Anglicans martyred in Solomon Isles

This video shows the Archbishop of Canterbury preaching in Rome and clips from a prayer service at San Bartolomeo's Basilica to commemorate the seven Melanesian brothers, Anglican Christians martyred in the Solomon Islands in 2003.

Dr Rowan Williams spoke on the theme of the how human history shows again and again that, when evil seems at its deepest, that is when we see the necessity of divine love. "When we believe we have gone to the darkest places, God whispers in our ears the secret that there is something deeper. It may happen in the lives of individuals when we arrive at the points of deepest darkness. Somehow, it is possible for us to hear the words of God, the whisper that there is a deeper place, there is a deeper reality. And it is the love of God." This is to be shown the secret of God in a place beyond suffering and beyond violence.

But as Dr Williams said, this is a hard and not always welcome way of hearing the Gospel. And there has rarely been a darker illustration of this hope than the story of how the Melanesian brothers met their deaths on a beach in the Solomon Islands.

Robin Lindsay, Francis Tofi, Alfred Hill, Ini Paratabatu, Patteson Gatu, Tony Sirihi and Nathaniel Sado were among those in religious communities bringing succour to those in need after the Solomon Islands were hit by a civil war between the people of Gadalcanal and of Malaita from the end of the 1990s. The brothers camped between enemy lines, praying with militants in the name of God and negotiating the release of hostages. Many fighters surrendered to the brothers, relinquishing weapons in a rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. Then one brother, Nathaniel, disappeared on a mission to deliver a letter requesting a peace dialogue from the Archbishop of Melanesia to warlord Harold Keke. The six other brothers set out by canoe to find him and they also did not return.  Months later, it was discovered that Keke's militia killed them when they landed on the beach. At this point, confirming the killings, Keke surrendered.

At the service was read out the testimony of Father Richard Carter, former chaplain to the brotherhood. He is talking about Robert Lindsay. "My last memory of him is on Maundy Thursday when together we washed the feet of the novices, he washing and I drying. About a month before he died he came to me with a recurring dream he was having. He said, 'I keep on dreaming I'm on a beach and I look up and there's a cyclone approaching and this wave hits me and I'm drowned. And then the wave transports me to the top of a mountain and when I open my eyes, I can see for miles and everything is bright.' And he says, 'I can hear God say to me, Robin, don't worry everything will be alright.' He said, 'What do you think this dream means?' I had no idea he would actually meet his death on a beach a month later."

The Basilica of St Bartolomeo in Rome where the service was held stands on a site where there was once a pagan temple dedicated to Esculapius, the god of medecine. The church was built in the 10th century in honour of the martyred St Adalbert of Prague.  It contains relics of Adalbert and of the apostle Bartholomew who suffered a horrific death, illustrated above by Ribero, being flayed and crucified while still alive before being finished off by beheading.

Comments

[Keith Joseph]

Ruth,

I am a priest with the Church of Melanesia posted to the Theological College next to the Headquarters of the Brotherhood - and at these locations there is no internet access. It would seem that one cannot download the Video over the internet for later playing. This is a problem as very few locations in the Solomon Islands have the internet, and many of my colleagues (not least of all the Melanesian Brothers) would very much appreciate this video.

Is there any way of obtaining the video, for wider distribution amongst the Brothers and the Church here in Melanesia? Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Regards,

Keith Joseph

(rg writes: do you have dvd players? If not, do you use british format for videos? email me your address to ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk)

[George]

I am a Solomon Islander and a member of the Anglican Chruch in Solomon Islands too. The Melanesian Brothers are just one of the groups within the church set-up that their work is recognised by even members of other denominations. They help all and every Solomon Islanders who need spiritual assistance. They also extend their mission to Papua New Guniea as well.
Their death is not only a sad piece of history within the Anglican church in Solomon Islands, but also to all people from all works of life who will miss their dedicated service and their never ending quest to bring God's message to people of Solomon Islands.

I can only hope that their blood will shed off tears and suffering of Solomon Islanders and hope that their strength lives as an example to those us who love to live to see Gods word reaching all corners of the globe.

For sure, one day our God will come back to take his people with him. All praise and glory be to him.

God Bless.

George

[Chris Sugden]

It's wonderful how the U-tube piece ( which has been about martyrdom) ends with the Archbishop of Canterbury moving out of camera and then the words "Shot in Rome by Ruth Gledhill" appear. Reminds me of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Will the next piece be about the ABC's funeral?

[Keith Downer]

While I recognise and respect the sacrifice and example of wonderful people such as the Melanesian brothers and understand the manner in which we should pay due tribute to such exemplary Christians, is it really inappropriate to wish for a display of anger and passion from Church leadership when our faith is the subject of such violence and persecution?
There are many ways in which attempts to destroy or diminish Christianity have surfaced since Jesus walked upon this planet, from Roman soldiers leading Christians into public arenas to be savagely murdered right up to the systematic persecution and violence against communities in modern times, in Eritrea, Sri Lanka, north-western Vietnam, Indonesia and Somalia - to mention just a few.
In the UK, Christians are not stoned to death, our churches are not burned but there is a complacency bordering on apathy which undermines the relevance of our faith. Given the nature of that faith, our love towards our fellow man and the turning of the cheek when confronted with verbal or violent attack, the heartfelt, poetic and equivocal meanderings of such a deeply religious, gentle man such as Dr Williams seem appropriate for our Church; but is that always the case?
It doesn't follow that you have to advocate meeting violence with violence in order to make a strong stand against the persecution of those who share your faith. There are non-aggressive means of taking action to strengthen the resolve of our Church against those who persecute believers abroad or seek to undermine the influence of the Christian faith in this country.
By their very nature, intelligent, thoughtful, responsible and respectful people seek to minimize those occasions when a more aggressive, determined and confrontational stance is required. But there came a time when action is needed, when it is time to stand up for what you believe in because the alternative is unacceptable.
It is important that the actions of Christians and the direction that Christianity is taking is subject to continual and thorough examination and analysis by those respected for their knowledge and devotion to Christian theology. But if we are to overcome the paralysis of the Church - which mystifies many of us and is a source of confusion and disbelief amongst those in the secular area - it is time to strengthen the response where persecution and violence against Christians is concerned and to send out a clear message that Christians may not go around kicking ass but there is steel in our backbone placed there by a God of love and justice for all.

[Kester Kong]

Dear Ms Gledhill

My mother is an avid reader of your blog. Since she does not have a computer, I have been printing out your blogs for her. In the last 2 weeks, I have run into trouble: page 1 prints out fine, but from page 2 on, everything is squished together and smudged. Could you enlighten me if this is a design feature?

Thank you.

Kester Kong