Merauke Archbishop Feels Slandered by 'Pig Party' Film, Calls It Full of Propaganda
Merauke Archbishop Mgr. Petrus Canisius Mandagi has slammed the documentary 'Pig Party: Colonialism of Our Time' for presenting a one-sided and unbalanced narrative about development projects in South Papua. He accuses the film of ignoring local Catholic Church views and being loaded with political interests.
Mandagi questioned the filmmakers' methods for not directly asking the Church in Merauke for its perspective. "Why didn't they ask the archbishop or the pastors working on the ground?" he said. He also denied accusations that the Merauke Archdiocese supports national strategic projects or cooperates with companies clearing forests.
The 'pig party' tradition highlighted in the film is considered misinterpreted. Mandagi stressed that the pig party has sacred meaning for certain indigenous communities, and its use as a propaganda tool is an insult to the Papuan people.
Amid this controversy, Archbishop Mandagi explained that his silence so far has been a pastoral decision to prevent facts from being twisted and to avoid divisions within the Church.
https://www.gelora.co/2026/05/