Pacific cardinals heading to Rome for Vatican conclave
Pope Francis in his open coffin during the rite of the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff at the Chapel of Santa Marta in The Vatican.
Photo:
AFP/Vatican Media
Two cardinals will be representing Pacific Island countries at the conclave in the Vatican to elect the new pope.
Pope Francis
died on Easter Monday morning, local time, aged 88
.
The pope's death prompts a period of mourning, after which
all cardinals under the age of 80 will convene
to pick the next leader of the Catholic Church.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote, although they can take part in the conclave.
There are currently 252 cardinals, 138 of whom are cardinal electors.
Cardinal Mafi of Tonga and Cardinal Ribat of Papua New Guinea will travel to Rome to take part.
The Vatican confirmed Cardinal Mafi's participation in the conclave to RNZ, and the Catholic church in Papua New Guinea has confirmed travel arrangements are being made for Cardinal Ribat to travel to Rome.
The Bishop of Lae in Papua New Guinea Rosario Menezes said Pope Francis, who visited the country in September last year, has done a lot for the church in PNG.
"This is our privilege, also because of Pope Francis, we have the first cardinal in the person of Cardinal John Ribat," Menezes said.
"By appointing him as a cardinal, he has put the Catholic church in PNG on the world map, giving us the confidence that even though we are a missionary church here, we can contribute a lot to the universal church.
"We are very proud that PNG can also be part of the part of choosing the next leader of the Catholic church."
Pacific leaders have joined those from around the world in paying tribute to the late pope.
Papua New Guinea's prime minister James Marape said the pope's death is a loss to all humanity.
"He was a spiritual father to over a billion Catholics around the world and a moral voice of conscience in times of global uncertainty," Marape said.
Pope Francis meets people as he takes part in a meeting with Catholic faithful of the diocese of Vanimo in front of Holy Cross Cathedral in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea.
Photo:
TIZIANA FABI / AFP
The pope had visited PNG in September last year, and Marape said his words and presence inspired the people, reminding them to care for the
vulnerable, to act justly, and to walk humbly with God.
"During his time in Port Moresby and Vanimo, Pope Francis brought a message of unity, inclusion, and hope."
The Cook Islands prime minister, Mark Brown, said the late pope was "a man of deep humility and unwavering faith".
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the legacy of faith, compassion, and service that Francis leaves behind will continue to inspire generations within and beyond the Catholic Church.
The head of Fiji's Catholic Church, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, said the pontiff would move around in his wheelchair with a sense of humour, joy, and comfort.
He said the Pope embraced his own vulnerability, often asking people to pray for him.
Father Paulo Filoiali'i from Samoa was the first Pacific islander to study in Rome, and Samoan Mass was celebrated for the first time in the Vatican at his ordination in 1990.
He said Pope Francis, then a Jesuit priest, was his teacher in spirituality.
Father Paulo said to him, Francis was not only a Pope but a Father.
Pope Francis was mourned in Auckland on Tuesday.
Photo:
MARIKA KHABAZI / RNZ
Menezes said they have been flooded with phone calls and messages from people wanting to confirm the news of the Pope's death.
He said earlier this year when the Pope fell ill, there were a lot fake posts about his death being circulated on social media.
"We had to call a press conference to make it clear to the people that when Pope dies, there are protocols to follow, and we will get the news from the Vatican," he said.
"To make sure that it is true, there were many calls in the evenings and just to confirm that it is true. So people have been very much saddened, and the condolences are pouring in."
Pope Francis' body will be taken into St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning at 0700 GMT, in a procession that will be led by cardinals. He will lie in state there until Friday evening.
His funeral service will be held at 10:00am the following day in St Peter's Square
, in front of the 16th century basilica. It will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals.
