Catholics Versus Protestants in Pacific Mission Field

Letter to the Editor

ON a number of occasions you have made reference to sectarian friction in the Pacific territories, and some of your criticism apparently has been directed at the Seventh Day Adventists.

You have —and I think rightly—praised the Papuan system, whereunder certain areas were reserved to certain missionary organisations. As an old resident in the Islands I have seen a good deal of sec tarian rivalry and bitterness and I want to say to you that, while much of what you have said is true, you have not actually put your finger on the cause of the trouble.

I can say as a result of my observa tions that in very many cases where sec tarian strife has occurred, to the con fusion and bedevilment of the natives, the

real cause is the refusal of the Roman Catholic Church to recognise that there can be any true religion other than the R.C. religion.

I saw a good example of this in Eastern Papua in recent years. The territory was divided up between the Anglicans, Lon don Missionary Society, Methodist Mis sion, and Kwato Mission. Generally these missionaries worked together amicably; their work was well and efficiently done; and they respected each other’s sphere of influence. Then the Roman Catholics bought a small plantation in one of the other mission body’s areas, near Samara!, and commenced school work there; and from that point they gradually have thrust their missionary activities into various other areas previously served by the non-Catholic missionary bodies. This is completely opposed to the old estab lished arrangement. The Administration, which formerly had upheld the old policy of reserving certain areas for certain missionary bodies, has apparently refused to deal with this situation—apparently because it is not willing to join issue with the Roman Catholic Church in the matter —and the result is that sectarian bitter ness Is now to be found in this region.

The policy of Rome apparently is that her mission Is directed to all people who are not Roman Catholics, and she cannot agree that native peoples are receiving religion if they are receiving it at the hands of Protestants. That is the funda mental cause of sectarian bitterness in the Pacific, and nothing is to be gained by covering the fact.

There is reason behind the contention of Rome, provided that the appeal is made to educated people who are capable of weighing the arguments for and against Roman Catholicism, and making a de cision for themselves. But that these age-old arguments as between Catholi cism and Protestantism should be carried into the Pacific territories, for submission to primitive people who are quite in capable of appreciating those fine shades of difference which puzzle even educated Europeans, is surely a most deplorable thing.

I have many friends among mission aries of all denominations, and, like you, Mr. Editor, I loathe sectarianism with all my heart. I am personally under a debt of gratitude to Roman Catholic mission aries who have given me much-needed help in the past. But I confess my sym pathies are with those Protestant mis sionaries who boil with indignation when they meet natives who, having been in structed by R.C. missionaries, assure the Protestant men that the religion they seek to teach is not a religion at all. Is it any wonder that the non-Catholic mis sionaries fight back and that we have these unfortunate sectarian incidents?

I am, etc.,

Pt. Moresby

Old Trader.

Papua.

September 8, 1936.