The Catholic archbishop of Suva was among the church leaders who attended a combined Easter Sunday event at a Suva park.
Archbishop Peter Loy Chong was one of the leaders at the event at Ratu Sukuna Park titled “Rise with Christ: A Vision of Hope for the Future”.
Among the other church leaders present were United Church Programme co-ordinator for Pacific Reverend Dr Cliff Bird and Church of God Pastor Sikeli Vadei, as well as many others.
At the event, the general secretary for the Fiji Council of Churches, Rev. Simione Tugi, spoke of the Easter hope that can conquer even death itself.
“Tropical Cyclone Winston has taken and threatened many lives in Fiji and reports have highlighted that the many affected have taken their own initiatives and collectively rebuilt their lives,” Rev. Tugi said.
“The Easter celebration of Christ’s victory over death is a significant reminder of hope as we rise together as brothers and sisters in Christ despite this trying time.
“Our rising together as one in Christ to build a new Fiji is the test of this moment,” he said.
People were brought together at the Easter Sunday event by the Fiji Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Centre of Research for Education and Advocacy.
Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces personnel took a break from relief efforts to attend an Easter service in Suva alongside their Fijian armed forces colleagues.
A New Zealand Defence Force statement noted that the NZDF’s humanitarian aid operation in Fiji was one of its largest peacetime deployments to the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is working with the Archdiocese of Suva’s Commission of Justice and Development to help Fijians build houses that have better resilience against cyclones.
Sources
- Fiji Times
- Fiji Times
- Caritas
- Image: Fiji One