Making it official

Re: Whatever for

You’re getting a bit paranoid here. 

Parliament is full of protestants who would vote against any constitutional amendment making Catholicism the state religion; as there are plenty of Catholics in parliament who would vote against a protestant denomination becoming the state religion. 

One thing parliament and the country can agree on overwhelmingly is that Christianity is the faith of 99% of Samoans.  Even then, there are still Muslims and Bahai and Hindus in Samoa who are still worshipping freely. Everyone wins.  The “state religion” thing only really means that at all state functions and formal occasions, it will be a Christian denomination that will lead the prayers and at all state funerals, it will be the Christian National Council of Churches that leads it. This was seen in 2007, when even though the late Malietoa Tanumafili II was a Bahai, his state funeral was conducted by the National Council of (Christian) churches. 

So this constitutional amendment just makes what already happens official.

 

PS Jeffrey 

Samoa Observer

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