inside: Exploring true belief • The Time of Dialogue • Murder in paradise
sharing the faith The role of respect and dialogue
au gust 2013 • n o. 269 • VOL X X V • 50 pesos • ISSN 0116-8142
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For the year 2013-2014, there are three aspirants at the St. Daniel Comboni Seminary: two are candidates for priesthood (Christopher and Benjosef) and one for brotherhood (Rodel). They will join one postulant (Allan) and, with the help of their formators (Frs. Nacho and Victor), and in the context of a community life centered on Christ, they will take up their daily formation in their vocation as future missionaries in the footsteps of St. Daniel Comboni. For them, entering the gate of the Seminary is the beginning of a new spiritual journey. “We, the postulant and aspirants of the Comboni Seminary, inspired by the life of St. Daniel Comboni, commit ourselves to be instruments of God’s love, hope, faith and peace to all, especially the poor. We thank God for giving us the opportunity to be members of this Comboni Community. May the Lord continue to bless each one of you who generously support our formation journey.” The Aspirants and Postulant of the St. Daniel Comboni Seminary, with their formators
Contact: Daniel Comboni Seminary 282 Roosevelt Ave., S.F.D.M., 1105 Quezon City, M. M. – Philippines Tel: (02) 414-3164 • E-mail: postasia@i-manila.com.ph
editorial
Build bridges, not walls! The Asian Catholic Monthly Magazine
www.worldmission.ph MAILING ADDRESS: 7885 Segundo Mendoza Street Villa Mendoza Subd. - Sucat 1715 Parañaque City, M.M. - PHILIPPINES TEL.: (+63-2) 829-0740/829-7481 FAX: (+63-2) 820-1422 E-Mail: wm.editor@gmail.com OWNER AND PUBLISHER: WORLD MISSION is published monthly by the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus as part of their ministry and program of missionary awareness in Asia. WORLD MISSION magazine is registered at DI–BDT and at the National Library (ISSN 0116-8142). EDITOR: Fr. Dave C. Domingues, MCCJ REDACTION: Corazon A. Uy (secretary), Fr. Jose Rebelo,MCCJ and Fr. Lorenzo Carraro, MCCJ (staff writers) COLLABORATORS: Manuel Giraldes (Portugal), Fr. Joseph Caramazza (UK), Fr. Francesco Pierli (Kenya) and Kris Bayos (Philippines) MANAGEMENT: Fr. Raul Tabaranza, MCCJ wm.administration@gmail.com Ma. Corazon P. Molvizar (secretary) Angeles S. de Vera (circulation) PROMOTION: Fr. Dave C. Domingues, MCCJ wm.promotion@gmail.com ART & DESIGN DIRECTION: Ric M. Gindap GRAPHICS & DESIGN: Victor Garcia SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (11 issues and Calendar) Regular (Philippines):.........................P500.00/year Six months (Philippines):...........................P300.00 Overseas–Air mail: Asia................................US$35 Rest of the world.............................................US$40 DISTRIBUTION: WORLD MISSION is distributed to subscribers by mail. Entered as Second Class Mail at the Parañaque Central Post Office under Permit No. 214-89 (March 9, 1989; valid until December 31, 2013). Published monthly in Parañaque City, M.M. Composition: World Mission. Printed by Lexmedia Digital Corp. Change of address: Please send both the old and the new addresses. Copyright © World Mission magazine. All rights reserved. Contents are not to be reproduced, republished, sold or otherwise distributed, modified or altered without permission from the editor.
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n an era of mass and instant communications, borders are crossed by a simple touch on a mobile phone; distances are conquered by video conferences, the unknown is now accessible at a click of the computer mouse. While these new avenues of communication carry great dangers – addiction to technology, exploitation of people, manipulation for the sake of profit, and abuse of means to achieve dishonest ends – they have become channels for transparency, encounter, and dialogue – overcoming isolation and exposing us to different ways of thinking, judging and acting. They allow people to join forces in denouncing evil, opening new paths for hope, peace and justice. And, most of all, they create a sense of interconnectedness of our human existence, particularly on issues concerning ecology, social justice, religious dialogue and defense of human rights. In this global society, so diverse and distant yet with a common journey interwoven with privileges and responsibilities, individuals and institutions are called to know their milieu and to dialogue in a spirit of openness and true collaboration. Individuals and institutions can no longer function alienated from the common journey we make as a global society. Moreover, the Church, whose mission is to be ‘salt’ and ‘leaven’ in the midst of humanity, has to heed ever anew the call for openness and dialogue. Pope Francis has, recently, reminded us: “When the Church becomes closed, it becomes sick, sick.” (www.catholicsun.org) Closing the doors to dialogue is building walls, creating isolation and choosing a fruitless existence. A mentality of fear, of “us against them,” can only lead to fundamentalism and intolerance. On the other hand, true dialogue opens doors, creates bridges and promotes communion. Addressing the personnel of the Jesuit journal La Civilta Catolica, Pope Francis stated: “Your main task isn’t to build walls but
Dave Domingues EDITOR
A mentality of fear, of “us against them,” can only lead to fundamentalism, intolerance and violence. On the other hand, true dialogue opens doors, creates bridges and promotes communion.
bridges. It is to establish a dialogue with all persons, even those who don’t share the Christian faith…Through dialogue, it is always possible to get closer to the truth, which is a gift of God, and to enrich one another.” (www.news.va) Such is the common mission of the Church – to build bridges! To avoid relativism – the temptation to see equal merits in all religions – and syncretism – the idea that all religions or sincere beliefs are really saying the same things that could be mixed like a salad – dialogue should be procured with an updated knowledge of one’s own faith. To know and understand one’s own faith paves the way to live it and to share it since a convinced and mature faith is capable not only of giving meaning to one’s life, but also of providing answers to those who search for God. With such knowledge, it is possible to understand and appreciate the differences, leaving room for an open and enriching dialogue with respect and honesty – the dialogue of life. The much-needed spirit of collaboration among the different religious groups, to provide credible answers to the so many maladies of our global society, is only possible if we build bridges instead of walls. The first encyclical of Pope Francis "is the work of four hands,” meaning it was started by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and it was finished by Francis himself. And it can be a lesson for all: appreciating the faith of those who have walked us this far, we have now the duty to add our own renewed and matured experience of faith.
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your let ters Write to: The Editor, World Mission Magazine • 7885 Segundo Mendoza Street, Villa Mendoza Subd. − Sucat 1715 Parañaque City, M.M. – Philippines • E-mail: wm.editor@gmail.com UPDATEd ON WORLD EVENTS
What I give to the World Mission magazine and the Comboni Seminary is a part of my tithing. Some of my tithes are also given to the World Vision, Kerygma Family, The Feast (led by Bro. Bo Sanchez), AASA (Alumni Association for Ateneo Scholars), and my local parish. From the first time I read the World Mission magazine, I have become its avid reader. Honestly, I don't read much or watch TV often. I'm really thankful that the World Mission makes me somehow updated about important events all over the world. That's why I give what I can to your ministries, so that you can continue with your good work. I know that what I give is not that much, but I really hope that it does help you. One of my secret dreams is to be a missionary or do something similar like working in a foundation which helps the poor, at the same time, spreading the Good News. Right now, I am a senior consultant/ programmer here at Oracle Philippines Corporation. I hope, someday, I'll be able to fulfill that dream which is no longer a secret. It aches my heart to see the poor, the hungry and homeless, the abused, those who cannot afford to study. I can relate to them because I was also poor, experienced hunger as a child, to be homeless, not to have enough money for my education. But God is really great! He has wonderful plans for me. He blessed me with scholarships to finish my studies. What I give is incomparable to what I have received, and I hope that God will bless me more, so I can share with more people. More power! « Faith Medina, Taguig City, Philippines (Received by e-mail)
RENEWING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION Subscribers and friends: For your convenience, you may now remit renewal fees by: • Bank transfer (BDO, Villa Mendoza – Sucat Branch, Acct. No. 005280011577, Acct. Name: Comboni World Mission). If you will use this method, please send us, by fax or ordinary mail, the copy of the deposit slip with your name and address. • Money order in favor of World Mission Magazine. • Crossed cheque payable to World Mission Magazine. • Dial 829-0740/829-7481 for pick up. (In Metro Manila, we will send our messenger to you on a scheduled date.) Note 1: If, by any chance, you are having problems in receiving World Mission Magazine, please let us know soonest so that we can take appropriate action. Note 2: We would like to encourage our valued subscribers who have not updated their record with us to do so as soon as possible. Please help us to provide you the best service you deserve. Thank you!
MISSIONARY SERVICE
When a new issue of WM magazine arrives, I read the comments of the readers first and then the editorial. Both are inspiring and informative! Thanks for the fine missionary service. « Wim Wijtten, Netherland (Received by e-mail)
VERY INFORMATIVE
Congratulations! The June issue of the World Mission has done it again. The cover photo of Pope Francis was well-chosen. Despite the absence of any distinctive thing in his appearance, it captures the image of His Holiness as a person with vast authority clothed in humility. Also, the articles
of Fr. Joseph Caramazza, MCCJ, were very informative and I look forward to his next essays. -EVE AVILA, Pasig City, Philippines.
THUMBS UP!
