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

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

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

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

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

The archbishop of Suva says he does not intend to inform Catholics who they should vote for or vote against.

In a posting on the Archdiocese of Suva's Facebook page, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong said the Church's role is to help Catholics form their consciences (mind) in accordance with God's truth.

He said that during the month of October, they will use the Sunday Homilies to help people form their conscience and practise their political responsibility.

The Archbishop reminded people that Catholic social teaching teaches that "A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring."

He noted that poverty remains a significant concern in Fiji, despite the overall level of development and the moderately high average incomes.

Trends indicate that the national incidence of poverty declined from 35% in 2002-2003 to 31% in 2008-2009.

But the reduction in poverty was uneven—urban areas saw a reduction from 28% to 19%, while poverty in rural areas increased from 40% in 2002-2003 to 43% in 2008-2009.

Chong also noted that, in 2006, Fiji introduced a regressive taxation system that makes the poor poorer and the rich richer.

"The current economic trend shows an increase in poverty and how the taxation system will make the poor poorer and the rich richer," he said.

"As Catholics, we are called to work for greater economic justice in the face of persistent poverty and growing income-gaps."

On the Archdiocese's Facebook page Chong provides an ethical framework for economic life as principles for reflection, criteria for judgment, directions for action and criteria for election.

He concluded by noting: "All of economic life should recognize the fact that we all are God's children and members of one human family, called to exercise a clear priority for poor."

Source

• facebook.com
• Image: facebook.com

The song inspiration is taken from Pope Francis' letter ‘Laudato Si', Care for Our Common Home.'

The lyrics for the three verse song were written by Chong, the arrangement by the music director of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Damiano Logaivau.

"The voice of the Island Nation in its purity has not yet reached the world and to disturb the world and to interrupt the world, to tell them what the actual experience of Island nations are going through."

Longaivau says many issues in our societies can be solved by using different forms of entertainment and music.

Speaking at the launch in the crypt of the cathedral in Suva, Logaivau said the song was written by the Chong.

"All we did was put instrumentation and the structure of the melody and the harmonisation to internalise and intensify the language of the cry."

Chong says in the month of September "all our services are going to be focused on the season of creation."

"Schools are going to be talking about it, village people are going to be talking about it and so the more we generate discussion and knowledge, we can bring it out to the world."

The final version of the song will be recorded and uploaded on YouTube and posted on all social media platforms.

In the meantime, you can listen to a live performance of the song at PRS during the major religious superiors conference.

On his Facebook page, the Archbishop commented the final recording and fine touches were yet to be completed.

Source

• facebook.com
• fbc.com.fj
• fbc.com.fj
• fijitimes.com
• Image: fijitimes.com /Jovesa Naisua

He said: "We can see it with our own eyes - the ocean levels are increasing each year, so the island [of Viti Levu] is disappearing."

The archbishop said "Pacific Islanders are suffering from the impacts of climate change. Climate change is a matter of survival."

He said: "How am I going to tell my people that they have to learn to live with this?"

He added: "My people are weeping. Who will dry their tears?"

Referring to the rising tides, he said: "It's not just a random event.

"On the contrary, in the coming years, people living in 34 coastal villages in Fiji face upheavals that will force them to relocate their homes, due to the rise in sea level."

Chong explained that authorities have scheduled entire village populations to be moved from along the coast to areas inland, including hills and mountain regions.

He said: "Fiji's government has identified these villages as susceptible to the effects of the changes in the next five to 10 years.

"One village in the province of Bua has already been relocated to Yadua and there are plans to move the village of Tavea soon."

Chong was speaking in an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, after attending a conference in Rome related to the anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si.

Chong said: "Ecological conversion doesn't happen in isolation. The conversion also has to be something internal in the heart of each individual."

He added: "Creation is a gift but at the same time [it is] a responsibility that God has given us to take care of."

Source

• zenit.org
• Image: www.aksik.org
  

He says women must be included in decision-making and he has encouraged parishes to include more women in leadership roles, "especially in parish pastoral councils and finance committees".

Writing in the Fiji Times on International Women's Day, Chong said "I empathise and pray for women who are not able to enjoy these achievements.

"I speak on behalf of the Catholic social teaching and denounce societies, cultures and peoples that undermine the dignity and rights of women and particularly those that oppress women."

Chong said Fijian cultures (Itaukei, Hindu, Muslim, Chinese, Rotuman, Rabi etc.) should all promote the dignity of women and in some cases liberate women.

He noted that "most of our cultures and religions are patriarchal - dominated by men.

"Patriarchal society views men as the standard of human nature and that women are somehow different and inferior. A patriarchal society denies its people the contribution and wisdom of women."

Chong quoted Pope Francis, saying "A world where women are marginalised is a sterile world because women don't just bear life but transmit to us the ability to see otherwise, they see things differently."

He said the patriarchal view of women clashes with the biblical teaching that all human beings, male and female, are created in the image of God.

"As believers, we have to promote the biblical teachings on the equality of men and women and particularly affirm the dignity of women."

