On October 19, 2025, Pope Leo will preside over the canonization Mass for seven saints at the Vatican. Among them is the first saint from Papua New Guinea, the layman Peter To Rot, who was persecuted by the Japanese occupiers in 1943.
A lay catechist, Peter To Rot continued his work despite Japanese occupation. He was slain for this and for defending monogamy in the face of Japanese polygamy.
Peter To Rot was born in 1912 in New Pomerania, the name given to New Britain (one of the islands of Papua New Guinea) when it was a German colony (until 1914). He grew up in a family that had recently converted to Catholicism.
His father refused to let him become a priest but sent him to train as a catechist with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Returning to his village of Rakunai, Peter To Rot became a beloved teacher. He got married and he and his wife Paula had three children.
In 1942, Japanese forces drove out the Australian forces that had taken possession of Papua New Guinea. They decided to severely restrict the rights of Christians, notably by banning Masses. Nonetheless, Peter To Rot continued to work clandestinely as a catechist. In 1943, he opposed a corrupt policeman who wanted to steal another man's wife to make her his second wife, as permitted by Japanese law.
Peter To Rot was denounced and arrested, and the Japanese discovered his religious activities. Refusing to abandon his ministry and continuing to oppose polygamy, he was finally put to death by the Japanese, who gave him a lethal injection. As the poison took a long time to take effect, the catechist was finished off with blows to the back of the neck.
No recognized miracles
In 1995, Pope John Paul II celebrated the Mass of Beatification of Peter To Rot during a trip to Papua New Guinea. Pope Francis, who also visited the Oceanic archipelago in September 2024, paid tribute to Blessed Peter To Rot during a meeting with several thousand Catholics at the John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby. The pontiff described him as an “extraordinary example” for them. He praised the fruitfulness of his courage, emphasizing how his martyrdom was the source of “so many new believers.”
The example of Peter To Rot is also particularly important for Papuan society, where sexual assault is widespread. A United Nations survey published in 2022 shows that 60% of women claim to have been victims of sexual violence.
The Argentine pope opened the door to this canonization without the usual recognition of a miracle. The bishops of Papua New Guinea requested a dispensation, according to the dicastery's website. They pointed out the difficulty of documenting a miracle due to the scarcity of hospitals capable of providing scientific expertise and the local culture, which is essentially oral and where English is rarely spoken.
