ABC: PAPUA New Guinea will soon have its first saint after Pope Francis approved the canonisation of local preacher Peter ToRot overnight.
Born at Rakunai village on the island of East New Britain in 1912, Peter ToRot led a Catholic mission during the Japanese occupation in World War II.
He was arrested and held in a Japanese prison in 1945 for practising Catholicism and was given an injection that reportedly killed him.
Last night, the Holy See Press Office published a notice saying Pope Francis had approved the canonisation of Peter ToRot, following a vote by cardinal fathers and bishops.
It comes not long after the pope was released from hospital after a battle with pneumonia, leading PNG leaders to believe the pope wanted to prioritise the canonisation.
Tomas Ravaioli, an Argentinian missionary in PNG, spent years collecting the documentation required for Peter ToRot to be recognised as a saint.
He was expecting feedback in April or May, but with the pope’s deteriorating health, he was uncertain about whether it would happen.
“He left the hospital only a few days ago; this is why we were not expecting this,” Fr Ravaioli told the ABC.
“We thought [the pope] had other priorities. Instead, after a few days, he signed the decree for the canonisation of Blessed Peter ToRot.
“It was amazing for us … and honestly, unexpected.”
Fr Ravaioli met Pope Francis when His Holiness visited PNG on a mammoth Asia-Pacific tour in September last year.
“He told me, in that moment, that he wanted to canonise Peter ToRot himself. This is what he told me in September last year,” Fr Ravaioli said.
Fr Ravaioli and other Catholics across PNG are celebrating the news this morning.
“It is amazing because this is the first saint ever in the history of Papua New Guinea,” he said.
“I think people will be absolutely happy with that. And I think it will be a renewal, also, for our faith here in Papua New Guinea.”
‘First ever home-grown saint’