Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva (Latin: Archidioecesis Suvana) is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in Fiji. It is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Rarotonga and Tarawa and Nauru and —as of 21 March 2003—the Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti. The archdiocese was created in 1966, to succeed the Apostolic Vicariate of Fiji.
Archdiocese of Suva Archidioecesis Suvana | |
|---|---|
 Coat of Arms of the Archdiocese of Suva | |
| Location | |
| Country |  |
| Metropolitan | Suva |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Cathedral | Sacred Heart Cathedral, Suva |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Peter Loy Chong |
| Suffragans | Roman Catholic Diocese of Rarotonga Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti |
Bishops
Ordinaries
Bishops
- Jean-Baptiste Breheret (1863–1887)
- Julien Vidal (1887–1922)
- Charles-Joseph Nicolas (1922–1941)
- Victor Frederick Foley (1944–1967)
Archbishops
- George Hamilton Pearce (1967–1976)
- Petero Mataca (1976–2012)
- Peter Loy Chong (since 2013)
Coadjutor vicar apostolic
- Charles-Joseph Nicolas (1918-1922)
Sex abuse cases
On 13 July 2020, New Zealand's 1News revealed that of some of the clergy who were accused in 1,300 cases of sexually abusing children in the nation of Fiji were originally from New Zealand before they were transferred.[1] The transfer of these priests is the subject of a Royal Commission investigation.[1] Dr Murray Heasley from the Network of Survivors in Faith Based Institution told 1News that Fiji was a common place for the New Zealand Catholic Church to transfer accused Catholic clergy.[1] Despite Archbishop Peter Loy Chong's statement that there had been no reported cases of clergy abusing children in Fiji, Australian priest Julian Fox, who was later convicted and jailed in 2015 for child sex crimes, had been transferred to Fiji in 1999 after Australian police started an investigation against him.[1] It was also proven that the church had knowledge of sex abuse allegations against Fox nine years before he was charged.[1]
References
- "Uncovering child sexual abuse in Fiji's public schools". 1News. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- "Archdiocese of Suva". Catholic-Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2007-01-12.