Thanks for my copy of WM magazine which I received today from Kacheliba Post Office. I am excited to read it right now... thanks a lot also to Fr. Lorenzo for his monthly inspirational missionary articles. Thanks to all in WM Publication Office!!!! Thumbs up! Mabuhay po tayong lahat. Salamat po! « Moises Albarina, Kenya (Received by e-mail)
events to remember in august 06 - Feast of the Transfiguration 09 - Int’l Day of the World’s Indigenous People 10 - Feast of St. Lawrence, Martyr 15 - Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 19 - World Humanitarian Day 24 - Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle 29 - Passion of St. John the Baptist mIssion prayer intention
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That the particular Churches of the African continent, faithful to the Gospel proclamation, may promote the building of peace and justice.
inside INSIDE: EXPLORING TRUE BELIEF • THE TIME OF DIALOGUE • MURDER IN PARADISE
SHARING THE FAITH The role of respect and dialogue
AU GUST 2013 • N O. 269 • VOL X X V • 50 PESOS • ISSN 0116-8142
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LIFE-GIVING FAITH
The Year of Faith is now far advanced and nearing its end. The aim of this common journey is for Catholics to rediscover their appreciation for the gift of faith, deepen their relationship with God through faith and strengthen their commitment to share openly and courageously the faith they profess. To appreciate such a gift, one needs to be aware not only of the long religious tradition he or she has inherited, but also of the transformative power of faith – a power to shape us in the likeness of Christ. By knowing one’s faith and appreciating it, one learns to value, nurture and share it with others. In other words, faith makes us credible and cheerful witnesses of the Risen Lord, capable of leading others to a joyful encounter with the Lord, not by proselytizing but by respectful dialogue. The faith that is convincingly professed, joyfully celebrated and openly witnessed becomes life-transforming and life-giving – both for the giver and the receiver. Indeed, genuine faith, rooted in the heart, leads us to be dynamic evangelizers. WM special | announcing THE FAITH
A bridge between faiths and cultures
By GIORGIO BERNARDELLI, Journalist
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filipino focus | SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE POOR
A Franciscan among the urban poor By KRIS BAYOS, JOURNALIST
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in focus | what we believe in
Jesus Christ, our Lord
By fr. joseph caramazza, mccj
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Exploring true belief by James H. Kroeger, M.M. theologian
world report BANGLADESH
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Missionary vocation | fr. fausto tentorio
Murder in paradise
By Fr. Lorenzo Carraro, MCCJ
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THE LAST WORD
Holy spirit and money By Fr. SILVANO FAUSTI, sJ
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A country under pressure by Edward Flyn, VIVAT INT'l
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The Time of Dialogue by Sebastiano D’Ambra,PIME SILSILAH DIALOGUE MOVEMENT
spiritual reflection peace making
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Arms Treaty: an achievement of peoples’ power by Fr. John Converset, MCCJ
WORLD MISSION has the exclusive services of the following magazines for Asia: ALÉM-MAR (Portugal); MUNDO NEGRO (Spain); NIGRIZIA (Italy); NEW PEOPLE (Kenya); WORLDWIDE (South Africa), AFRIQUESPOIR (DR of Congo); ESQUILA MISIONAL (Mexico); MISION SIN FRONTERAS (Peru); and IGLESIA SINFRONTERAS (Colombia).
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w o r l dto u c h VATICAN
The light of faith: the two popes' encyclical The first encyclical reading of Pope Francis Lumen Fidei, recently published, is a blast from the past – the recent past which also seems far away in light of what has happened in the Church in the last five months. The text, as explained by the Pope himself during a meeting with the Argentine Bishops' Synod, is in fact the fruit of "four hands:" Benedict XVI had virtually completed the text before his resignation on February 28, and delivered what he had done to his successor, who has reviewed, integrated and made it his own by putting his signature on it. Thumbing through the pages, however, it is evident in the text – a relatively short text, 91 pages composed of 58 paragraphs – that the dominant hand is that of the German pontiff. And not just because the encyclical on faith concludes the triptych on the theological virtues starting with Deus Caritas Est on charity and followed by Spe Salvi on hope. The layout of the text, the frequent references to philosophers and live debates in the German culture of the '60s, the insistence on some issues, and even the comparison between faith and Gothic cathedrals, where "the light comes from the sky through the windows where it represents the sacred history," all testify that Pope Francis has decided to respect and accept the work of his predecessor. Francis explicitly expresses in paragraph 7 of the Encyclical: "These considerations on faith – in continuity with all that the Church’s magisterium has pronounced on this theological virtue – are meant to supplement what Benedict XVI had written in his encyclical letters on charity and hope. He himself had almost completed the first draft of an encyclical on faith. For this, I am deeply grateful to him and, as his brother in Christ, I have taken up his fine work and added a few contributions of my own.” The title of the Encyclical, Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith) summarizes the fundamental dynamic which moves in line with the text: the tradition of the Church
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has always associated faith being the light that dispels the darkness and illuminates the path. "In modernity, that light might have been considered sufficient for societies of old, but was felt to be of no use for new times, for a humanity that has come of age, proud of its rationality and anxious to explore the future in novel ways. Faith thus appeared to some as an illusory light, preventing mankind from boldly setting out in quest of knowledge." The text cites Nietzsche, one of the constant reference points – even if negative – of Ratzinger's thought, for which “belief would be incompatible with seeking. But in recent decades," he adds, "it was discovered that the light of autonomous reason is not enough to illumine the future. As a result, humanity renounced the search for a great light, Truth itself, in order to be content with smaller lights which illumine the fleeting moment. For this, in today's world, “there is an urgent need, then, to see once again that faith is a light,” discovering that only the light that comes from believing in God is "capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence." The road to the discovery of this bright character of faith happens naturally with the encounter with Christ and by His love. "Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision, new eyes to see; we realize that it contains a great promise of fulfillment and that a vision of the future
opens up before us." After the introduction, the Encyclical, in four chapters, traces the history of the Christian faith, of the call of Abraham and the people of Israel until the resurrection of Jesus and the dissemination of the Church, the relationship between faith and reason, the Church's role in conveying faith in history and, finally, that faith works in the building of a society that seeks the common good. Lumen Fidei concludes with a prayer to the Madonna, a model of faith. The two Popes remind us that “Faith opens the way before us and accompanies our steps through time.” To understand what faith is, we need to follow the route it has taken, the path trodden by believers, as witnessed first in the Old Testament." Faith sinks its roots in the past but, at the same time, “memoria future,” remembers the future, and for this it is “thus closely bound up with hope.” In terms of media interest, Michael J. O'Loughlin, a contributor to America, makes a brief synthesis, quoting the wellknown author and editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine, James Martin: ‘“There is probably little that will be deemed ‘newsworthy’ in Lumen Fidei, save perhaps the strong linkage between faith and ‘justice, law and peace’ which reflects Francis’ emphasis on the poor.’ www.vaticaninsider. lastampa.it/ Alessandro Speciale; www. religionnews.com/ Michael J. O'Loughlin
PHILIPPINES
Mindanao group wins top peace award An interreligious peace movement in troubled Mindanao has won the prestigious Goi Peace Award, a Japanese prize previously given to Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the former president of Costa Rica. The Silsilah Dialogue Movement, founded by Italian missionary priest, Sebastiano D’Ambra, in Zamboanga City, has set up training and other projects to promote peace between Christians and Muslims in insurgency-hit Mindanao since 1984.
“The dedicated efforts of the members of the Movement have not only advanced the process towards lasting peace in their communities,
Father Sebastiano D'Ambra
but have also inspired many people around the world with an example of true dialogue based on spirituality,” the award-giving body said in a statement. D’Ambra said the Award is a “recognition” of the organization’s concerted efforts to help end the patchwork of conflicts in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao involving Islamic and Communist rebels over the past 30 years. Started with a group of Muslim and Christian friends, D’Ambra has seen the
Movement's peace-building and dialogue activities grow steadily. It is also involved in sustainable agriculture, environmental advocacy and holistic healthcare. Silsilah, an Arabic word which means ‘chain’ or ‘link,’ implies “spritual linkage of humanity as created by the same God,” said D’Ambra. The organization will receive the Award at a ceremony to be held during this year’s Goi Peace Foundation Forum in Tokyo in November. www.philippines. ucanews.com
It has been announced that Blessed Pope John Paul II and Blessed Pope John XXIII are to be canonized together. No date for the canonization ceremonies has yet been given. The contemporary proclamation of the holiness of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII could take place by the end of 2013, perhaps at the beginning of December, to mark the end of the Year of Faith. Catholic analysts have seen in the double canonization a way to surpass different sensibilities in the Church and achieve a greater sense of unity. − www.vaticaninsider.lastampa.it WORLD HUNGER
No more broken promises We can and we must do more for the poor and the international community cannot continue to use global economic crisis as an “alibi” of its members to shirk their responsibility of helping the poor and hungry of the world. Francis did not beat around the bush during the meeting with participants of an FAO conference in the Vatican last June. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization conference, that took place in Rome, brought together national representatives committed to fighting hunger in the world. This is a subject that is especially close to the Argentinean Pope’s heart. On World Environment Day, recently, the Pope warned: “The food we throw away is as if stolen from the table of the poor, the hungry!” In his address, Francis did not limit himself to platitudes but invited the international community to take its responsibilities seriously: “This, I believe, is the significance of our meeting today: to share the idea that something more can and must be done in order to provide a new stimulus to international activity on behalf of the poor, inspired by something more than mere goodwill or, worse,
promises which all too often have not been kept. Nor can the current global crisis continue to be used as an alibi. The crisis will not be completely over until situations and living conditions are examined in terms of the human person and human dignity,” the Pope said. In the speech he gave in Spanish, the Pope denounced the “scandalous” situation today, in which current levels of production are sufficient… to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table but, above all, to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being,” Francis recalled. The Pope also stressed his condemnation of “financial speculation,” as a factor which causes food prices to shoot through the roof “treating it like any other merchandise and overlooking its primary function.” This is an issue Benedict XVI had also addressed often during his pontificate. “What is demanded of FAO, its Member States, and every institution of the international community, is openness
of heart. There is a need to move beyond indifference or a tendency to look the other way, and urgently attend to the immediate needs, confident that the fruits of today’s work will mature in the future,” the Pope added. The Vatican’s Permanent Observer to FAO, stressed the importance of the organization’s programs, especially at the difficult economic situation the world is currently facing. Member States have the duty to continue providing FAO with the resources it needs, showing solidarity that is proportionate to the abilities and needs of each country. www.vaticaninsider. lastampa.it/ Alessandro Speciale
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CLIMATE CHANGE
America's first refugees Sabrina Warner keeps having the same nightmare: a huge wave rearing up out of the water and crashing over her home, forcing her to swim for her life with her toddler son. "I dream about the water coming in," she said. The landscape in winter on the Bering Sea coast seems peaceful, the tidal wave of Warner's nightmare trapped by snow and several feet of ice. But the calm is deceptive. Spring break-up will soon restore the Ninglick River to its full violent force. In the dream, Warner climbs on to the roof of her small house. As the waters rise, she swims for higher ground: the village school which sits on 20-foot pilings. Even that isn't high enough. By the time Warner wakes, she is clinging to the roof of the school, desperate to be saved. Warner's vision is not far removed from a reality written by climate change. The people of Newtok, on the west coast of Alaska and about 400 miles south of the Bering Strait that separates the state from Russia, are
living a slow-motion disaster that will end, very possibly within the next five years, with the entire village being washed away. The Ninglick River coils around Newtok on three sides before emptying into the Bering Sea. It has steadily been eating away at the land, carrying off 100ft or more some years, in a process moving at unusual speed because of climate change. Eventually, all of the villagers will have to leave, becoming America's first climate change refugees. It is not a label or a future embraced by people living in Newtok. Yup'ik Eskimo have been fishing and hunting by the shores of the Bering
Sea for centuries and the villagers reject the notion they will now be forced to run in chaos from ancestral lands. But exile is undeniable. A report by the US Army Corps of Engineers predicted that the highest point in the village – the school of Warner's nightmare – could be underwater by 2017. If Newtok cannot move its people to a new site in time, the village will disappear. A community of 350 people, nearly all related to some degree and all intimately connected to the land, will cease to exist, its inhabitants scattered to the villages and towns of western Alaska, Anchorage and beyond. It's a choice confronting more than 180 native communities in Alaska, which are flooding and losing land because of the ice melt that is part of the changing climate. While some dispute the overwhelming scientific view that climate change is caused primarily by human activities, there is little argument in Alaska about its effects. www.guardian.co.uk
“Dialogue means, above all, learning how to step into the other person’s shoes.” – Rabbi Abraham Skorka, Rector of the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in Argentina, at a four-day seminar on Christian-Jewish dialogue, organized by the Focolare Movement in Castel Gandolfo, last June.
