And on the same weekend the Anglicans will consecrate the fifth bishop of Temotu (Santa Cruz).

Archbishop, Christopher Cardone was appointed the Catholic archbishop of Honiara in June.

The Chairman of the Installation Committee of Holy Cross Parish, Mr. Aloysius Po'oina has confirmed that the festivities to welcome Cardone will start on Friday 9th September.

The installation will take place on Saturday 10th September.

Cardone succeeds Archbishop Adrian Thomas Smith.

A native of Long Island, New York Cardone has been the bishop of Auki, in the Solomon Islands, since 2004.

Anglican bishop-elect, Father Leonard Dawea will be consecrated on 11th September.

Dawea, 44, succeeds the Most Reverend George Takeli who was enthroned and installed as the archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia and bishop of the diocese of Central Melanesia in April this year.

He is currently serving as the Diocesan Secretary to the Diocese of Temotu, a post he has held since 2015.

Dawea holds a Bachelor of Theology with Honours from the University College of Chester, now Chester University, in the United Kingdom.

He comes from Malubu Village in the Reef Islands, Temotu Province.

He is married to Mrs Dorah Dawea of Guadalcanal and they have two children.

Prior to joining the Anglican priesthood, Dawea was a member of the Church's Melanesian Brotherhood for twelve years.

Source

• sibconline.com.sb
• abmission.org
• www.opeast.org
• Image: google.co.nz and google.co.nz

The Church's Melanesian Board of Mission's Secretary, Fr George Elo, helped to launch the study program with the Anglican Alliance Pacific Facilitator, Tagolyn Kabekabe.

The course - a distance learning course in community development skills - has been developed especially for the Anglican Alliance by Open University, the world famous distance learning university based in the UK.

A total of 11 participants from the Solomon Islands are undertaking the program which will run for six months. The participants are drawn from all walks of life and are all very enthusiastic about their participation.

Source

• ENS
• ACNS

As the country enters a new phase with the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) withdrawing military personnel this year, many Solomon Islanders acknowledge progress toward reconciliation, but also the need to continue addressing issues of land ownership, development and restoration of a healthy society.

"People have been reconciled and you can see there is healing when there is acceptance, restoration of relationships and communal activities slowly come back," Rev Graham Mark, Secretary of the Anglican Church of Melanesia's (ACOM) Commission on Justice, Reconciliation and Peace, said. "All those things tell us we have achieved something, but the challenge is to sustain what has been achieved."

Resentment by the indigenous Gwales of Guadalcanal towards Malaitan settlers on their island escalated as unemployment and hardship worsened during the 1997-98 Asian economic downturn.

The island of Malaita, 100km east of Guadalcanal Island, is heavily populated and, from the early 1900s, Malaitans dominated migrant labour on Guadalcanal's plantations and then urban jobs as Honiara became the hub of services and employment.

The local Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM) evicted Malaitan settlers, accusing them of taking land and jobs, before taking up arms against rival resistance group Malaita Eagle Force (MEF). By 2002, 35,000 people, or 9 per cent of the population, were displaced, several hundred had died or disappeared and many more experienced or witnessed human rights violations.

The National Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) began hearing people's testimonies in 2010 and delivered its final report to the government last year, although it is yet to be passed through Cabinet before public scrutiny.

Reuben Lilo, director of peace and reconciliation in the Ministry of National Unity, says the TRC programme captured the experiences of many people, but more attention is needed to support this occurring in rural areas where there are limited government services. Continue reading

Sources

• The New Zealand Herald
• Image: Commonwealth Secretariat

The Assembly will hear that corruption, bad political leadership and poverty have continued to rise in the Pacific over the past two decades.

"It's important that the regional leaders know that there are mechanisms which exist within the different cultures that allow for good governance practices,'' said PCC Programme Coordinator Aisake Casimira.

"Often we take the Australian, New Zealand or US view of governance and the economy or leadership. Those options are not necessarily the best in our Pacific situation."

Source

• Island Business
• Image Pacific Council of Churches

Archbishop Vunagi said this following the fatal stabbing of a man near the Central Market in the early hours of last Saturday.

He says an unfortunate trend has emerged which has compromised the safety of those in Honiara. This included stealing, shop lifting, robbing, wounding and killing.

Archbishop Vunagi says if the motive behind the road block near the market that led to the death of the man was for purposes of extortion and robbing, then "Honiara is no longer a safe place for those who live in the city."

Continue reading

The newly built church was consecrated by Archbishop Adrian Smith and was named St. Peter Chanel Church. The church is part of Holy Cross Parish which is headed by Archbishop Smith.

During the celebration Archbishop Adrian thanked catholic residents of Mataniko community in initiating and fulfilling their plan to build the church.

He urged young people in the community to take responsibility to look after the newly built church.

Source

• Solomon Star
• Image: Solomon Star

In his role as auxiliary Bishop he will assist Archbishop Adrian Smith who has been Archbishop of Honiara for 26 years. The archdiocese takes in the Provinces of Central Islands, Guadalcanal, RenBel, Makira Ulawa and Temotu as well as the City of Honiara. It is an extensive area and so there is a real need for an auxiliary Bishop to assist with in its pastoral care.

Bishop John brings a depth of experience with him. He worked for many years in parishes in Bougainville and then served there as the Marist Regional Superior. His long pastoral experience of the troubled times in Bougainville prepare him well for his work in the Solomon Islands as the people rebuild their country following the years of civil unrest.

Archbishop Smith said that the archdiocese is now preparing to welcome Bishop John however the date of his arrival is still not fixed. The process of application for a residence permit and a work permit for Bishop John has not yet begun. Now that the appointment has been made, process will begin as soon as possible.

Bishop John is from Bougainville and was born 01/03/1950. He is a member of the Society of Mary, the Marist Fathers and Brothers, [sm]. He was Ordained priest on 20/12/80. He was ordained Bishop on 08/03/2008 and appointed as auxiliary Bishop to the Archdiocese of Rabaul.

Source

• The press officer of the archdiocese of Honiara