The Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands has decided to mark 2 September each year as a remembrance day for the war martyrs of the two countries.
A statement says from 1942 until 1945 many church workers died witnessing to the Christian faith.
It says these people included foreign missionaries who refused to leave their posts when the country was threatened with invasion and died.
The Anglican Church in Papua New Guinea already celebrates the lives of the mission martyrs on 2 September.
