COP31: church leader’s prayer opens Pacific’s Moana Pavilion

COP31: church leader’s prayer opens Pacific’s Moana Pavilion

valter

Tue, 11/10/2026 - 14:47

For Pacific peoples, the ocean does not separate the islands. It joins them. With this image of the Moana, Rev. Faaimata (Mata) Havea Hiliau of the Uniting Church in Australia opened the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion on 9 November.

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Rev. Faaimata (Mata) Havea Hiliau of the Uniting Church in Australia opened the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion on 9 November

Photo: Valter Hugo Muniz/WCC

The Moana Pavilion is the shared space of Pacific countries at COP31, the UN climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye. Her reflection and prayer came before the speech of Chris Bowen, the Australian minister who leads the negotiations. Her church is a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and of the Pacific Conference of Churches.

I come as a woman of faith and as an ordained minister,” said Havea Hiliau, who leads her church ’ s Synod of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as moderator. She called herself “ a daughter of Tonga and the daughter of the Pacific.”

“ I want to offer a reflection from my Christian faith…