Oceania’s Anglican leaders in the region have committed themselves “to take concrete action, to be champions and advocates, and to support each other” in the fight against climate change and gender-based violence. The primates and general secretaries of the Anglican Church in Australia, the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea, the Anglican Church of Melanesia, Read more
The Archbishop of Suva, Peter Loy Chong, says churches and religions in Fiji need to examine their sexist and discriminatory attitude towards women. 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 Read more
“Can you be the Prime Minister who would be bold enough to change your immigration laws so that Samoans can enter your country freely without requiring visas, which cost money most of our poor people don’t have?” This was the question Mata’afa Keni Lesa put to the New Zealand prime minister in his opinion piece Read more
More than 100 people were killed in a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea on February 26. The exact toll from a magnitude 6.7 aftershock that followed just after midnight on Wednesday 7 March is unknown but at least 18 people are said to have died or been injured. On Tuesday Pope Francis Read more
A survey being circulated in the Archdiocese of Agaña claims that Archbishop Michael Byrnes has said that baptisms, weddings, school enrollment and church attendance in Guam are decreasing even though the population has increased. The survey also claims that less than 50 percent of Guam’s population now identify as Catholic. According to the 2010 Census about 75 percent of Read more
A fire has destroyed two buildings at Père Guéneau Vocational High School at Bourail in New Caledonia just one week after the beginning of the school year. It is the fourth fire at the Catholic school in the past five years. The police are investigating the cause of the fire – arson is suspected. One Read more
The Society of St Vincent de Paul has stepped up with financial assistance to help Tonga and Samoa recover from the devastating impact of Cyclone Gita. The Society has forwarded $10,000 to Tonga and $3,000 to Samoa from its disaster relief fund. Tonga’s needs are around health, hygiene and basic food needs; in Samoa the Read more
A refugee detained by Australia on Nauru has begged New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for help before it’s too late. Fatemah, a 55-year old refugee woman, has been told there’s an imminent risk of her sudden death because of her heart condition. The medical treatment that Fatemah needs is not available on Nauru. Australia approved Read more
A priest in Indonesia attacked and wounded in his church by a sword-wielding man on 11 February says he has forgiven his attacker. Suliyono, 22, a suspected Muslim extremist, armed with a sword, entered St. Lidwina Church in Yogyakarta as the congregation was singing a hymn during Mass led by Jesuit Father Karl-Edmund Prier. “I forgive Sulyono Read more
Tonga’s Cardinal Mafi wants to rebuild the island’s Catholic primary school system. He says reviving the system would require a lot of money. The church is not financially prepared for the task. August last year marked 150 years since Fr Lamaze established St Stanislaus College and a primary school at ‘Ahopanilolo in 1865. From 1865 Read more