He said the biblical view of women "calls for a conversion in our religions, churches and cultures.

"We have to change the patriarchal views of society and recognise women as equally made in the image of God."

Source

• fijitimes.com
• Image: Facebook

This year, the college received a grant of close to $200,000.

Sayed-Khaiyum spoke at the graduation ceremony for 31 students on Saturday.

In his address, Sayed-Khaiyum expressed his appreciation for the education the Marist Brothers had provided him when he attended Marist Brothers High School.

He noted that Corpus Christi was based on the Catholic foundations of edu­cation and the graduates have to understand that they could leave a mark in a student's life by the way they teach.

What matters, he said, is that people are all taught that everyone is a child of God regardless of their religion, so­cio-economic status or the prov­ince they come from.

"As teachers, you need to be able to inculcate that belief, that sense in your students that will not only be able to develop them as good human beings but will also help you to develop as good educators."

Corpus Christi College is a teachers' training college owned by the Archdiocese of Suva. Earlier this month it celebrated its diamond jubilee.

At that time the Archbishop of Suva, Peter Loy Chong said it was an opportune time for Catholics to rediscover Catholic education.

He spoke in particular about the role of Christian education in addressing climate change.

He also raised the question of the number of Catholic teachers in church-owned primary and secondary schools, and graduates of Corpus Christi going to teach in non-Catholic schools.

He said there was a mood of depression, and questioning going on about where Catholic education is heading.

Listen to Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum's speech

Source

• Fiji Times
• Fiji Sun
• Fiji Sun
• YouTube
• Image: screenshot YouTube

In his opinion piece in the Fiji Times, he said Fiji has the language to move people to heal the crisis in creation.

Chong said the myth of economic development causes widespread impoverishment, poverty and destruction of the earth.

"We need to scrutinise so-called economic development projects in Fiji such as extractive industries, mining, logging, water factories etc.

We need to ask: who gains the most from this development scheme?"

And, he asked, how will such development affect the environment, food, water, air, and peoples' sustenance?"

"The iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) vision of the earth offers us an alternative to the destructive economic paradigm" Chong said.

The iTaukei's vanua framework sees the globe as a network of relationships between the world of spirits, peoples and the land (including all living creatures).

Like other indigenous cultures, they see creation as an extension of their lives. They see human life as part of the whole web of life together with creation.

Chong listed six iTaukei cultural practices that point to the life of connectedness.

He said these practices provide an alternative life-sustaining paradigm to the destructive economic development programme.

He went on to quote Pope Francis: "Indigenous peoples have values that guide greater responsibility to caring for the Earth.

"Indigenous communities have a strong sense of community, readiness to protect others, a spirit of creativity and a deep love for the land.

"They are also concerned about what they will eventually leave to their children and grandchildren."

Source

• The Fiji Times
• Image: Republika Magazine

He has sent a message of greeting to "all our Hindu brothers and sisters as you celebrate one of the most important and brightest celebrations, "Deepawali" or "festival of lights".

"I take this opportunity on behalf of the Catholic Church in Fiji to wish you all a very joyous and meaningful Diwali."

The Archbishop said,"Our religious beliefs, values and traditions are at the core of our identity as people. They can help us learn from each other's rich traditions and to create a just and peaceful human family."

Chong said Deepawali's basic message is the triumph of good over evil, a conversion from darkness to light, from captivity to freedom.

It is about forgiveness, reconciliation and peace.

So it carries a similar message to that of two important Christian celebrations namely Easter and Epiphany.

"Both of these celebrate Jesus Christ's victory over the darkness of sin and death. They reveal Christ as the light of our lives and of our world, a light that dispels darkness and restores our relationship with one another and with God."

The message of Deepawali communicates to us the goodness of God who enables us to banish all darkness and evil from our lives and the world.

Source

• Fiji Times
• Image: Fiji Live

He said this in a presentation Reweaving the Ecological Mat — Ecology and Development. This was part of a series of lectures organised by the Pacific Theological College's Institute for Mission and Research, the University of the South Pacific's Faculty of Arts, Law and Education and the Pacific Regional Seminary around the theme "Churches in Conversation with Society on Issues that Matter".

Chong said that in the beginning there existed an interconnectedness among all things in the whole of creation but that the sacred thread is lost.

"Today we are losing our interconnectedness. Our common home, Mother Earth, is becoming a pile of filth.

"We have to reweave the threads of our interconnectedness. Where do we look to for resources and inspiration for interconnectedness?"

As a starting point, Chong encouraged a talanoa (discussion) about what Fijians hold sacred from their cultural identities, "What is tabu for us, what our totems are. We look to indigenous and native cosmology and the spiritual traditions."

Chong said the language of domination had desacralised creation/the environment to exploit natural resources to the point where the world is in a state of exhaustion.

Reverend James Bhagwan, known as Padre James, is Secretary for Communication and Overseas Mission for Fiji's Methodist Church.

He used Chong's address as the starting point for his recent opinion piece in the Fiji Times, "Science Meets Spirituality".

