Methodist Church support West Papua

Siteri Sauvakacolo, Fiji Times Online, Saturday, March 14, 2015

SUPPORT for the indigenous people of West Papua continues to gather momentum.

On Thursday, about 50 Methodist Church heads of divisions signed the solidarity movement for West Papua petition forms at Suva’s Centenary Church in support of the call for the freedom of the natives of West Papua.

This petition drive headed by the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy would be handed to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the end of April.

“There is a united umbrella body now, the Fiji’s Solidarity Movement for West Papua, and the church does not enter into anything lightly. We have been moving to this for a number of years now, this was back in 2013 when our relationship with West Papua started,”

church secretary for communications Reverend James Bhagwan said.

“It is not just lip service we are doing. We are committed to the West Papua issue and we kindly requested our church leaders to show their support to the issue.

“We took them through a presentation before they signed the petitions. We will hope to send it out to the divisions if possible and in issues like this, we make sure the church moves together and we do everything together.”