"The number of refugees who fled from Syria since January 1 is more or less the same amount as the total number of refugees who fled all over the world during 2012." – Antonio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, at a news conference last June. www.trust.org
“Religions make huge, challenging and often supernatural claims about life, death and the afterlife and must surely expect to be challenged on them and to be able and willing to defend them. Religion is an argument for a certain way of life and any meaningful argument will feature conf licting voices.” – Mark Lawson in a lecture titled “From Brideshead to Benedict” at Digby Stuart College, University of Roehampton, on May 16.
“Our future priests and people deserve a joyful, holy and urgent impatience for preaching the Gospel; an unhindered zeal for Jesus Christ guided by a deep catechesis and formation of all the baptized – lay and ordained.” – Michael G. Campbell, OSA, Bishop of Lancaster, in his pastoral letter for the feast of Pentecost, last May.
“Any beliefs, whether political, religious, artistic, benefit from being tested regularly: both internally and externally.”
– Mark Lawson in a lecture titled “From Brideshead to Benedict” at Digby Stuart College, University of Roehampton, on May 16.
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media
Killings remain a ‘major concern’
U.S.A.
United effort against trafficking Human trafficking is so widespread that congregations of women religious are uniting in a nationwide effort to limit its reach. The effort will focus on broader education about sex and labor trafficking, legislative advocacy for stricter laws and penalties for traffickers and wider support for victims through much-needed social services and employment. “It’s a stronger voice,” said Mercy Sr. Jeanne Christensen, justice advocate for the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community in Kansas City, Mo. “Coming together in one group helps to concentrate the voice and the power in a good sense.” The collaborative campaign was formalized during a three-day meeting of representatives of a dozen congregations active in anti-trafficking programs in local communities and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in Washington. The meeting coincided with the release of a report by the Presidential Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships offering 10 recommendations to President Barack Obama’s administration aimed at eradicating human trafficking. For years, individual congregations, such as the Sisters of the Humility of Mary of Villa Maria, Pa., have run human trafficking awareness programs regionally. Sr. Margaret Nacke, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kan., who helped convene the gathering, said it is time for the congregations to come together to better make use of the anti-trafficking resources and programs they had developed. Congregations from California, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania were represented. “In our dialogue with government, non-government organizations and church officials, we, Sisters, got a better sense of their focus and their thrust in regard to modern-day slavery. And they got a better idea of what we, Sisters, are doing,” Nacke said. The call for greater collaboration stems from Nacke’s research into the trafficking work of religious congregations. Her findings led to the development of the Bakhita Initiative, an Internet-based listing of anti-trafficking programs and resources available from congregations nationwide. The initiative is named after St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who became a nun after her release. Born in 1869, she was kidnapped at age 7 and sold into slavery. Her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita which, translated, means “fortunate one.” She eventually was freed and was inspired to join religious life. Pope John Paul II canonized her in 2000. Nacke envisions the online initiative as being a storehouse of human trafficking resources for religious congregations as well as the general public. Eleven congregations of women religious in the Toledo diocese formed Stop Trafficking of Persons (STOP) in 2006. Toledo, a major crossroads between Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit and points south, ranks fourth in the country in the number of arrests, investigations and rescues of children involved in sex trafficking, a 2010 report from the Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission found. An estimated 100,000 to 300,000 minors are victims of sex trafficking at any given time, according to the Justice Department. Worldwide, about 21 million people are trafficked in an industry that nets traffickers $32 billion annually, the State Department’s 2012 Trafficking in Persons report said. “This is a crucial point to come together [nationally] because we really want to go about this in terms of best practices,” Nowak explained. “We want to use both heart and head. It’s important to collaborate and network.” www.ncronline.org/ Dennis Sadowski
Journalism remains a dangerous profession with 54 media practitioners killed in the line of duty, including one from the Philippines, over the past year, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-Ifra) said. “The safety of journalists continues to be a major concern in areas of the world where conflict makes reporting the news dangerous, often deadly,” said WAN-Ifra’s Global Press Freedom Report. WAN-Ifra’s recorded incident in the Philippines was the murder of commentator Julius Cauzo of radio station DWJJ in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija province. Cauzo was shot dead on Nov. 8 last year. Cauzo, WAN-Ifra noted, was critical of local politicians and had received death threats. The group emphasized that “impunity remains a bitter issue in the Philippines.” It said that investigations were “still ongoing into the Nov. 23, 2009, ‘Ampatuan massacre,’ which saw 32 journalists tragically killed.” The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists listed the Philippines as the third most dangerous place for journalists – with the unsolved killings of media men even after President Aquino vowed to end the murders. WAN-Ifra said that of the media deaths, 15 were killed while covering the civil war in Syria while 10 died in Somalia. “Whether at the hand of extremists, organized criminal gangs or official security forces, journalists increasingly find themselves in the firing line,” WAN-Ifra said. “Where the media is targeted, impunity for the killers of journalists continues to prolong the agony for the victims’ families and cast a chilling shadow over the profession,” it added. WAN-Ifra said its 47-page report noted that, in many parts of the world, attempts to muzzle press freedom had gone in the form of criminal liabilities, soft censorship and “policing the digital debate,” where states had targeted social media users active in political debates. Online freedom of expression has been targeted by authorities in China and Vietnam where bloggers have been under surveillance or sentenced to jail terms. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, media are under attack from “violent extremists,” WAN-Ifra said. www.philippines.ucanews.com
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A snapshot of the Chinese elderly The one-child policy is destroying the entire social system of China. In addition to the approximately 200 million abortions it has caused since its approval (1979), the law is, in fact, affecting the elderly population, one of the most impressive in the world in terms of its growth rate and absolute numbers: about 160 million people are over 65 years of age. This is demonstrated by a study carried out by Chinese and American researchers: one-third of people over 65 is in poor health because of lack of coverage through the health system, while a quarter live below the poverty line. The survey covered about 18 thousand people in 28 provinces. The data points out that 65% of the elderly population is likely to live in poverty for the rest of their lives, given that the pension system cannot cover costs if it isn't receiving taxes from workers which, in any case, are far fewer than the elderly. Analysts who have studied the results of the research have reported alarming figures. More than 38% of the elderly "has serious difficulty" in meeting their daily needs; 24% have to integrate their pension with an odd job to make ends meet, 25% live on less than 2,433 Yuan (about 300 Euros) a year, the minimum set by the government to define a pauper. The healthcare situation is also disastrous. About 33% of respondents suffer from a chronic disease: 54% of these have high blood pressure, while 40% are not even able to have their illness diagnosed. There are very high rates of psychological symptoms: 48% of women and 32% of men show signs of depression. Added to this is the fact that the availability of access to the medical system is greatly reduced for the elderly who live in big cities. Beijing can only provide 1,100 beds per 10 thousand requests for admission. Professor John Strauss of the University of California points out that another factor also must be taken into consideration. "At the moment, those over 65 had 3 or 4 children. The next wave will be to those who have suffered the onechild law and, therefore, a lot less hope. " wwww.asianews.it/ Chen Weijun
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SPRINGTIME IN THE CHURCH Cardinal Oswald Gracias underlined the positive impact of Pope Francis in India and Asia during an interview, in Rome, with Gerard O’Conell from the Vatican Insider/La Stampa. When asked about the 100 first days of the pontificate, he was rather enthusiastic about its effect on India: “Very, very positive! Very positive, in the sense that here’s a country with a lot of poverty also while there’s been great progress, and he’s struck a cord immediately with his consistent concern for the poor, the marginalized, and also telling the Church to be for the poor. India’s Catholics have been very impressed as well as the general populace who are not Catholic. He’s getting lots of publicity, everything he says is covered by the secular press, and his pictures appear very often in our papers.” The cardinal didn’t spare his words: “It’s a big blessing for the Church. It seems like springtime for the Church. He has sparked an atmosphere of joy, enthusiasm and excitement. There’s life, vitality and enthusiasm for the Church now. People say this is the Church that I like to belong to. People have gone to confession and Mass because of the inspiration that Pope Francis has given.” He thinks something similar is happening in the rest of Asia: “I don’t have a lot of feedback as yet, but I’ve met some bishops from other countries, from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Cardinal Tagle from the Philippines; all have spoken very, very favorably of the Holy Father’s impact on their countries.” Cardinal Gracias, who was appointed by the Pope to represent the continent in the group of eight cardinals who are to be his top advisors, confesses that he was astonished by the news: “I was very, very surprised when I received the call from the Secretary of State that the Holy Father wanted me on this group of eight people to advise him. I said why me? I must say I almost felt certainly unworthy and humbled, but I also realized it is a tremendous responsibility and I felt like running away and saying get somebody else to advise you. But I realize it is something crucial, vital and very responsible.” He also notes the role that the group, which includes representatives of all continents, can play: “I think the group will make a difference if he wants it to make a difference. I’ve heard him so often refer to this group in recent times that my impression is that he is expecting a lot from us. It appears to me that we are a little like the group of consulters that a Jesuit provincial has; and which he appoints. These consulters are there to help him in his different decisions, and he calls on them when there's a need. I think it’s something of that sort; it’s the Ignatian method. It has proved very successful for the Jesuit provincials, and I cannot see why it can’t also prove successful for the Pope.” www.vaticaninsider.lastampa.it
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A bridge between faiths and cultures by
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GIORGIO BERNARDELLI | Journalist
