“The Vatican Can’t Stay Silent”: Papua Film Sparks Church Uproar

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — Inside a Catholic cathedral hall on the island of Flores, a documentary screening turned into something far larger: a public reckoning over the Catholic Church’s silence on Papua.

More than 100 people — including clergy members, nuns, Indigenous activists and students — gathered on May 7 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Labuan Bajo to watch Pesta Babi: Colonialism in Our Time, a politically charged documentary by Indonesian investigative filmmaker Dandhy Dwi Laksono and director Cypri Jehan Paju Dale.

By the end of the night, the audience was no longer discussing cinema. They were demanding action from the Vatican.

The film lays bare the rapid transformation of Papua’s southern forests into sprawling food estate projects, plantations and energy developments backed by a growing military presence. In some of the documentary’s most haunting scenes, Indigenous Papuans plant red crosses into threatened ancestral lands — symbols of mourning, resistance and spiritual defiance.

For many in the audience, the crosses carried a painful question: Where does the Church stand?

“Where is the Church’s position in all this? That question pierced me,” said Sister Frederika Tanggu Hana, coordinator of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit in West Flores. “It made me deeply ashamed.”

Her remarks reflected growing unease among Catholic communities in eastern Indonesia, where divisions within the Church hierarchy have become increasingly visible. While Bishop John Philip Saklil of Timika and other clergy in Papua have openly criticized large-scale extraction projects and violence against Indigenous communities, critics say other Church leaders appear too aligned with state and corporate interests.

Yosef Erwin Rahmat, an Indigenous leader from Wae Sano in Flores whose own community is fighting geothermal development projects, called for the issue to be brought directly to the Vatican.

“This creates confusion among the faithful,” he said. “The Church must return to its universal mission — justice, peace and the protection of creation.”

His comments echoed the ecological vision of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical urging Catholics worldwide to defend both the environment and vulnerable communities from exploitative economic systems.

The documentary screening carried unusual significance. Similar events in Yogyakarta and at the University of Mataram had reportedly faced cancellations and security pressure because of Papua’s political sensitivity. But in Labuan Bajo, the gathering proceeded peacefully inside a Catholic institution — becoming one of the first public screenings hosted by a church outside Java.

Mr. Laksono described the reception as extraordinary.

“It was a real test of pluralism and moral courage,” he said.

The solidarity from Flores is rooted in shared experience. Across the region, Indigenous communities are confronting disputes over tourism megaprojects, plantations and geothermal ventures that critics say threaten customary land rights and fragile ecosystems.

Catholic bishops in the Flores-Denpasar region have previously issued pastoral letters condemning environmental destruction and development policies that marginalize local communities.

“What is happening in Papua should be a warning for other regions,” Sister Rita told the audience.

The calls from Labuan Bajo come as international scrutiny over Papua intensifies. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly warned about escalating violence, civilian displacement and militarization in the region. Thousands of civilians have reportedly fled conflict zones in Papua Highlands and South Papua over the past year.

The Vatican has not publicly responded to the latest appeals.

But for many Papuans, the crisis is no longer only about land. It is about identity, survival and faith itself.

The red crosses standing in Papua’s soil now symbolize more than resistance. They are a direct challenge to the global Church: whether its promises of ecological justice remain words on paper — or become acts of moral courage.

(Sources: Floresa, UCA News, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch)