FR. ELISEO NAPIERE, MSP ECMI-Taiwan Executive Secretary for: The First Integrated Meeting on the Pastoral Care of the Road/Street for the continent of Asia and Oceania Bangkok, 19th-23 October 2010
1
A pastoral care of reception / welcome to the homeless “A THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION” Fr. Eliseo M. Napiere, MSP Executive Secretary - ECMI-Taiwan INTRODUCTION With its preferential option for the poor and needy, the Church encourages Christians to accompany and serve the people on the move whatever their moral or personal situation might be. To realize the extent of poverty in the world, including those with no roof over their heads, it suffices to consider the number of homeless people who live in big cities and near around our perimeters. SOCIAL ANALYSIS ON HOMELESSNESS IN TAIWAN: Situationer: Homelessness in Southeast Asia is varied depending on economic, cultural, and social situation in every country and psychological situation of the individual. Taiwan is considered as an economically advanced nation in Southeast Asia with a total population of around 24 million. With its economic advancement, it cannot also be denied that a number of homeless citizens are growing, due to economic, cultural, and social pressures or demands that some couldn’t cope up. There are approximately more than 8,000 registered homeless in Taiwan and growing, according to 2010 1st quarter statistics on homeless people provided by Taiwan’s Ministry of Interior, but could not determine the exact number since these people are highly mobile, going from different cities to the other. Historical development: The homeless people in Taiwan were called “drifters” (moving persons), a concept that points to the possibility of threat to public order. This negative attitude toward “the drifter” has its roots in the Agricultural Han Chinese culture. Confucianism has a great influence in Chinese culture. It recognized and valued only fixed-land-based livelihood, those without fixed places and permanent occupations were considered as drifters. When Taiwan was incorporated into the Ching (Qing) government in 1683, peace and order were hard to come by due to the opposition between the officers and the common people and among different interest groups; the common saying, “a riot every three years and a revolt every five years” aptly describes the corruption of public order in Taiwan. Such corruption of public order was viewed by the Ching (Qing) government as deriving from “the drifters”. There are three troubles in Taiwan: the first is the theft, the second the fight and the third the revolt. These three troubles, distinct in themselves, are all brought about by the drifters.” But another study pointed out that this negative attribution to the drifters is in fact one-sided. According to Lin Ting-Kuo, instead that the drifters were the causes of disorder, the orderlessness of the drifters was rather a response to political corruption, societal oppositions among different interest groups and economic difficulties. During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese government continued to criminalize the drifters. The prison-like “House of the Mobile Rogue” was the locus where forced-labor was established. “The Mobile Rogue’s Act of 1906” provided codification for such enforcement. Under “The Mobile Rogue’s Act of 1906,” the drifters were marked as criminals in Taiwan. 2
In 1949, when the KMT established a new government in Taiwan instituted a “The Army deserters and the Drifters’ Act of 1949” which characterized those army deserters and drifters as threats to public security and order. This gave authority to the military to arrest and imprison them in ‘House of Army Deserters and Drifters’”. The “The Army deserters and the Drifters Act of 1949” was amended in 1968 and became “The Drifters Act of 1968”. According to “The Drifter’s Act of 1968,” the police were to take charge of the drifters, that is, those without household registration or identity card, those who force undesirable transactions or demands upon others, the beggars, and men and children who took residence in public spaces. In other words, the drifters were still regarded as the criminals in this amendment. The end of martial law in 1987 marked the beginning of democratization in Taiwan, various antitotalitarianism movements rose accordingly, with the issue of the drifters also taking root in these movements. Through the rise of human rights movements in Taiwan, the government under pressure, the issue of the drifters was taken out of the hands of the police and put under the Department of Social Welfare in 1991. Lin Wan-Yi, who conducted the first government-led national survey of the homeless, appropriated the economic aspect of the homeless in the US to local drifters and made the suggestion to substitute the social welfare stance for the criminal view in conceiving the homeless. Consequently, the victim view of the homeless became dominant and the criminal view of the drifters was on the decline. The issue of the homeless has become part of the government’s social agenda in Taiwan since the promulgation of “The Homeless Assistance Act of 1994.” According to this Act, the homeless are defined as those who sleep on the streets, those who have no one to count on, and those who beg and thus need shelter. “The homeless” are people in need of assistance. At the end of 2006, as the province of Taiwan streamlined its government structure to promote the nation-state status of Taiwan, “The Homeless Assistance Act of 1994” was abolished and the issues of the homeless were directly subsumed under the bigger frame of “Social Assistance Act of 1980”, a law on the scope of the central government. Though the act was abolished, the general approach of “The Homeless Assistance Act of 1994” still dominates the issue of the homeless, especially in the framing of the act of local homeless shelter. According to Article 17 of the Social Assistance Act, “the police shall be in charge of verifying the identity of the homeless and then notifying their families or transferring them to social welfare organizations. Local governments are authorized to institute local laws to take charge of its homeless shelter(s)”. The homeless are now officially defined as the unfortunate with a right to shelter assistance in this amendment. During the past ten years, three academic studies have investigated homelessness in Taiwan. Two nationwide surveys in 1994 and 2004 investigated the prevalence of homelessness and the living conditions and needs of the homeless. Additionally, few theses or dissertations in Taiwan have explored the phenomenon of the homeless; only one focused on the intersection of housing policy and homeless women. Following the trend of the idea of human rights, the idea of “homeless rights” dominates homeless studies in Taiwan today. With the aim to alter the criminal view of the homeless, Huang Mei-Ling, a professor of sociology, focused on the social, the physical and the psychological difficulties that the homeless suffered in everyday life, and proposed to view the homeless as the victim and to establish networks of social services to include the homeless into society. 3