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'If they don't have already a counsellor, the church can provide them a list of counsellors to choose from – with some or all being people without ties to the church.' Even if Pope Leo was to eventually adopt a zero-tolerance policy, Fremlin said it'll do little to restore his faith in the church. 'It's like asking the cow to jump over the moon. It's very hard for [the survivors] to come out openly. 'We're just hoping for something concrete you know, written in black and white, that states they're doing something about it.' Pacific survivors deserve more justice – advocate A long-standing advocate of Pacific abuse survivors said they deserve more justice. Dr Murray Heasley, who was instrumental in Fremlin's case, said the payout that Fremlin and his brother John received is 'outrageous'. 'It's about dignity; it's about human rights,' he said. 'How can you be paying a fraction of the money to a Fijian survivor abused by a New Zealander in Fiji, particularly if you take into consideration some of the notion of the colonial background and the assumption of superiority of Western culture at the time… The colonial mentality seems to still be in place. 'If you happen to be a Fijian survivor that got sexually molested by a New Zealander, you're worth less as a human being? Than a Pasifika abused in New Zealand? Why the differentiation? 'It's absolutely outrageous and it has to be revisited now. The FMS Marist Brothers have massive resources.' The New Zealand Bishop Conference said each case that the church considers is unique and so is each response. Part of the response can include an ex gratia payment to a survivor as part of the 'healing process'. However, they also said that 'comparisons cannot be made between different cases across the various components of each process'. 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He has not reached out to sexual survivors, and without that, he is not an acceptable pope.' The New Zealand Catholic Bishop Conference said there are many first-hand reports 'including from victims and survivors of abuse' that have shared their appreciation for how well then-Bishop Prevost handled the cases in Peru. 'He played a pivotal role in having a religious community shut down – which is a rare and severe course of action,' the statement read.
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So when you go for counselling, you report back to the church." Fremlin also expressed his dissatisfaction over Pope Leo's appointment as the new pontiff, claiming the former cardinal had allegedly concealed abuse cases of three women while he served as a bishop in Peru in 2022. However, Fremlin said the onus is now on Pope Leo to stand with abuse survivors, calling for him to enact the zero tolerance law. An earlier attempt was done in November 2024 when former Jesuit priest, Reverand Hans Zollner, joined abuse survivors at a press conference in Rome urging Pope Francis to apply the zero-tolerance law throughout the entire 1.4 billion-member church. The law would effectively remove any priests guilty of abuse from the ministry. For Fremlin, it's about taking concrete steps in protecting the most vulnerable. "When survivors tried to seek or converse with the church, the church gives them the runaround, and always the lawyers," he said. "My experience in Fiji is that they bring up the lawyers and then they hide behind the lawyers you know, so I wish the pope would come on this - it's just something that he can put into law that the survivors can go to, without the church giving them the runarounds." In a statement sent to RNZ Pacific, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference said significant work has been undertaken to "promote a culture of awareness and vigilance". An immediate risk assessment is carried out once a complainant in New Zealand comes forward. Any risk identified would result in the accused priest to step down. For those convicted of abuse, the conference said the policies in place would permanently remove them from the ministry. The conference also said that abuse survivors can seek a mental health counsellor of their choice. "If they don't have already a counsellor, the church can provide them a list of counsellors to choose from - with some or all being people without ties to the church." Even if Pope Leo was to eventually adopt a zero-tolerance policy, Fremlin said it'll do little to restore his faith in the church. "It's like asking the cow to jump over the moon. It's very hard for [the survivors] to come out openly. "We're just hoping for something concrete you know, written in black and white, that states they're doing something about it." Pacific survivors deserve more justice - advocate A long-standing advocate of Pacific abuse survivors said they deserve more justice. Dr Murray Heasley, who was instrumental in Fremlin's case, said the payout that Fremlin and his brother John received is "outrageous". "It's about dignity; it's about human rights," he said. "How can you be paying a fraction of the money to a Fijian survivor abused by a New Zealander in Fiji, particularly if you take into consideration some of the notion of the colonial background and the assumption