Papua New Guinea's Catholic Bishops' Conference says fundamentalist christian sects are on the rise in PNG.
The comment by the conference general secretary Father Victor Roche, comes after a move by the speaker of parliament to remove traditional carvings from the iconic parliament building's facade.
Speaker Theo Zurenuoc says the carvings are elements of cult and demonic practices and unworthy of a Christian country.
Father Roche says fundamentalists cannot seem to distinguish between the novelty of the Gospel and the need to preserve PNG's cultural heritage.
"Fundamentalism is on the rise. It's gripping into... many mainline churches are losing some of their believers to smaller sects and some of these members are also either in the places of power in parliament or government offices, or they're influenced by others who are members of those groups."
Father Victor Roche
