Felix Fremlin, abused by two New Zealand Marist brothers while attending Primary School in Suva, says the apology should extend beyond New Zealand victims.

Fremlin was just seven years old when the abuse began in 1979.

Fremlin said he faced disbelief and was beaten by his father when he reported the abuse.

"It was hard at that time to say something against those in religious positions. No one is going to believe you because everyone treated them like God themselves" Fremlin told RNZ.

Fremlin said that when he was a teenager, he was also abused by other overseas priests, once when he was walking past the church on his way home.

He told RNZ they pulled up in a yellow van, asked him to sit inside, offered him alcohol then molested him.

Brothers acknowledge failures

The Marist Brothers in New Zealand have expressed regret over the abuse suffered by children under their care.

A spokesperson for the New Zealand branch of the Brothers encourages anyone with concerns or complaints to raise them with the Church and the Police in the relevant jurisdiction where the abuse occurred.

They acknowledge that the Brothers have worked in the Pacific Islands for a considerable time.

RNZ has obtained a written apology from Brother John Hazleman, leader of the Marist Brothers in New Zealand and the Pacific. The letter acknowledges and apologises for Fremlin's abuse.

Fremlin received $15,000 in compensation from the Church.

Calls for inclusion of Pacific survivors

Fremlin's plea comes as New Zealand's Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care calls on Pope Francis to issue a public apology to abuse survivors in New Zealand.

Fremlin insists that Pacific victims should also be included in this apology.

"It's the very institution that did this to us. And since he (the Pope) is in charge, he's partially responsible because it's been their policy of cover-up" Fremlin said.

Head of Fiji Catholic Church apologises

In 2020 the Archbishop of Fiji, Peter Loy Chong, said the behaviour of some clergy had brought shame to the church.

"On behalf of the Catholic Church in Fiji I express our remorse for the past failures and extend our sincere regret and deep sympathy to peoples-victims of sexual abuse. The Church apologises unreservedly for abuse perpetrated by clergy or religious teachers" Chong told the Fiji Sun.

"On behalf of the Catholic Church I apologise to victims of abuse, to their families and to Fijian society - for the hurts inflicted on them by some of our priests, brothers and lay workers" he said.

"For the Church and for the Archdiocese of Suva, prevention, justice and healing for victims of sexual abuse always come first."

Source

• RNZ

One man mentioned a black-winged storm bird known as "manumanunicagi" that glides above the land only when a cyclone is forming out to sea.

As the conversation continued, residents named at least 11 bird species, the odd behaviour of which signalled imminent changes in the weather.

As we were leaving later that evening, an elder took us aside.

He was pleased we had taken their beliefs seriously and said many older Pacific people won't talk about traditional knowledge for fear of ridicule.

This reflects the dominance of science-based understandings in adapting to climate change and its threats to ways of life. Our new research suggests this attitude should change.

Climate change

We reviewed evidence on traditional knowledge in the Pacific for coping with climate change, and found much of it was scientifically plausible.

This indicates such knowledge should play a significant role in sustaining Pacific Island communities in future.

Our research was co-authored with 26 others, most Pacific Islanders with long-standing research interests in traditional knowledge.

People have inhabited the Pacific Islands for 3,000  years or more and have experienced many climate-driven challenges to their livelihoods and survival.

They have coped not by luck but by design - through robust systems of traditional knowledge built by diverse groups of people over time.

The main short-term climate-related threats to island livelihoods in the Pacific are tropical cyclones which can damage food crops, pollute fresh water and destroy infrastructure.

Prolonged droughts - common during El Niño events in the southwest Pacific - also cause widespread damage.

Traditional knowledge in the Pacific explains the causes and manifestations of natural phenomena, and identifies the best ways to respond. It is commonly communicated orally between generations.

Here, we describe such knowledge relating to animals, plants, water and sky - and show how these beliefs make scientific sense.

It's important to note, however, that traditional knowledge has its own intrinsic value. Scientific explanations are not required to validate it.

Reading the ocean and sky

Residents of Fiji's Druadrua Island interpret breaking waves to predict a cyclone as long as one  month before it hits.