The present causes of homelessness in Taiwan: 1. Social / family pressures: Lack of family or close friends, or shame in confronting them in a society that puts a premium on getting ahead materially, pushes some jobless people outdoors. Some have gone to the street in order not to burden their families further because of their mental situation, old age, or unemployment. 2. Economic / Unemployment: salaries are stagnating or falling, with the best jobs elusive, as prices of food, rent and transportation go up. Cheap labor from Southeast Asia is standard at construction sites and factories in Taiwan. "They think if that if they haven't succeeded they can't go home, and some don't want to be a burden on anyone," said Liu Chi-chen, a publicity worker with the Homeless Welfare Foundation. “The number of homeless people has gone up a lot as the unemployed population gets bigger," said Lu Fang-tsuang who handles Buddhist charity Tzu Chi's homeless relief work in northern Taiwan. 3. Cultural: Taiwan is a patriarchal society that sometimes pushes women away. Some researchers have focused on gender differences in the pathways to homeless, indicating that flight from domestic violence, economic dependence on a spouse, and reduced public aid for single parents contribute significantly to female homelessness. While the average age of homeless females is likely younger than homeless males, homelessness is grounded in sexism, racism, and class oppression. 4. (Homeless-by-choice??) OR Homeless-by-NO-choice: Escape from family and societal responsibilities. Just want to have a bigger space and more freedom(???). • Drug addiction, alcoholism • Abuse and Domestic violence • Mental illness / Personality Disorder • Old age Government’s interventions: Through its law “Social Assistance Act”, social services have been afforded to the homeless, like the government financially supporting shelter programs of the different welfare institutions/organizations, including the church-based “house of peace of the Archdiocese of Taipei” and the “Good Samaritan Center of the Diocese of Taichung” that cater to the needs of the homeless; Government health care program that give free medical treatment / hospitalization to the sick homeless people; social activities for the homeless during Chinese new year and other especial occasions. Generally, government interventions are more on reactionary with minimal approaches in bringing these homeless people back into mainstream society and as well as prevention of future homelessness to victims of abuses and domestic violence. The Ministry of Interior has recorded 8,375 homeless people in the whole island. These registered homeless are based on the number of cases being handled by the different government-assisted welfare institutions. But the number may triple based on the annual distribution of goods and food during Chinese new year. Within the past five years, the number of boxed lunches given away by the charity Homeless Welfare Foundation has soared from just over 9,000 to over 29,000 in 2009. Set-back: The NGOs homeless welfare providers are campaigning for a new Homeless Assistance Act which is separate from the Social Assistance Act of 1980. At present, assistance to the homeless varied from one place to the other depends on the applications of the local legislations and the capability of the government‘s social workers to handle cases and implement the local welfare laws. The social welfare offices of the local government units still depends on the expertise of the NGOs and Church’s pastoral care institutions to handle cases and give immediate response to the needs of the homeless. 4
A homeless service delivery system was designed based on the Social Assistance Act of 1980. Social welfare departments around Taiwan are in charge of creating shelters, and supplying medical and job consultation services for the homeless. As providing homeless services is not required by law, local governments were allowed to determine which services would be provided and how they would be provided based on budgets and welfare ideology. Consequently, few cities provide comprehensive services for the homeless, whereas other cities provide only limited services and even lack shelter spaces for homeless women. Most shelters are operated without regard for gendered differences in need-only one shelter run by the Catholic Church (Good Samaritan Women Center) provides services exclusively for women. Homeless delivery systems are designed regardless of gender differences; providing services without gender sensitivity, also places homeless women at a disadvantaged situation. NUMBER OF HOMELESS BY DIOCESE: (of 1st Quarter of 2010) Ministry of Interior registered Arch / DIOCESE
NUMBER OF HOMELESS
TAIPEI
2,229
HSINCHU
133
TAICHUNG
171
CHIAYI
43
TAINAN
211
KAOHSIUNG
5531
HUALIEN
57
TOTAL
8,375
House of Peace
Samaritan house
PASTORAL ANALYSIS / THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON PASTORAL CARE OF RECEPTION / WELCOME TO THE HOMELESS IN TAIWAN: Taiwan’s Ecclesiastical over view on social problems: Scriptural Reflection: “REGARD FOR THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON” The Catholic Church in Taiwan is grounded in classic Catholic anthropology indicating that God created humanity in the “imago Dei” as brought forth by the missionaries in 150 years up to the present. The Book of Genesis describes God creating humanity in His image and likeness, and therefore as good and as social beings. We possess an inherent dignity that cannot be taken away; our dignity is unaffected by our capabilities. God calls us to become collaborators in the creative process of renewing the world. Creation in God’s image leads to the Catholic understanding of the dignity of persons, human sociality, the common good, solidarity, and human rights. This “regard for the dignity of the human person” as the “imago Dei” is the foundation that made the Catholic church of Taiwan a champion of social services and pastoral care. According to Archbishop Hung, Archbishop of Taipei, that 50% of social services in Taiwan at present is done by the Catholic Church and originated by her many decades ago. 5
The issue of homelessness in Taiwan is not foreign to the eyes and heart of the Catholic Church that responds to the challenge posed by Jesus Himself as He identifies Himself with the poor and powerless in the final judgment “Whenever you did to the least of my brethren, you did it to me.” (Mt. 25:31-46). In this passage, Jesus does not base salvation on faith or religion so much as how the people care for the poor and marginalized. Service and justice to those in need measure love and salvation. The Catholic Church of Taiwan is always ready to “responds to the signs of the times”, according to Archbishop Hung, “that also demands for the pastoral care of the ‘least’ and the upholding and protection of human dignity of those who are victims of the unjust system of society.” While doing my paper, I visited the homeless in train stations. Looking at them sleeping in cold floors of the station and benches using newspapers and corrugated cardboards as their mattresses, I was moved with pity. Instead of asking them questions for my research, I realized that I was asking questions to myself. These people are the images of God... what happened to the image of God? What have we done? with that 2-hour encounter with them I came to realize that they are Jesus preaching to me, “foxes have lairs, birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay down his head” (Mt 8:18-22). As Jesus identifies Himself with the “least”, the “poor”, then He encourages us to follow Him in taking care of the “imago Dei” and in this case the homeless people for they are HIM. Social Doctrine of the Church: The Social documents of the Church reveal that human person has a dignity to be upheld. The Encyclical letter of Pope John XIII, Mater et Magistra, the Supreme Pontiff confirmed the right and duty of the Catholic Church to work for an equitable solution of the many pressing problems weighing upon human society and calling for a joint effort by all the people. The teachings of the social doctrine rests on one basic principle: individual human beings are the foundation, the cause and the end of every social institution. That is necessarily so, for men are by nature social beings. This fact must be recognized, as also the fact that they are raised in the plan of Providence to an order of reality which is above nature (MM #219). Homeless people are human beings with dignity as the “imago Dei” and social beings that need to be reincorporated into mainstream society. Every civilized human or social institution, including the government and Church, that promotes human dignity realize that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (US Declaration of Independence). The purpose of the duties and responsibilities of the leaders of Rich and poor nations is to see to it that everyone enjoys the fruit of their labor, their God given rights will be protected at all cost, upholding their human dignity, and to see to it that their liberty be guarded, and they are accompanied in their pursuit of happiness. PASTORAL ANALYSIS: “Pastoral Care” is a multi-faceted ministry of the Church. It encompasses a wide variety of issues including health, social and moral education, behavior management and emotional support, as well as advocacy for justice. Taking care of the total well-being of a person grounded on the Gospel values and acted through a missionary initiatives of the Church. Social welfare is one aspect of pastoral care. Pastoral Care aims for the promotion of human dignity by / through welfare assistance coupled with religious and spiritual dimensions. Welfare assistance to the “least” is curative in nature but pastoral care involves a proactive move that prevents some human activities that may harm the “leasts” along the way. This will also includes advocacy against a social system that causes some individuals to live in a miserable state of life against their will. Reflecting on the Gospel as Jesus said: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Laws are created to serve humanity and not man for the law. Laws are legislated to have social order so that everyone may enjoy the freedom they deserved, to establish guidelines for equality and peace. According to George Washington to the 6
