Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania president Bishop Anthony Randazzo has called for stronger collaboration with governments, regional organisations, and civil society to protect the homelands and livelihoods of people in Oceania. Source: Broken Bay Diocese.
Bishop Randazzo said policy frameworks, combined with pastoral strategies, are needed in a region where whole communities are at risk.
This was his key message to a gathering of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network in Sydney last night.
Oceania is a vast geographical region in the southwestern Pacific composed of thousands of islands divided into four culturally distinct subregions: Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
“Our vision is simple, yet ambitious,” Bishop Randazzo said.
“We desire a region where every person on the move is treated with dignity, protected from harm, and accompanied with genuine Christian care.
“We want Oceania to be a place where people who are displaced or vulnerable encounter, through us, the face of Christ. We want our Church to speak clearly and act courageously for justice, mercy, and the common good. And we want the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network to be a catalyst that strengthens advocacy, cooperation, and connection across all our islands and nations.”
The network was officially announced last year in Rome with leaders from the four episcopal conferences of Oceania, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands and the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific.
The initiative provides unified support, advocacy, and services for migrants, refugees, and climate-displaced people across the Pacific region.
It addresses unique challenges like climate change impacts and labour mobility, and is supported by the ACBC, international groups like the International Catholic Migration Commission and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Many of their representatives also attended the gathering at Mary MacKillop Place.
“The work ahead of us focuses on three major areas of concern: people displaced or affected by climate change; seasonal workers; and the plight of West Papua refugees and others seeking sanctuary in Oceania,” Bishop Randazzo said.
FULL STORY
A Vision for Oceania Shaped by Faith and Responsibility (Broken Bay Diocese)
