World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay praised Havea’s legacy. "His sudden passing represents a great loss to the ecumenical movement,” said Pillay. “Havea helped to shift theology away from fixed systems and toward an ongoing, shared, and culturally grounded conversation, especially shaped by Pacific and marginalized voices. Indeed, his presence will be greatly missed but his words always remembered.” Havea was educated in Tonga and Fiji before pursuing theological studies in the United States. He earned a master of divinity and master of theological studies from Perkins School of Theology (Southern Methodist University) and later completed a doctorate degree there. He was ordained in the Methodist Church of Tonga and has also been associated with the Uniting Church in Australia. Havea held teaching and research positions at institutions such as Charles Sturt University, Australia, and Trinity Theological College, New Zealand. Rev. François Pihaatae, WCC president from the Pacific, acknowledged Havea as “the great servant of God who sailed throughout the Pacific Ocean and the world in sharing the word of God grounded in the Pacific culture and Indigenous view. “It is a great loss for the Pacific. He was such great thinker and theologian. Too young to leave now, considered also as the prophet of the Pacific. May he rest in peace in God’s love.” From 2013 to 2022, Havea was a member of the WCC’s theological study group of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. “When I met Jione, and listened to him speak about the Bible, I so clearly remember that he took my breath way,” remembered Rev. Dr Susan Durber, WCC president from Europe. She described Havea’s passing as “a loss beyond measure for the world church. “He helped me, and many others, to see something really new about a Bible story and to know that we had been invited into a way of seeing the world that we wouldn’t have known otherwise,” she said. “It wasn’t just that he presented me with new perspectives, but that the way he did it was so new, and so attractive. He understood the power of metaphor to communicate and to reshape the world, and he brought joy and delight to the walk of justice—and to the work of post-colonial theology.” “Jione Havea was a trusted and courageous collaborator in de-colonial work. He understood that ecumenism must reckon with its own histories of power, and he persistently, gently, and prophetically called us toward more just ways of reading the Bible and being church. His critique was never destructive; it was always an act of love, rooted in a deep commitment to Pasifika theologies and to voices of all who dwell on the margins,” said Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, WCC programme director for Unity, Mission, and Ecumenical Formation. “Whether coordinating Bible studies at the Arusha Conference on World Mission and Evangelism or leading a consultation, Jione created spaces where Scripture came alive as a living, unsettling, and healing witness. “Just three weeks ago, he submitted a profound, challenging, and creative chapter for a volume that Ernst Conradie and I are co-editing,” said Nalwamba. “Even in that final piece, his voice was unmistakable: playful, wise, unsettling, and grace-filled. We have agreed to dedicate the volume to him. It is the smallest of gestures for a man who gave so much. He will be profoundly missed. My heartfelt condolences to Monica Jyotsna Melanchthon and their beloved daughter, Diya Lakai.” Plural, relational, context-driven, resistant to domination Havea’s work spanned several intersecting areas: biblical hermeneutics and criticism, especially reading scripture from marginalized or non-Western perspectives; postcolonial and decolonial theology, critiquing the legacy of empire in Christianity; and Pasifika/Oceanic theology, emphasizing Indigenous knowledge, storytelling, and “sea of theologies” framework. A recurring theme in his work is the importance of storytelling and plurality of voices in theology, especially in postmodern and cross-cultural contexts. Havea is especially known for bringing Pacific island perspectives into global theological discourse; challenging Eurocentric theological norms; using metaphors of ocean, voyage, and storytelling to rethink theology; and advocating theology that emerges from marginalized, migrant, and Indigenous communities. "We received the news of Rev. Dr Jione Havea’s passing with deep sadness,” said Rev. Charissa Suli, president of the Uniting Church in Australia. “He was a deeply loved theologian, mentor, and friend, whose life shaped our church and touched the wider ecumenical family. “We give thanks for the wisdom and generosity he shared so freely, and for the way he gently yet courageously called the church to listen more deeply to voices on the margins and to the voice of God among our peoples. To honour his life now is to be the church he called us to be: humble in listening, courageous in truth, and faithful to the gospel in love.” Rev. Prof. Dr Fernando Enns, from the Association of Mennonite Congregations in Germany, and member of the WCC central and executive committees, described Havea as a true “compañero” (one who shares the bread with others on the way). "I am ever grateful for a dear co-pilgrim, who walked with us in the Reference Group on the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace between the WCC assemblies of Busan and Karlsruhe,” said Enns. “When we started our pilgrim team visits and discussed the need to ‘visit the wounds’ of the hosting communities, it was Jione who insisted: ‘It has to be touching the wounds!’ "Jione has led us with his most inspiring biblical wisdom, deeply rooted in Pacific spirituality, committed to the ecumenical journey. His humbleness and humor shall continue to guide our feet.” For Athena Peralta, director of the WCC’s Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, Havea brought creativity and prophetic power to biblical study, “exploring paths of decolonisation and advancing climate justice within the churches.” “His project, acClimatise the Lectionary, is a meaningful contribution to the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action. His big heart for migrants, for the land and the oceans, and his infectious laughter will be long remembered,” said Peralta. Dr Manoj Kurian, director of the WCC's Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing, remembered that as part of the WCC’s pilgrimage visits before the WCC 11th Assembly, he had the opportunity to join an ecumenical delegation to Pakistan in 2018, in which Havea also participated. “Jione was a clear unapologetic voice of Indigenous and other marginalized communities. His legacy as a daring, witty, wise, and deeply contextual Pacific theologian with a truly global impact will live on. I pray for his dear family during this difficult period,” said Kurian. Some of Havea’s notable publications include Doing Theology in the New Normal: Global Perspectives (2021);Theologies from the Pacific (ed., 2021); Vulnerability and Resilience: Body and Liberating Theologies (2020); and Mission and Context: Theology in the Age of Empire (ed., 2020). He has also written numerous articles and chapters on biblical interpretation, postmodern theology, and contextual theology. Havea is survived by his beloved wife, Prof. Monica J. Melanchthon, and their daughter Diya. "Do Just This – Protect Life!" (Jione Havea's Bible study for WCC, July 2013) “Pilgrimage onto already-settled land” (Jione Havea's Bible study for WCC, March 2017) "Cured water, peaceable people: A reflection from Pasifika (Pacific)" (Jione Havea's Bible study for WCC, March 2024) | 
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