IN an impassioned plea, church leaders have called for national leadership in the Pacific to lean toward courses of action that facilitate lasting and meaningful peace in our region.
In an open letter from Majuro, Marshall Islands, Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary Reverend James Bhagwan reminded leaders that their role requires being mindful of their responsibility for the common good.
Bhagwan expressed concern that the region’s Ocean of Peace vision risked being co-opted by military and security interests, following the signing of the Veitacini Treaty between Fiji and Australia on July 6.
“The public question raised by RNZ Pacific deserves careful attention: has the Ocean of Peace been hijacked?” Bhagwan said.
The treaty provides for deterrence, collective defence, and mutual response to armed attack. While the text affirms the Pacific Way and peaceful settlement through dialogue.
“Several purposes now travel under the sacred and political name Ocean of Peace,’’ Bhagwan said.”
The letter gave voice to concerns from Pacific civil society leaders, including Joey Tau of the Pacific Network on Globalisation, who warned of co-option by external military interests, and Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls of the Pacific Women Mediators Network, who called for civilian peacebuilding and demilitarisation.
Bhagwan used Micah 4:1-4 as the basis for his call for careful consideration, where nations “beat their swords into ploughshares.”
Pointing to the legacy of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. July marks 80 years since the Able detonation over Bikini Atoll, the first of 67 US nuclear tests conducted there.
The letter urged Pacific leaders to keep the Ocean of Peace vision under shared regional guardianship and ensure any proposed Ocean of Peace Centre carries a clear civilian mandate for conflict prevention, mediation, and trauma healing.
“Let peace give security its direction. Let justice shape every agreement,” Bhagwan said.
The Pacific Conference of Churches represents Protestant and Anglican churches across the region.
