SAMOA – A man accused of stealing a statue of the Virgin Mary from inside a church in Samoa and damaging it in the process has appeared in court.

Tavita Sa’u from Si’ufaga, Falelatai, did not enter a plea when he appeared before Judge Talasa Lumepa Atoa Saaga.

According to the police summary of facts, Sa’u is charged with burglary and wilful damage. Due to the seriousness of the charges, Judge Saaga referred the matter to the Supreme Court.

“This matter will be called for mention in the Supreme Court because according to the police reports, it’s a serious offence,” the judge said. “So you are to be in custody to await when the matter is called again for mention next week Monday.”

Sa’u appeared unemotional when he fronted the Judge.

The man is accused of removing the statue of Mary, which has been at the centre of a controversy between Reverend Opapo Soanai of the Si’ufaga Church and the Elders Committee of the EFKS church – the Congregational Christian Church in Samoa or Ekalesia Faapotopotoga Kerisiano Samoa

The statue of Mary – and another of Jesus Christ – led to the decision by the church’s mother body to strip Reverend Soanai of his pastoral position.

At the time when the statue was removed, Rev Opapo speculated that the removal of the statue was not a one-man job given its size and weight.

A source told the Samoa Observer Sa’u was drunk when he decided to remove the statue.

“Members of the church were looking for the statue and they found it at Tavita’s home. She was broken. The statue’s arms were missing.”

Last month, Rev Soana’i, the father of a woman who claims to be carrying the marks of Jesus Christ’s suffering, said he been stripped off his duties by the Elders Committee.

Rev Soana’i protested his innocence saying he has done nothing wrong.

“There is no clause of the church’s constitution that I have violated. I’ve been mistreated for something I’m not sure what it is.”

Told that perhaps the leadership of the church was unhappy about the emphasis on the statues of Mary and Jesus placed in their church since his daughter started to receive spiritual messages, Rev Soana’i said that could possibly be the case.

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t committed adultery, I haven’t used any of the church’s money and I haven’t been caught drunk.”

“In the church constitution, there is nothing in there against statues of Mary and Jesus.

“ If you look at all the churches, there are images of Jesus and Mary everywhere. Those are statues too.”

Rev Soana’i added that he did not acquire the statues himself.

“See, I didn’t get those statues myself. They were brought over as a present (from the Catholic church) and our church membership are fearful to reject it because they are of Jesus and Mary. If it was of anything else, then they might have considered rejecting it.

“When the statues were brought over, Toa (his daughter) received a message which said, ‘if anyone rejects them, they will suffer forever’. So what we are saying is that if they want to remove it, they can come and do it themselves but we can’t because we received the translated message in Hebrew.”

“Our congregation will not stop anyone who wants to remove them but we are fearful because we are aware of what the translation of the message from the Hebrew language said.” - Samoa Observer