Attorney General in 1789: "The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government." The root cause of homelessness is moral and spiritual poverty where some are deprived of it since the age of reason. Taiwan people are deeply religious as they express their religiosity through “pai-pai,” a Taoism worship. But just like any other nations when economic advancements have been established the chances are there is always a change of values from moral ascendancy to moral degradation. In that sense, secularism and materialism become the language of an “amoral” society. The first victim of moral degradation is the family where family values have been neglected because family members are deeply focused on “having rather than being, competition rather than cooperation.” This will be a pushing factor for divorce and family disintegration that resulted to pushing family members to be isolated in the streets. The Pope Benedict XVI stated in his encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate that “isolation is one of the causes of various forms of poverty, including self inflicted isolation where the individual elects to withdraw from society” (http://www.servinghistory.com/ topics/Caritas_in_Veritate::sub::Synopsis).
Family is the foundation and the basic unit of society. Respect for life from womb to tomb, the value of filial love, and to look at material possession not as an end but a means to advance family dignity and human relations are the essence of a close family ties. “Solidarity and fraternity are antidotes to isolation, and also essential for effective development” (CV Chap. 5). Another cause of homelessness is unemployment. Employment is a basic right of a person and should be upheld by the State among its constituency. In Taiwan there is discrepancy in the balance of labor remuneration which favors the local laborers in terms of salary difference. Since salaries for local workers are high, companies prefer to hire workers from foreign labor market which is doubled cheaper than the local hire. Because of this discrepancy it pushes the local labor market to the edge and individuals who have no skills, un(less)educated are forced to live in shame in the gutter. Taiwan's unemployment rate has hovered at 5.9 percent over the past two years. To campaign for an equal labor remunerations will be a win-win solution to the problem of local unemployment and also to the problem faced by the migrant workers from Southeast Asia in Taiwan where they are victims of low labor remuneration with so much deductions. Why it will become a winwin solution to the existing unemployment problem in Taiwan? If there is balance in labor remuneration between foreign and local workers, the companies will favor more its nationals to work in their factories than to hire foreign workers since salaries are just the same. This is just a matter of creating laws that will serve humanity in local setting and to give value to the work of the migrant workers with a just wage. Based on the comparative unemployment statistic of the Bureau of Labor that there is a rise of 5.90% in 2010 from 4.10% in 2009 with 633,000 local people looking for jobs (Taiwan News 6/24/10). Taiwan is a patriarchal society where families give more credits on males than female family members. In recent years, the Taiwan's family law has been experiencing a paradigm shift-from reinforcing the patriarchal family norms and structure to supporting gender equality within the family. Two major changes have been made to the Civil Code-de-gendering family regulations and requiring the husband and wife to share the decision-making power. However, such legal development could not change the fact that the family law is still in the shadow of social norms and cultural background and the social market, which is still under strong influence of the traditional patriarchal structure. There is a need for 7
continual education and restructuring of social norms based on the development of Taiwan Family codes. There is always a power struggle between the patriarchal concept and the women’s equality. In this struggle the victim is always those who have weaker personality whether it is the husband who cannot emotionally and psychologically connect to his wife or the wife becomes the victim of abuse and domestic violence. The result is isolation that brings them to the cold corner of the gutter. This family and societal scenario is the pushing factor for the kids to find comfort in the streets when time is ripe. There is a need to "redefine the societal priorities and hierarchies of values” (CCC # 226) as well as re-evangelizing social norms that will gear towards common good. Taiwan’s ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2007 indicates that Taiwan as a nation-state is redefining its priorities and hierarchies of values towards a deeper understanding of gender equality. Some studies insisted that some causes of homelessness is “homeless-by-choice” but that is not what I discovered when I had my short encounter with the homeless people. I concluded that there is no such “homeless-by-choice” but rather “homeless-by-NO-choice” based on causes that I mentioned above. In every action there is always a reaction and in every effect there is a cause. They didn’t chose to be in the street, being in the street is the effect of their negative experiences that lost their self-esteem and broke their aspirations in life. The lack or unavailability of resources be it (moral, spiritual, interpersonal relationship, and material) also the contributing factors why they keep on living in the streets. If these resources will be provided to them these resources will become the fundamentals of their aspirations in returning to the mainstream society. CATHOLIC CHURCH INTERVENTION: Missionaries on the ground saw the need to intervene homelessness in Taiwan. In 1992, when Taiwan was still infant as a democratic society after 50 years of martial law and the opening of human rights concerns, the CICM (Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) Fathers through Fr. Bollen started a Homeless pastoral Care upon seeing the homeless sleeping in the door of his Church and with the help of the government funding the “House of Peace” in Taipei exists and becomes a haven of the homeless and the destitutes. Their basic approaches are to provide the homeless an immediate assistance and care like; food, bathe, change of clothing, comfortable beds. Teaching them basic household responsibilities and interpersonal relation with other homeless people. Listening to their stories, calling them by name, equal treatment, etc. The shelter also helps them seek their lost relatives, assisting them for medical check-up and follow-up, works for their identification and health insurances, help them find jobs. According to Fr. Antoine Maes, the present supervisor of the Center, the Center has already assisted more than 4,000 homeless back into mainstream society.
