“In times of crisis, we must see what is wrong in our relationship with the rest of creation, and try to make amends,” says Archbishop Chong of Fiji about climate change. His advice is also useful in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Archbishop Chong has seen the effects of climate change with his own eyes: his grandmother’s village has had to relocate away from the shore because of rising sea levels. “As a Church, we need to speak the language of a God that speaks to the victims,” he says. “How do you bring a voice to the voiceless people and make their voice the center, to disturb politicians and make them realize there is something wrong?”

Archbishop Dr. Peter Loy Chong, President, Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania