Archbishop
of Suva
, Fiji
. After his education at St. John's College, Cawaci, he was ordained as a priest
on 20 December 1959. He became a Bishop
on 3 December 1974 when he was appointed Titular Bishop of Siminina and Auxiliary Bishop of Suva; following his appointment as a Bishop, he was officially ordained to that position the same year. On 10 April 1976, he was appointed Archbishop of Suva.
Mataca has been a critic of some government policies, including its proposal to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission with the power, subject to presidential
approval, to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état that deposed the elected government of Prime Minister
Mahendra Chaudhry
in 2000.
On 22 June 2005, Mataca accused Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
of having misled church leaders about the provisions of the legislation to establish the Commission.
"I support the effort of government to bring about reconciliation and unity but this cannot be achieved through a Bill that has caused so much opposition, division and confusion in the country."
"Reconciliation and unity cannot be achieved through a politically motivated Bill."
"The healing of a nation is a slow process that requires patience. It begins with truth telling, the confession of wrong-doing, the genuine respect for forgiveness and the willingness to accept the consequences of one's actions."
"I publicly appeal to our President, our Prime Minister and the members of our Government to withdraw the Bill until such time as proper consultations can be held and appropriate amendments made."
"The overthrow of a democratically elected government is a very serious crime and those involved — great or small — must face the consequences. Otherwise we will continue to see a repetition of coups and other politically motivated criminal activity."
Category:Fijians|Mataca, Petero
Category:Religious leaders|Mataca, Petero