a Dutch colony until 1962, before being integrated into Indonesia in 1969 through a referendum in which only about 1,000 elected representatives participated, without a popular vote. Since then, independence groups have waged a political struggle and defended the demands of the local population.
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