WYD celebrations take place amid political unrest

Dec 11, 2021

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Amid unrest brought about by the political situation in the country, young Catholics in Solomon Islands celebrated World Youth Day 2021.

Following the earlier exhortation of Pope Francis to celebrate World Youth Day 2021 in local churches and dioceses, Catholic youths came together in Tetere from December 2 to 5.

At least 450 young people from various parishes — the Assumption of Mary parish in Ruavatu, the Good Shepherd parish, Red Beach, and the Salesian parish of Christ the King in Tetere — attended the celebration that carried the theme Holy, Formed and Sent for Service.

“We have to be messengers of peace in this country and restore the image of Solomon Islands,” said Fr Robinson Parappilly, SDB, parish priest of Christ the King, who welcomed the participants.

The priest told the young people that they were living in “a moment of uncertainty, deep hurt and a destroyed image of Christ.”

Fr Parappilly challenged the participants “to rise up from all the damage and bring Christ and Christian values to the lives of other young people.”

The Solomon Islands has been bracing for further political unrest with fresh protests this week.

Last month, a protest against Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare sparked three days of rioting in the capital that saw at least three people killed and 56 buildings burned or pillaged, and left the city’s Chinatown district in ruins.

Order was restored by Australian, Fijian, Papua New Guinean, and New Zealand peacekeepers, who conducted joint patrols of the capital with the over-stretched Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.

The crisis in the nation of 800,000 was fuelled by poverty, unemployment, and interisland rivalries.

Fr Casper Charles, rector of Don Bosco Technical Institute, reminded the gathering of young people to care for the “common home”, while Marist priest Jacob Aba spoke on the importance of Christian morality and upholding Christian principles.

The four-day celebration concluded on Sunday when Fr Robinson told the youth that “young people are the backbone of the Church.”

“If the youth of this generation fall, humanity falls, but if the youth arise, then humanity arises,” said the priest. -- licasnews.com