13 Sep 2012

Fiji's Catholics make submission to Constitution Commission

1:59 pm on 13 September 2012

The Catholic Church in Fiji has recommended to the Constitution Commission that the new constitution contain what it calls a Covenantal Chapter.

The director of the Catholic Education Board, Remesio Rogovakalali, says this should cover the shared principles that all Fiji citizens agree to guide and govern the political, social, cultural and economic life of the country.

Fiji Village reports that the church also recommends that God be acknowledged as the creator of humans, human dignity, common good, diversity, social justice, equality, freedom and rule of law.

The Church says another provision should spell out the clear separation of the state and religion.

But it says the role of religion and civil society as a crucial monitoring function ensuring the transparency, accountability and responsibility of government towards the people, needs to be recognised.