PACIFIC church leaders have accepted two Papuan churches into their fold and resolved to continue to address human rights abuses by Indonesian security forces in West Papua.
The three-day meeting at the Pacific Theological College also saw closed-session talks between the leaders and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and trade over closer collaboration on social justice issues in 2020.
Membership applications were received from GIDI (the Evangelical Church of Indonesia) and the Felowship of Baptist Churches of Papua. These have been approved in principle bringing to four the number of Papuan members of the Pacific Conference of Churches since 2014.
The Gereja Kristen Injili di Tannah Papua was one of the founding members of the PCC in 1961 but its membership lapsed after the Indonesian occupation of the former Dutch territory in 1969.
A six-member delegation from three Papuan churches attended the talks in Suva last week.
Leaders discussed collaboration on measures to address climate change, compensation for victims of nuclear testing in Maohi Nui (French Polynesia) and self-determination for Pacific communities.
The meeting also saw the return of two Northern Pacific churches from the Federated States of Micronesia after a lapse of 10 years.
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