Church groups are among organisations saying they will mount a rescue after four people were accused of sorcery in a Papua New Guinea village. The four were accused of witchcraft and allegedly tortured in the village of Kaiwe, following recent deaths in the community. Human rights defenders, church groups and police were preparing to stage Read more
A Guam priest who was stripped of his public duties last year, after a decades-old clergy sex abuse allegation resurfaced, has been cleared. Fr John Wadeson “has been reinstated fully to public ministry”, the Archdiocese of Agana stated. Fr Wadeson left the Redemptoris Mater Seminary on Guam in July last year, after serving in Agana Read more
The Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma is supporting Fiji’s first-ever Child Helpline service. Callers will be able to use a short code toll free phone number which is 1325 to contact the helpline with the cost of the calls being covered through project funding. “All of us, not only as parents but as church Read more
Two elders from the John Frum movement, on Tanna Island, say their recently-deceased prophet had predicted a major event would occur in 2016. They say the cyclone, and subsequent aid, are a precursor to a major event that was foretold to take place next year. The island of Tanna in Vanuatu is known for its Read more
Last Friday hundreds of people gathered at the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua in Nuku’alofa and then marched to the Royal Palace to present the traditional “hala” of the Diocese of Tonga and Niue to His Majesty King Tupou VI. Lau teau ne nau ‘i he fakatu’uta hala e Siasi Katolika The ceremony took Read more
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (CBC) condemns corruption by ministers, public servants, church leaders and all the leaders in power, says Fr Victor Roche, CBC’s general secretary. Roche gave the following reasons for the condemnation: Elected leaders are for the people. They have been mandated to represent the people. Read more
The Archbishop of Jakarta, Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, has expressed his concern over Indonesia’s use of the death penalty. He has also criticised the way two Australian detainees Andrew Chan and Myuran Shaveukumaran have been treated. Following Easter Sunday mass, in Jakarta, Archbishop Ignatius told reporters the church was strictly against the use of the death Read more
Last December four unarmed West Papua teenagers were killed and 17 more West Papua people were injured when the Indonesian army and police opened fire on a group of peaceful protestors in Paniai. They had gathered to protest an earlier incident of violence by the Indonesian security forces. A four-minute video, shot by citizen journalists and Read more
Catholic Catechist Ignatius Gyan Want plans to help the Navesi Catechetical Training Centre at Kinoya, Suva. Want, the first Fijian with Indian ethnicity to become a Catholic catechist, said at the moment there was no staff member with such a background at the centre. He feels if he joins the training centre then more Fijians Read more
Five former students of St. Joseph’s College in Samoa are facing assault charges after a video clip of them assaulting another student was circulated on social media. Police Superintendent Lemalu Su’a Muliaga Tiumalu confirmed the charges last Thursday. The five students have all been expelled from school after the video clip was circulated on social Read more