of superiority of Western culture at the time... The colonial mentality seems to still be in place. "If you happen to be a Fijian survivor that got sexually molested by a New Zealander, you're worth less as a human being? Than a Pasifika abused in New Zealand? Why the differentiation? "It's absolutely outrageous and it has to be revisited now. The FMS Marist Brothers have massive resources." The New Zealand Bishop Conference said each case that the church considers is unique and so is each response. Part of the response can include an ex gratia payment to a survivor as part of the 'healing process'. However, they also said that "comparisons cannot be made between different cases across the various components of each process". Last year, New Zealand journalist Pete McKenzie broke the story in the New York Times of how the Pacific was used as a 'dumping ground' for accused priests. Heasley said it was a 'standard procedure'. "It's extremely common to shift predators around. It was called the geographic cure. It didn't cure anything. "The worst predators were those who were fluent in the local language, Fiji and Samoan and Tongan, because parents trusted them. They used the language to predate and groom." The New Zealand Catholic Bishop's Conference responded with a statement they had issued last year in response to McKenzie's story. "We were given 10 or 11 specific names and NONE had any record of allegations of abuse before they were assigned to ministry in the Pacific. It was anything but 'common practice', the statement said. "Catholic priests and religious [orders] have regularly been appointed to the Pacific Islands to support the faith life of communities there. For many religious orders, the Pacific is part of the same province as New Zealand. "There is no record of any of the nine men about whom [McKenzie] enquired being accused of abuse before the order of diocese appointed to them to the Pacific. Allegations against some were not received until after their death." As for Pope Leo's alleged handling of abuse cases in Peru, Heasley said he's concerned. "We've seen pushback from people inside the Catholic Church calling these women 'liars'. It's an astonishing thing where you have so-called advocates of women's voices, the silence of women's voices coming in behind the pope who they see as a fellow Peruvian because he has joint citizenship." He said canon lawyer Brendan Daly has called the sexual abuse of children the greatest threat to the Catholic church. "None of these folks are dealing with this, and even to this point, with this new pope has yet to say anything except to deny the accusation. He has not reached out to sexual survivors, and without that, he is not an acceptable pope." The New Zealand Catholic Bishop Conference said there are many first-hand reports "including from victims and survivors of abuse" that have shared their appreciation for how well then-Bishop Prevost handled the cases in Peru. "He played a pivotal role in having a religious community shut down - which is a rare and severe course of action," the statement read.
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Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States, appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on May 8. Photo: Stoyan Nenov/Reuters via CNN Newsource A Fijian abuse survivor is urging the new head of the Catholic church to adopt a zero tolerance policy for child sex abuse. Felix Fremlin was seven years old when he was molested by a New Zealand Marist Brother at his primary school in Suva. Although he had received a written apology and FJD$15,000 (approx US$6,680) in financial compensation from the Marist Brothers Order of New Zealand and the Pacific, Fremlin said it's not enough. Speaking to Pacific Waves , Fremlin said culture and faith prevents many people in the Pacific from speaking out. "It's a Pacific island thing, everybody looks upon the church as messengers of God, and so for people to talk about it... it's a taboo thing," he said. Seeking mental health support is also a struggle for Fremlin. Photo: Supplied "So here, we don't have any specialists where survivors can go to for counselling. The church here has offered counselling but the counsellors here belong to the church itself. So when you go for counselling, you report back to the church." Fremlin also expressed his dissatisfaction over Pope Leo's appointment as the new pontiff, claiming the former cardinal had allegedly concealed abuse cases of three women while he served as a bishop in Peru in 2022. However, Fremlin said the onus is now on Pope Leo to stand with abuse survivors, calling for him to enact the zero tolerance law. The newly elected Pope Leo waves from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday. Photo: Francesco Sforza/Vatican Media/Reuters via CNN Newsource An earlier attempt was done in November 2024 when former Jesuit priest, Reverand Hans Zollner, joined abuse survivors at a press conference in Rome urging Pope Francis to apply the zero-tolerance law throughout the entire 1.4 billion-member church. The law would effectively remove any priests guilty of abuse from the ministry. For Fremlin, it's about taking concrete steps in protecting the most vulnerable. "When