THE Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Ysabel (DoY) the Right Reverend Ellison Quity has reminded the members of the 15th Diocesan synod of the Diocese of Ysabel to look after the environment.
“Environment is our livelihood;” he said as he addressed the one hundred and thirty synod participants at the official opening at the Christ the King Church at Jejevo Parish on Sunday 6th August 2017.
It has been understood that Isabel province is no exception to logging and proposed mining activities.
“We are then reminded to be good stewardship of God’s creation. Land and environment protection is a vital concern for the Church”, he said.
“The church does not go against economic development however; our desire for economic development must not result in the destruction of our earth,” he added.
The church will remain oppose to developments that are not sustainable. We stand on a decision approved at the 8th Diocesan synod. And we also stand on the decision of the 1989 General synod and the Environment Week, Consultation held in Gizo 1991. “That opposes logging and mining operations.” I suggest that any consultation/negotiations for mining in the future be tabled at the Tripod meeting for discussions, approval, and endorsement.
I am strong for “Environmental Impact Assessment Report” has to present well before any decisions are made.
Bishop Ellison also quoted the late Archbishop Ellison Pogo in his time as Diocesan Bishop called for the people of Isabel and landowners to learn from PNG experiences. The spill over effect of Bougainville crisis is a typical example of a lesson to learn from. The inhabitants pushed away and became slaves in their own land.
The Theme for this 15th Diocesan synod is: “Together Towards Retrieving, Re-construction and Re-translating the Good News Mission with Coherence, Relevance and in Context”.
The weeklong synod closes on the Friday the 11th of August 2017.