[ Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook ]

Fiji’s ability to deal with deepening social issues is being held back by a weakening relationship between the churches and the vanua.

This is the view of President of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, Reverend Dr Semisi Turagavou.

The church, he believes, cannot do its job if it is not walking in-step with traditional leaders and the people.

He shares that the time has come for open dialogue and realignment of shared values.

Dr Turagavou says while the church is trying to respond to emerging issues, there is still a struggle in how to deal with them effectively.

He believes the church needs to rise to a new level of commitment and service, not just within religious activities but by working more closely with the vanua and traditional leaders.

Dr Turagavou says there should be more open conversations involving community and faith leaders about the challenges people are facing today, including human rights, women’s rights and children’s safety.

However, what troubles him the most is the absence of God in these discussions.

“We need God. Fiji needs the presence of God. Not only the presence but the Christian principles within our discussions about the issues around us or within us within our human community. You know some of the issues that we are facing at the moment is beyond our control.”

Dr Turagavou questioned the absence of God in the decisions made by traditional and government leaders.

The church leader says Fiji needs not just God’s presence, but also Christian principles to guide how communities respond to the pressures around them.

He said some of the issues facing communities are beyond human control.

He raised concern over reports of marijuana found in villages such as in Kadavu and other provinces and says this should be a wake-up call.

The Methodist Church, as the largest Christian denomination in the country has a presence in almost every village.

Dr Turagavou says if illegal activities continue to grow in these same areas, it raises serious questions about the church’s role and whether it is failing in its responsibility.

He admits there is a clear disconnection between the church and the Vanua, the relationship is broken and needs to be fixed if there is any hope of moving forward together.

Dr Turagavou says the church represents Christ and the kingdom of God.

He also acknowledged that in many places, the leadership of the church is being challenged because of the actions and behavior of some church leaders.

He says this was a real concern, and he hopes that the church can address these issues at the vanua level, rebuild trust and work in unity with communities for the good of the people.

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