Olinda Woodroffe - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Thu, 26 Sep 2013 19:21:14 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg Olinda Woodroffe - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 Latter Day Saints deny Samoan language ban https://cathnews.co.nz/2013/09/27/latter-day-saints-deny-samoan-language-ban/ Thu, 26 Sep 2013 19:30:13 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=50059

The President of the Church of Latter Day Saints for the Pacific, Elder James Hamula, says the Church has not put a ban on the use of the Samoan language. He said that news of the ban came from a small group of Samoan church members who were unhappy about a 2007 decision to re-organise Read more

Latter Day Saints deny Samoan language ban... Read more]]> The President of the Church of Latter Day Saints for the Pacific, Elder James Hamula, says the Church has not put a ban on the use of the Samoan language.

He said that news of the ban came from a small group of Samoan church members who were unhappy about a 2007 decision to re-organise their congregations in Brisbane.

However lawyer, Olinda Woodroffe, who is representing a group of Samoans from five Mormon wards in Brisbane, says the church does not allow its members to use anything other than English during worship.

She says a 2007 court decision proves that.

"Is he not aware of the decision of the Federal Magistrate Courts in Australia where no one of the Mormon church denied to the court that they stopped the people from continuing their worship in Samoan?"

Woodroffe says the judge found members' ability to worship in Samoan had been removed by the church, but doing so did not undermine their human rights.

After consulting with both groups, the prime minister of Samoa, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, has emphasised the importance of ensuring that the dispute resolution process now be allowed to progress without further Government intervention, and that justice be allowed to take its course.

The Government will not comment further on the case until the matter has been resolved.

Hamula is due to meet with Samoan prime minister.

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Latter Day Saints deny Samoan language ban]]> 50059 Mormon ban on Samoan language prompts PM to write to Elders https://cathnews.co.nz/2013/09/20/mormon-ban-samoan-language-prompts-pm-write-elders/ Thu, 19 Sep 2013 19:30:22 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=49809

A delegation of Samoan Mormons from Brisbane have had a meeting with Samoan prime minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi to discuss what the Brisbane Samoans say is a ban on Samoan in worship services by their church leaders. Lawyer Leulua'iali'i Olinda Woodroffe who accompanied the delegation to the meeting said the prime minister has promised to Read more

Mormon ban on Samoan language prompts PM to write to Elders... Read more]]> A delegation of Samoan Mormons from Brisbane have had a meeting with Samoan prime minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi to discuss what the Brisbane Samoans say is a ban on Samoan in worship services by their church leaders.

Lawyer Leulua'iali'i Olinda Woodroffe who accompanied the delegation to the meeting said the prime minister has promised to write to the Elders in Brisbane and Utah.

One of the delegates, Anne Siakisina Hakula, said they were never told the reason for the ban directly.

"We only knew of the ban when one of the Elders was a guest at one of our festivities," she said.

"There, the Elder gave a speech and at the end of it said ethnic languages will no longer be used in services without giving any reasons for the decision."

"There were no talks or negotiations between the stakes and the Elders over the issue," she said.

When they disputed the ban "they threatened to remove our names from the list of LDS members."

The members then turned to the Human Rights Court and no more threats were issued.

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Mormon ban on Samoan language prompts PM to write to Elders]]> 49809