What does it mean to be a Church that is authentically “of the Pacific”? That was the question on the agenda when bishops from around the region gathered for a week of prayer and reflection in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Source: Vatican News.
The August 5-11 meeting was held under the auspices of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC). It is, by area, the largest episcopal conference in the world.
As well as time for prayer and discussion, the gathering featured a traditional Samoan welcome ceremony, “conversations in the Spirit” using synodal methodology, and an address from Archbishop Gábor Pintér, the Apostolic Nuncio to CEPAC.
In his speech, Archbishop Pintér described the Pacific as “region of breathtaking natural beauty, imbued with a profound sense of spirituality, and shaped by deep-rooted, resilient cultures”.
It also, the nuncio admitted, faces “significant challenges”: climate change, economic disparities, social injustice, and youth disempowerment.
These realities are “not distant concerns”, Archbishop Pintér said, but rather “woven into the very fabric of our daily lives”.
At the “very core” of CEPAC’s vision, the apostolic nuncio said, is a “deep desire to be a Church that is authentically ‘of the Pacific’ … a Church that courageously recognises, respects, and seamlessly integrates the rich cultural heritage, ancestral wisdom, and communal values of our island nations into its very life.”
With this in mind, he suggested a number of areas for the Church in the region to focus on: care for the oceans, synodality, formation for mission, social activism, and empowerment of women and young people.
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Island bishops gather to discuss future of Church in the Pacific (Vatican News)
