It has been alleged that Fiji’s Public Service Commission (PSC) refused to consider a submission from the Catholic Board of Education requesting that heads of their schools belong to the Catholic faith. In a letter made public last week, Director of Catholic Education, Remesio Rogovakalali, said the PSC had turned down a Catholic Education delegation request for Catholic Read more
Hundreds of people have poured into the Anglican Cathedral in Honiara, Solomon Islands, to pay tribute to the father of Pacific journalism, Anglican Priest and media pioneer Father John Lamani who died unexpectedly on Monday in Honiara. Lamani was of one of the region’s most successful indigenous media owners and a life member of the Pacific Islands Read more
In Samoa, the National Council of Churches (NCC) is looking for ways for church ministers to assist in resolving village disputes between young people and the village as a whole. Reverend Ma’auga Motu, NCC Secretary, told Talamua that they will be meeting next week to set down a Strategic Plan to address the growing problem. He Read more
The new President of the Methodist Church, Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu, says the church supports the idea of Fiji being a Christian state. “Fiji was given to God,” Waqairatu told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat. “When we say that Fiji is a Christian state…we say it was decided by our chiefs who ceded Fiji to Great Britain that Read more
Fiji’s Constitution Commission chairman, Professor Yash Gha, has made it clear that the separation of Church and State will be enshrined in Fiji’s new constitution. “This doesn’t mean that the State is anti-religion but just a feeling that the function and responsibility of religion of beliefs within societies should be separated from the functions and policies Read more
French Polynesia is not a Pacific Forum member but an associate member and so President Oscar Temaru was not able to participate in all Forum discussions. However he was able to attend the Polynesian leaders’ meeting. He wanted to raise the issue of sovereignty for French Polynesia. “Getting my country back on the list is Read more
The Catholic Church in Fiji on Monday expressed its support to the government’s non-negotiable principle of secular state, stressing that everyone in the island nation should have the freedom of choice with their religion. Vicar General, Fr Beni Kaloudau, said the Catholic Church in Fiji welcomes the principle of equal rights to worship. Kaloudau said that Read more
The Methodist church, which is the largest Christian denomination in Fiji, is concerned about Church membership declining. Last week the annual Methodist Church conference, was told that the membership this year was 4658 less than the previous year. According conference media officer, Reverend Abel Nand, the executive is trying to find out why the decline is occurring. He Read more
The Catholic Church’s Theology of the Body lecture series in Fji last week targeted young people. Two priests from the United States, Fathers Walter Schu and John Paul Duran, spoke to the audience of young people about the use of contraception and the ideas of love and abstinence. “Contraception closes us off to the gift Read more
A new book, “New Flags Flying: Pacific Leadership”, was launched in Apia last last Monday. The book describes the hopes and fears of early Pacific political leaders in the period from 1960 to 1990 as islands across the Pacific gained independence or self-government. Ian Johnstone and Michael Powles interviewed the Pacific people in key leadership positions in Read more