All churches should stand united and preach zero-tolerance of gender based violence. This was the view of Reverend Joji Abonio from St Christopher’s Anglican Church, who was part of a male advocacy training workshop that ended in Suva on Friday 22 July. “We are thankful to the Pacific Conference of Churches and the Fiji Council Read more
Pacific churches hope to formulate a joint stand on same sex marriages by mid 2015. A Pacific Council of Churches Secretariat team is expected to begin a data gathering process early in 2014, visiting clergy and lay people in churches around the region. This process will ensure that as many views as possible are gathered Read more
The absence of violence is not an indication of the existence of peace, the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) said on Thursday. General Secretary Reverend Francois Pihaatae said a key component to creating peace was to first ensure a just society. Pihaatae was speaking ahead of the International Day of Peace on Saturday (September 21). Read more
The Pacific Council of Churches wants to see more consultation over the asylum seeker deal between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The regional church body says with the possible resettlement of asylum seekers from different countries in Papua New Guinea, a policy of assimilation will have to be looked at to help the newcomers fit Read more
The Prime minister of Vanuatu has criticised the Churches’ opposition to the WTO and has accused the Council of Churches of bribery after it paid allowances to opposition MPs attending a workshop opposing WTO membership.
His comments were made on Thursday during the final reading of the bill ratifying Vanuatu’s membership of the WTO. On Wednesday the bill passed its first reading by a vote of 26 to 21. However the Minister of Justice crossed the floor to vote with the opposition.
The Prime Minister, Mr Sato Kilman, said it would be interesting to learn where the Vanuatu Council of Churches got the money to pay the allowances. Other ministers were also critical of the Churches’ opposition. The minister of internal affairs who is responsible for churches, swore about the church leaders and NGOs but later withdrew the comment. The minister of public utilities said the role of the churches is to prepare the souls of the people for the next world, not to preach against the WTO.
Earlier International and Pacific organisations called on the Vanuatu government to respect the free speech of its citizens after it banned protests against joining the WTO.
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The Pacific Conference of Churches condemn Japan for releasing radio active seawater into the Pacific Ocean. The water has been used to cool the damaged reactor at the Fukushima atomic power station. In a press release the general secretary Fe’iloakitau Tevi said “This irradiated sea water poses a lasting threat to Pacific ecosystems and the Read more
The Namoli Framework, “Steering the Vaka of Hermeneutics in Oceania” is the name of the document drawn up at the meeting held in Fiji “Rethinking the Journey and Course of our Hermeneutics in Oceania”. It was attended by 82 people representing 24 member churches of the Pacific Council of Churches and 15 members of the Read more