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"When we recognize that our lives are gracious gifts of God, it becomes our mission in this world to care for life and the dignity of all," said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a public lecture given during his visit to Fiji last week.

Speaking at the Pacific Theological College in the capital, Suva, on 15 July, about the theme of the WCC ninth assembly - God, in your grace, transform the world - Kobia stressed that "God has compassionate desire for fullness of life and wants us to overcome the various faces of death among us."

One of the areas where this call becomes urgent today is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Although admitting that "in many cases the initial response by many churches to this challenge was not helpful," Kobia highlighted "ecumenical co-operation on HIV/AIDS" as "one of the most promising experiences of recent years."

According to Kobia, it is "encouraging for an individual church to see how other churches have liberated themselves from counter-productive prejudices and found ways for meaningful work on HIV/AIDS," accompanying the victims and caring "for the sick and the orphans, not by isolating them, but in mobilizing a strong sense of life in community."

Earlier the same day Kobia met with five people living with HIV/AIDS and acknowledged that churches must affirm their dignity as children of God, accepting them as members of the community and working against stigma together.

Economic globalization and climate change

Two other areas where God's desire for fullness of life becomes relevant today are "the action in solidarity with those already affected by the consequences of climate change," and "the struggle against the negative impacts of economic globalization and the search for alternatives," Kobia stated in his lecture.

Highlighting that "God’s household of life is threatened in various ways by the powers and principalities of this world," Kobia pointed to "the fragmentation of communities, the exclusion and impoverishment of the already poor and a merciless attack on creation that undermines the very basis of life" as consequences of what he called "structures of sin".

Although "many feel numb, helpless and powerless in facing the massive misuse of unjustly distributed economic and political power, and the arrogant use of military force," Kobia stressed that the WCC assembly theme calls Christians to do the will of God: "Do not adjust yourself to the powers of this world, but transform yourself, renewing your minds in the spirit of the liberating message of the Gospel!"

The same day, Kobia visited Suvavou, one of the villages closest to the capital and subject to pollution as waste continuously washes up on its shores. The environmental damage is such that the village dedicates one day a month to clean up the beaches.

In addition to pollution and degradation of the coastline, Pacific residents must suffer the consequences of climate change as the region experiences higher tides, stronger storms and the threat to soil fertility by the intrusion of salt water into the water tables.

Kobia acknowledged the work of Pacific churches in promoting awareness of such effects. “We stretch out our hands to act together in solidarity with you to reduce the causes of human-induced climate change,” he said.

Addressing challenges ecumenically

Earlier during the week-long visit to Fiji, the WCC general secretary participated in a Pacific Church Leaders Conference taking place in Nadi, 12-14 July, that gathered some 50 church leaders and heads of ecumenical organizations from throughout the Pacific Islands.

Coming together to re-examine their roles and responses to social, political and economical challenges facing the people they serve, participants from some 17 denominations debated the state of the Pacific region and the future of ecumenism.

It is becoming increasingly evident that Pacific churches must seriously work together as an ecumenical body to solve some of the region’s pressing social challenges today, pointed out Rev. Valamotu Palu, general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC).

In addition to the global issues impacting the region, Rev. Fepai Fui Kolia of Samoa’s National Council of Churches asked participants to take a stand against Australia and New Zealand immigration laws. Those immigration policies "humiliate and degrade our people," he said.

Before leaving Fiji, Kobia paid a courtesy call to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. Kobia and the president, who has been a lay preacher for the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma for the last sixty years, discussed the state of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Methodism in the world.

This visit was organized by the regional ecumenical organizations in close cooperation with the Fiji Council of Churches (FCC).

See WCC press release of 1 July 2004.