In Vanuatu's Torres Islands, 13 phrases exist to describe the state of the tide, including anomalies that herald uncommon events.

These observations make scientific sense. Distant storms can drive ocean swells onto coasts long before the winds and rain arrive, changing the usual patterns of waves.

In Samoa, ten types of wind are recognised in traditional lore. Winds that blow from the east (mata ‘upolu) indicate the imminent arrival of heavy rain, possibly a tropical cyclone.

The south wind (tua'oloa) is most feared. It will cease to blow, it is said, only when its appetite for death is sated.

Many Pacific Island communities believe a cloudless, dark blue sky signals the arrival of a tropical cyclone. Other signs include unusually rapid cloud movements and the appearance of "short rainbows".

These beliefs are supported by science.

Rainbows are sometimes "shortened" or partly obscured by a distant rain shower. And Western science has long recognised changes in clouds and winds can signal the development of cyclones.

In Vanuatu, a halo around a moon signals imminent rainfall.

Again, this belief is scientifically sound. According to Western science, high thin cirrus clouds signal nearby storms. The clouds contain ice crystals through which moonlight is filtered, creating a halo effect.

• First published in The Conversation. Republished with permission.
• Patrick D. Nunn is a Professor of Geography, School of Law and Society, University of the Sunshine Coast
• Roselyn Kumar is an Adjunct Research Fellow in Geography and Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast

On board the ship will be a minimal crew of about 16 for the voyage to the outer islands of Fiji.

They leave their Tauranga berth this coming week, dependent on weather and Covid, and expect to arrive at Suva on July 25 or 26.

Once up there, the crew will be joined by doctors, nurses, dentists and paramedical people flying in and increasing crew numbers to around 30 people. Read more

Speaking at a breakfast programme organised by the Fijian government at the Museum in Suva this morning, Ms Ardern said that ensuring equal opportunities for women in all spheres of life was not only the goal of the New Zealand government but also her desire.

"I want women to have the right to self-determination and equal opportunity for employment, business and a place in society," she said. Read more

There has been pressure on the clergy to get the injections since the Government's 'No jab, no job' policy for public servants was announced in June.

A majority of Fiji's churches support this policy, with some advising their followers to stay at home if they are not fully vaccinated.

Some Churches, like the New Methodist Christian Fellowship, say 100 percent of their ministers are fully vaccinated.

Others, like Fiji's Methodist Church, say not all their ministers are fully vaccinated yet. However, Rev Wilfred Regunamada says the church has not laid off any of their ministers nor had anyone been forced to resign.

"Currently, we are carrying out awareness for our ministers and they are being given time, until November, to get their vaccines," he says.

"The church's stand is mainly to ensure the safety of its members which means that its ministers, who are servants of the people, need to be vaccinated first.

"At the moment, those that have not been vaccinated have been requested not to partake in any church services but have been advised to stay in their own homes and they are still being paid."

The ten church ministers who resigned were all from the Christian Mission Fellowship Church.

Fellowship Church media director Joe Kurulo said the ministers were not forced to resign but had done so of their own free will. The church respected their decision, he added.

"If they feel they want to tender their resignation, we will respect that.

"Since the policy came into act, the church is now looked at as a workplace and, therefore, all of its office holders need to be vaccinated or else the church would cop heavy fines.

"Ministers are being given until November to get vaccinated but their decisions not to be vaccinated or to be vaccinated would be respected by the church."

Some church ministers are actively against vaccination and are using social media to preach their anti-vax messages.

However, brand new legislation devised to prevent the spread of misinformation caught up with a church minister, who has just appeared in court charged with breaching the country's Health Act.

The 48-year-old pastor was accused of creating public anxiety by posting anti-vaccination comments on social media.

According to police, he posted a series of short videos on Facebook which created public alarm.

The posts called on people not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus because the "vaccine is evil," the police statement said.

Fiji's Health Secretary James Fong said he was concerned at the misinformation circulating on social media about Covid-19.

He said these false comments only hampered the ministry's efforts to get Fijians vaccinated against the deadly virus.

According to the Health Ministry, 95.8 percent of the target population have received one dose, and 72.5 percent are fully vaccinated.

