Remembering Jione Havea
Shared from
World Council of Churches
First published 30 April 2026
The World Council of Churches paid tribute to Rev. Prof. Jione Havea, the Tongan Methodist theologian and biblical scholar, who died on 29 April. Ordained in the Methodist Church of Tonga and also connected with the Uniting Church in Australia, he taught at Charles Sturt University in Australia and in Aotearoa New Zealand, and was known for reading the Bible through Pacific eyes.
WCC leaders, among them general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and Rev. François Pihaatae, the WCC president from the Pacific, remembered his warmth and his influence.