.
House of Peace Staff and myself
Street friends in House of Peace 8
Ms. Ou, Social Worker, preparing for winter season
Give-aways for moon cake festival
In the year 2000, after studying the local language, a Maryknoll Sister from the Philippines, Sr. Marelous Misolas, started an apostolate for the homeless in Taichung Diocese. When the Buddhist soup kitchen for the homeless was abolished by the City government due to some complaints, Sr. Marvie challenged the Social Welfare Office about their task on giving welfare to the street people. The event prompted this courageous sister to start a feeding program for the homeless with some local friends. Since the homeless are growing in number, Sr. Marvie chose to give more attention to the homeless women thus give birth of the Good Samaritan Women’s Concerns Association, a Government registered association for the homeless women in Taichung City under the Diocese Taichung and the shelter caters to homeless women. It has also helped number of cases and brought these women back into the mainstream society.
The Good Samaritan Women’s Center
Center’s living room
So far, only two Catholic Centers that respond to the pastoral needs of the homeless people in Taiwan in association with Government and Non-Government welfare providers. The Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity is silently doing their job with much love and care for the homeless in Taipei. PASTORAL CHALLENGE AND RECOMMENDATIONS: A pastoral care of reception /
welcome to the homeless
Homeless in train station
ECMI Rep. chatting with homeless
9
A street friend eating his share of bread
Doing my research work with the homeless
“Love which is so essential to human development cannot be fully appreciated from a materialistic perspective, but only with awareness of the spiritual dimension” (CV Chap. 6). Homelessness is a reality in every society. As Jesus said: “I was a stranger and you did not welcome me” (Mt. 25:31-46) and He continued “Whatever you did not do to the least of my brethren, you did not do unto me.” This is one of the challenges that need to be considered, reflected and pastorally applied in the everyday life of the Church. What hinders the Church to do this mission to the homeless in Taiwan is that, some priests look at it first and foremost from the materialistic or monetary point of view giving a least consideration on spiritual and moral dimension and above all trust in the Divine Providence. That’s why some Church programs cannot take off and existing programs are easily dissolved due to a great material considerations. Helping the “least, the poor, the marginalized” is to make the Church be identified with them for truly the mission of the Church is to perpetuate Christ’s mission to “preach good news to the poor, to set the prisoners free, to give sight to the blinds, to release the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:16 - 21). As I look at it in spiritual dimension, the homeless need immediate attention by giving them their basic needs, like; food, clothing, proper hygiene, etc. but first and foremost is to get their trust. Giving them material things is just easy for them to accept just as easy for us to give but will they treasure them in their hearts? there is doubt on it for they look for something greater than that. I’ve noticed that many homeless loved to stay and sleep in Temples and Church’s vicinities. Even though the Church has no feeding or welfare programs for them. I asked one homeless, why he likes to go to the temple and sleep there? Because, he felt safe and secure there. With that answer, they believed and felt on something transcendental. A power beyond themselves. The homeless are seeking for something they do not know and understand. Why these homeless people are frequent in train stations, parks, and other places where there are lots of people during the day? We think that these are places where they can beg for money and food. But in reality, they are there to get people’s attentions. They are there in the guise of begging for money but in reality they are begging for understanding, love, acceptance, and hope from the people they meet everyday. That is why "A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance" (CV§ 1-4). This phrase in the encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate clearly explains the difference between social work and pastoral responsibility that summarizes in a saying “we can give without loving but we cannot love without giving”. In pastoral work there is always a theological dimension that leads man to act according to charity in truth. My humble idea of advocacy for justice is to show love and mercy first to those victims of social injustice and to show to the civil authorities and to the civil society that our pastoral action of love to the marginalized is a catalyst for the formation of conscience that leads to policy assessment for change. We cannot expect that the government authorities will start it first from above for they don’t 10