laire Ly, a philosophy teacher who grew up as a Buddhist, met the God of the West in Cambodian dictator Pol Pot’s “re-education” camps. She found Him after the Khmer Rouge regime killed her husband and brother during the madness that led to 2 million deaths between 1975 and 1979, in a country with a population of 8 million. The Cambodian exile was at the Vicenza Bible Festival in Italy, to talk about faith in dialogue and to be a bridge between cultures. Her presentation, titled “Fede in dialogo: io, ponte tra le culture” took place at the Vicenza’s Palazzo delle Opere Sociali building. Ly’s painful past made her a bridge between cultures in the sense that, when she found Jesus, she didn’t snub her Buddhist roots but began an ongoing dialogue between the faiths. She discovered Christianity in France, where she has been living since 1980. At the Vicenza Bible Festival, Ly presented her latest book in French, “La Mangrove – À la croisée des cultures et des religions,” a story about the imaginary journey of two Cambodian women, Ravi and Somaya, who live in exile in France and return to their country after many years. Ravi stayed a Buddhist and Somaya embraced Catholicism. The two women began a dialogue and let their shared tragic experience ask the questions. Here, the link with Claire Ly’s personal experience is obvious. The mangrove, a tree which grows in the border area between freshwater and saltwater, acts as a perfect metaphor in the book. The author sums up her experience like this: “In the midst of absolute evil, the God of the West has become present for me. Closed in suffering, I could not make room for others. Until He made me aware that I was still a part of humanity." “For two years I would spend my time insulting the God of the West because I connected Him to the Marxism that devastated my country: He was an ideology that was born in the West not in the Buddhist world. Then, when the Khmer Rouge regime’s “re-education” program ended, they decided I had finally changed from a middle class woman to a working class comrade and I said to the God of the West: "I am standing here in silence, waiting for You to applaud." But it was right at that moment that I started to realize that silence was, in fact, inhabited by Someone.” It was this discovery that led to her baptism in 1983. But Ly never let go of her Buddhist roots, an experience she does not see as merely accidental. “In my Christian life in France, I have come across many words and a lot of noise,” she says. “So my Buddhist soul told me: Go back to silence, because Jesus Christ is beyond our words.” About the image of the mangrove, she says: “I think it's an image
that also speaks to us of the meeting and the intersection of cultures in terms of hope. Like Jesus’ disciples, we are called to become bridges between cultures and traditions; Remembering that Jesus is always waiting for us in Galilee, the crossroads of nations.” 4This so very touching story of the simultaneous discovery of incredible suffering and unexpected – even unwanted – faith, amidst the utter lunacy of a totalitarian regime that treats people like animals in its insane aim to eliminate an old order to create a new “breed,” brings to mind the precious f lickers of grace that happened during the Nazi holocaust or during the tireless persecution of Christians in Japan. It’s particularly touching that Ms. Ly is a teacher of philosophy, since the aim of the leader of the Khmer Rouge was to eliminate or to “re-educate” all members of the learned, middle or urban classes, to build from scratch a “pure” agrarian society. It’s almost ironic that she lives in France, the country where Pol Pot, the genocide master, studied and filiated himself in the Communist Party. It’s rather remarkable that she was able to forgive the French, who, as colonizers, helped to develop the insane utopia, by teaching in the schools that Khmers were "Aryans among Asians," which meant that, like Nazis among Jews and other “inferior” races, they were morally superior to Chinese or Vietnamese. “Miracles like this give us strength to maintain the arduous path of interreligious dialogue and keep working for peace, between the clash of cultures and the most bitter, fierce and inhuman sectarianisms. Thank you, Ms. Ly. (Ed. Note) www.vaticaninsider.lastampa.it
In the midst of absolute evil, the God of the West has become present for me. Closed in suffering, I could not make room for others. Until He made me aware that I was still a part of humanity.
SYMBOL. The Khmer Rouge's flag had similarities with those of the Nazis and other Communist groups.
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filipino focus • SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE POOR
A Franciscan among the urban poor One doesn’t have to be as wealthy as St. Francis of Assisi to make a big sacrifice out of renouncing a comfortable life to be among the poor and preach about God. In fact, a Franciscan priest who hails from a poor family had experienced the same metanoia St. Francis had when he left the friary to live among the urban poor and shared his poor neighbors’ joys and sorrows. His conclusion: “Sharing amid poverty made so strong an impact on my life that it wasn’t me who made a difference in their lives but them in mine.” by
KRIS BAYOS | Journalist
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or Fr. Pedro “Pete” Montallana, OFM (Order of Friar Minors), all started with a fire. Unlike St. Francis, who met and kissed a leper during an encounter at the countryside, Fr. Pete only heard about informal settlers who were left homeless by the fire that razed their community near the St. Gregory the Great Friary in Barangay Del Monte in Quezon City where he lived. Thinking of the families left homeless by the fire, Fr. Pete started to feel uncomfortable with his supposedly comfortable life inside the friary. “I could not take it in my conscience to be living in the comforts of the friary while there are homeless people nearby. I asked for permission to live outside and was given a one-year leave that started on November 11, 2011,” he said. Fr. Pete had already imbibed simple lifestyle from the indigenous people he has lived with during his previous pastoral assignments in Isabela and Quezon Province but the Franciscan priest didn’t know there is a simpler way of life when he opted to live among the informal settlers. The 62-year-old priest didn’t exactly sought to live with the homeless victims of the fire but he rented a six square-meter room under a two-story wooden apartment that is connected to many other makeshift dwellings near a creek in West River-
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side corner Apollo St. in Barangay Del Monte. He shared a communal restroom with four other families and has, for his neighbors, families living under the bridge since they could not afford to rent a proper dwelling given their scarce source of income. “Right at the beginning of my stay there, I felt a process of conversion starting when I was ‘led’ to sweep the street in front of my house. Inside me, I struggled because I found it below my dignity as a priest. Strengthened by the humility of St. Francis, I forced myself to sweep the street as I saw my neighbors do. It did not take long before I would
Kris Bayos
SMILE. Fr. Peter's joy inspires the poor.
even smile at the people watching me,” Fr. Pete shared. Liberating experience
It took sometime for Fr. Pete’s neighbors to get used to seeing a man clad in a brown habit going around the community. But when they eventually got to know the priest, Fr. Pete would celebrate Mass with them or organize them for Bible sharing sessions whenever his hectic work schedule with indigenous people permits. But it was not a simple immersion or exposure with the poor that Fr. Pete had wanted when he moved in to live with informal settlers. He didn’t exactly know what he was looking for in the community but the uncertainty led him to something greater. “When God liberated Francis through the leper, he showed the Church the power of poverty. (Similarly), the Lord, through the poor squatters, gave me a gift of deep conversion experience as I felt the liberating power of poverty,” he said. The condition of the informal settlers made Fr. Pete realize that, despite their scant resources, the poor can still find reasons to be happy and to have faith. In a ref lection article he wrote after leaving the informal settler community he lived in for the past year, he shared: “Once a woman carrying
a child came to me at 4 p.m. asking: ‘Father, may I borrow P50 because my children and I have not eaten lunch yet. My husband who went to work has not come back yet.’ That incident touched me – or in the world of boxing – scored a knock out on my ego because this was to me like seeing the poor Mary and Jesus. So, instead of judgment, I began to relate, with mercy, to my neighbors who live under the bridge, to the scavengers, the contractual workers, the unemployed who kept on asking me for work and, most recently, those sleeping in the streets now because their houses were illegally demolished. ‘Am I the Good News of Jesus who proclaimed we are brothers and sisters belonging to only one Father or Mother?’ This is the question that continues to set me free,” he wrote. Fr. Pete said he doesn’t mind if he had made a difference in his neighbors’ lives when he lived in the community for a year but claimed that it was his neighbors who did more to him. “It was a liberating experience for me to live with the poor. Sharing their joys and sorrows amid poverty made so strong an impact on my life that it wasn’t me who made a difference in their lives but them in mine,” he added. New advocacy
Even though most of Fr. Pete’s time and effort are spent on serving indigenous people in various parts of the country and advocating for environmental protection, through the Sierra Madre Network, the priest said he has a newfound advocacy of organizing informal settlers against illegal demolition. He has observed that the constant threat of eviction intimidates the informal settlers. Witnessing them become helpless during the demolition of their humble dwellings made Fr. Pete recognize the peoples’ traumatic fear, which he personally attributes from the Filipino’s history of being a colony subject to colonizer’s oppression. Our history as an oppressed people brought that traumatic fear towards the authorities
Kris Bayos
A symbol of authenticity of the new evangelization has the face of the poor. Placing ourselves side by side with those who are wounded by life is not only a social exercise but, above all, a spiritual act because it is Christ’s face that shines on the face of the poor. and I saw that fear in the informal settlers. When authorities come to demolish their houses, they can’t do anything more but just pray,” he said. The priest, aware that the informal settlers are not without rights, felt that a better way to protect them from being violated is to organize and teach them to assert their rights: “Unless people know of their dignity as a human being, they would not fight to protect themselves and their rights.” This is why Fr. Pete said he would convince their Congregation to be more active in doing pastoral work among informal settler communities: “Based on my experience, priests can strongly inf luence a community. We can bank on that influence to empower these people to assert their rights. Fr. Pete urged his fellow Franciscans and priests to ref lect on the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican City in considering to live with the poor. According to the Synod of Bishops,
“another symbol of authenticity of the new evangelization has the face of the poor. Placing ourselves side by side with those who are wounded by life is not only a social exercise but, above all, a spiritual act because it is Christ’s face that shines on the face of the poor: ‘Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:40).” The Synod of Bishops underlined that, “we must recognize the privileged place of the poor in our communities, a place that does not exclude anyone but wants to ref lect how Jesus bound Himself to them.” And added: “The presence of the poor in our communities is mysteriously powerful: it changes persons more than a discourse does, it teaches fidelity, it makes us understand the fragility of life, it asks for prayer: in short, it brings us to Christ.” But if one is still wondering if it’s really liberating to be poor, ask the modern-day St. Francis, Fr. Pete. After all, it takes one to know one.
