‘Let’s be kind and accepting of different religious background’

The following is the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s Christmas messgage. This is his first official public message.

In this season of Christmas, I reach out to all Fijians in the spirit of this wonderful celebration. On that first Christmas in the village of Bethlehem in the Holy Land, a baby boy was born to the Virgin Mary.

The child was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, sent by His Heavenly Father to offer salvation to humanity and the gift of life everlasting.

In the 33 years of His time on Earth, He would spread a unique message of love and mercy; peace, forgiveness, hope, tolerance and faith. Driven by love for His Father and the mission entrusted to Him, Jesus sowed the seeds of a faith that would spread throughout the world.

Those seeds were carried to Fiji by missionaries.

They took root, and the light of Christ began to shine in our islands.

It shines for us now as brightly as ever. It changed the way we thought and acted and gave us a standard for perfect living.

While we find it difficult to meet Christ’s expectations we do not give up.

We keep worshipping; we fall and pick ourselves up, fall again, and then get down on our knees seeking forgiveness.

We look upwards to Him and He draws us on. For me, as you new Prime Minister, Christ’s teachings provide the way to co-existence and unity in a country of many communities and beliefs.

We are enjoined to be good neighbours; to help the poor and needy and to do the best we can for Fiji with the talents God has given us. Let us be kind and accepting of those with different religious beliefs.

Let us live as good neighbours and acknowledge we are duty bound to forgive our enemies and those who hurt us.

During this Christmas of 2022, let us again celebrate with joy the birth of the Christ child.

Let us bow before Him, adore Him, pray in thanksgiving and lift our voices to Him in Christmas carols and songs of praise.

If you are gripped by sadness, nursing broken hearts, and dealing with many difficulties, be strong, take heart, the Prince of Peace is here! Enjoy this time with your families and stay in the light and love of Christmas.

May God bless our homeland, now and forever.