know what is going on in the grassroots but once they noticed that there is something good going on in the ground they will realize that they can do more by “giving more laws to those who have less in life” (Phil. President Ramon Magsaysay). The homeless are considered trouble makers by the majority of the society and even by the Church itself and her faithful. It is because the society has been oriented on the concept of a criminal drifter or vagrant. True enough that some of them are trouble makers particularly those who are alcoholics and drug addicts. But we need to understand that these homeless are insecure people because of their state of life. In their insecurity the tendency is to fight back, a normal reaction for self-preservation. They need a community, a Church who, like a mother, can understand and accept them as they are and sees their potentials rather than their weaknesses and/or to be pitied upon because of their present state of life. The Pontifical Council for the pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People has offered a clear direction with regards to the pastoral care of the homeless by identifying first the dignity of persons in the life of the homeless. Even though in a state of need and hardship, the homeless are people with a dignity that should never be overlooked, with all its consequences. Initiatives on behalf of the homeless should be innovative and twofold in order to give a response to the simple question of need and to recognize the value of a person (152). This means taking what homeless people have as a starting point – their abilities rather than their shortcomings. In this context, pastoral agents should take advantage of even small signs of change (153). It is also important to recognize “differences”, which should be integrated, and limits, which should not bring about a feeling that the other person is different, a man or woman of inferior rank. Personalizing an initiative also means determining what can, and what cannot, be done (154). Concerning this, some people talk of the “right to crisis”, which directly affects those who are working as pastoral agents. They, in turn, feel in some way injured or wounded. The “differences”, and potential crises, then move from a possible position of isolation into the emergence of a support structure and thus stimulating an effective network amongst the various local services. In addition, if we look at developing countries, we see a rising number of beggars, who are often sick, blind, leprous, or have AIDS, and therefore excluded from their villages and families, forced to live on the sidewalks, by clever means and from begging (155). The Pontifical Council also offers the Methods of approach and means of assistance that will be considered as models for different welfare providers in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Pastoral responses should be provided by parishes, Catholic groups, ecclesial movements and new communities. Some people seek out such needy brothers and sisters, and this encounter has created a friendship and support network, which has given rise to generous and stable initiatives with solidarity (156). Looking for homeless people, and meeting them, leads to overcoming their isolation, as well as protecting them from cold and hunger. Food and hot drinks, a kind of “mobile meal”, blankets and other items that relieve their needs, are brought to them (157). 11
Reception centers have also been set up, which provide a range of organized initiatives to meet the many requirements of needy people: information and counseling; distribution of food and clothing items; personal hygiene facilities (showers, laundries, hairdressers); and health clinics (158). Also to be considered is the fact that the homeless often lose the opportunity to benefit from public services because, as a result of their situation, they no longer have a fixed address and do not have identity papers. This state of “official non-existence” should be tackled – with municipalities and civic authorities – by seeking to establish a fixed address for them, perhaps at a welfare community or reception centre. The same solution could be used to provide them with a postal address (159). Regarding the offer of food, giving something to eat to the hungry (cf. Matthew 25:35) is an ancient human value that is widespread in all cultures, because it is directly linked to recognizing the value of life. The scandal of the poor Lazarus and the rich man, in the famous parable of Jesus (cf. Luke 16:19-30), is also echoed in Jewish and Islamic cultures, also in connection with matters relating to hospitality. The hungry thus cross-examine everyone’s conscience – secular people and believers – in the context of a culture of solidarity (160). Regarding all kinds of canteen, a free, hot and copious meal should be served in a familiar and welcoming atmosphere. Those who come to eat need to satisfy not only the material need for food, but are above all in need of kindness, respect and human warmth, which are often denied to them (161). Ideally the service should be provided by volunteers, who