Anglican Primates and General Secretaries of the Pacific Anglican Churches of Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia have gathered to strengthen ties and build on shared mission at a Fono meeting in the Solomon Islands.

From 19-21 May 2023 Anglican leaders met in Honiara, hosted by Archbishop Leonard Dawea and the Anglican Church of Melanesia, centred on the theme, “Fellowship and Growth in Regional Anglican Diversity.” 

Each Provincial team shared their Church’s story from Covid-19 lockdowns through till today. Reports ranged on topics as wide as the impact of bush fires and sea level rise, to the need for formation and theological education in service of evangelism. 

Facilitated by Fe’iloakitau Tevi, the Fono identified five primary themes in shared mission:

– Intentional Discipleship

– Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness

– Theological Education

– Pacific Seasonal Workers’ Schemes

– Violence 

Anglican leaders attending the Fono included:

Acting Archbishop of Papua New Guinea, Bishop Nathan Ingen;

Primate of Australia, Archbishop Geoff Smith;

Archbishop Sione Uluilakepa and Archbishop Philip Richardson – Primates of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

General Secretaries: Anne Hywood (Australia), Dennis Kabekabe (PNG), Michael Hughes (ANZP) and Dr Abraham Hauriasi (ACoM). Also present at the Fono were Bishop Terry Brown (Anglican Church of Canada) and Rev Bruce Woodcock (The Episcopal Church USA).

This year, the Anglican leaders’ Fono took place alongside the Oceania Regional Anglican Alliance Oceania Committee (ORAC) which gathered Pacific-based Anglican agencies to work together on shared objectives in aid and development. The ORAC objectives reporting back to the Fono included: empowering church leaders as agents of change, education and action on gender justice and safeguarding, promoting Safe Church, Creation Care curricula and CIVA training.  

Attending the ORAC from this Church were Anglican Missions’ Humanitarian and Development Manager Mark Mitchell and Diocese of Polynesia Humanitarian Aid and Development Project Manager Karen Chute-Delaivoni. 

As well as its set of recommendations for the Church’s development work in the region the ORAC meeting appointed Karen Chute-Delaivoni to leadership role as the Anglican Alliance’s Oceania secretary.

Fono 2023 held a lengthy conversation on fostering Intentional Discipleship, which firmly placed Oceania’s priority on Evangelism and strengthening relationships between Anglican Churches in order to promote the Gospel.

Fono members reaffirmed their commitment to the Anglican Communion and agreed to continue working together through differences while remaining in the wider Anglican Communion.

They noted the critical importance of understanding how our Pacific churches and societies have differing cultural norms and values that undergird our different communities’ ways of life.

“Working in the region calls for a clear respect for differing values and cultural practices,” reads the 2023 Fono Communiqué.

Fono discussions on Theological Education ranged from developing new resources in Pacific Theology, and in evangelism (particularly for Papua New Guinea), to building capacity in theological education, including by establishing a Centre for Theological Excellence based in the Diocese of Polynesia that could offer formation and training across all Pacific Anglican churches. 

“[This proposed] centre would support what is happening in the Anglican Church of Melanesia and Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea in terms of a mechanism with regional focus on Pacific theology.” said the Fono Communiqué.

Fono leaders discussed climate change impacts in the region and received a presentation from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology. Fono members zeroed in on questions of loss and damage compensation, particularly for communities living in low-lying Pacific Islands faced with relocation as a result of sea level rise.

The Fono also looked into the impact of seasonal worker schemes on individuals and communities in the region. A presentation from the Solomon Islands Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade(MFAET) opened a talanoa on labour mobility schemes and highlighted the need for greater consultation – with both sending and receiving Governments, as well as with High Commissions and Embassies.

Fono leaders went on to consider the role of churches and Faith-Based Organisations in providing better networks to monitor and accompany seasonal labourers while overseas.

At the close of the 2023 Fono, Archbishop Philip preached to a packed St Barnabas Cathedral in Honiara, highlighting areas of shared mission raised at the Fono and emphasising the value of maintaining warm relations across the Pacific, particularly in the context of its diverse cultures and nations.

The next Oceania Anglican Leaders’ Fono is scheduled to convene in 2024.