Fiji citizens live in fear and uncertain times, says Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Fiji.
“It is dangerous to speak your mind for truth and justice. I have been threatened for speaking out,” the Archbishop said in an op-ed article in today’s The Fiji Times.
In the article, the Archbishop said the church wants to build a just society.
“It seeks to do so on the solid foundation of four fundamental values: truth, freedom, justice and love,” he said.
The Archbishop said that the church’s teachings uphold two principles for genuine democracy, which were participation and subsidiarity.
“The late pope Paul VI taught that participation and equality are fundamental foundations for human dignity and freedom. He said that there is a basic drive in human beings, as they seek greater development, to share responsibility in decision-making that shapes their individual and collective futures. The principle of subsidiarity calls for local communities to assess, decide, and act at the most local level possible while still being effective in securing the common good. It means that the state should not take over duties and responsibilities that local communities can carry out themselves.”
In the article, which has also appeared on the church’s Facebook page, the Archbishop called on Fiji citizens to “collaborate for a truly independent, democratic and just society where the principles of participation, subsidiarity, human dignity and freedom are practised”.