give their free time to help. Attention to each person’s dignity is also expressed by paying attention to the surroundings and the courteous attitude of the volunteers who serve at table. Guests’ dietary habits should also be taken into account, in respect of their religious traditions, for example. In this situation volunteers experience a special relationship with poor people, almost to the extent of establishing family and friendship relations, which many of the homeless have lost or never had. Something that is becoming a tradition in many places is that the homeless are able to have a wonderful Christmas or (special occasions) dinner as might be experienced within a family (162). GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS for the Catholic Church’s Authorities: • “Redefine societal priorities and hierarchies of values” as suggested by the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 226; • re-evangelization of the distorted social norms that will gear towards common good; • Establish a pastoral policy cohesion for pastoral responses to the needs of the homeless among dioceses in the country; • A diocese should support an existing half-way house/s or establish one for the homeless in the Diocese where there numbers of homeless and give much consideration on gender sensitivity. = The above recommendations can only be done if a diocese or the national bishops’ conference will collectively formulate a Theological reflection that deals mainly on the issue of homelessness. SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS: • Parishes near the place where the homeless frequently stay should organized among its parishioners an apostolate specifically for the homeless and incorporate it into parish pastoral program; • Local Seminarians should have a pastoral exposure with the homeless and formulate a theological reflection that will encourage participation of the laity in homeless pastoral program.
12
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sources: 1. PCPCMIP - Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road 2. Ogla Sung-Lin Fan Chiang, The Production of Homeless by Choice in Taiwan: Inoperative Community - Department of English National Central University Master’s Thesis 3. Shu-Man Pan & Jung-Tsung Yang, Cultural Constructions of Female Homelessness in Taiwan Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, Vol. XVII, No. 3, July 2008 4. Department of Statistics, Ministry of the Interior (MOI). 5. Department of Social Welfare (DSW) 6. Holy Scripture 7. Mater et Magistra, Encyclical Letter of Pope John XXIII, May 15, 1961 8. Leo XIII - Rerum Novarum, Encyclical Letter, May 15, 1891 9. Populorum Progressio. Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Paul VI, March 26, 1967 10. "Caritas in veritate" - Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI, June 29, 2009 11. Catechism of the Catholic Church 12. 1983, The Code of Canon Law 13. US Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 14. Taiwan news clippings, June 29, 2010 15. Interviews: Archbishop Hung, Bishop Bosco Lin, Bishop Martin Su 16. First hand interview with the 5 homeless respondents
13
Chinese Translation
摘 要 引言 為了研討歡迎/接納無家可歸者的牧靈關懷，需要首先了解這問題的社會層面，以及導致 無家可歸現象的不同灶因，例如： 1.社會/家庭壓力 2.經濟 3.文化 4.心理方面 以及社會上如何看待無家可歸者現象：是犯罪化的治安問題，或他們是受害者。因此，其 中包含必須研究為何社會如此看待這現象的歷史背景。歷史形成社會的觀念。 台灣地區無家可歸者的牧靈關懷：牧靈分析/神學性反思 以下神學思考為基礎： －人是因天主肖像所創造 (創) －富人與拉匝祿的故事 －最後審判：「你對我最小的弟兄中所做的，就是對我做」（瑪25, 31-46） －教會的社會訓導 －教會的永久使命：照顧窮人。「向貧窮人傳報喜訊，向俘虜宣告釋放，向盲者宣告復 明，使受壓迫者獲得自由，宣佈上主恩慈之年。」 天主教會的介入 兩家專為無家可歸者所設立的機構：平安居（台北總教區）、撒瑪黎雅婦女關懷協會（台 中教區） 牧靈方面的挑戰及建言來源 －聖座移民與觀光牧靈委員會的指示 －給各地教會主權當局的普遍性建議 ※ 「重新訂定價值體系，釐清價值優先秩序」天主教要理 #2438 ※ 在扭曲的社會體制中重新福傳，伸張公益。 ※ 建立一個牧靈方面的統一政策，得以回應全國各地區的無家可歸者的需求。 ※ 教區應該支持在本地建立無家可歸者的中途之家或收容中心，並且考慮到收容者 的性別差異。 需要台灣地區的主教團彼此合作，對無家可歸者現象做出一個相應的神學性反思，以 上的建議才可以付諸實行。 特殊建議 －轄區內常有無家可歸者的堂區，教友們當中應該有一位特別關懷他們的使徒/傳道員， 並且和堂區的傳協會合作。 －當地的修士們應該將他們納入牧靈實習內，並且提出牧靈報告及反省，以鼓勵平信徒教 友一起參與。
14
無家可歸者之牧靈關懷 神學性的反思 (註：僅譯出整理後重點及綱要，並未整篇逐字翻譯)
1、
引言 (未譯)
2、
台灣無家可歸者現象之社會分析 1、 現況 東南亞的無家可歸現象依照每個國家的經濟、文化、社會情況，及每個個案的心理現 象而有所不同。台灣在東南亞國家中名列為經濟發展國家之一，人口約有兩千四百 萬。即使在經濟上佔有優勢，也不得否認台灣無家可歸者的人數在增加，因他們在經 濟、社會、文化上承受相當壓力，以及其他無法滿足的需求。根據2010年第一季的內 政部的調查，在台灣已登記的無家可歸者有8,000名以上，並在持續增加。因為無家可 歸者各城市之間的流動率相當高，因此這並非確實的數字。 2、 歷史進程 －在台灣，無家可歸者被稱呼「遊民」，這具有貶義的詞彙根源於傳統中國以農為務 的社會結構，只有固定在自己所擁有土地上耕作、生活的人才算有社會地位。「遊 民」，即是那些沒有固定居所及職業的人。 －1683年清朝統治時代，官員及平民百姓常處於對立：「三年一小亂，五年一大 亂」，清朝政府視台灣的動亂是起因於遊民。當時台灣有三亂，一旦沒有安定工作 者常被描繪成為「盜賊、械鬥、謀逆」，但這是相當片面的觀點。現在學者研究出 當時遊民的缺乏秩序，實際上是反映出政治上的腐敗、社會上各集團的利益衝突及 經濟困境。 －日據時代，日軍政府持續把遊民視作犯罪化的治安問題，主張社會應該採行強制取 締，定立：「1906年流氓法」，把遊民視為罪犯。 －民國38年定立「逃兵及遊民法案」，於民國57年修訂為「台灣省取締遊民辦法」， 仍將遊民視為騷擾社會秩序的治安議題，由警政單位負責。此法案將「遊民」定義 為「無合法戶籍、無身份證明者」或「不務正業，沿街遊蕩或露宿公共場所之無業 遊民及流浪漢」。民國76年台灣開始民主法治化社會，反對極權主義、重視人權的 聲浪大起，在民間的壓力下，於民國80年政府將遊民問題的界定從威脅社會秩序的 偏差行為轉為生活匱乏的社會福利問題，主管單位也由警察局轉到社會局處，至此 將遊民問題福利化。民國83年公布「台灣省遊民收容所收容輔導辦法」，將遊民定 義為「於街頭或公共場所棲宿、行乞者而遊蕩無人照顧者。」遊民被正式視為無法 擁有居住權力的弱勢者。 3、 台灣目前現況之起因： 1.
社會/家庭壓力：來自社會、家庭或友人的歧視、個人心理的羞恥感、唯物主 義…迫使失業的人流落街頭。有些人是因為不想因為自己精神、年長或失業 的困境給家庭造成壓力。
2.
經濟及失業問題：薪資降低但物價上漲，東南亞來的廉價勞工取代台灣基層 勞工。失業人口的增加，遊民的人數也隨之增長。
3.
文化背景：台灣是父性社會，並且有時將女性邊緣化。家庭暴力問題、經濟 15
上依附丈夫、單親媽媽的政府性輔助的減少都造成女性遊民的增加。 4.
