Posts Tagged ‘Fiji’

Tauranga’s medical mission ship leaves for Fiji

Thursday, July 21st, 2022

It’s been a three-and-a-half year wait, but it’s finally happening. Tauranga’s medical mission ship, the MV YWAM KOHA, will soon be departing the Port of Tauranga on her maiden deployment to Fiji. On board the ship will be a minimal crew of about 16 for the voyage to the outer islands of Fiji. They leave Read more

New Zealand pledges $12.6 million for gender equality in Fiji

Monday, July 18th, 2022

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today pledged $12.6 million to support Fiji’s Gender Action Programme which will also help the South Pacific nation to address broader issues such as child poverty alleviation and other initiatives. Speaking at a breakfast programme organised by the Fijian government at the Museum in Suva this morning, Ms Ardern said that Read more

Ten church ministers resign over vaccine

Monday, October 4th, 2021
RNZ

Ten church ministers in Fiji have resigned because they do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Others are openly against the vaccine. Rules about vaccination status are being made for church employees. Everyone has a view. There has been pressure on the clergy to get the injections since the Government’s ‘No jab, no job’ Read more

Child sexual exploitation rife in Fiji

Monday, October 19th, 2020

Sexual exploitation of children has become rife in Fiji. And the problem is largely hidden from authorities and the public. These are findings in a joint survey by the NGOs Save the Children, and End Child Prostitution and Trafficking International. A recent UN report also revealed that abuse of children in Fiji is usually performed Read more

Fiji’s archbishop says church has a role in politics

Thursday, October 8th, 2020

Fiji’s archbishop, Peter Loy Chong, says the church has a role in politics. People who think mixing religion with politics is wrong are ‘in denial’, he suggests. Loy Chong – who is the head of the Catholic Church in Fiji – was chief guest the opposition National Federation Party (NFP) Annual General Meeting in Suva Read more

Father Kevin Barr: an enigmatic champion against poverty

Thursday, September 24th, 2020

This week, I join most of Fiji, including my many progressive friends, in mourning the passing of Father Kevin Barr, a good man, a lifelong fighter against poverty and homelessness, for the good of humanity and not for personal gain. But Father Barr would want Fiji not just to just mourn his passing, but more Read more

Fiji’s Archbishop offers an apology for abuse

Thursday, July 16th, 2020
apology

The head of the Fiji Catholic Church has made an apology for the behaviour of  Catholic priests, religious and teachers who allegedly abused Fijian children. Archbishop Peter Loy Chong was responding to a news report on TVNZ by pacific correspondent, Barbara Dreaver. For the last year, 1 NEWS has been investigating claims of historic sexual Read more

‘Our diet is killing us quietly’: Fiji’s diabetes crisis

Thursday, July 2nd, 2020
fiji diabetes

At the height of his 15-year career as a surgeon in the Pacific nation of Fiji, Dr Jone Hawea was performing eight to 10 diabetes-related operations every day – at least two of which were the amputations of limbs. “Our wards are always full of diabetes cases. Sometimes our surgical wards wouldn’t be able to Read more

Fiji archbishop calls for Oceania Synod

Thursday, October 24th, 2019
Oceania synod

Fiji Archbishop, Peter Loy Chong is calling for an Oceania Synod, a “Synod on the ocean”. He made the call while in Rome for the Amazon synod. “The Amazon and its forests are important, but we must not forget how significant the ocean is in the web of life,” Chong told Caritas’ Harriet Paterson and Read more

Fiji archbishop advocates nonviolence to help stabilize social unrest

Thursday, October 10th, 2019

In late September, thousands of schoolchildren stayed home from school in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, due to rumors of “public unrest” circulating on social media. According to FBC News, people who started fake news stories likely intended to hurt the country “economically and politically” by creating panic and shutting down work. Fiji’s religious Read more