Sawt Falasteen - Pope Francis's unfulfilled wish: declaring PNG's first saint

The late pontiff confided to religious leaders in the Pacific nation that he wanted to personally oversee the canonisation of "martyr" Peter To Rot.

Now, that honour will fall to his successor.

"He told me that he wanted to canonise Peter To Rot himself," said Tomas Ravaioli, an Argentine missionary in Papua New Guinea who met with the pope when he visited in September last year.

"He said that To Rot is the kind of saint that people need in this moment. You know, he's not a priest or a bishop -- he's a normal man," Ravaioli told AFP.

"It's very sad for us because we were expecting him to canonise Peter To Rot."

To Rot was formally cleared for sainthood on March 31 when the Vatican issued decrees for the "causes of saints".

His canonisation will take place during a mass in the Vatican at a time yet to be decided, at the discretion of Francis's successor.

- 'Not a superhero' -

"We don't know who is going to do it," Ravaioli said.

"And of course, we love the next pope without knowing him yet. But it will not be the same."

To Rot's supporters travelled the country for decades collecting evidence to convince the Vatican of his eligibility for sainthood.

"He's a layman. He was 33 years old. He was a married man with three children," said Ravaioli, who has worked for To Rot's elevation for years.

"He was not a superhero, but he was a normal man of a village," he said.

To Rot, born in 1912 in Rakunai -- 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Port Moresby -- was a spiritual guide for Catholics in the area during World War II, the Vatican says.

He fought against polygamy and practised even as religious leaders were detained by Japanese occupiers.

To Rot was imprisoned by Japanese authorities and died of poisoning in July 1945, according to the Vatican.

- Path to sainthood -

Pope John Paul II beatified To Rot in 1995, setting him on the path to sainthood.

The final step is canonisation.

Ravaioli said he hoped sainthood for the local preacher would rekindle the "flame of faith" in the devoutly Christian country.

But Papua New Guinea also suffers from poverty, rampant domestic abuse, witch hunts and tribal violence in which thousands have been killed and tens of thousands displaced.

For many in Papua New Guinea, the church is synonymous with healthcare, education and welfare that the state does not provide.

An estimated 98 percent of Papua New Guineans are Christian and about 25 percent are Catholic.

Archbishop Rochus Tatamai, also a blood relative of To Rot, said it was important for Papua New Guinea to get its own saint.

"It is confirmation and affirmation that our people are more than good enough to be raised to become saints," he told AFP during the papal visit last year.

"You have to work hard to become a saint, you do not inherit holiness."

J.Saleh--SF-PST