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WM special • announcing THE FAITH
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Sharing a Unique Gift
We are experiencing a very special year. At the same time that the Church is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, we are also celebrating the Year of Faith. In Asia, a meeting of Asian bishops recently took place in Vietnam, something unthinkable only a few years ago. People who have grown up in a Christian environment rarely think about their beliefs and the natural consequences of the gift of faith. To be Catholic means to have a worldwide, universal vision. No one must remain indifferent to Jesus’ call to announce the Good News to everyone. If we really believe, then we necessarily must share the joyful and liberating Gospel promises with our neighbors, especially the less fortunate. If not genuinely contagious, then, what we call faith is lifeless and fruitless.
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Exploring true belief
“Faith is more than intellectual assent, more than hope in what God will do without us; it is also a present participation in the work that God is doing – that is to say, in the task (mission) to bring forth justice to nations.” This apparently simple definition, by a theologian, helps us to begin to understand the implications of saying: “I believe.” by
James H. Kroeger, M.M. | theologian
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or a deeper appreciation of the “faith-mission” relationship, one necessarily must delve into the meaning and dimensions of the gift of faith. A simple, descriptive definition of faith can serve us: Faith includes our whole life in God, Father, Son and Spirit; it is our free, reasonable, and total response to a loving, Trinitarian God – and His personal revelation. Another brief description might be: Faith is a fundamental act or disposition by which human beings respond to God’s revelation and then enter into a saving relationship with a personal God. Traditionally, faith was clarified with the terms: fides quae and fides qua. Fides quae (“faith which”) refers to the knowledge and acceptance of revealed truth as content, teaching, doctrine, or dogma. The Church has always had a concern for correct doctrine; this involves knowledge and an intellectual assent to propositions which describe the very content of what is believed. Fides qua (“faith by which”) refers to a personal, self-surrendering act of trust to a personal God who reveals His inner divine life and invites individuals into a personal relationship of communion and friendship. Belief in doctrinal teaching is integral and necessary for a complete understanding of faith; yet it is secondary and subordinate. The primary and essential element is one’s personal commitment to the God of love, revealed definitively in the person of Christ. The Youcat (Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church) defines faith using these two traditional categories: “Faith
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One’s faith-encounter leads to active witness and dynamic evangelization. Thus, faith demands entrusting oneself to God, knowledge and acceptance of basic Church teaching, and a dynamic commitment to spread the faith, to "tell the world of His love!" is knowledge and trust” (No. 21). A contemporary, integral understanding of faith certainly incorporates these two dimensions; however, emphasis is also to be placed on a third aspect of faith. One might term this third dimension the “missionary” or “witnessing” dimension of faith. Emerging from one’s personal friendship with God in Christ, as well as a genuine acceptance of revealed truths, one actively seeks to share one’s Godexperience with others; one is impelled into mission, desiring to evangelize others. One’s faith-encounter leads to active witness and dynamic evangelization. Thus, faith demands entrusting oneself to God, knowledge and acceptance of basic Church teaching, and a dynamic commitment to
spread the faith, to “tell the world of His love!” Indeed, where one or another of these three characteristics is lacking, faith must be judged to be immature or imperfect. Schematic Expressions of Integral Faith. The three pivotal elements essential to a complete understanding of faith can be expressed using a variety of terms and images; although various expressions are employed, the same three dimensions of faith are always expressed. A schematic – and often alliterative – presentation will hopefully elucidate the profound meaning of holistic faith. And, at the same time, one will perceive why mission and evangelization are always integral to genuine faith. Blessed John Paul II’s assertion
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Triple perspective of faith INTELLECTUAL and national
affective and fiducial
concretized in deeds-witness
informative
formative / transformative
performative
head
heart
hands
doctrine
devotion
deeds
conviction / consent
conversion / contemplation
commitment / call to mission
didache / kerygma
leitourgia
diakonia / missio
Readers are encouraged to examine the depth of the content expressed in this schematic presentation. For example, genuine faith informs the believer of the content of faith; it forms and transforms the person as Christ’s disciple who then performs or manifests his faith in Christ-like deeds. Faith involves one’s HEAD, HEART and HANDS. Fundamentals of the Christian faith are incorporated into this schema: didache (the teaching of the apostles), kerygma (proclamation), leitourgia (worship and liturgy), diakonia (service), and missio (mission, evangelization). Although purposely arranged in catechetical, mnemonic, and alliterative form, the schematic presentation captures the essentials of integral faith.
that “Mission is an issue of faith” (RM 11) is probably best understood within this triple perspective of faith. Faith always includes (see illustration above): Various Approaches to Understanding Faith. The Jesuit Cardinal Avery Dulles wrote extensively on many areas within theology. Among his significant contributions, one finds his effective application of the use of “models” within theology. His first very successful work in 1974 was Models of the Church where he presented a popular, yet balanced and integrated theology of the Church. Dulles went on to apply models to other areas such as revelation and faith. His “models method” aims to be a simple and helpful approach to both grasp and express a multifaceted theological reality. A model functions by encompassing several elements in one heuristic structure; it progressively opens one to a deeper penetration of a complex and even mysterious reality – like faith itself. In his varied writings on faith, Dulles has elucidated several models of faith. In The Assurance of Things Hoped For Dulles examined seven models of faith (propositional, transcendental, fiducial, affective, obediential, praxis, and personalist). In another essay in the book The Faith that Does Justice, edited by John Haughey, Dulles focused only on three pivotal dimensions of faith
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(these are used in this essay): intellectualist, fiducial, and performative approaches. These simple citations of some written sources reveal the rich depth of meaning to be found in exploring the multifaceted beauties of faith. The intellectualist approach to faith focuses on faith as a kind of knowing; this approach has deep roots in the Church’s Patristic and Scholastic tradition. Dulles writes: “The value of faith, according to this outlook, is aptly summed up in Anselm’s famous formula, Credo ut intelligam. ‘For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe – that unless I believed, I should not understand’.” Whatever one may say of possible limitations of this approach to faith, it certainly cannot be dismissed; time-tested, authenticated formulas of faith, especially those drawn from the early Councils of the Church, are of great importance for communication of the truths of the Christian faith. In recent decades, the Church has produced such sourcebooks of faith as the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church and the 2004 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. The fiducial approach highlights the personal relationship of the believer to God. Faith involves a personal trust in God as a credible witness. This
dimension of faith is much in evidence in the Synoptic Gospels; various persons rely on the power and person of Jesus to heal, to forgive sins, to bestow salvation and life. For example, Jesus praised the Roman centurion who implored His help to cure his sick servant who was at the point of death (Lk. 7:110): “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this.” When the two blind men expressed deep trust in Jesus’ ability to heal them, Jesus replied: “Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you” (Mt. 9:27-31). Dulles himself noted the need to move to the performative dimension of faith. He noted: it is “necessary, I believe, to go beyond the fiducial concept of faith, just as the fiducial concept goes beyond the intellectualist. I turn, therefore, to the third major approach, which may be called performative.” Dulles believes that, in the Vatican II era of the Church, one finds “frequent insistence that the Gospel cannot be heralded by word alone, and that authentic evangelization must release energies tending to transform the world in which we live…. Faith is never a matter of disembodied words…. Faith must correspond to the actual historical situation…. Faith is not a merely passive virtue by which we accept and rely upon God’s promises; it is an active engagement in the service of the Kingdom.”
WM special • announcing THE FAITH While Dulles noted his enthusiasm for the performative dimension of faith, he says: “I am not of the opinion that this theory of faith should be simply substituted for the earlier intellectualist and fiducial theories. Rather, I would say that the theories are mutually complementary and mutually corrective…. Faith, therefore, is more than intellectual assent, more than hope in what God will do without us; it is also a present participation in the work that God is doing – that is to say, in the task [mission] of bringing forth justice to nations.” Examples Illustrating Integral Faith. This description of faith, understood with its three-fold dimensions, might best be illustrated with some few concrete examples. What does it mean to say: “Jesus is Lord” (1 Cor. 12:3), in the power of the Holy Spirit? On the doctrinal level, one affirms that Jesus, in light of His death and resurrection, is Messiah and Savior, Son of God and Son of Mary; this is a confessional statement about the person of Jesus. On the affective and fiducial level, Christians commit their life to Jesus; they develop a relationship with Him as their personal Lord, praying to
Him and worshipping Him. On the level of mission, believers enthusiastically proclaim the Lordship of Jesus to others, witnessing their faith through proclamation, deeds, and a convincing lifestyle. Notice that having faith in “Jesus as Lord” integrates all three aspects of integral faith. Another concrete example of holistic faith would be the Blessed Virgin Mary. Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI continually invited the Church to imitate Mary’s faith-and-mission response to God. When Mary proclaims in faith her fiat, her “yes” to Gabriel’s message, she struggles to believe that the child she bears “will be holy and will be called Son of God” (Lk. 1:35). Yet, Mary responds with a personal act of faith: “Let what you have said be done to me” (Lk. 1:38); she accepts that God “has looked upon His lowly handmaid” and “the Almighty has done great things for me” (Lk. 1:48-49). Then Mary responds with a missionary action; she “set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country” (Lk. 1:39) to visit Elizabeth and to serve her needs for three months. Benedict XVI writes (2010) in Verbum Domini (VD): “Let us recall the words of Saint Elizabeth: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be
Christians commit their life to Jesus; they develop a relationship with Him as their personal Lord, praying to Him and worshipping Him. On the level of mission, believers enthusiastically proclaim the Lordship of Jesus to others, witnessing their faith.
