A true partnership between the Churches and the State, doesn’t really exist in Papua New Guinea. What is in place is a remnant of the colonial structure or more precisely of the missionary era says Fr Giorgio Licini of the Office for Social Communications of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua.
Licini was responding to a a speech made at National Covenant Day celebration in Goroka on Monday by the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, in which he once again praised the role played by the churches in Papua New Guinea.
O”Neill said Churches are reliable partners of the Government which help provide spiritual guidance.
He said “The churches and the government need to work together in spiritual unity to deliver services and guide the country towards God, we need good spiritual guidance,”
At the same time, Governor Julie Soso, reiterated the call “for a religion policy to be implemented for all Christian churches to remain in PNG while outlawing other religions” which, says Licini is ” something about which for a start the Churches do not agree with at all!”
“The Churches also do not agree about the death penalty. They do not agree on the treatment reserved to the asylum seekers. They do not agree with many policies in the field of education. Neither they are happy with the way public funds are used and misused,” says Licini
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