As the eight-day visit to the Church of the Province of Melanesia continues the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev Rowan Williams spoke to the local Anglican religious communities in an attempt to strengthen their hearts of love to reconcile them with those who have persecuted them.

On the Solomon Islands, Archbishop Rowan’s speech was broadcasted live and attracted 6,000 people who had gathered for an ecumenical service in a football stadium in the capital, Honiara.

With a total population of 450,000, the major religion in the area is Christianity while traditional indigenous religious believers account for approximately 5 percent of the population. However, occasional violence has been linked to growing ethnic or religious differences and land disputes. Last year, seven brothers of the Melanesian Brotherhood, an Anglican mission group, were killed in the Islands’ conflict.

Reported by the Solomon Star newspaper, Archbishop Rowan said the Church of Melanesia has been blessed with the witnesses of martyrdom from the martyrdom of Bishop John Coleridge Patteson, Stephen Taroniara and the Melanesian Brotherhoods. Bishop John Coleridge Patteson and Stephen Taroniara were murdered in the eastern Solomons whilst bringing the Anglican mission to the islands during the missionary days.

The Solomon Island was pioneered by English Anglican missionaries in the late 19th century, and Archbishop Rowan has shown his deep love for the people and the history of the island. In his speech, he encouraged the Melanesian Christians to become a world model in making peace.

“This nation has been through great and real suffering. People have known division, uncertainty and fear; some have been uprooted and many have felt that they do not know where to look for guidance. But by God’s good grace and by the faithful witness of Christians from many traditions in this place, people have begun to see the hope that God holds out,” he said.

“A history of suffering and division, need not teach us to be bitter; we can let God use it so that there may be restoration. Whenever we carry our cross, when we accept and use our suffering for the glory of God to make peace with others, then the world begins to change,” he continued.

The Archbishop of Centerbury's visit to Melanesia will conclude on 27th July.