Fiji’s prime minister prime Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama says it is inappropriate to mix religion with politics. He said some other political parties are engaging preachers in campaigns and also electing them as proposed candidates but this will not happen in the FijiFirst party. “To see a talatala (church minister) talking or backing a political party, Read more
The General Secretary of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (EFKS), says the demand that Church ministers pay tax is part of a colonial mindset that the government seems to have revived. Reverend Vavatau Taufao says taxing church ministers is just the first step. “If this colonial mindset is allowed to continue, when will it Read more
The Catholic Church and the Methodist Church in Samoa have said that they accept a new law requiring their ministers to pay tax. But at a recent general assembly, the leaders of the Congregational Christian Church (CCCS) said they would ignore the law. In a speech in parliament, the prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi praised the Read more
Catholic schools in Samoa have received a government grant of $2 million talā. Making annual grants to church schools began in 1983 when government allocated $50 to $60 thousand talā in recognition of the church schools’ significant contribution to providing education. This year the annual allocation for private schools has reached $6 million talā. Consideration is Read more
The stand-off between the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS/EFKS) and the Samoan government over taxation is getting worse. The General Assembly (Fonotele) of the church has rejected outright the government’s new law which imposes taxes on all church ministers. One speaker at the Fonotele has gone so far as to predict that Government’s decision Read more
A debate has been raging over support for the Fretilin-led government in Timor Lesté by the chairman of the Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Basilio do Nascimento. Now, after Saturday’s election, it seems this Fretilin-led government is heading for defeat. With more than 99 percent of votes counted in Saturday’s poll, the Alliance of Change for Progress (AMP) Read more
Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sa’ilele Malielegaoi says the new tax laws apply to the church ministers individually, not the church as a whole. Documents leaked to the Samoa Observer show that the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS) will not observe a law requiring all church ministers to pay income tax. According to the Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to repair church-state relations. His ambition has caused a furore in France, as he is seen to be tampering with France’s secular tradition. The Church and State have been legally separated since 1905, following a groundswell of change that began with the French Revolution in 1789 and continued during Read more
In Samoa, critics of the new tax laws used language that was so strong and emotive that it led to one government official shedding tears. Church ministers did not mince words when they expressed anger and disappointment at the Samoan government’s decision to tax their incomes – and gratuities – starting on 1 January 2018. Read more
The Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, in expressing his personal view about the removal of a Christian reference in New Zealand’s parliamentary prayer, says that “ While we hope that there would always be a prayer acknowledging the importance of God in our lives, it is important in today’s society to be respectful of Read more