The Tahitian churches and the problem of the french presence in 1991

Abstract

QUITE APART FROM THE POSITIONS THAT THE HEADS OF THE DIFFERENT TAHITIAN Churches may take with regard to the atomic bomb, or the land problem in French Polynesia, the French presence itself poses a problem for them. These Churches consider that they have a legitimate right to comment on and evaluate the evolution of the Territory. Beyond the great principles of social justice and of human dignity, historical circumstances explain what, from a Western point of view, is often regarded as a trespassing of religion on politics.l The question also arises of whether nationalist or even independentist ideas, which are developed in the Evangelical or Protestant Churches, reflect a con sensus of opinion at the base, or are only the concerns of a minority of urbanised leaders removed from the realities of everyday life in the parishes. Supposing that they do not come from the base, what impact do these ultra-nationalist speeches have on Polynesian believers ? which is to say, concretely and politically speaking, on the voters? The very phrase 'Tahitian Churches' will bear some historical definition. Tahiti and other parts of what is now French Polynesia were evangelised from 1797 by British missionaries of the London Missionary Society and despite the arrival of other religions in the 19th century, Protestantism remains the majority religion. According to the last census of the population which included the question of religious adherence, conducted in 1971, the Evangelical Church (Protestant) totalled 50% of the entire population of the Territory: such a figure is still valid today, or may be just slightly lower. In 1991, Protestants comprised about 80% of the 6,500 inhabitants of the Austral Islands, 70% to 75% of the 22,000 inhabitants of the Leeward Islands, and 50% of the 140,000 inhabitants of the Windward Islands (Tahiti and Moorea). They represented a small minority (5 to 6%) of the 12,000 inhabitants of the Tuamotu-Gambiers, and about 10% of the 7,300 Marquesas people. The second main religion in French Polynesia is Roman Catholicism, which succeeded in establishing itself in the most remote areas of the Territory, but also in Tahiti, especially among the demi or mixed-race population and, more recently, in the Chinese community. Catholics comprise a great majority in the