Peter To Rot
Peter To Rot | |
|---|---|
| Martyr | |
| Born | 5 March 1912 New Pomerania, German New Guinea |
| Died | 7 July 1945 (aged 33) Rakunai, East New Britain, Territory of New Guinea |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 17 January 1995, Sir John Guise Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonized | 19 October 2025, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Leo XIV |
| Feast | 7 July |
| Attributes | Martyr's palm, crucifix worn as a necklace, sometimes holding a globus cruciger |
| Patronage |
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Saint Peter To Rot (/toʊ roʊt/; 5 March 1912 – 7 July 1945) was a Papua New Guinean Catholic who was canonized for his continued practice of Catholicism in the face of Japanese repression during World War II. He served as a catechist in his village and was entrusted with the leadership of the local parish during World War II when Imperial Japanese forces occupied the region and imprisoned Catholic missionaries. In response to Japanese oppression of his community, he publicly opposed their actions and continued to hold secret prayer services after the Japanese restricted him from active pastoral service. To Rot married in 1936, and he criticized Japanese attempts to encourage his people to return to the pre-Christian practice of taking multiple wives. He was executed by the Japanese in 1945.
His beatification was celebrated in Papua New Guinea in 1995. His canonization took place on 19 October 2025.