The Catholic church says Australia's detention of refugees on Manus Island amounts to mental and physical torture.
The description was included in a letter to the Papua New Guinea prime minister from the general secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG.
Giorgio Licini says its time for PNG to set a deadline on almost six years of indefinite detention.
He told Ben Robinson Drawbridge that depression and hopelessness among the refugees had led to self-harm and suicide attempts becoming a daily occurrence.
A refugee protest at the East Lorengau Tranist Centre, 24-11-18. Photo: Behrouz Boochani
