The 8^th Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia, His Grace Archbishop Sione Silonga Uluilakepa will visit Tonga from 25 May to 1 June.

He is the third Tongan to hold this position, after the late Archbishop Jabez Bryce and the Archbishop Emeritus, Dr Winston Halapua.

This is his first visit back home, after being consecrated in Fiji as the 8^th Bishop and the Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia in March earlier this year.

Archbishop Uluilakepa is the Head of the Diocese of Polynesia, which includes Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Fijian, Tongans and Samoan Anglican Church in New Zealand, making up a multi-national diocese.

When installed Bishop, he automatically became the Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

While in Nuku'alofa, Archbishop Uluilakepa is expected to celebrate Holy Communion mass at St Paul's Church, which includes the sacrament of Confirmation for the young people of the church and also the blessing of Venerable Kensington Fifita, as the new Archdeacon for Tonga Episcopal Unit of the Diocese of Polynesia.

Venerable Fifita will oversee the Anglican Church in Tonga.

In addition, the Archbishop and the Anglican Mission Board (AMB) will look at projects they had been funded in Tonga, after COVID-19 and the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption and ensuing tsunamis.

AMB is the church's arm that provides support and relief to the church during times of natural disasters, climate change issues and global pandemics.