The head of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, has admitted that the church has a political responsibility.

He said it was part of an agenda to inform its members of issues that may affect them before a General Election and other occasions.

He said if a church or any religion failed to address this, then it was not worthy to be called a church.

He was responding to continuing concerns even by members of the church about what sounded like anti-Government rhetoric.

Nouzab Fareed, the chief executive officer for FHL Group, said his wife and children, who are members, complained about the manner in which rapes and crimes were highlighted.

A priest allegedly talked about the rising crime rate, Mr Fareed claimed.

His children told him to go and listen. On Saturday, he attended a service.

He said he heard the priest tell the congregation that a lot of mining taking place in the country was environmentally unfriendly.

The priest, he claimed, said the landowners were not getting what they should get.

“And the leaders are not doing what is right, the priest said,” Mr Fareed said.

He claimed the priest mentioned mining in Ba, Namosi and Dawasamu.

After mass, Mr Fareed said he went to see the priest and corrected him.

“I told him what you said is wrong. Why are you complaining?” he asked.

“The priest said ‘please I don’t know anything about this, this is the document I got from Archbishop so please talk to him’. I tried calling Archbishop, but he did not respond.”

He said Fijian Holdings Ltd operated a quarry in Dawasamu and other areas in Fiji, employing more than 600 people, 300 of them were from villages.

He said these quarries complied with the requirements and the law including the environmental assessment reports.

“My children do not go to church to listen to sermons on environment, rape and poverty.

“They go to listen to the word of God.”

“Why is the church involved in politics. Why is the church anti-Government?” he asked.

Archbishop Loy Chong said people were open to their own interpretation.

“We do this because the church has a role in educating people on issues that face their lives. That involves political and economic issues. We are not supporting or opposing any party. We are helping people to be aware of the issues they are facing. That is part of being prophetic. Our position is not to tell people what party to vote for. This is the role of the church.”

He has previously apologised for giving wrong figures on poverty and the economy.

Other issues that he has covered so far include domestic violence, suicide and environment.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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