Image: Rev. Bernard Siai and his wife Wendy Rev. (UCA)
By Jana Zoriry – EMTV Online
Members of the United Church in Papua New Guinea (UCPNG) were assured that the “same-sex marriage” approved by the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) should not affect their faith and relationship with God.
The Moderator of UCPNG, Reverend Bernard Siai, said UCPNG and UCA were independent church partners in mission and development going back over 100 years, and decisions made by the leadership of both countries on ecumenical partnerships should be respected.
Rev. Siai also stated that in PNG, the UCPNG understood what their brothers and sisters in Australia were facing for almost 30 years regarding ‘Same-sex marriage’.
Rev. Siai added that UCPNG had been challenged to take a stand on the same issue over the last five years.
“Same-sex marriage is a global sensitive and topical issue and we should not shy away from reality, as a Christian church in PNG, our response to social and spiritual issues should be based on the Word of God, and our response to the people pursuing other lifestyles should be done with grace and love,” says Rev. Siai.
Rev. Siai has also called on churches to faithfully follow God’s way through Biblical teachings of the Church.
“It is important to allow only God to pass judgement on the lifestyles that people chose, and such, the UCPNG will not be directly affected by the decision reached by the Uniting Church in Australia.”
Rev. Siai has also called on UCPNG members to submit written thoughts to the Assembly Office on the issue of ‘Same-sex marriage’.
These submissions will be forwarded to the Rarongo Theological College for a Paper on Same-Sex Marriage.
