The Bishops of the Federation of Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania have elected Archbishop John Ribat of Port Moresby as President of their Conference Federation, and the Vice President is Bishop Robert McGuckin of Toowoomba.
There were 82 Bishops from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, the countries of the Pacific, and Australia and New Zealand in Wellington last week for the assembly of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania
The Assembly takes place every four years in a different part of Oceania and the next assembly will be held in Papua New Guinea in 2018.
During the Assembly
- Bishop Eugene Hurley spoke about the situation of detainees in Australian detention centres.
- Bishops from Papua New Guinea and the Bishop of Tarawa in Nauru spoke of the detention centres within their countries and the effects of these on local populations of Manus Island and Nauru.
- Bishop Barry Jones and Mike Stopforth presented a session on the earthquakes and their impact on the Christchurch city and the Diocese. They spoke of the ongoing effects on the people of Christchurch, together with the rebuilding being undertaken by the Church and throughout the city.
- Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva spoke on reading the signs of the Fiji times, and the pastoral implications of the political changes that have occurred in Fiji over the last fifteen years.
The Bishops also discussed topics that will be considered at the Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held in Rome in October this year. In workshop sessions, the bishops heard presentations and engaged in discussion with presenters on young people and the Catholicism.
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