Bishops from across Oceania descended upon Fiji over the weekend ahead of the quadrennial gathering of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO) this week.
The assembly brings together members of bishops conferences from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea/Solomon Islands and the Pacific Islands, including Most Rev Anthony Randazzo, Bishop of Broken Bay.
The assembly opened on Sunday with a Mass steeped in Fijian spirituality and tradition at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva, celebrated by Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The Mass was followed by a traditional Fijian welcoming ceremony, before the assembly commenced work on the Sunday evening.
One of the key themes of the FCBCO assembly is the oceans, and particularly the intersection between the People of God and the seas. Formation for mission is another central theme of the assembly.
Oceania’s draft submission for the Synod on Synodality will also be reviewed and finalised in response to ongoing prayer and discernment during the assembly.
Most Rev Peter Loy Chong, Archbishop of Suva, has asked people across Oceania to pray for the bishops gathering in Fiji and their collaborators, including some of those who participating in the synod writing process, and the success of the assembly.
“Because of the importance of this assembly from the 5th to the 10th of February, I humbly request your prayers for those who are there – mostly bishops, but also lay people who are working to make the assembly happen,” he said.
At the end of the assembly this week, a new FCBCO executive will be appointed, along with a new president for the Federation.
Australia will host the next assembly in 2027, with an Australian bishop to be named president of the Federation to guide preparations for that assembly.