Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The walls of the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple can be seen rising behind the lush vegetation along Hubert Murray Highway against the stunning blue waters of Walter Bay. The temple is the first house of the Lord in Papua New Guinea. Plans to construct the temple were announced at the October 2019 general conference. The groundbreaking was held nearly one year ago on April 22, 2023.

The expansive ocean views available from the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple site are captured in new photographs taken from nearby Hubert Murray Highway. Structural columns for the temple are rising, and walls for one of the ancillary buildings is going up. The floor slab for another building in the complex can be seen in the foreground. Retaining walls have been built around the property to create a level surface.

A photograph of the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple site, taken from a hill to the west, shows the construction progress that has been made since ground was broken in late April. Two large cranes are on site—one next to the temple and the other next to the accommodation center. The cranes are currently supporting the structural framing of the buildings.

"May the emerging temple become a symbol of peace and blessings for them," prayed Elder Peter F. Meurs, General Authority Seventy, in his site dedicatory prayer at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple. Many honored guests attended the event held on Saturday, April 22, including His Excellency, Sir Bob Dadae, Governor General of Papua New Guinea; Tauvasa Tanuvasa Chou-Lee, Solicitor General; and Joe Zadrozny, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Current and former Church leaders from across the country were present, and a group of 18 men walked the famous Kokoda Trail, a 100km mountainous hike, for four days to be in attendance. Church members have traveled overseas for many years to participate in temple worship. Soon they will have a temple of their own on a beautiful site overlooking the ocean.

Groundbreaking services for the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Elder Peter F. Meurs, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Pacific Area presidency, will preside at the event. The 9,550-square-foot temple will be built on Muniogo Crescent in the Badili neighborhood on a site overlooking Walter Bay where a meetinghouse previously stood. An ancillary building with housing and distribution services will also be constructed.

The site selected for the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple has been announced. The holy edifice will be constructed on Muniogo Crescent in the Badili neighborhood of Port Moresby on the site of an existing meetinghouse that overlooks beautiful Walter Bay. An exterior rendering has also been released showing a single-level temple of approximately 9,550 square feet. Lodging for temple missionaries and patrons, a residence for the temple president and matron, and a distribution center will also be constructed on site. The existing meetinghouse will be demolished to make way for the temple complex. No groundbreaking date has been announced.

A newly released video from the Pacific Area documents the reactions of the Saints to the announcement of the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple. Beautiful stories and testimonies are shared by faithful members who are filled with deep gratitude for a temple to be constructed in their island nation—Papua New Guinea's first. It will allow members to worship in the temple without sacrificing the time and expense required to fly to Australia.