Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke has rejected allegations that the Catholic Church supported controversial Indonesian government mega-projects in South Papua.
The prelate warned that a widely discussed documentary on the issue risks deepening polarization and misrepresenting the Church’s pastoral work among Indigenous communities.
The controversy follows the release of Pesta Babi (“Pig Feast”), a documentary by Indonesian filmmakers Dandhy Dwi Laksono and Cypri Paju Dale examining the social and environmental impact of Indonesia’s National Strategic Projects, or PSN, particularly food estate and bioethanol projects in South Papua.
The film has drawn widespread attention in Indonesia for its portrayal of large-scale land clearing and its impact on Indigenous Papuan communities, especially in Merauke and nearby areas.
In remarks published by AsiaNews and in a podcast interview uploaded on May 21, Archbishop Mandagi denied accusations that the Archdiocese of Merauke supported the projects, sold land, or received money from companies linked to environmental destruction.
“These negative accusations against me and the Merauke Archdiocese are entirely baseless. It feels as though I am being trapped by narratives suggesting that I am benefiting from the PSN projects,” the archbishop said.
Mandagi said the archdiocese had deliberately refrained from responding publicly earlier because he did not want the issue to divide Catholics in the region.
“If I continuously respond to false accusations repeated everywhere, my statements will only be twisted further,” he said. “As a bishop, I do not want our faithful in the Merauke Archdiocese to become divided because of the PSN issue.”
The archbishop said the Church’s mission in Papua is rooted in defending human dignity and strengthening fraternity rather than aligning itself with political or economic interests.
“We believe humanity is not saved by PSN, but by love and fraternity. Amor vincit omnia — love conquers all,” he said.
Mandagi also criticized the documentary for presenting what he described as a one-sided narrative that excluded the perspective of the local Church, which has worked among Papuan communities for decades.
“They never came to ask the bishop or the priests serving in the field. They only listened to parties who shared the same objectives as the filmmakers,” he said.
He strongly denied allegations that the archdiocese had been bribed or collaborated with companies accused of destroying forests in Papua.
“The accusation that the Church has been bribed is deeply painful. We have spent years living here, struggling to uphold the dignity of Papuans,” he said.
Mandagi said priests and Church workers continue serving remote communities through schools, healthcare, agriculture programs, credit unions, and pastoral ministries in isolated parts of South Papua.
While criticizing the film’s framing, the archbishop stopped short of calling for it to be banned, instead urging viewers to approach it critically.
“Watch the film, but do not lose your critical thinking,” he said.
The controversy surrounding Pesta Babi has intensified debate in Indonesia over Indigenous rights, environmental destruction, and the social costs of state-backed development projects in Papua, where Church leaders continue to navigate growing political tensions while maintaining pastoral work among remote communities.
