Later this month, churches, chapels and other places of worship in the Solomon Islands will be filled with congregations attending traditional services in celebration of Christmas and demonstrating that Christianity and church teaching wield huge influence for the good in people’s lives, both as community leaders and providers of key public services.
The constitution of Solomon Islands establishes the freedom of religion, and this freedom is respected in practice by both the government and general society and is unlikely ever to change.
As I recall, the public school curriculum in the Solomon Islands includes an hour of optional weekly religious education, with the content determined by the Solomon Islands Christian Association.
The newly appointed Governor –General of the Solomon Islands, Sir David Vunagi, GCMG, is a former Archbishop of the Church of Melanesia. His official investiture bestowing his knighthood and high decoration was carried out at Buckingham Palace earlier this year by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the head of the Anglican Church and head of the Commonwealth- and the sovereign head of the Solomon Islands.
Missionaries arrived in the Solomon Islands more than a century ago and today at least 90 percent of people are active members of a Christian church.
In rural areas, where more than 80 percent of the population resides, churches and faith-based organizations are important providers of education and health services.
The power of faith leaders to influence and inspire action life events is strong and more recently the church leaders have been talking of climate change because it is in part linked to the role many have in running local services.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
