His Eminence Sir John Cardinal Ribat M.S.C Highlights Faith and Nationhood at Thanksgiving Mass for Saint Peter To Rot.

Port Moresby, October 26, 2025: The Catholic community in Papua New Guinea gathered in thanksgiving for the Canonisation of Saint Peter To Rot. His Eminence Sir John Cardinal Ribat delivered a heartfelt message during the Thanksgiving Mass, reflecting on the journey of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

His Eminence reminded the faithful that the presence of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea goes back to 1844 with the arrival of the early missionaries. “The Church today has a population of approximately 2.5 million Catholic Christians from our 2024 statistics,” he said.

The Catholic Church has been a major health service provider and an important part of the nation’s growth. “Papua New Guinea has grown with the Church,” he said. “The Church has already recognised, blessing us with a Cardinal in 2016, and on 19th October 2025, the Catholic Church has blessed us with the Canonisation of our first ever Saint, Saint Peter To Rot. We are to celebrate and give thanks to God for the many blessings.”

Cardinal Ribat also spoke about the visit of Pope Francis and the Canonisation of Saint Peter To Rot, saying it offers a renewed appreciation of the contribution of the laity in the Church. “This Thanksgiving is to thank God for the gift of Saint Peter To Rot to us. It is also a Thanksgiving for us as a country, for we have achieved a milestone of 50 years of nationhood as churches in the Archdiocese and Diocese of Port Moresby continue to celebrate our Jubilee as Church with the theme, ‘Pilgrims of Hope: Journey from Darkness to Light. Light of Christ Jesus’ (John 8:12).”

He gave a special mention to the many lay Catholic men and women, especially catechists, who have faithfully served the Church over the years. “Many of you today are actively serving in ministry for over 20 years, some 40 years and beyond,” he said. “The Church depends on you. You keep the Church alive in parishes, schools, rural missions, and communities. Thank you for your services.”

Cardinal Ribat told everyone that Peter To Rot himself was a catechist. “He lived, worked, and died as a catechist,” he said. “The Universal Church acknowledged his courageous work and beatified him Blessed in 1995 by Pope Saint  John Paul the Second. And only this month, October 2025, Pope Leo XlV canonised him as a Saint.”

The Thanksgiving Mass brings deep joy and gratitude to the Catholic faithful of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. We must give thanks to God for the many blessings bestowed upon the Church, the nation, and the people through the life and witness of Saint Peter To Rot.