個人性自願或非自願：逃家或逃避社會責任，要享有更多的空間及自由 (???) ： －吸毒、酗酒 －虐待或家暴 －精神疾病 －年長 －人格異常
4、 政府的介入 自「台灣省遊民收容所收容輔導辦法」頒佈以來，政府在財政上對民間安置機構加以 補助，當中不乏教會所創立的如台北總教區「平安居」、台中教區的「撒瑪黎雅人之 家」（撒瑪黎雅婦女關懷協會）。 內政部所公佈的全國遊民數目為8,375人，但實際上，依照每年中國新年所發放的物資 及食物看來，遊民數目應該是這個數字的三倍。五年來，遊民福利機構所發放的午餐 便當已由9,000盒增加到超過29,000盒 (2009年)。 5、 組織 非政府組織 (NGO)內的為遊民爭取將目前的法案從1980年的社會救助法中獨立出來， 並訂立新法案。目前每個地區的社工人員情況依照各地區的法令而有所不同。國立的 各地社福機關仍相當依靠於非政府組織及教會的專業性，以便對遊民的需要提供最快 的救助。 由於各地方政府的預算及對社會福利的觀念不一致，因此只部分地方政府能對遊民做 出相應的救助措施。除了天主教會專為女性遊民所設立的「慈善撒瑪黎雅人之家」 （撒瑪黎雅婦女關懷協會）之外，其他收容中心是男女同收，損及婦女遊民的權益。 ◎遊民人數統計 (2010年第一季/內政部公佈) 教區 台北總教區 新竹 台中 嘉義 台南 高雄 花蓮 總計
遊民人數
收容中心數目
撒瑪黎雅人之家
2,229 133 171 43 211 5531 57 8,375
*譯者註：原稿並未標出，此為譯者依照內文所補充/更改。
3、 台灣無家可歸現象之牧靈分析及反省 以台灣教會觀點鳥瞰無家可歸者現象： 1、 以聖經做反思：「尊重人性的尊嚴」 天主教傳入台灣150年以來，台灣的天主教會遵照傳統基督人類學的觀點，明認人類 乃天主之「肖像」。創世紀中記載，人是天主依照祂的模樣及肖像所創造的，因此是 好的，也是社會性的存有。我們生來即擁有人性的尊嚴並且不可被剝奪，我們的尊嚴 並不因我們人性能力而受到任何影響。天主召叫我們成為更新祂創造工程的合作者。 天主依照祂的肖像創造了人，這(真理)引領我們一窺天主教會如何領悟人性的尊嚴、 16
人類的群居性、公益、連帶關係及人權。「尊重人性因他是天主的肖像」成為台灣天 主教會成為社會服務及牧靈關懷的先鋒的基礎。台北總教區洪總主教提出，台灣目前 的社會服務工作有半數是由天主教會所承辦，已有數十年的歷史。台灣的無家可歸現 象，天主教會並沒有坐視不管。教會接受耶穌對她的挑戰，耶穌說祂是最貧窮及最弱 小者：「你們對當中最小的一個弟兄所做的，就是對我做。」(瑪25, 31-46)。在這一 章節，耶穌並未將救恩建立在宗教信仰之上，如同人們對窮人或社會邊緣人所設想的 一樣。對那些有所需求之人所給予的服務及正義，可測量出我們愛及得救恩的尺度。 洪總主教說，台灣的天主教會隨時準備好「回應時代的訊號，回應對『最小者』的牧 靈關注，以及支持及保護那些社會不正義的制度下的犧牲者的人權。」 當我在寫這篇文件時，我自己到火車站去探視遊民。看他們睡在車站冰冷的地板及椅 子上，以報紙或紙板為床，我心中油然升起同情之情。我沒有向他們採訪，而是問我 自己：「這些人是天主的肖像…天主的肖像怎麼了？我們作了什麼？」在這與他們共 處的兩小時中，我體會到他們是耶穌來教導我：「狐狸有穴，天上的飛鳥有巢但人子 卻沒有枕頭的地方。」(瑪八,18-22)。耶穌說自己是最貧窮者及最弱小者，然後祂鼓勵 我們維護「天主的肖像」，在無家可歸者身上看到主耶穌。 2、 教會的社會訓導 教會的社會訓導啟示給我們每個人的人權都應受到尊重。教宗若望二十三世在其通諭 【慈母與導師】中提及：「對於那些發生在社會上的許多受壓迫者的問題，宗座確定 教會有此權利及責任去努力尋求正確的解決方法。這些問題召喚我們人類共同的努 力。」教會的社會訓導以一個基本原則為基礎：人，是每個社會機構的基礎、原因及 終向。這是必然的，因就人性來說他是社會性的存有。這事實應該被承認，同樣，也 應承認人類在天主的計畫中被提升到一個超越人性的現實中（【慈母與導師】 #219）。無家可歸者是依照天主的肖像所造，具有人性尊嚴的社會性存有，需要再回 到社會主體內。每個文明的人或社會機構，包括政府及教會，體會到「所有的人生而 平等，他們被造物主賦予某些不可被剝奪的權利，其中有生存、自由，及追求幸福」 （美國【自由宣言】）無論是富有及貧窮國家的領袖，他們的責任是保障每個人可享 有自己勞動的果實、無論在何種情況下天主所賜與的權利都受到保護、支持尊重人 權，並留心人民的自由受到保護，及在他們追求幸福的路上守護他們。 4、 牧靈分析 「牧靈關懷」在教會內是個具有多重面向的職務。其涵括健康、社會及品德教育、行為管 理及情緒支持，也包含追求正義。照顧人整體的福利是以福音的價值為基礎，並因教會使 命性的創新之舉而行動。社會福利是牧靈關懷的一個層面。透過顧及宗教及靈修的層面的 社福救助，牧靈關懷的目標是在於提倡人權的價值。社福救助對無家可歸者現況有所緩 減，但是牧靈關懷卻可預防某些可能會對弱小者所造成傷害的人性行為。牧靈關懷也包括 提倡反對某個社會體制，這體制導致某些人非自願地生活在慘境中。在福音中耶穌說： 「安息日是為人立，而不是人為了安息日」(谷2, 27)。法律所訂立的目的是為了建立社會 秩序，以使所有的人都享有應得的自由，平等及和平。喬治華盛頓於1789年對司法部長： 「真實的司法部門，是一個好政府最堅定的棟樑。」 無家可歸現象的根本灶因是道德及靈性上的貧乏，某些人在理性的年齡(懂事的年齡)，就 已失去道德及靈性上獲得增長的權利。台灣人是非常宗教性的，透過道教的拜拜就可見一 斑。就如其他的國家一樣，一旦經濟上有所進步，倫理的價值總是會有可能從優勢轉變到 退化/淪陷。這就表示世俗主義及唯物主義成為一個非道德的語言。 倫理價值的淪陷的第一個犧牲者就是家庭，家庭的價值備被忽視了因為成員們的生活重點 在於「擁有甚於成為、競爭甚於合作」。這將會成為離婚及破碎家庭的導因，家庭成員成 為孤立的並流落街頭。教宗本篤十六世在【在真理中實踐愛德】通諭中提到，孤立是造成 貧窮的許多因素之一，其中包含自我孤立是個體自己從社會中抽身。 17
