Christianity’s nineteenth-century migration from Europe to Oceania influenced not only local perceptions of key Christian figures such as Jesus and Mary, but also theological ideas associated with colours. For example, the meaning of white was transmitted as a symbol of truth, goodness and purity, while the meaning of black was transmitted as a symbol of deception, evil, and intellectual obscurity. Similarly, Christian images brought by nineteenth-century missionaries, examples from Michelangelo’s Last Judgment (Sistine Chapel, 1536–1541), depicted angels with refined genderless white European attributes, and demons as dark-skinned dishevelled masculine creatures with animalistic qualities. However, these associations are not universal. They are learned in a Eurocentric context. Orbiting within the subfield of theological chromatology, this paper deconstructs white theology's chromatic binary of black and white, and recontextualises these colours in relation to their meanings held in local indigenous cultures, realigning the colour black with more positive theological significances in relation to religious practice in local cultures. While consideration is given to the impact of migrating Eurocentric theological meanings on diverse cultures within Oceania, focus is on Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand's host cultures.

This paper is based on a 2007 paper which the presenter prepared for the Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Migrants and Refugees. Beginning with a birthplace and language analysis of Australia’s Catholics comparing the 2001 and 2021 census figures, the paper will outline the scriptural and theological basis for a series of pastoral strategies which will be outlined in the concluding section.