Papua New Guinea: “People suffer greatly in the jungle, they have nothing”, says young priest

“Papua New Guinea is a distant and mostly forgotten country”, Father Martín Prado, from Argentina, told ACN during a recent visit to the foundation’s headquarters in Germany.

Father Prado was only just ordained, and still a very young man, when he arrived in Papua New Guinea. His diocese, Vanimo, is located in the remote northwest of the country. “You can only get in and out of Vanimo by aeroplane. The only roads that do exist are for 4X4 vehicles that can drive through jungles and cross rivers and mountains. Whenever I travel, I take some young men with me to help me when it gets stuck”, said the Argentinian priest. The new 4X4 vehicle he uses was funded by ACN.

Papua is covered by rainforest that remains very well preserved. The great biodiversity is a treasure for the natives of Papua New Guinea, who have learned to care and take advantage of it. However, the lack of transitable routes makes it difficult to improve education, foster development and evangelise. “I visit communities that can only be reached by foot, by boat, or by canoe”, says Fr Prado. Now, thanks to his new vehicle, he can reach many more people.

There is much still to do in the diocese of Vanimo. “People suffer greatly in the jungle, they have nothing. Children sleep on the ground, they help their mothers cook over open flames, bathe in the river, and walk barefoot. In my parish I am proclaiming the Gospel for the first time, baptizing people, and telling them about Jesus Christ”, the priest, who is a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, explained to ACN.

With this “truck” as Father Prado jokingly calls it, he has been able to provide the community with many other services as well. The 4X4 serves as an ambulance for women who have to go and give birth at the medical centre and as a hearse to transport the dead. It also carries medicine for the sick, and construction materials for building two churches and houses for four catechists.

Fr Prado’s parish is located in the jungle, but he is also in charge of an educational project on the coast of Vanimo, where there are two primary schools and a secondary school that is just being set up and will cater for 1,000 pupils. This means that the priest generally spends seven days in the jungle and seven by the coast. “Thank God I have a car, since there are priests who only visit their communities once a year. I am so proud of this pick-up. It helps me with my work, and with evangelisation. It really changed my life”, Fr Prado added.

- By Carlos Rosas-Jiménez.

Featured Image: Truck for Vanimo diocese Papua New Guinea. Copyright: Aid to the Church in Need.

The Mass is the most effective prayer that could be said on behalf of those who have died. ACN can arrange recurring annual Masses for your dearly departed loved ones.