Fiji's Methodist Church takes news approach

Transcript

The new president of Fiji's Methodist Church says the church needs to be more realistic about modern day Fiji.

Reverend Tevita Nawadra Banivanua was elected to the church's top position on Monday.

Reverend Bainivanua told Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor what lies ahead for the church.

TEVITA NAWADRA BANIVANUA: I think though the way the Methodist church would go is the way that it has been going at the moment, we want to stay apolitical and drive the church forward in terms of our development, and all the other issues like our constitutional review, to be finalised not this year maybe next year.  We are going through a strategic planning excercise where we are bringing the church into focus and on the road and it should be plain, that is what we are trying to do at the moment.  And at the same time we want to be realistic about where we are at the moment in terms of the Fiji that we have, I'm saying this because the constitution of our land emphasises a secular state and all this, and I've been telling the media that the Methodist church has to learn to live in this world where the law is saying this, even though we will continue to pursue our Christian principles and religious prinicples into the order of the day or how Fiji is governed, we will continue to pursue that. But the fact that it is now a secular state that fact must be accepted, and we have to prepare ourselves to whatever secular state or secular regime will bring to the Methodist church.

MOERA TUILAEPA-TAYLOR: I know in the past there has been a little unease between the church and the current government - is one of your ways forward is to look at repairing or strengthing the relationship with the government?

TNB: Yes, we in the Methodist church will support any government that is in power.  The current government, we have said to them that we do not believe in coups and we have told them straight to their face that we don't believe in that because it was breaking the law but come the newly elected government, the Methodist church will abide with the laws that is being produced by whichever government is in place.