Source

• RNZ
• TVNZ
• RNZ
• Image: RNZ

And the problem is largely hidden from authorities and the public.

These are findings in a joint survey by the NGOs Save the Children, and End Child Prostitution and Trafficking International.

A recent UN report also revealed that abuse of children in Fiji is usually performed by family members, foreign tourists, taxi drivers, businesspeople and crew on foreign fishing vessels.

Read More

People who think mixing religion with politics is wrong are 'in denial', he suggests.

Loy Chong - who is the head of the Catholic Church in Fiji - was chief guest the opposition National Federation Party (NFP) Annual General Meeting in Suva last week.

He has since been criticised for accepting the NFP's invitation.

Loy Chong's response to the criticism has been to explain to his critics what the church's role in politics is - and is not - in Fiji's political life.

It is not to decide on policies, he says.

Rather, it is to promote care and ensure there was a just society.

This means the church can push for sustainable development and care for the environment, he says.

"Whether people call it mixing church and religion - but definitely the church has a voice and that needs to be aired when it concerns society and where injustice or the exploitation of the environment is concerned," he says.

Loy Chong says the church and religion should be the moral compass for any society.

The government should allow full participation of its people in the consultative processes and not just a few chiefs, he says.

This is important, as some people have been to him with concerns that they are not being informed of consultations taking place and about the areas they are from.

Source

• RNZ
• Image: Fiji Village

But Father Barr would want Fiji not just to just mourn his passing, but more importantly learn from his own personal experience in trying to improve the livelihoods of the poorest workers in Fiji.

I write this critical account based on our long association which began with my 2006 study Just Wages for Fiji: lifting workers out of poverty, which had been commissioned by the Ecumenical Center for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA), at which Father Barr was Acting Director. Read more

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong was responding to a news report on TVNZ by pacific correspondent, Barbara Dreaver.

For the last year, 1 NEWS has been investigating claims of historic sexual abuse against children in Fiji's Catholic church.

Dreaver was in Fiji just before lockdown and spoke to a number of Fijians who say as children they were abused and raped by New Zealand and Australian priests, brothers and teachers.

In making his apology Chong said:

"First and foremost, I empathise with people who are victims of sexual abuse."

"I empathise with their hurt, anger, trauma and feelings.

I empathise with the pain that victims and their families have experienced and continue to experience.

I empathise with the brokenness they have to live with and affect the way they relate to others.

As head of the Fiji Catholic Church, I feel ashamed with the behaviour of our church personnel.

I feel angry. There is a heaviness in my heart yesterday and today.

My first reaction was not to want (to) talk to the media.

On behalf of the Catholic Church in Fiji, I express our remorse for past failures and extend our sincere regret and deep sympathy to peoples-victims of sexual abuse.

The Church apologises unreservedly for any abuse perpetrated by clergy or religious. Sexual abusers have failed the ‘Sixth Commandment' - You must not commit adultery."

Listen to the Archbishop's apology.

The Fiji Sun reported that the archbishop also said:

"Sexual abuse is a serious problem in our society, not only in Catholic Church.

On behalf of the Catholic Church I apologise to victims of abuse, to their families, and to Fijian society - for the hurts inflicted on them by some of our priests, brothers and lay workers," he said.

"The overwhelming number of priests and religious are faithful men and women who share the horror and grief that all people feel when sexual abuse is brought to light."

"The procedures the Archdiocese of Suva follows today represent a serious and genuine effort to help victims of abuse and to eradicate sexual abuse from the Church.

We continue to work to learn from past experience and from the experience of victims to ensure that the danger of sexual abuse is prevented in the future."

"For the Church and for the Archdiocese of Suva, prevention, justice and healing for victims of sexual abuse always come first."

TVNZ reports that the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in care is seeking information about New Zealand priests and other religious perpetrators who were moved to the Pacific.

Source

• tvnz.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• fijisun,com
• fijivillage.com
• Image: fijivillage.com

"Our wards are always full of diabetes cases. Sometimes our surgical wards wouldn't be able to deal with the non-emergency cases because there's all this diabetes surgery to do," says Hawea.

