Churches support independence for Tahiti

Pacific churches support independence for Tahiti. At their recent meeting in Samoa, member churches of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) pledged their support to Maohi Nui (Tahiti) in her struggle to gain independence from France.

President Oscar Temaru, of Tahiti, in a special address to the PCC church leaders, appealed to the churches of the Pacific to help in his country’s fight for independence, by listening to and aiding the people of Maohi Nui in their plight.

“My country used to be free, and my people used to be in charge of their destiny. That changed in the 19th century after the European discoverers reached our shores,” he said.

The church leaders in attendance were unanimous in their support of this call. Mr Temaru noted, however, that: “Without the UN as a referee between France and us, this is once again an unfair and uphill battle. We seek a balanced evolution of our relations with France, under the observation of the UN.”

Also present at the meeting, Reverend Dr. Olav Tveit, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), pledged to find a proper way to address the issue and offered the assistance of  the WCC in raising awareness of the issues facing the people of Maohi Nui.

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News category: Asia Pacific.

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