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Year IX - Number 373

27 May 2015

Marist News 373

Marist Brothers - General House - Rome

Gold and diamonds in CAR fuelled 2 years of terror Marists continue work in a destroyed Central African Republic

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one from Congo, teach mathematics, French, civic and moral education, and catechesis. The fifth brother, from France, is the director of the kindergarten and primary school.

arist brothers are struglling to help the citizens and children of Central African Republic (CAR) return to normality after two years of terror fuelled by international interests for the country’s gold and diamonds.

Br Elías stressed that many people fear that Muslims will take revenge if they return to their homes.

“Thousands of Muslims at the borders of neighboring countries cannot return to the country because of the Anti-balaka militia, and those who have sought refuge in dioceses and churches cannot return to their towns and homes,” said Brother Elías Pérez, one of the five brothers in the country.

“Our community has offered financial assistance or food to the Bishop on several occasions who has kept hundreds of Muslims on his property for over a year now,” he stated in an interview with the communications office of the Marist

General House in Rome.

Br Elías, originally from Mexico, is director of the Lycée Saint Marcellin Champagnat - a Marist middle and high school in Berberati located 100 km from the border with Cameroon.

Three other brothers, two from CAR and

While the world is witnessing the outrageous Christian persecution in the Middle East, it is the Muslims who are being persecuted in CAR by a group created for self-defense and revenge against the Islamic group Seleka who took over the country in 2013.

“The journalists made a big mistake calling the Anti-balaka “Christian militias” as they don’t have anything to do with the churches and they don’t obey

General Administration * Br Emili Turú participated in the meeting of the Union of Superiors General in Rome from May 27 - 29. * The third and last Evaluation Commission of FMSI is taking place at the General House from May 26 - 29. Brothers Michael De Waas, president of FMSI and councillor general, and Chris Wills, director of Collaboration for Mission, Interna tional (Cmi), are part of this Commission, * Brother Tony Leon, director of the secretariat of Brothers Today, took part in a meeting held at Saint John’s College from 22 to May 24 in Dundee, Scotland.

He went immediately to Australia to accompany his family after his father passed away last Sunday.

Marist News

Year IX - Number 373

anyone,” affirmed Br Elías. “They have killed hundreds of Muslims and forced thousands into exile in neighboring countries.”

Republic (MISCA) which later became the United Nations Mission in Central Africa (MINUSCA) forced the Selekas to the north.

“In some places, life is starting to be organized again, but the huge poverty that resulted after more than two years of violence makes it very difficult and there is fear of what might happen,” said Br Elías.

According to Br Elías, the Seleka are now controlling a large area of the north centre of the country where national authorities have not been able to settle.

The Central African Republic has remained unstable since its independence from France in 1960 and is one of the least developed countries in the world.

After several coups followed by a regime under the self-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the next big hit was when a new Muslim rebel group formed by militias from Chad, Nigeria, Sudan and, according to CNN, possibly from Al Qaeda, “the Seleka,” captured the capital city Bangui on March 24, 2013 – Palm Sunday – and ousted the president.

CAR is one of the world’s poorest countries, but rich in gold and diamonds.

Its illegal trade is being used to fund the different militia groups.

The Seleka called the country’s divition, the north for Muslims and the south for Christians. But Br Elías noted “this was imposible for the Central Africans to accept because this request came from people from other countries.”

The Multinational Force of Central Africa, the French “Operation Sangaris,” and the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African

But the violence did not end there with the birth of a new self defense group in 2014, the Anti-balaka, a so-called “Christian” group of militias who commit the same atrocities as the Seleka.

“As long as the Muslims do not return to the country, to their homes, as long as the Selekas remain in certain regions and as long as the Anti-balaka remain in large regions, it will be imposible to return to normal life,” he remarked.

But with all the terror, poverty and malnutrition, the brothers continue to struggle to help their students, who have been greatly affected.

“Many of our students come without having had breakfast and their first meal will be when they return home after three in the afternoon,” said Br Elías.

“The school spends a lot in helping sick children that each day turn up to the school’s management each day with malaria, typhoid fever, tooth decay, vomiting or diarrea,” he added.

He underscored that there is “no shortage of young people who come to see me at recess saying they are hungry,

and I help those who I know are really poor.”

He revealed that in moments of great violence in different parts of the country, “the Sangaris, Misca or Minusca were present and direct witnesses of the killing of thousands by the Seleka or Anti-balaka and nobody intervened.”

“Some say they make deals with some group and give them weapons or permit them to do what they do,” he stated. “Others accuse them of engaging in gold and diamond trade, and to have fun as they are highly paid.”

“Since the UN peacekeeping forces come from different countries, are not appreciated in the same way - some are classified as serious and some as corrupt, while others as cowards who do not want to compromiso,” he added.

He underscored that “the reality is that there are thousands of UN peacekeepers and they haven’t been able to establish peace facing the Seleka and Anti-balaka who are less armed and less prepared.”

Participant says laity course is wonderful, perfect

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arist laity taking part in a firstof-a-kind course in Rome with over 50 people from around the world expressed delight half way through.

“It’s been wonderful and perfect,” Timothy Num-Darkwah told the general

house press office at the end of the first week.

“We’ve learned a lot of things, especially yesterday when we learned about the history on the Marist mission and the role that each one must play in the journey together,” he added on May 22.

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The conference includes 55 lay Marists from around the world and some Brothers form the General House gathered in Rome from May 19 – June 2. Its aim is to teach them how to form other Lay Marists in their own homeland.