Hawea, a leading non-communicable disease specialist in Fiji, says these figures would be common in major hospitals around the country, which has one of the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the world.

Surgeons in the Pacific nation describe the amputations they are forced to perform as a "dirty business".

"It became so common and so unattractive I started not feeling anything about the work. I guess that's when I started to have a problem with this way of dealing with diabetes."

While in many countries, diabetes is detected early and can be managed through diet, exercise and medication, in Fiji, the disease is often not caught until amputation, or even death, are imminent.

‘I ate everything and drank everything.'

For Wilisoni Lagi Vuatalevu, this was the reality. Within a month of retiring at 55 years old from his clerical job, Vuatalevu was facing the amputation of one of his legs.

He should have been able to retire to his village where days are spent fishing and foraging for food from organic sources. Most Fijians start and end their active lives this way.

Instead, two years after finishing work, Wilisoni faces the prospect of sitting out the rest of his life in a wheelchair in his home at Delainavesi just outside the capital city, Suva.

"Two years before I retired, I noted a boil on my leg that wouldn't heal. When I had it checked out at the health centre, they did tests but didn't say it was diabetes. They said my blood sugar was fine."

Wilisoni admits he was not too motivated to investigate the wound further and soldiered on for more than a year with the wound. One month after he retired, the pain was unbearable and bled profusely.

"When they checked, the doctor was very kind and pleasant as she told me it was clearly ‘that sugar disease' and told me I'd lose that leg... I was frightened," Wilisoni said.

After an emotional conversation with wife Kelera during which they imagined and planned for a future without a leg, he reluctantly agreed to the surgery.

"We have been looking after each other all our marriage, why should this be different? I told him, I will look after you even if you lose both legs," Kelera said.

Like most indigenous Fijians, Vuatalevu's life story began in an idyllic island village - on Vanuabalavu in the Lau Group, the province bordering Fiji and Tonga. It is far from Suva and far also from processed foods, savoury treats and sugary delights which many Pacific Islanders have turned to in place of their usual diet.

"I was never fat, I'm quite tall so I've always had a good body when I was growing up," Vuatalevu said.

"But I ate everything and drank everything, I didn't really choose food that was good for me or even thought about what was good for me and what wasn't. I didn't have to. Whatever was available and came my way, I ate. It was the same with alcohol."

A call for change

Vuatalevu is far from alone. According to the Fiji government's department of health, 30% of the country's population has diabetes.

And the Pacific, more broadly, is devastatingly over-represented in its proportion of people with the disease. Ten Pacific countries are in the top 20 countries for rates of diabetes, led by the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu.

The International Diabetes Federation says around 87,000 adult Fijians have diabetes - about 15% of the population - but estimates another 46,000 have the disease undiagnosed.

Diabetes-related amputations accounted for 40% of all hospital operations in the country in 2019, the professor of surgery at Fiji's National University told RNZ.

The top three causes of deaths in Fiji are diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Continue reading

He made the call while in Rome for the Amazon synod.

"The Amazon and its forests are important, but we must not forget how significant the ocean is in the web of life," Chong told Caritas' Harriet Paterson and Alejandra Pero.

Chong says there is a lot of political speak in Fiji about the importance of preserving the Fiji environment and marine life.

He says words do not translate that well into actions.

"In Fiji, while we talk about climate change, we are not very good at caring for the environment".

With the future of indigenous communities in Oceania under threat, our Government speaks a lot about climate change, but it allows companies to carry on business, damaging our environment, he said.

Chong observes the land earthworks are destroying people's natural source of food and livelihoods.

"When there is a flood, the mud and silt from the land flow into the sea meaning fish, prawns and sea creatures can no longer live there".

"Marine life is the largest ecosystem on earth," he points out.

As well as a source of food, 70% of our oxygen comes from the water and marine life must form part of our discussion on integral ecology, he said.

Threats to the Pacific are detailed in the newly-published Caritas report Seeds of Hope on the state of the environment in Oceania in 2019.

"Waters of life have been turned into rivers of death," Caritas Fiji warns in the report.

The report highlights short and long term threats to food and water supplies due to mineral extraction in Fiji.

