The head of the Catholic Church in American Samoa, Bishop Peter Brown, has urged bishops of Oceania to reflect on their place in the church and to act on climate change.
Speaking at a Mass to end a week-long conference for the Catholic Bishops of Oceania (CEPAC in Fiji, Bishop Brown urged his brother bishops to respond to the hopes and challenges they shared with hearts of mission and service.
He said a fellow bishop recently shared the story of someone whose land and life were being threatened by rising sea levels and pleaded with the bishop to help.
Such stories of urgency, according to Bishop Brown, should invoke the bishops to act on behalf of their people “to help people to find a place to stand”.
He said, “May we go from here with hope that, through our leadership together with the People of God, we can find room for all – a place where they can stand.”
Bishop Brown said, “We return to our homes, I hope, with a little more unease than when we arrived. It’s a good sign. You have been moved and challenged. That unease is an open door for the Lord to work through us.”