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27 May 2015

A few visas were denied to participants from countries including Nigeria, Rwanda and Pakistan, but Donat Mweze, from the Democratic Republic of Congo was able to arrive on May 22.

believe so we have to help them reconnect,” she said. “It’s really inspiring for me to see here that people in other countries still believe.”

“It’s a similar way I need to work with my students (and) it was a very interactive presentation,” she added.

Timothy, who teaches French and English in Saint Joseph’s seminary in Mampong-Kumasi, Ghana, revealed his favourite part so far has been “the prayer aspect.”

The conference has so far covered topics including current lay theology, Marist charism, the Institute’s parameters and Marist lay vocation.

“Before you have the willingness to go out of yourself, you need to strengthen your faith through reading the Word of God,” he stated.

Claudine Cholette, from Canada, echoed his thoughts affirming it’s a beautiful opportunity to meet people from around the world with her same mentality.

“The majority of the people in Quebec don’t go to church and say they don’t

within the Marist world, and told us that we need to find the same harmony,” she explained.

Speakers included Claudio Betti, Emili Turú, João Carlos do Prado, Antonio Ramalho and Chema Pérez-Soba.

Claudine, a pastoral minister for youth in Marcellin Champat School in Quebec, also praised brother João Carlos do Prado for his talk.

Part of the group then went to Assisi for a day trip on May 24, while others visited sites in Rome.

“He asked us if whether we sing the same song and the same melody

‘Romero’s beatification fills us with joy,’ say his Marist friends Friends of martyr greatly pleased with his beatification

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riends of an archbishop who was shot dead while celebrating Mass stressed that his beatification ‘fills those who knew him with joy.’

Oscar Romero will be beatified on May 23, exactly 35 years after his assassination in the capital of El Salvador.

His beatification will take place in San Salvador in an outdoor Mass in Plaza Divino Salvador del Mundo.

Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing him as martyr on Feb. 3.

“His beatification fills us Marists who were closest to him with joy and hope,” said Marist brother José Antonio López.

“We give thanks to the Lord for this (because) he is the first saint of El Salvador.”

“I hope his beatification is not politicized and that he is not brought to

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a standstill because this would be grave for the Church,” he added in an interview with the Marist general

Marist News house press office in Rome.

Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed on March 24, 1980, when he was celebrating Mass at the small chapel of a cancer hospital where he lived.

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rist) brothers, especially in the city of San Miguel.”

“He had a special love for some of the brothers, like brothers Gregorio Izquierdo, Mariano Blanco, Santiago Cisneros, Moisés Cisneros, Armando Márquez and a few others,” he remarked.

Brother Otero also revealed that some of these relationships were not so good when Romero became Archbishop because the Marists are conservative.

But he belives that “the younger and those born in El Salvador are happy to see the beatification of Archbishop Romero.”

Brother López was a friend of Oscar Romero and knew him well.

He spoke out on behalf of the poor and those repressed by the government of El Savador after witnessing himself numerous violations of human rights.

“He soon became famous in the country and in the world for his eloquent speeches and sermons that were intended to stop somehow the violence of war that existed in the country,” said brother López. “His homilies were widely spread for their deep content.”

He was shot dead after speaking boldly against the U.S. military support for the Salvadoran government and asking soldiers to disobey orders and to not shoot innocent people.

“All of the press was extremely conservative, and attacked him in a direct way,” said brother Santiago Otero, a Marist from Spain who taught in El Salvador in the 1980s.

Brother Otero revealed that Romero had a “good relationship with the (Ma-

“I met Monsignor Romero and we were very good friends,” he said. “I met him when I worked in San Miguel and he was the parish priest of the Cathedral.”

“I invited him several times to give talks to the brothers and students (and) when he was archbishop, I visited him on a few occasions,” he added.

The brother recounted how one of his visits to Romero was to give him his condolences for the death of Father Rutilio Grande adding that “we had a long conversation there.”

“They published his diary after his death and he calls me one of his friends on two different pages dated March and October,” said brother López.

He revealed that Romero was never chaplain of any Marist centre but was invited occasionally to celebrate events of religious historical importance.

Administration: Piazzale Marcellino Champagnat, 2, ROMA Email: comunica@fms.it Website: www.champagnat.org

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But not everyone was a friend of Romero, and according to a Marist brother of Guatemala, “they were difficult years for the Central American Church.”

“The Sandinista revolution was being successful in Nicaragua and people began to feel fear, suspicion and that the government was deviating,” said brother Marcelino Ganzaraín.

“I remember it was in El Salvador where I felt the Church fracture,” he told the general house press office.

The brother told how meetings were organized with a cardinal, bishops, religious and government ministers of El Salvador and Nicaragua to “have the broadest and most objective view as posible of the different realities” in Central America.

“The most painful thing was listening to the opinion of several bishops about Romero,” remarked brother Ganzaraín. “They accused him of being ambitious, of being a traitor and of not being impartial.”

Another Marist of El Salvador, brother Juan Carlos Bolaños Viscarra, also expressed his gratification for the new step towards Romero’s canonization stressing that “us Marists can live this beatification with a sincere and deep joy.”

“It’s an invitation to revitalize our mission, educating on peace, reconciliation, justice and human rights, making us more present in the realities of El Salvador’s poverty and suffering,” he stated.

The first picture abaove was taken in 1974 during the 50th anniversary of the Marist Salvadoran high school after Mass and lunch with Romero (centre).

MARIST NEWS No. 373 – Year IX – 27 May 2015 Editor: Institute of the Marist Brothers - General House Rome