a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord (Lk. 1:45). Mary is blessed because she has faith, because she believed” (VD 124). Indeed, Mary, woman of faith, “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Lk. 2:19; cf. Lk. 2:51). One might point to the lives of several contemporary saints where the three-fold dimensions of faith are clearly found. Saint Damien de Veuster, popularly known as “Damien the Leper,” lived in a climate in Belgium where the teachings of the Church were clearly emphasized. Yet, his faith – and ultimately his missionary commitment – grew to maturity through his family and religious community where traditional pious practices were the routine of the day. His faith blossomed when he was sent to mission in Hawaii, where he served for twenty-five years, the last sixteen of which were with the lepers on Molokai (1873-1889). One can only marvel at the intense “performative” faith of Saint Damien! On a personal note, it is the belief and experience of this author that most vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and missionary service arise in families where there is strong devotion joined to the daily living of the faith. Frequently enough, in ordinary Catholic families, the intellectual dimension of faith is present in the background. The faith that encourages committed Christian service, including missionary witness, springs primarily from fiducial faith coupled with genuine performative faith. Renewing Faith for Mission. Popular opinion may possibly judge that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI would heavily favor the intellectualist approach to faith. Undoubtedly, he certainly values the importance of Church teaching and dogma. However, he has also expressed himself eloquently on the “performative” dimension of faith. Benedict XVI writes in Spe Salvi that Christianity is “not only ‘good news’ – the communication of a hitherto unknown content. In
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WM special • announcing THE FAITH our language, we would say: the Christian message was not only ‘informative’ but ‘performative.’ That means: the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known – it is one that makes things happen and is lifechanging” (SS 2). Again, Benedict XVI has written: “We have raised the question: can our encounter with the God, who in Christ has shown us His face and opened His heart, be for us, too, not just ‘informative’ but ‘performative’ – that is to say, can it change our lives, so that we know we are redeemed through the hope that it expresses?” (SS 4). Some years ago, the Asian bishops made this observation when they were speaking about various motives for evangelization. They wrote: “Unfortunately for many Catholics, faith is only something to be received and celebrated. They do not feel that it is something to be shared. The missionary nature of the gift of faith must be inculcated in all Christians. All must be helped to realize that God has called us to be Christians not only so we may be saved, but that we may collaborate in the work of the world’s salvation, and invite those whom God draws to the Church to share in our faith.” This statement is a clear invitation by the Asian bishops to emphasize the performative dimension of faith; only in this way will the Church – both in Asia and throughout the world – become “missionary by her very nature” as Vatican II has asserted (Ad Gentes 2). Joyful Evangelization. Truly, the missionary task of evangelization in the contemporary world is genuinely complex and awesomely challenging, demanding committed faith. Indeed, no individual can hope to accomplish any more than a small fragment of the total task. Thus, it is imperative that all segments of the Church collaborate in this daunting endeavor, believing that, as John Paul II affirmed, “God is preparing a great springtime for Christianity…. Christian hope sustains us in committing ourselves fully to the new
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evangelization and to worldwide mission” (RM 86). In 1975, Paul VI issued two interrelated apostolic exhortations: Evangelii Nuntiandi: EN (Evangelization in the Modern World) and Gaudete in Domino: GD (On Christian Joy). The Pope constantly asserted that if the Gospel is not heard from “joyful evangelizers,” it will not be heard at all by contemporary humanity. The lack of joy and hope is an obstacle to effective evangelization. Paul VI believed that joy would enable the world of our time “to receive the Good News not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervor, who have first received the joy of Christ, and who are willing to risk their lives so that the Kingdom may be proclaimed and the Church established in the midst of the world” (EN 80). The success of missionary evangelization requires renewed evangelizers, men and women filled with faith and joy. This affirmation is well expressed in the title of the final message of the Tenth Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) held in Vietnam (December 10-16, 2012): “Renewed Evangelizers for New Evangelization in Asia.” Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once wrote:
“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” Joy is convincing; joy evangelizes. All the complex dimensions of the “new evangelization” will not overwhelm those whose lives have been transformed by a joyful encounter with the Risen Lord. Everyone must listen frequently to the admonition of Saint Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near” (Gal. 4:4). Be transformed by joy. Become a herald of the new evangelization! Surrender in faith to the Lord for He is: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring! Common Abbreviations: AG (Ad Gentes), Missionary Activity (Vatican II). DCE Deus Caritas Est, God Is Love (Benedict XVI). EN Evangelii Nuntiandi, Evangelization Today (Paul VI). GD Gaudete in Domino, On Christian Joy (Paul VI). PF Porta Fidei, Door of Faith (Benedict XVI). RM Redemptoris Missio, Mission of the Redeemer (John Paul II). SS Spe Salvi, Christian Hope (Benedict XVI); VD Verbum Domini, Word of the Lord (Benedict XVI). James H. Kroeger, M.M., who holds a doctorate from the Gregorian University in Rome, teaches mission theology at Loyola School of Theology, East Asian Pastoral Institute, and Mother of Life Catechetical Institute in Manila, Philippines.
The missionary nature of the gift of faith must be inculcated in all Christians. All must be helped to realize that God has called us to be Christians not only so we may be saved, but that we may collaborate in the work of the world’s salvation.
MISSION: ANCHORED IN LIVING FAITH
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he Church’s “Year of Faith,” which began on October 11, 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, is a most opportune time to reflect on the intimate connection between mission and faith. One may begin by recalling that Blessed John Paul II, in 1990, gifted the Church with a beautiful mission encyclical, Redemptoris Missio (RM). The Pope clearly stated his intention and the purpose of the encyclical: “Twenty-five years after the conclusion of the Council and the publication of the Decree on Missionary Activity Ad Gentes, fifteen years after the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi issued by Pope Paul VI, … I wish to invite the Church to renew her missionary commitment” (RM 2). The Pope continued: “The present document has, as its goal, an interior renewal of faith and Christian life. For missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others! It is in commitment to the Church’s universal mission that the new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and support” (RM 2). It is John Paul’s view that “in the Church’s history, missionary drive has always been a sign of vitality, just as its lessening is a sign of a crisis of faith” (RM 2). Note carefully the emphasis that the Pope places on the centrality of faith in accomplishing the Church’s mission. He reiterates this “faith-mission” relationship in other parts of Redemptoris Missio: “It is only in faith that the Church’s mission can be understood and only in faith that it finds its basis” (RM 4). Succinctly stated, the Pope asserts: “Mission is an issue of faith, an accurate indicator of our faith in Christ and His love for us” (RM 11). Mission is the evident fruit of genuine faith: “The Lord is always calling us to come out of ourselves and to share with others the goods we possess, starting with the most precious gift of all – our faith” (RM 49). Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has frequently written and spoken about faith. In his first encyclical in 2005 Deus Caritas Est (DCE) one reads: “Faith tells us that God has given His Son for our sake and gives us the victorious certainty that it is really true: God is love! It thus transforms [us]…. Faith, which sees the love of God revealed in the Pierced Heart of Jesus on the Cross, gives rise to love” (DCE 39). “Faith by its specific nature is an encounter with the living God” (DCE 28). In his 2007 encyclical Spe Salvi (SS), Benedict asks: Is
Faith for Christians of today “a life-changing and life-sustaining hope? Is it ‘performative’ for us – is it a message which shapes our lives in a new way, or is it just ‘information’ which, in the meantime, we have set aside…?” (SS 10). “Faith is the substance of hope” (SS 10). “God is the fountain of hope: not just any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety” (SS 31). Such a deep “God-encounter” in faith should necessarily bear fruit in concrete deeds of love, witness, and commitment to mission. Local bishops’ conferences have also noted the “faith-mission” relationship. For example, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in their 2011 pastoral exhortation “Year of the Pontifical Mission Societies” (YPMS), wrote: “We bishops of the Philippines, wishing to fan the flame of mission, declare the year 2012 as the ‘Year of the Pontifical Mission Societies.’ It is to be a grace-filled year, marked by a renewed enthusiasm for dedicated service as Christ’s evangelizing disciples” (YPMS 2). Later, in the same document, in a section entitled “Mission Manifests Faith,” the CBCP (echoing the popes) noted: “As the Philippine ‘Year of the PMS’ will be reaching its climax in late 2012, the entire Church will commence its celebration of Benedict’s ‘Year of Faith’ (October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013). A profound relationship exists between these two year-long activities: faith and missionary evangelization are always interwoven. In his mission encyclical, Pope John Paul II asserted that ‘mission is an issue of faith, an accurate indicator of our faith in Christ and His love for us’ (RM 11). Similarly, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI writes: ‘Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy’; ‘this Year of Faith … [is] at the service of belief and evangelization’ (Porta Fidei 7, 12). The Pope Emeritus asks for the ‘missionary commitment of believers’ (PF 7): may Filipinos hear and heed the papal invitation to deepened faith and a concomitant mission response!” (YPMS 6). James H. Kroeger, M.M. has recently published three books on the Second Vatican Council: Exploring the Treasures of Vatican II (Claretian Publications and Jesuit Communications), Documents of Vatican Council II (Paulines), and A Vatican II Journey: Fifty Milestones (ST. PAUL’S).