Chong, president of the Oceania Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conference has written a song, "Climate Change Lament", calling on Island people to cry out to the world with a view to disturb the big countries for causing CO2 emissions that will eventually drown small islands of people.

Sources

• Zenit
• Caritas
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Image: Caritas

According to FBC News, people who started fake news stories likely intended to hurt the country "economically and politically" by creating panic and shutting down work.

Fiji's religious leaders acted promptly to calm, instruct and stabilize the population, which is largely Protestant, Hindu, Roman Catholic and Muslim.

"Because of the 1987, 2000, and 2006 coups," said Catholic Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, "Fiji has been labelled as a country with a coup culture. Read more

According to a report by the World Bank published in 2000, on the potential effects of climate change on the Pacific region, Fiji faces numerous risks.

These include:

• higher rates of disease as average temperatures rise
• increasingly destructive storms as oceans get warmer and weather patterns become more severe
• disruptions to agriculture as the intrusion of saltwater damages existing farmland.

Speaking at Brisbane's Australian Catholic University, Loy Chong said 40 years ago his grandfather rebuilt his house further up a hill in his village, after noticing gradual coastal erosion and the sea level rising.

Most of the houses have now moved uphill, he said.

However, not all environmental damage is a result of climate change, but is human-made, he added.

As an example, he says in 2016 a stone quarry company was established in Fiji, to extract gravel and rocks from a river.

Loy Chong said this operation is causing major damage to the environment, the river, the seacoast and sea life and is causing divisions among the local population.

Loy Chong said Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si': Care for Our Common Home, "clearly points out that the techno-economic paradigm and a misguided anthropology are the root causes of the ecological crisis."

Noting the techno-economic paradigm refers to the link between the power of technology and economics that humans have over the natural world, Loy Chong continued:

"Human self-centeredness and technology have the ability to dominate and turn creation into a commodity. The techno-economic paradigm sees the earth only in terms of human utility and creation as an external object to be manipulated, mastered, and controlled."

The Archdiocese of Suva's response to Francis's call for an integral ecology focuses on three areas:

• empowering the voices of victims of climate change
• taking a prophetic stand against industries that destroy the environment
• using spiritual language.

"We plan to empower rural communities, villages and landowners through education and awareness programs on caring for the environment."

This will enable them to bring "their voices into the center of climate change and care for the environment discussions and empower them to be the agents of their development and liberation."

In addition, Caritas Fiji will make a study of companies that damage the environment and submit a report to the Fiji government to alert them on companies that damage the environment," he said.

Source

• Crux Now
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

More than 1500 bras collected by women's networks in two government departments have been donated to The Uplift Project, supporting women of the Pacific Islands who've never owned a bra.

The room was full of countless boxes packed full of bras, ready to go to Fiji - for women eager to holster "the girls".

A charity called The Uplift Project has been collecting and distributing bras and underwear to women in remote areas - giving them access to a properly fitted, good quality bra. Read more

The Education Ministry last month obtained a court order to prevent the church from taking over Vatuvonu College in Cakaudrove.

The church's general secretary, Joe Talemaitoga, said students returned to the school this week for the second term under the interim management of the ministry.

"We are going to court because of the court injunction. All we know is that the school has started yesterday (Monday) and I'm sure the result of that - it's going to be the first hearing about the government and the church." Read more

Easter was not only about the body of Jesus coming back to life, but also about the peace that followed the resurrection of Christ, according to the archbishop in the Pacific island nation. Read more

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva wrote to the education minister about consulting Catholic schools management regarding the appointment of principals to Catholic schools after the principals of two Catholic high schools were replaced by non-Catholics.

Schools are run by various religions in Fiji, with funding provided by the government.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for appointing the principals.

In his letter to Minister of Education Rosy Akbar, he asked that the "unique culture of the school" be included as a criterion for merit when it comes to school head appointments.

"Catholic schools and other faith-based schools have unique religious traditions that contribute to the education of children. Our schools have been led by a principal or head teacher of our faith until the implementation of OMRSS," Chong wrote.

"We simply and humbly request that the Ministry of Education consults the school management about appointments and that the unique culture of the school be included as a criterion for merit when it comes to school head appointments," he said.

