Objections raised to ordination of Anglican Bishop in Vanuatu

Friday, February 28th, 2014

The Anglican Diocese of the Banks and Torres Groups of Islands of Torba Province, Vanuatu may become the first Diocese in Anglican Church history to “object” to the ordination of its bishop.

The ordination is scheduled to to take place this coming Sunday March 2.

A spokesman for the objectors, Philemon Ling, whom the Vanuatu Daily Post describes as “another candidate”, says they have 20 objections to the consecration of Patteson Worek because they oppose they way his application has been approved.

Mr Ling also says the candidate does not meet expectations of someone assuming the vacant post.

Sources from Gaua where Patteson Worek is to be ordained say a prominent member of their community is going to read out a list of twenty serious allegations against him to “object” to his ordination.

The Vanuatu Post reports that the points to be read out include a claim the Bishop elect was arrested and charged for a serious crime as far back as 2004 for which he did serve time in jail in Luganville.

Another is that he was also involved in a serious crime for which he offered a custom settlement to the family of the victim.

The Supreme Court in the Northern Town is going through the records to verify the allegations to confirm whether or not he was involved in any of the allegations or if he was actually convicted and for what crime exactly

Anglican Bishop of Vanuatu Bishop James Ligo has been contacted and has yet to comment on the allegations against the Bishop elect.

The Electoral Board of the Diocese of Melanesia elected Worek as the third bishop of the Diocese of Banks and Torres in September 2013.

He comes from Motalava in the Banks and Torres group and is married with five children.

The Vanuatu Daily Post reported that Worek’s father, the late George Worek, was one of the fathers of the independence of the Republic of Vanuatu.

Worek graduated with a Bachelor in Theology from the University of Auckland New Zealand in 1998 and was ordained priest in 2000.

He served as a priest in various Districts in the Diocese of Banks and Torres before becoming the Mission Secretary of the Anglican Church of Melanesia Board of Mission based at the Provincial Head Office in Honiara

At the time of his election Worek was studying for a Master of Theology Studies at the Pacific Theological College in Suva, Fiji.

Sources