A large number of people attended the requiem mass on Friday.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva was packed out and the congregation spilled out onto the surrounding streets which had been closed off to traffic.

Archbishops and bishops from around the region were among the guests who were part of the service.

Prime Minister Rear Admiral (Ret) Voreqe Bainimarama, members of the diplomatic corps, cabinet ministers, the Roko Tui Dreketi Ro Teimumu Kepa, the President of Fiji Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and First Lady Adi Koila Nailatikau, close friends of the fallen leader, were among those who received Holy Communion.

In his homily Archbishop Peter Loy Chong said that during his last moments, Mataca shared some of his concerns for the church.

He assured Chong that he always prayed for him and the church.

"Archbishop Mataca had the church embedded in his heart and soul. This was reflected in how he envisioned his funeral," Chong said.

"He had initially requested to be buried in the bishop's tomb at Cawaci, Ovalau, and then thought of being buried with diocesan priests in Vatuwaqa cemetery and finally he decided to be buried next to Father John Clerkin at the Suva Old Cemetery as he was his mentor and he had groomed him.

"Archbishop Mataca's plans for his funeral reflect his desire to be close to his brother priests and the church. Despite all his funeral wishes, he said "Au tu ga e na vakarorogo (I will listen)"."

Pope Francis sent a condolence message to Archbishop Peter Loy Chong and the whole archdiocese of Suva.

The message, sent through the Nuncio's office in Wellington, stated that the Holy Father was saddened to hear of the death of Archbishop Mataca and he wished Archbishop Chong well as the church gathered to celebrate his life and his commitment and service to the church.

At the end of the funeral rites, the slight drizzle stopped and the sun broke through the clouds, a reflection of assurance and hope for the church as it moves forward without the man who led it for about four decades.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• The Fiji Times
• The Fiji Times
• The Fiji Times
• Image: media.fbc.com.fj

The Catholic Church took a prominent position when Peter Chong became the new Archbishop and refocussed the Church.

Stressing the church could not only be a private affair but a public one, the Archbishop stressed the need to refocus on the true principles of Christian values, the principle of the family.

Archbishop Chong replaced Archbishop Emeritus Petero Mataca whose support for the government in its early days attracted criticism among the members.

The Roman Catholic Church, the second biggest Christian denomination in the country

The country's biggest denomination, the Methodist Church, finally got to hold its annual conference, minus the annual bazaar and the infamous choir competition which the church has held over the last decades until 2006.

Once it had gone silent after being denied permits for meetings, the church has taken a turnaround and has become more vocal.

Sources

• Fiji Times

He argues this dual commitment can be achieved through a tool called the pastoral circle which was formulated by the USA Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Jesuit Order to help churches, organisations and religious communities respond effectively to the issues that face them.

Chong says there are four moments in the pastoral circle: insertion, social analysis, theological reflection and action plan.

1. Insertion — involves asking what is happening? Put yourself in the situation. One good way of doing this, he said, was imagining yourself looking down on Fiji. One asks what are the people experiencing, what are their fears, what are their aspirations?
2. Social analysis — why is this happening? Why of the what. What are the root causes of the problem? Why are things the way they are? Archbishop Chong said that social analysis could be likened to a visit to the doctor. The doctor carries out an analysis to identify the cause of illness. He said this second moment was very important because "unless we know the root cause, we might not be able to effectively address the situation".
3. Theological reflection — here we reflect on what is God saying to us in this situation/problem. This is an attempt to understand the problem from the perspective of God.
4. Action plan — what is to be done? This course of action is informed by the social analysis and the theological reflection.

The pastoral circle guides the Churches, communities, and organisations towards relevancy and effectiveness in responding to their challenges.

He says training will be needed and expertise will be drawn from both the laity and the religious communities. Archbishop Chong says he wants to use this tool at all levels within the local church so that its teachings, interpretations and applications will always be relevant to those whom the church serves.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• Image: 3.bp.blogspot.com