家庭是社會的基礎及基本單位。尊重從出生到死亡的生命及孝順的倫理價值，視物質上的 財產並未人生的目的，而是一個加強家庭價值及人際關係的方法。團結互助及兄弟愛德是 孤立現象的解藥，對於（社會的）有效發展也是相當重要的。 另一個造成無家可歸現象的原因是失業問題。工作，是一個人的基本權利，應該受到國家 憲法的保護。在台灣，工資的差異性很大，本地勞工領取較多的工資，因此公司偏向雇用 工資便宜一半的外籍勞工。因著這樣的薪資差異，邊緣化那些本地的、沒有技術的及教育 水準低的勞工，迫使他們含羞的流落街頭。台灣的失業率兩年高居5.9百分比。 爭取平等的勞資將會使現況獲得雙贏的局面：解決本地勞工失業問題，以及東南亞的廉價 勞工的不平等待遇問題。為何這會是雙贏的解決方法呢？因為如果本地及外籍勞工的勞資 是同等的，那麼企業將偏向於雇用本地勞工。這只是牽涉於制定一套法律，可服務本國民 眾及還給外籍勞工合乎其勞務的合理工資。依據勞工局所公佈的數據可以看出，台灣的失 業人口為63萬3千人，從2009年的4.1%上升到2010年的5.9%。（台灣時報2010/6/24） 台灣是一個以父權社會，家庭中男性的地位及重要性高於女性。不過近年來，台灣相關於 家庭的律法開始由強調父權結構轉變成為支持家庭中兩性的平等。在民法中關於家庭兩性 平等的條例已有兩項修訂，要求丈夫及妻子分擔家庭中做重要決定的權利。然而，法律上 的進展並未改變家庭法仍在社會制式觀念、文化背景的陰影之下的事實，這些仍然都是深 受著傳統父權結構的影響。需要以台灣家庭法規的進展為基礎，施行持續性的教育及社會 的改造。在傳統的父權觀念及女性平等之間總有抗爭。在這些抗爭之中，受害者常是那些 人格上較為軟弱者，不論是和妻子在情緒和精神方面無法融合的丈夫，或是成為受虐者及 家暴犧牲品的妻子，結果是他們被迫淪落街頭。…依照天主教要理所述，需要「重新訂定 價值體系，釐清價值優先秩序」以及努力再度福音化台灣的社會體制，使得公益得到伸 張。 5、 天主教會之介入 1992年，當台灣才剛開始民主法治的體制時，聖母聖心會的神父們看到了台灣流落街頭的 無家可歸者的需要，由Bollen神父發起及政府輔導下，在台北創立了收留無家可歸者的 「平安居」。平安居給予街友即時的幫助：食物、洗澡、換洗衣物、舒適的床。教導他們 共同分擔家務及何其他街友建立友誼。聆聽他們、以他們的名字稱呼他們、同等的待遇等 等。平安居也幫助他們找回失聯的親人、幫助他們就醫或健檢追蹤、身分確認及社會保 險，以及尋找工作。現任平安居的負責人馬世光神父(Fr. Antoine Maes)說，平安居已經幫 助過四千名街友重新回到社會。 2000年，瑪利諾會的菲籍劉美妙修女(Sr. Mavelous Misolas)在台中教區開始從事無家可歸 者的牧靈工作。目睹一家佛教送湯給街友的機構因為遭到申訴而被政府廢除，修女質詢社 福當局為街友們所提供的服務。這事件激勵了這位勇敢的修女開始和一些朋友為街友們發 放食物。隨著無家可歸者的人數增加，修女把關懷重點改為放在女性街友上，因而在台中 教區內創立了「撒瑪黎雅婦女關懷協會」，一個政府立案收容女性街友的中心。這中心幫 助了許多的婦女回到社會主流中。 目前在台灣，與政府及非政府組織 (NGO)合作的機構中，只有這兩家天主教中心對無可歸 者提供了適切的牧靈關懷。 6、 牧靈方面的挑戰及勸言 「愛，對人類的發展是如此的重要，只有從靈性的層面，它才能夠完全的被珍視，而非從 物質層面」（在真理中實踐愛德，第六章）無家可歸者的現象存在於每一個社會中。耶穌 說：「我作客，你們收留了我。…凡你們對我這些最小的弟兄中的一個所做的，就是對我 做。」（瑪25,31-46）這是教會被要求每天都要生活出的。但阻礙台灣教會從事這方面的 工作的原因，是有些神父們首先看到的是物質上的資助所會面臨到的困難，卻對很少考慮 到到靈修及道德的層面，並且更重要的是對天主的照顧的信賴。當然須給他們及時的物質 18
上的協助，但他們所追求的更甚於此，是靈性上的關懷與滿足。從即使並沒有提供給他們 任何食物或福利給他們，某些街友們仍常駐於教堂或寺廟，因為他們在此環境中得到安全 感，相信在那裡有一股超越他們的力量。 無家可歸者缺乏安全感，因此人性上會有正常的抵抗或反擊的傾向。這就是為什麼他們常 被視做問題製造者。他們需要一個可以在生活的困難中的保護者，一個為他們發言而被社 會聆聽的聲音。教會就是無聲者的聲音。 聖座移民與觀光牧靈委員會提供了對於照顧無家可歸者有清楚的指示條文，當中重視無家 可歸者人性的尊嚴。參照以下幾個號碼：#152-162 7、 一般性建議 ˙「重新訂定價值體系，釐清價值優先秩序」天主教要理2438 ˙在扭曲的社會體制中重新福傳，伸張公益。 ˙建立一個牧靈方面的統一政策，得以回應全國各地區的無家可歸者的需求。 ˙教區應該支持在本地建立無家可歸者的中途之家或收容中心，並且考慮到收容者的性別 差異。 ＝需要台灣地區的主教團彼此合作，對無家可歸者現象做出一個相應的神學性反思，以上 的建議才可以付諸實行。 8、 特殊性建議 ˙轄區內常有無家可歸者的堂區，教友們當中應該有一位特別關懷他們的使徒/傳道員， 並且和堂區的傳協會合作。 ˙當地的修士們應該將他們納入牧靈實習內，並且提出牧靈報告及反省，以鼓勵平信徒教 友一起參與。 ---------------------------------（參考資料來源：未譯）
19