Archbishop Peter Loy Chong introduced this official statement at an Ecumenical Service in Fiji on October 4th. He spoke very personally about growing up with flooding in Fiji and the increasing vulnerability of Pacific communities. He described this statement as the Pacific churches’ “TAGI – CRY” — their cry to the world.
"Dear political leaders, COP 31 delegates, this is our true story. ‘We are sinking’. We are vulnerable. Resilience is no longer enough."
I-Kiribati Christian youth participating in a Faiths For Climate Justice event Photo credit: ARRCC
For far too long, the powerful of this world have comforted their consciences by romanticising our endurance. Global media and international summits praise Pacific islanders for being “strong,” “smiling,” and “resilient.” But when you praise our resilience while continuing to expand fossil fuels, that praise becomes a cloak for inaction. It becomes a moral excuse to delay climate finance, look away from human suffering, and leave us alone to bear the consequences of an atmospheric crisis we did not cause.
Scripture reminds us through the Apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Christ did not come into this world to admire human agony from afar; He entered our profound vulnerability.
A theology of vulnerability demands that we strip away diplomatic polite language and honestly expose the grave moral wound at the center of this crisis. Acknowledging vulnerability means telling the world the unvarnished truth: we are hurting, our land is drowning, and this suffering is profoundly unjust.
In the tradition of liberation theology, we appeal to the global leaders and polluting industries: Do not stand at the foot of our suffering and admire us for how bravely we carry the cross of climate change. Help us take this cross down!
It is a sin before the Creator for wealthy nations and extractive industries to applaud our sacrifice while granting new drilling licenses, burning more coal, and offering empty pledges.
True ecological conversion—metanoia—demands that repentance be matched by restitution and justice.
COP 31 SUMMONS
Guided by the holy scriptures, Catholic Social Teaching, and the urgent appeals of Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, we bring before this COP 31 gathering a non-negotiable pastoral summons.
First, we demand uncompromising, radical emissions reductions. Nations that have profited most from the exploitation of God’s earth must immediately halt fossil fuel expansion and cut emissions to keep global warming strictly within 1.5°C. This is not merely an economic policy; it is a sacred moral covenant with the future of humanity.
Second, we demand full accountability for Loss and Damage. The communities that have contributed least to global warming cannot be expected to mortgage their children’s futures to rebuild what others have destroyed. True justice mandates real financial compensation for both the physical destruction of our coastlines and the irreplaceable loss of our sacred cultural heritage, governed by the ancient moral principle to “do no harm.”
Third, we demand direct, grant-based climate finance. Stop burying vulnerable nations in mountainous debts disguised as “climate relief.” Remove the labyrinth of international red tape and deliver resources directly to local communities as debt-free grants, enabling our people to adapt locally or move with dignity.
Fourth, we demand subsidiarity and inclusive governance. The people who live with the rising tide—our indigenous elders, our resource custodians, our women, our youth, and persons with disabilities—must have an honored seat at the high tables of global diplomacy. Policy without the voice of the vulnerable is an exercise in hollow power.
Brothers and sisters, the water is rising along the banks and shores of our shared global home. The sticks my brother and I planted in the mud of the Rewa River have now become the warnings of the entire planet. We have mistreated Mother Earth. We have broken planetary boundaries.
Let us not leave this ecumenical gathering with mere declarations of good intent. Let us embrace the vulnerability of the crucified and risen Lord, who calls us to repentance, courage, and decisive action.
May God grant us the grace to turn our grief into justice, our vulnerability into solidarity, and our collective will into the salvation of our common home.
Amen."
