PNG’s first saint prompts celebration and renewal

Fr Tomas Ravaioli IVE, an Argentine missionary and the vice postulator of the canonisation of Peter To Rot, said “people are not just preparing outwardly with feasts and celebrations”.

“They are preparing internally. You see people praying through the intercession of Blessed Peter To Rot, going for confession and seeking reconciliation. It’s inspiring.”

The upcoming canonisation has only intensified this dedication, Fr Ravaioli said.

“The people here are very, very excited,” said Fr Ravaioli, “It all happened so fast it feels like a gift, the last present of Pope Francis to our beloved country.”

A layman and catechist, Peter To Rot was arrested and martyred in 1945 after he opposed polygamy in the wake of an order by the Japanese authorities that wanted to reintroduce the practice for local collaborators. He had been forbidden from religious activity but was reported by a collaborator for carrying on his work. 

A new portrait of Blessed Peter To Rot has been commissioned from Spanish artist Raúl Berzosa.

“His art doesn’t just show faces,” said Fr Ravaioli. “It invites you to pray. That’s why I chose him to help people not only see To Rot, but also pray through him.”

During the canonisation ceremony in St Peter’s Basilica, the portrait will be displayed, and relics of Peter To Rot – two of his fingers – will be presented. One will remain in Rome, while the other will return to Papua New Guinea, kept in a shrine at his home village of Rakunai.

Peter To Rot was beatified by St John Paul II in 1995. The cause for his canonisation had stalled until 2020, when Fr Ravaioli was appointed as vice postulator and travelled to Rome to reopen the process.

“No one was actively working on the cause anymore,” he said. “We had to start again, collecting documentation, testimonies and evidence.”

One of the greatest challenges was the oral culture of Papua New Guinea.

“Many stories of miracles and intercessions were passed down by word of mouth,” Fr Ravaioli explained. “People remembered extraordinary healings but often forgot the year or details. It took years of work to properly document everything.”

Pope Francis visited Papua New Guinea in September 2024, and expressed his desire to canonise Peter To Rot. In March 2025, he signed the decree, paving the way for the October ceremony in Rome.

“His witness reminds us that holiness is possible in every state of life,” Fr Ravaioli said of Blessed Peter. “You can become a saint as a married person, in your daily work. Holiness is a universal call.”

FULL STORY

Papua New Guinea awaits its first Saint: The story of Peter To Rot (By Sr Christine Masivo, CPS/Vatican News)

Local Papua New Guinean community celebrates… (Melbourne Catholic)