PREPARATIONS are underway in Papua New Guinea for the canonization of the first Pacific islander saint.
Pope Leo XIV will canonize Catholic preacher, Peter ToRot, who will become Papua New Guinea’s first saint in October.
Born on the island of East New Britain, Peter ToRot was held in a Japanese prison during World War II for practising Catholicism.
He was murdered by Japanese troops in 1945 for continuing his religious work despite a ban imposed by occupying forces.
ToRot was a fervent defender of marriage and the family, a catechist committed to the mission of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
His parents were among the first natives baptised in Rakanui, his hometown on the New Britain island of Papua New Guinea.