Tahiti church Photo: RNZI Walter Zweifel
The French Polynesian Protestant church wants to secure regional support for its pursuit of France for alleged crimes against humanity over its nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific.
The Maohi Protestant Church, which is the territory's main denomination, concluded its 133rd synod on Tahiti with a continued focus on taking the French state to account for the damage caused by its 193 tests.
Two years after announcing its intention to take France to the International Criminal Court, the church's president told Tahiti media that it wants to engage the Pacific Council of Churches in its campaign on the nuclear issue.
The synod also came out against the government-backed plans to resume large-scale phosphate mining on Makatea atoll in the Tuamotus.
The government and the Australian company seeking a mining licence say they will consult landowners before deciding on whether to embark on further exploitation of the atoll where mining had ceased half a century ago.