He also pointed out that the Church has passionately committed itself to the education of the Fijian people over the last 70 years and now owns and runs 19 secondary and 44 primary schools.

The Church also provides employment for about 1,020 teachers.

He explained that the unique culture and values of Catholic schools have educated leaders such as Voreqe Bainimarama, the current Prime Minister and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Source

• La Croix
• Image: Crux Now

In his homily at the Diwali (also called Deepawali or Deepavali) mass, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva spoke of the one God.

The Catholic Church believes and teaches the same God that is present in Christianity is also present in other religions - a belief which is the foundation of interreligious dialogue.

Interreligious dialogue calls for understanding and respect for different religious traditions, which in turn helps us learn more about God, he said.

Turning his focus to Diwali, Loy Chong discussed the festival's symbolism: the victory of good over evil.

"It is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts that this simple truth finds new reason and hope.

"The Deepawali lights and firecrackers remind us of our commitment to truth and goodness. The Christian Festival of Easter also celebrates the victory of Christ over darkness of sin and death."

Chong also spoke of the richness and blessings diverse faith communities offer Fiji.

"In the history of humankind, God has revealed divine truths through religious traditions. Divine truths form the basis of a good and just society. Therefore religion and faith have a public value.

"In other words, religion and faith have a public character and, as such, must be valued for their contribution to society. Religion cannot be removed to the private sphere of society.

"Fiji is blessed with a diversity of religious traditions. May our religious diversities be a source of strength, unity and richness," he said.

Source

• Fiji Times
• Image: Fiji Sun

Her sister, who is in Australia, has been charged in absentia with five counts of obtaining property by deception and one count of money laundering.

It's alleged that the women organised and facilitated travel and work arrangements for a number of Fijians to go to NZ where they were subsequently heavily exploited.

A Fiji Police spokesperson says the sisters operated a travel agency in Suva and allegedly placed a newspaper ad about employment opportunities in New Zealand.

Victims were promised visa or work permits and had money taken from them to supposedly pay for their visa applications.

Fiji Police says they suffered forced labour, unfavourable weather and living conditions and minimal or no wages.

The arrest of the women is linked to the Faroz Ali case which took place in 2016.

A thorough joint investigation involving both Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and Fijian authorities resulted in New Zealand's first successful prosecution for human trafficking.

Ali was found guilty of 15 human trafficking charges and other immigration offences.

He was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison at the High Court in Auckland.

INZ Assistant General Manager Peter Devoy says the joint investigation shows that allegations of people trafficking, migrant exploitation and immigration fraud will be vigorously pursued on and offshore with the cooperation of international authorities.

Fiji's employment minister Jone Usamate warned there are only two employment agencies in the country authorised to recruit locals for work overseas.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• newshub.co.nz
• sunlive.co.nz
• fijitimes.com
• Image: datainnovation.org

The head of Fiji's Women's Crisis Centre says the allegations of sexual misconduct are a sign that all organisations should be open to scrutiny.

The investigation follows complaints laid by three female employees against two senior male staff.

The complaints allege the events happened in the UN Suva office.

The Crisis Centre's Shamima Ali says the UN has suspended the accused men and asked them to leave Fiji.

She says the police are not yet involved but she wants the courts to hear the claims.

She says she doesn't want them swept under the carpet.

"I think it's quite disgusting and it should be of concern to all of us. And you know the good thing about it is at least it has come out and there has been some ownership of it. But I think the fact that it happened within organisations that are out here to help the vulnerable, it is a lot more shocking," she says.

Shamima Ali says she encourages Fijian women to speak out against workplace harassment. She says they should be part of the global trend to expose unsafe working environments.

UN confirms investigation

The UN's WFP says the investigation is an internal one for now.

Furthermore, it says it's in its early stages.

It confirms that it has removed relevant staff members from their duties while the investigation continues.

It says it's keeping local authorities informed of its progress.

The WFP says it strengthened its policies this year in an attempt to end abusive conduct.

It also wants to correct under-reporting of such events to ensure dignified and respectful treatment of all employees.

The UN's WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world.

Source:

• RNZ Pacific
• United Nations World Food Programme
• Image: UN Women