He was writing at the time when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), made up of around 100 experts from over 30 countries, was meeting in Nadi.

"I was privileged to be invited to share a prayer of blessing at the official opening of this important meeting," Bhagwan said.

"The making of a space for spirituality in a meeting of scientists was a way of framing this gathering in the context of the Pacific.

"It was also an affirmation that, in the context of climate change, spirituality and science are important strands of the ecological mat that is being rewoven."

Source

• Fiji Times
• Image: Beautiful Holidays

He was speaking after a Justice and Development Commission Seminar entitled "Reading the Signs of the Times in Fiji - Catholic Social Teaching and Socio-Political Issues".

"There are times when the church will tell village leaders - your ideas are not well founded, your decisions are not right, that needs to be corrected," Chong said.

In particular the Catholic church is concerned about two of the proposed village by-laws that have been distributed for discussion and feedback:

One calls for the establishment of a committee with representatives from the various religious denominations within the village. This is to ensure members of their denominations comply with the decisions of the Village Council and Bose Vanua (council of chiefs) and that traditional and cultural obligations are respected and adhered to.

The other relates to establishing churches in villages. Under the by-laws any request to establish a church should be submitted to the Turaga-ni-Koro (head of the village) to be discussed in the Bose Vanua. The principles and teachings of these churches must be aligned to the iTaukei culture.

Chong warned that no culture was 100 per cent correct and forcing such a legislation was harmful even to the iTaukei.

The seminar's participants included of Catholic politicians, chiefs, clergy, members of the Fiji Council of Churches, lay church leaders and representatives of the non-government organisations.

"The conference is not about telling people what party to vote for or to support a particular party. We are inviting all politicians regardless what party they belong to," Chong said.

It is expected that similar seminars will take place in the Western and Northern Divisions later in the year.

Source

• Island Business Facebook
• Fijivillage.com
• Fijisun.com
• Image: Fijisun.com

In his Easter message he connected the meaning of Easter and the "destruction of peoples, the environment and the planet."

A locally-based company, Gold Rock Investment Ltd, has invested more than $16 million in a new stone crushing quarry.

"I am deeply concerned how the extraction of stones from the river will affect the environment in the nearby villages of Natadadrave and Delakado," Loy Chong said.

"What impact will it have on the fishes, prawns and other creatures that depend on the river including human beings?"

"What will happen if there is heavy rain and flooding?"

Last year the quarry was said to provide employment for more than 35 people.

Gold Rock Investment Ltd managing director and owner Shun Hui it would employ more workers once fully operational.

He said they had 13 specialists from China, who have set up quarries and stone crushers in China.

Natadradave also happens to be the village that shot into prominence last year with claims about "miracle water" that flowed from a spring in the village.

Loy Chong also expressed concern about other already existing or planned development projects such as bauxite mining in Bua, the logging industry and the possibility of deep sea mining

"All these projects carried out in the name of development must be evaluated and questioned in regard to social and ecological justice," he said.

"How do they develop and protect human beings, creatures and the environment?"

Loy Chong's message, originally published in the Fiji Times, was reproduced in The Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University.

The largest international multireligious project of its kind, the Forum recognises that religions need to be in dialogue with other disciplines (e.g., science, economics, education, public policy) in seeking comprehensive solutions to both global and local environmental problems.

Source

• fijitimes.com.fj
• fijitimes.com.fj
• fore.yale.edu
• Image: fijisun.com.fj

He says such accusations are not factual and needed validation.

Ro Aca Mataitini, former Roko Tui Cakaudrove and now training officer with the Ministry of Itaukei Affairs, had said churches continued to get bigger while the seriousness and number of crimes continued to escalate.

(Roko Tui is the title for the executive head of any one of Fiji's 14 Provincial Councils)

Mataitini was speaking to traditional leaders in the district of Wailevu in Cakaudrove earlier this month.

He said the problem existed in iTaukei villages because people had forgotten who to worship.

Instead of focusing on the purpose of building a church, people had turned it into a competition, worshiping the worldly head of churches instead of God Ro Aca Mataitini said.

Chong said one could question the presence of churches in relation to the increase of crime and immorality in the country but to blame the church was not acceptable.

He added individual churches were doing their fair share of work to address issues faced in communities.

Methodist Church general secretary Reverend Epineri Vakadewavosa said the issues could be addressed through a collective approach as addressing the issues in society was not the work of the church alone.

FemlinkPacific Executive Director Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls has also questioned Mataitini's accusation.

"Churches and centres of worship provided refuge for many at times of natural disaster and also have educated generations of Fijians," Bhagwan-Rolls said.

"Ro Aca Mataitini's broad, sweeping statement missed the opportunity to provide strategies prevent crime and also failed to reaffirm the recent steps by the Fiji Council of Churches members to denounce violence against women in a public media campaign."

"Instead of blaming the church, his message could have been an opportunity to talk about how the state and church could work better with citizens and congregations including women's networks to enhance preventive action and analysis and respond to the root causes of violence."

Source

• fijitimes.com
• fijitimes.com
• Image: 1.bp.blogspot.com