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WM special • announcing THE FAITH
The Time of Dialogue Many consider this time in history as the “Time of Dialogue.” There was a time among Christians when dialogue was not understood properly, even in times of intolerance, wars and other forms of violence, because the basic understanding was that there is one truth and one salvation for all – thus, all others have to enter in this dimension of faith. In more recent times, without putting aside the understanding of the Christian faith about truth and salvation, the focus was put on the dignity of each human being created by God with the same dignity and aspirations that spiritualities perceive and develop as experience of life. by
Sebastiano D’Ambr a ,PIME | FOUNDER OF SILSILAH DIALOGUE MOVEMENT
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or sure Christianity and Islam, already the theme of two articles published in World Mission, have many rich experiences of spiritualities which help us to understand better how God is working in these two religions. But the challenge that we pose here is to understand that also in other religions, and even outside the formal traditional religions like indigenous religions, there are forms of “spiritualities.” This helps us to explore more the spiritual dimension of life and the mystery of life, helping us to go beyond the limits of our understanding and discover more the aspirations of each person. It brings us to the richness of each person as a creature of God who needs to love and to be loved. It is a need like that of a breath of air to live. In fact, the root word of “spirituality” comes from the Latin verb spirare that means “to breathe,” while the correspondent adjective spiritualis means “of or belonging to breathing or to air.” We can see from the root word of spirituality that this word group is related to life, for it is only through breathing that a human being can stay alive. This is a manifestation of God and His love that is always alive. There was a time in history when the term “spirituality” or “spiritual” was understood in a negative way. Today, there is great attention to spiri-
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tuality because it is part of life and we can discover forms of spiritualities also among those who claim that they do not have any religion, but they have “spiritual aspirations” manifested in their search for meaning in life and in their commitment for the common good and their respect for “humanity” and “ethics” that help them to listen to the “voice of the conscience.” Thus, we can say that there are many “spiritualities” inside and outside religions. What we have done in presenting the two previous modules of the mystical dimension of Islam and of Christianity is to explore more the “mystery of life” and have an experience of what we believe in can guide us beyond the structure of religions, including the holy books and the beliefs and rituals of our own faith. Our faith generates the dynamic energy of the “spirit” and the need to live what we believe in. Many are not able to experience the richness of “spirituality” because they are not pure in heart and believe that they are too busy to listen to God’s presence. Entering the spirit of “self-transcendence” must be part of our life and it is the aspiration that many follow. In our “search for more,” Jesus advises us to become “simple as children,” telling us clearly: “Blessed are the pure in heart; they will see God” (Mt. 5:8). We
find in all religions those who search for more and reach a high level of spirituality, starting from what they believe in. One example is the experience of AlGazali, a famous and respected Muslim scholar and Sufi of the past, who understood well the need of the spirit and he went beyond the teachings and rituals of his faith to experience more God’s love and the need to have a “taste of God.” For this reason, he started to give more attention to the deepening of this experience. He was a famous scholar but, in his search for more, he felt the need to have a “taste of God.” We wish to give, in this article, some entry points to appreciate more spiritualities in the life of people from different parts of the world and to emphasize that spiritualities can unite people because they help us to be more “pure in heart” and to search for a “taste of God.” Spirituality does not isolate people from
the reality of the world. Rather, those who explore more this path of life can contribute more for peace in society because they are those who can see others with sincere heart and are ready to explore the path of love in order to have a solid and sustainable peace in society. We wish also to guide those who use this module to understand that “spiritualities” are becoming more global and visible in the world today, helping humanity to rediscover not only the spiritualities of different religions, but also the spiritual wisdom of the human race in its historical unfolding. The term “spirituality” is emerging also in areas where, traditionally, it has been ignored or banned. For example, it is emerging in the world of business and other fields of society, including ecology and dialogue with creation. This “adventure” of life helps us to rediscover not only the presence of
Spirituality does not isolate people from the reality of the world. Rather, those who explore more this path of life can contribute more for peace in society because they are those who can see others with sincere heart and are ready to explore the path of love. spiritualities in the world but also their contribution for harmony and peace. This challenges us to develop a great respect and appreciation for the spiritualities of “others,” at the same time, inspires us to deepen the “spiritualities” in our own religions. Considering that this module is addressed more to Christians and Muslims, we are invited to know more about the spiritualities of Christianity and Islam in the context of our traditions with the desire to understand the richness of other spiritualities in the world. We hope that Christians and Muslims can be open to the signs of the times and that, in the process of understanding, our spiritualities will
become the meeting place of peoples in the world, encouraging all to rediscover the love of God and the love of neighbor and work closer for peace as brothers and sisters. This article is only an introduction to the theme of “spiritualities and peace.” Thus, we introduce here only a few entry points with the hope that we can develop some more of these points in our search for peace. We limit our attention to some entry points to the major challenges of today related to this specific aspect. Signs of the times
The experience of the two brothers, Cain and Abel, presented in the Holy
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Bible and in the Holy Qur’an is still part of the world experience today. Wars and other forms of violence are present today in more dramatic forms of violence, conflicts, egoism and materialism. Without going far into the history of humanity, we can start recalling the horror of World War II and the holocaust or shoah. Why are we still in this stage of humanity? Basically, there is, in the human nature, the “energy” of love and hatred, good and bad. Different religions present this reality in different ways. The dramatic reality of negative energy of life present in our society today reminds us of the tower of Babel and the killing of Abel as these are recorded in the Holy Bible and the Holy Qur’an. In this critical time of history, many are taking God out of history and their life, but God, like a boomerang, is reentering in many ways. We are called today to rediscover spiritualities as the need of all and consider the new signs of spiritualities as signs of hope to build the future peace. The need for spirituality is entering in the world through events that cry for peace and justice. Those who live following the commandments of love and give their life for the common good give us hope and tell us that many spiritualities are alive in the world and many live their beliefs. We believe that it is God who moves events and people with His presence and love. God is present in history today in a very creative way and different religions and “movements” give their own answers to the mysteries of life like love, but also of suffering, death, the meaning of life, etc. We have to discover, appreciate, respect and understand the deeper meaning of the mystery of God in us and around us. As demonstration of the new signs of the times for spiritualities, we introduce here some events and pioneers who help us to understand more the new inspirations and experiences of spiritualities. They are an inspiration for us who follow different religions, cultures and traditions.
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
WW II ended in many parts of the world in 1945. The horror of the war, the dramatic experience of the atomic bomb, and the division among nations urged humanity to make a cry for peace and created the challenge to explore other forms of unity and collaboration. It was with this spirit that the United Nations was formed and one of the most important steps of the United Nations, since its beginning in 1948, was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This event can be considered a “milestone for humanity” and an expression of the “universal spirituality” that most of the nations have agreed to follow. We know that not all have accepted this Declaration in the same way, but it was a great event even if it still remains a dream in many places. But to “dream” in the spirit of this Declaration is already an expression of a spirituality of humanity. This dream gave more power to many, one of whom was Martin Luther King, a black Protestant pastor in the United States who was so passionate in his struggle to defend the rights of black people of America. He took inspiration also from Mahatma Gandhi and his spirituality.
Luther King took the lead in this struggle. In April 1963, King led the march to Washington and, in front of 200,000 people, he delivered the famous speech “I Have a Dream.” This and many other positive stories of living and suffering, to stand on the side of human rights, are for sure expressions of the beliefs of many, inspired by their spiritualities. Creation and spiritualities
Natural law ref lects the presence of God. One of the famous scientists of modern times who helped us to see the mystical dimension of creation was Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit who was initially misunderstood and suspected by many. He has given a great contribution to spirituality in the world in line with his understanding of science. In his teaching, we can discover his interest to present a process of spiritual transformation in the world. He has been called a “global prophet.” In his 1937 essay, “The Phenomenon of Spirituality,” he said that the highest form of this phenomenon is love that brings to the love of God in all expressions, including nature. The journey to a spirituality of creation has become one of the greatest challenges of our times.
In this critical time of history, many are taking God out of history and their life, but God, like a boomerang, is re-entering in many ways. We are called today to rediscover spiritualities as the need of all and consider the new signs of spiritualities as signs of hope.
WM special • announcing THE FAITH advance today towards unity in truth, which is the ultimate goal of mankind.” Basic goodness
We are invited to explore more this new phenomenon as a new challenge for humanity that can unite people who live in the same house of “Mother Earth.” “Encounter” of spiritualities
Alan Richard Griffiths, well-known under the name “Beda” (he received this name during his Benedictine novitiate in 1933), is one of the spiritual pioneers of the twentieth century. He was an English Benedictine monk who went to India to deepen his spiritual experience and he started an ashram called Shantivanan. He was a passionate Christian scholar who presented the importance of “encounter” of the spiritualities of the West and the East and thus promoted the importance of a better “encounter” among spiritualities in the search for God. Beda once wrote: “From the earliest time I can remember, I have always had the conviction that what I was experiencing was being given not for me alone but for others, in a sense, for humanity.” One of his famous ref lections is: “I had begun to find that there was something lacking not only in the Western world but in the Western Church… I want to experience in my life the marriage of the two dimensions of human existence, the rational and intuitive, the conscious and unconscious, the masculine and feminine. I want to find the way to the marriage of the East and West.” The
“encounter” (dialogue) of spiritualities is one of the greatest challenges today in the field of spirituality. Each one can give a contribution that helps to understand and explore more the deeper meaning of our own spirituality, ready to give space to new experiences. For this reason, Beda Griffiths, in India and in his ashram, gave more attention to contemplative prayer. An analysis of Beda’s inf luence to the emerging interest in spiritualities today is in the interest to dialogue, in his attitude to meditation, the openness to new thinking and new ways to be part of the Church. Beda always tried to avoid syncretism in religions, but he was a great man of dialogue, careful of the dangers to regard all religions as essentially the same, differing only in accidental characteristic. This attitude was considered by Beda a way to destroy our forms of dialogue. He accepted the fact that, for Christians, the mystery is disclosed in Christ, for the Buddhist in the Buddha, for the Hindu in the Vedas and for the Muslims in the Qur’an. He said: “We are not seeking a syncretism in which each religion will lose its own individuality, but an organic growth in which each religion has to purify itself and discover its own inmost depth and significance and then relate itself to the inner depth of the other traditions. Perhaps it will never be achieved in the world, but it is one way which we can
An emerging voice in the field of spirituality today is the voice of Dalai Lama, a spiritual and temporal leader to the people of Tibet. The encounter with the West has been, for him, a challenge to share his understanding of spirituality, at two levels. He says: “Actually, I believe there is an important distinction to be made between religion and spirituality. Religion for me, is concerned with faith in the claims of salvation of one faith tradition or another, an aspect of which is acceptance of some form of metaphysical or supernatural reality, including the idea of heaven and Nirvana. Connected with this are religious teachings or dogma, ritual, prayer, and so on. Spirituality,on the other hand, is concerned with those qualities of the human spirit – such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony – which bring happiness both to self and others. While ritual and prayer, along with questions of nirvana and salvation, are directly connected to religious faith, these inner qualities need not be, however.” Thus, ethics in his view constitutes the core of spirituality. As a conclusion, his point is that one may free oneself from religious belief, but one can never be free from the imperatives of basic human qualities. Thus, the central part of the Dalai Lama’s spirituality is compassion. The Dalai Lama knows that his theory of spirituality can be accepted and, at the same time, be opposed by many. It is his opinion that this very fact can be an entry point for dialogue among religions. This understanding can be accepted or not, but it is getting the attention of millions because it is considered a “secular spiritualism.” Love of God and Love of Neighbor
In recent years, there is emerging from the Muslims a contribution to dialogue through the open letter, “A Common
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Word Between Us and You,” sent by 138 Muslim scholars to then Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders of the world. The letter is an invitation to move together for peace in the world, guided by the love of God and love of neighbor as Muslims and Christians inspired by the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Bible. This letter is an affirmation that the need to experience God’s presence and move for the common good is emerging, in spite of the many signs of violence that remind us of the other face of the mystery of humanity shared in the Holy Bible and the Holy Qur’an in the story of the two brothers, Cain and Abel. This open letter was officially presented on October 13, 2007 and it is gaining ground in the world, especially in the field of spiritualities because it guides Muslims and Christians to rediscover the foundation of spirituality that is love and which is beyond the divisions of the two different beliefs and traditions, including the rituals and laws linked to specific aspects of the Islamic and Christian faiths. (We encourage those who are interested to deepen their understanding of this module by reading the “Common Word” open letter, and discover the love of God and the love of neighbor in Islam and Christianity, as an entry point for many other applications of love in life.) This open letter starts with a passionate invitation that is the fruit of a spiritual approach to dialogue. It says: “Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians. The basic of this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principle of both faiths: love of one God, and love of neighbor. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred text of Islam and Christianity…” For sure, this open letter is a new way to promote a sincere dialogue be-
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Lusa
tween Muslims and Christians because it starts from a spiritual approach and the basic foundation of all spiritualities inspired by love. Dialogue and spiritualities
Many consider this time in history as the “Time of Dialogue.” There was a time among Christians when dialogue was not understood properly, even in times of intolerance, wars and other forms of violence, because the basic understanding was that there is one truth and one salvation for all – thus, all others have to enter in this dimension of faith. In more recent times, without putting aside the understanding of the Christian faith about truth and salvation, the focus was put on the dignity of each human being created by God with the same dignity and aspirations that spiritualities perceive and develop as experience of life. A similar attitude we find in the Islamic teaching which proposes Islam as the last revelation, giving to some, in the past and recent history, the authority to move in a way that is not dialogical. But, in more recent times, even Islam is emphasizing Qur’anic verses that open the door to dialogue. In this context, Christianity and Islam are not called to change their beliefs but their attitude in respecting the dignity of each person as created by the same God. Thus, spiritualities are experiences of our own faith and, at the same time, bring people beyond the “dogma” of our faith. In this
case, faith is the entry point of spiritualities and the foundation where each one discovers the inner aspiration of the human heart. Spirituality can be considered an application and experience of our faith and ritual practices thus bringing us beyond the “dogma” of our own religion. Around this concept, there are many theories, but what is essential for us is to respect all theories, especially to understand the core aspect of faith that is love for all and not give in to the temptation to adopt a syncretic attitude that destroys the essence of our own respective religions. At the same time, the mission of dialogue, based on a spiritual dimension, is a powerful energy to go against those who plan to use our own religion for their vested interest and ambitions. Thus, spiritualities are the channel to guide us to harmony, solidarity and peace. This is the great challenge of dialogue today. The term dialogue is relatively new in common parlance. In the language of the Church, it started to be used during the Vatican II Council, especially in relation to interreligious dialogue. This new era of dialogue among religions has been prepared by many events and “prophets of dialogue.” We do not present here the richness of the new signs of the times related to interreligious dialogue. We try to give here only some entry points about “dialogue and spiritualities” as it is presented by the Silsilah Dialogue Movement. The three articles were originally published in the Silsilah Bulletin. The first two were reprinted in the World Mission of March and of December 2011. This one is just an excerpt. - The essay is found in P. Teilhard de Chardin (1969), Human Energy(London: Collins) - Letter from Beda Griffths to Judson Trapnell, 31 May 1988, quoted in J. Trapnell (1993), Beda Griffiths’ Theory of Religious Symbol and Practice of Dialogue: Toward Interreligious Understanding (unpublished doctoral thesis, Michigan: the Catholic University of America). - Beda Griffths, “The One Mystery,” The Tablet (9 March 1974), p. 223. - The Dalai Lama, Ethic for the New Millennium, p. 22.