survivors tried to seek or converse with the church, the church gives them the runaround, and always the lawyers," he said. "My experience in Fiji is that they bring up the lawyers and then they hide behind the lawyers you know, so I wish the pope would come on this - it's just something that he can put into law that the survivors can go to, without the church giving them the runarounds." In a statement sent to RNZ Pacific, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference said significant work has been undertaken to "promote a culture of awareness and vigilance". An immediate risk assessment is carried out once a complainant in New Zealand comes forward. Any risk identified would result in the accused priest to step down. For those convicted of abuse, the conference said the policies in place would permanently remove them from the ministry. The conference also said that abuse survivors can seek a mental health counsellor of their choice. "If they don't have already a counsellor, the church can provide them a list of counsellors to choose from - with some or all being people without ties to the church." Even if Pope Leo was to eventually adopt a zero-tolerance policy, Fremlin said it'll do little to restore his faith in the church. "It's like asking the cow to jump over the moon. It's very hard for [the survivors] to come out openly. "We're just hoping for something concrete you know, written in black and white, that states they're doing something about it." A general view shows Pope Leo XIV leading a Holy Mass for the Beginning of his Pontificate, in St Peter's square in The Vatican Photo: AFP / TIZIANA FABI A long-standing advocate of Pacific abuse survivors said they deserve more justice. Dr Murray Heasley, who was instrumental in Fremlin's case, said the payout that Fremlin and his brother John received is "outrageous". "It's about dignity; it's about human rights," he said. "How can you be paying a fraction of the money to a Fijian survivor abused by a New Zealander in Fiji, particularly if you take into consideration some of the notion of the colonial background and the assumption of superiority of Western culture at the time... The colonial mentality seems to still be in place. "If you happen to be a Fijian survivor that got sexually molested by a New Zealander, you're worth less as a human being? Than a Pasifika abused in New Zealand? Why the differentiation? "It's absolutely outrageous and it has to be revisited now. The FMS Marist Brothers have massive resources." The New Zealand Bishop Conference said each case that the church considers is unique and so is each response. Part of the response can include an ex gratia payment to a survivor as part of the 'healing process'. However, they also said that "comparisons cannot be made between different cases across the various components of each process". Last year, New Zealand journalist Pete McKenzie broke the story in the New York Times of how the Pacific was used as a 'dumping ground' for accused priests . Heasley said it was a 'standard procedure'. "It's extremely common to shift predators around. It was called the geographic cure. It didn't cure anything. "The worst predators were those who were fluent in the local language, Fiji and Samoan and Tongan, because parents trusted them. They used the language to predate and groom." The New Zealand Catholic Bishop's Conference responded with a statement they had issued last year in response to McKenzie's story. "We were given 10 or 11 specific names and NONE had any record of allegations of abuse before they were assigned to ministry in the Pacific. It was anything but 'common practice', the statement said. "Catholic priests and religious [orders] have regularly been appointed to the Pacific Islands to support the faith life of communities there. For many religious orders, the Pacific is part of the same province as New Zealand. "There is no record of any of the nine men about whom [McKenzie] enquired being accused of abuse before the order of diocese appointed to them to the Pacific. Allegations against some were not received until after their death." Photo: ALBERTO PIZZOLI As for Pope Leo's alleged handling of abuse cases in Peru, Heasley said he's concerned. "We've seen pushback from people inside the Catholic Church calling these women 'liars'. It's an astonishing thing where you have so-called advocates of women's voices, the silence of women's voices coming in behind the pope who they see as a fellow Peruvian because he has joint citizenship ." He said canon lawyer Brendan Daly has called the sexual abuse of children the greatest threat to the Catholic church. "None of these folks are dealing with this, and even to this point, with this new pope has yet to say anything except to deny the accusation. He has not reached out to sexual survivors, and without that, he is not an acceptable pope." The New Zealand Catholic Bishop Conference said there are many first-hand reports "including from victims and survivors of abuse" that have shared their appreciation for how well then-Bishop Prevost handled the cases in Peru. "He played a pivotal role in having a religious community shut down - which is a rare and severe course of action," the statement read.
