Archbishop Peter has a passionate concern for the environment and speaks out strongly on behalf of his region’s indigenous peoples and the balance of ecology that sustains them.
Coastal communities in Oceania are being forced from their homes by rising sea levels and erosion in a situation assessed as severe, says a new report from Caritas.
Scenes of devastation and of life continuing on Viti Levu Island, Fiji following Cyclone Winston where Caritas is partnering with the Archdiocese of Suva to deliver aid.
The impact of Cyclone Winston on Fiji has been severe as the Pacific nation was lashed with very destructive hurricane force winds Saturday gusting to 300 kmph. The storm had earlier hit Tonga, where Caritas is now delivering aid.
Global temperatures averaging almost 1oC above normal. For people in some parts of the world, this might still seem like a technical measurement, or a future concern. For us in Oceania, it is rapidly becoming a matter of life or death.
Groups of locals have taken to the streets of Port Vila, Vanuatu to help clean up the neighbourhoods hardest hit by Cyclone Pam as part of Caritas relief efforts.
More than half the population of Vanuatu is homeless following Cyclone Pam. Caritas will provide temporary shelter with the arrival in Port Vila of 2000 tarpaulins in the next few days.
Caritas Australia and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand are leading the Caritas Internationalis response in Vanuatu with the Catholic Church after the Pacific island nation was devastated by Cyclone Pam.
Up to 90 percent of buildings on one of Vanuatu main islands have been destroyed or damaged as aid workers rush to help survivors of Cyclone Pam. Caritas has sent emergency staff to Vanuatu to link up with local church structures.
People on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu sheltered in churches and schools as a powerful tropical cyclone hit overnight. Scores are feared dead and thousands affected in one of the largest cyclones to hit the country.