Prime Minister O'Neill stops Pato from deporting American missionaries

Prime Minister O'neill stops Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato
frome deporting American missionaries 

Prime Minister  Peter O’Neill has intervened in the decision to deport three Lutheran Church missionaries from Papua New Guinea, ordering a review. The Prime Minister has directed Chief Secretary Sir Manasupe Zurenuoc to review the matter, and Immigration officials have been told not to effect the decision of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Rimbink Pato.

Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill and Mr Pato are faithful Lutheran Church followers – the Prime Minister is a Lutheran of the Lae-based Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea while Mr Pato is a Lutheran of the Gutnius Lutheran Church, which is based in his Wapenamanda electorate in Enga Province. The planned deportation of the American members of the Gutnius Lutheran Church has created uproar and anger in Enga Province, where the Lutheran missionaries are based and have been doing missionary work for decades.

Mr Pato last week defended his decision in Parliament and in the media, but many members of the public, including MPs, are not convinced. He is sticking by his decision, taking out full-page newspaper advertisements yesterday and today explaining why the three Americans must leave PNG. A spokesman from the Prime Minister’s office yesterday confirmed that Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill wants the missionaries to remain while Mr Pato’s decision to deport them is reviewed. Under PNG’s immigration laws, the Prime Minister has the power to prevent a deportation and have the decision of the Minister reviewed.

The outcry against the deportation was led last week by Enga Peter Ipatas, who has called on Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill to revoke the decision of the minister. Mr Ipatas said apart from pastoral duties, the missionaries carry out health and education activities to assist communities in some of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Enga.

The head of the Lutheran Missionary Synod in Missouri, USA, has also written to Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill to intervene, saying it would be wrong to deport missionaries who were simply going about doing their normal church work.

It is understood the deportation of the missionaries was instigated by Bishop David Piso, the head of the Gutnius Lutheran Church whose controversial re-election as Bishop this year has deepened the rift that already exists within the church. Many question the legitimacy of Piso’s re-election, and have taken sides with his rival Bishop Nick Ayane. This crisis in the church has caused operations and service delivery of church run schools and health facilities in Enga province to drop drastically.

Lutheran faithfuls, including the Missouri Synod in US which supports the church, have urged both factions to reconcile soon, or face the demise of a church which has done so much for human development in Enga and PNG.