Goilala reconcile with God and France. A PNG story. Death of Fr Jules Dubuy MSC
Esther Bralyn Wani, NBC News PNG
Tim Brennan sent a message from the French MSC Provincial, Daniel Auguie, concerning the death of Fr Jules Dubuy in 1952, considered an accident but revealed that he was murdered. The retiring ambassador to PNG wrote to the Provincial about a ceremony of reconciliation for August 6th.
Here is the report of the occasion by NBC PNG.
In a historic and first of its kind ceremony, the people of Goilala in Central Province have reconciled with the Catholic Church and the people of France for a murder that took place 68 years ago.
It was that of French Catholic priest, Father Jules Dubuy at the Ononge Parish in the Woitape Local Level Government of the District in 1952.
The Dubuy Reconciliation ceremony took place on the 6th August this year - the date the priest was murdered.
This after two years of planning by the locals with support from their local Member, William Samb who is also the Minister for Transport.
The Goilala people believed that the death of the priest had cast a generational curse on them which has seen a lack of government services in the District and even their children not going far in their education.
“We have seen developments in terms of Infrastructure, human resource and the way of life for other Papua New Guineans and more so Central province and we (Goilala District) are doing soul searching. When I first went into parliament, I have been asking, is there an issue that we need to address, and thankfully the story of Fr. Dubuy and how he died came up.
“If you look at Goilala, you will see remnants or evidence of the Frenchmen, the road, the building, the airstrip, while the only services that the government can boast of is the Tapini road and the Tapini High School, apart from that, most of the services are run by the Catholic Church, started by the missionaries," Mr. Samb said.
Representing the people of France and the family of late Fr. Jules Dubuy, was French Ambassador, Philipe Janvier-Kamiyama.
The families of the late Fr. Dubuy were unable to be there for the reconciliation ceremony due to COVID-19, but instead sent a letter.
Ambassador Janvier-Kamiyama said the gestures of the Goilala community to reconcile will further strengthen co-operation between France and Goilala.
“I hope co-operation can be established between this region and France, in line with the past actions of the missionaries, especially those of Fr. Dubuy, and so that what they have undertaken can be continued,” Mr. Janvier-Kamiyama said.
Fr. Dubuy’s family wrote that “for the French and Europeans, this ceremony serves as an example that can inspire many countries recovering from war, to build from it, humane, generous and positive societies and that the Goilala people are showing the way.
“In conclusion, we do more than forgive you and in memory of our great-uncle Jules, let us express our most sincere wishes that this ceremony will contribute to the happy development future relations between all the inhabitants of the district, and even of the province and beyond,” Ambassador Janvier-Kamiyama read from the letter.
Bishop of the Bereina Catholic Diocese Otto Separy, accepted the locals’ apology on behalf of the Church.
The event ended with a traditional reconciliation ceremony, and the blessing of late Fr. Dubuy’s grave.
The Jules Dubuy Reconciliation Association will now be turned into the Dubuy Foundation to develop old infrastructure in the area while the Ononge parish will be turned into a cultural heritage site.
