British Methodist leaders meet MPs over Fiji Church plight

Leaders of the British Methodist Church are to meet MPs today to share their concerns over the fate of the Methodist Church in Fiji.

Nine of the Church’s leaders have been charged with breaching public emergency regulations by attending an unauthorised meeting. They include the Church’s President, the Rev Ame Tugaue, and General Secretary, the Rev Tuikilakila Waqairatu.

Although they were released on bail, they have been prohibited from attending Church meetings or leading worship.

A lawyer representing the leaders was back in court on Tuesday to appeal for the case against them to be dropped. The leaders have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Today the President of the British Methodist Conference, the Rev David Gamble, and Vice President Dr Richard Vautrey, will meet Meg Munn MP and Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant to discuss the situation.

“We are very concerned for our sister Church in Fiji,” said Rev Gamble. This situation threatens to consume so much of their time, energy and finance. Strict bail conditions have robbed the Church of its leaders and we hope to seek a way forward that will enable the Church to continue to worship and serve its communities.”

Around one third of Fiji’s population are members of the Methodist Church, which has been at odds with the country’s military regime since it seized power in a bloodless coup in December 2006.

Earlier in the year, the arrest of its leaders forced the Church to cancel its annual Conference and choir festivals, one of its main ways of raising funds.

The meeting with the MPs follows a call from the British Methodist Church in September to the Fijian government to allow the Methodist Church to exercise its right to freedom of religion and play its part in developing a healthy and just society.