About 2,000 Catholic women from several provinces in the Solomon Islands were briefed on the Staged Limited Rearmament of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) on 13 August. The women from Guadalcanal, Central and Makira provinces are attending the 8th Archdiocese Gathering for Catholic Women being held at the Catholic Tangarare Parish in West Read more
Reports from Fiji are confusing but it appears that up 60 people have been charged with sedition in three separate cases. Twelve people from Nadroga-Navosa were scheduled to appear in the Sigatoka Magistrates Court on Monday morning but were later informed that the case will be heard in Nadi. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Read more
The Archdiocese of Agãna, (Guam) has organised a donation drive for residents of Saipan who have been affected Typhoon Soudelor. Saipan is 218 kilometres from Guam, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Catholic parishes, schools and organisations have been collecting non-perishable food items and funds to assist victims of Soudelor. Water, rice and Read more
The Prime Minster of Fiji, Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, says he is proud of the fact that Fiji is one of very few countries in which a public holiday is set aside for Prophet Mohammed’s birthday as well as great commemorations for other major religions – Christianity and Hinduism. He says it underlines the unique nature Read more
Timor-Leste will sign a concordat with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Aug. 15 when it celebrates 500 years of evangelization to mark the arrival of the Portuguese in 1615. The treaty has been under negotiation since 2006 but was not finalized until two months ago, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo Read more
Religion in Papua New Guinea is being increasingly privatised and there is an increasing loss of Christian values in public life says Fr Boniface Holz. “A common sign of this secularization is the emergence of social, political, and economical spheres in which religious influence is declining.” Boniface says the Papua New Guinea constitution has two Read more
Last month the Catholic Church in Tokelau celebrated 150 years of Catholic life. The celebration took place on the island of Nukunonu. It was attended by visitors from the other two islands that make up Tokelau, Atafu and Fakaofo, and from New Zealand, Australia and even further afield. Those who travelled to Tokelau for the Read more
Brother George Van der Zant has received a Solomon Islands Human Rights Award. The award recognises his efforts to advance the education of youth with disabilities. George is the Director of the San IsiDro Care Centre at Aruligo in Guadalcanal. He has been a brother for 57 years and has spent 42 years working in Read more
A medical advocate for refugees says a decision to transfer unwell asylum seekers on Nauru to Papua New Guinea rather than Australia for backup specialist treatment is an appalling and unethical move. Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection says Nauru’s government has been seeking medical backup treatment options. Asylum seekers held on Nauru who Read more
Enewetak Atoll, better known as Bikini Atoll, is home to the Runit concrete dome. It was constructed in 1979 to temporarily store nuclear waste produced from nuclear testing by the United States military during the Cold War. Residents have expressed concerns about cracks which are slowly developing in the dome’s concrete surface. The US Department Read more