Bishop Luciano Capelli, who leads a diocese in the Solomon Islands (map), expressed concern about the government’s turn toward China.

“The implications of such an agreement are unknown, and the Solomon Islands do not need war games,” he said. “The Solomon Islands don’t need war games or superpowers trying their bombs here. People have had enough of what happened 70 years ago” [i.e., World War II].

The nation of 690,000 is 95% Christian (21% Catholic) and 3% ethnic religionist.