Since 2006, the Catholic Church in Australia has been assisting the Archdiocese of Suva and a number of other dioceses in the Pacific (CEPAC) with canonical matters.

One area of assistance has been in the operation of their tribunals in dealing with marriage nullity cases, which continues to the present day.

A number of tribunal personnel – Fr Peter Blayney and Mrs Paula Kerr of Parramatta and Fr Ken Cafe OFM from Wollongong – have visited for a period of days each year.

This wasn’t able to happen during the COVID-19 pandemic, and visits by Bishop Robert McGuckin ceased during his time as Bishop of Toowoomba.

However, this year Bishop Emeritus McGuckin and Fr Ken have been teaching canon law subjects at the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva.

Fr Ken has taught Year 7 Seminarians and Bishop McGuckin’s cohort were Year 6 Seminarians.

“During the time Fr Ken and I were teaching at the seminary, Fr Peter Blayney and Mrs Kerr were working in the tribunal office at the Chancery in Suva,” Bishop McGuckin said in an email from Suva.

“The aim of our visits and ongoing communications is not that we take over the mandatory work of the Pacific tribunals, but to train personnel for their ongoing essential and necessary operation.”

He said the assistance was important work.

Cases which were prepared locally in Fiji were often submitted to Australia for advice from canonical judges, he said.

This has enabled nullity application to not be left in limbo for 10 and sometimes 20 years.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Bishop McGuckin said.

(Image supplied by Bishop McGuckin. Year 6 class at the Pacific Regional Seminary, Fiji.)