Office of External AffairsThe Bahá’í Community of Papua New Guinea Reflects on PNGCC’s National Theological Symposium: A Call for Unity, On-going Dialogue, and Shared Nation-Building through Faith
24 July 2025 | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | For Immediate Release
The Bahá’í Community of Papua New Guinea extends its sincerest appreciation to the Papua New Guinea Council of Churches (PNGCC) for the honour of participating in and contributing to the recent National Theological Symposium (14-18th July 2025), held under the theme “Christianity and its Relationship with Other Religions in Nation Building.” We highly commend PNGCC’s visionary leadership in creating such a vital space for inclusive dialogue, reflection, and collective purpose.
Our community is equally grateful to our Government for supporting this landmark initiative. By fostering a spirit of genuine consultation among religious leadership and representation, the symposium demonstrated how faith can play a constructive role in shaping the moral landscape of our country.
As we approach the 50th Independence Anniversary the symposium came at a defining moment in our national life. It invited leadership of faith communities to reflect on the critical and enduring role of religion in nation-building—not as a divisive force, but as a harmonising power promoting collective well-being, mutual-respect and fostering a sense of safety and security through compassion for all.
Alongside our Christian brothers and sisters, Bahá’ís believe that the purpose of religion is to establish concord and unity through love. A true believer of God upholds justice, honours human dignity, and strives in selfless service. Yet, in many parts of the world, religious fervour has been exploited to sow hatred, marginalise communities, and incite conflict. Such perversions of faith are contrary to the teachings of true religion, which call upon the faithful to uphold the sanctity of every fellow human being – themes discussed earnestly at this historic National Theological Symposium.
We must continue to uphold the noble principles enshrined in our National Goals and Directives and in our Constitution: egalitarianism, shared responsibility, striving for collective wellbeing, and a reverent appreciation of the sacredness of life as an undivided whole. These “Papua New Guinean ways” are not just cultural strengths—they are pillars of national unity.
The conversations echoed the understanding that religion, free from prejudice, practiced with humility and focused on selfless service, has the power to uplift communities and provide a moral compass for policy development and governance for the betterment of society. Faith-based institutions have long supported the integral human development of our people—often in the most remote regions—and therefore, are essential partners in nation-building.
As we navigate forward, our country shoulders an important role to grow as an example to the region and as part of the global neighbourhood: where we draw strength from harmonising our extraordinary diversity, we safeguard the freedom of conscience, and we build towards a national identity underpinned by the dignity of shared values and cohesive governance.
In this spirit, we view the National Theological Symposium as a critical foundation—a moment from which continuous constructive consultation and collaboration can flourish. We remain committed to mutually-respectful dialogue with fellow faith-communities and our Government to ensure that religion continues to be a force for unity in diversity, enduring socio-economic development, social justice and promoting peace in our beloved country.
For any queries, kindly contact:
Papua New Guinea Bahá’í Office of External Affairs
whatsapp/ph. +675 7379 6777
email. NSAExternalAffairs@bahai.org.pg | externalaffairs@bahai.org.pg
website. www.bahai.org.pg | houseofworhip.bahai.org.pg
social. @PNGBahaiCommunity or @PNGBahaiHouseOfWorship
To download a pdf of the official statement below:
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