WORLD REPORT • BANGLADESH
A country under pressure The collapse of an entire textile industry complex in the capital of Bangladesh, which buried alive over a thousand workers, is a tragedy comparable to the Bhopal gas disaster in India, in the middle 80’s. The disregard for human safety, for the lives of those who were working for a pittance to provide cheap clothes to Western brands, is quite similar. In India, the compensation process and the related trials took almost two decades. But is it possible to compensate or give justice to those who lost their lives and their families? The greed, negligence and disregard for human life at the heart of this event cannot be undone, so change has to take place. Once more, this poor, heavily populated Asian country is under pressure. by
Edward Flyn | VIVAT international, geneva representative
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he media nowadays gives us instant access to news stories from around the globe. It enables us to be voyeurs of tragedy and bliss as we sit in the comfort of our homes. The downside of this aspect of modern life is that world events are streamed before us twenty-four seven, via an increasing number of technologies, leaving us little time to absorb or analyze what is happening. Hence we forget these same events as quickly as they disappear from our screens.
A good example is the most recent and worst building disaster that has occurred in Bangladesh. The collapse of the factory, on April 24, occupied our screens for days and is now fading from our conversation and consciousness. After the tragedy, what has stayed with us from the horror that suddenly and unexpectedly visited the lives of thousands of our fellow human beings? Are we aware of any of the developments that have taken place since that fateful day? Do we know what the
final death toll is? There are, of course, those who have continued to follow events, and are interested in what measures have been taken by the local authorities in response to the latest in a series of factory disasters. In addition, there are many who are eager to know what actions are being taken by the government in Bangladesh and, at the international level, the measures to ensure that such a horrible tragedy does not occur again.
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WORLD REPORT • BANGLADESH Weak structures
From a distance, I can only imagine the pain, anguish and suffering this tragedy has caused to so many innocent people. The list of missing persons, the sight of severed limbs, the number of crushed bodies, and the unidentified corpses only intensify the heartbreak that is being felt in the city of Dhaka at this moment. We might ask how will the affected families ever cope with such devastation? The combined weight of cement, steel and sand, and the number of people and machines inside the structure, caused the collapse of the eightstorey building and the death of over a thousand workers, near Dhaka. The mixture of sand with cement and steel was insufficient to sustain the pressure placed on them. Were some of the materials used in the construction of sub-standard quality? This will surely be one of the aspects to be looked into during the investigation of the tragedy. From TV footage of the scene, it appears that the physical pressure exerted on weak pillars and foundations resulted in the collapse of the building.
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The structure came down like a house of cards highlighting not only pressures from the building business but also pressures from the society, in general. that the big loss of life was due to human error. The multiple pressures that are being felt across the country were emphasized recently in Geneva. During the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Bangladesh, only a few days after the tragedy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Dipu Moni, had this to say: “And yet, we have a long way to go given the enormity of the challenges that we face in the environment of poverty. In addition, many of our development gains tend to be reversed due to certain, inherent structural challenges, particularly our climate vulnerability, frequent natural disaster, population density and rapid urbanization.” Slave labor
The owners of the building have been arrested for negligence in the construction process. We are told that they were held as they tried to leave the country. The question being asked is: Did the
builders follow the recommended guidelines? Seeking to maximize profits, it is possible that ‘corners were cut’ with regard to building regulations. A small number of business people and officials were in a position to influence such decisions. Were those responsible influenced by monetary rewards? In a few brief minutes, the building that provided opportunity, space and shelter to many local textile companies as they supplied clothes to the European and American markets, has turned into rubble. This small but vital piece of information about the end-users of the factory products immediately changes our perception of the tragedy and widens the field of responsibility. Some of the clothing brands were quick to announce their readiness to compensate. According to one account, days prior to the collapse, ‘garment industry workers had been told to ignore the cracks on the walls and continue with work as normal.’ Close to 3,000 workers were in the building at the time of this terrible tragedy. Many of these were young women making a pittance. The lowest paid
were earning as little as $38 a month, to help feed their families and keep them from falling into severe poverty. Pope Francis, in a welcome reference to this loss of life, has described the working conditions of such factories as ‘slave labor.’ Close to 4 million people, many of them female, work in the Bangladesh garment industry. After China, it is the second largest exporter of goods in this sector. Extreme dependence
In the years 2009-2010 ready-made garments accounted for 77% of Bangladesh’s exports. These are the figures provided on the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) website. This sector has seen a rapid increase in recent years. Competitors are under pressure to corner more and more of this expanding market. Many questions have been raised about safety in such overcrowded conditions. In May, an expert group within the UN Human Rights system encouraged international clothing brands not to disengage from Bangladesh, but rather to show common cause with the government, international organizations, and civil society to improve working conditions in the clothing industry. The experts warned: “The UN Working Group on business and human rights stressed that such commitment is crucial to prevent another disaster like the Rana Plaza collapse. The international brands sourcing from Bangladesh have a responsibility to observe human rights with due diligence to identify and address their own impacts on human rights,” said Pavel Sulyandziga, the current chairperson of the five-member group. “If they are linked with negative impacts on human rights through their suppliers, they have the responsibility to exercise their leverage as buyers to try to effect change.” Besides the Human Rights Council, there are other International organizations that can have a positive
People are now trying to put their lives together after that unforgettable experience. Their history has been changed utterly... The greed, negligence and disregard for human life – the heart of this event – cannot be undone, so change has to take place. impact on the situation. Since 1973, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has had an office in Dhaka. The ILO has, as its mandate, to promote decent work and to oversee the implementation of accepted safety standards. How these standards have been implemented within the garment industry in Bangladesh will surely be looked at in a new light after the recent events. Rather than focusing on who’s to blame, let’s look at what has been done by this international body since the building collapsed. Working for change
By April 29, the ILO had sent a highlevel mission “urging the Government of Bangladesh and its employers and trade unions to make use of its support and ensure that the Rana Plaza tragedy would be the last of its kind.” In collaboration with the Government, trade unions and workers, they devised a six-point action plan with short and medium goals to address the failures that this disaster could have avoided. “A labor reform law package, that considers inputs of the tripartite partners for improved protection, in law and practice,” is at the heart of this pro-
posed action plan. A very positive element in the plan is that it includes a follow-up mechanism – “to gauge, in six months time, the progress made in the implementation of the measures announced” on May 4. (Ed. Note: The photos are quite eloquent; in one of them we can see a couple who chose to die in a last embrace). The photos have put pressure on many sectors of society to take action. Already, eighteen factories have been closed in Bangladesh because they didn’t meet safety standards. And as I write this, I am listening to the news announcing the death of eight people in another garment factory blaze in the capital of Bangladesh. People linked to this factory in Dhaka are now trying to put their lives together after that unforgettable experience. Their history has been utterly changed. Some will face prosecution, some will search for healing and some may never recover. The greed, negligence and, most of all, the disregard for human life at the heart of this event cannot be undone, so change has to take place. This poor, heavily populated Asian country is, once more, under pressure.
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spiritual reflection • peace making
Arms treaty: An achievement of peoples’ power The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is the fruit of a long-term concerted global effort of hundreds of civil society organizations and millions of people in a movement that achieved critical mass over the last two decades. Now, we must make sure that our nations sign and ratify it for the common good of the whole world. by
Fr. John Converset | COMBONI MISSIONARY
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ensible people have long recognized that a buildup of weapons often leads to senseless destruction. After the horrors of WW I, there was a movement within the League of Nations to put restrictions on the transfers of weapons across international borders. However, many nations, spurred on by rivalry and territorial ambition, thought it was in their interest to re-arm and build up their military forces. The even greater horrors of WW II were the sad result. Following WW II, the United Nations was formed to establish a secure peace founded on human rights and mutual respect of nations. The UN Charter gave the Security Council a mandate to prevent a buildup of arms in the interests of global peace and security, but few steps were taken since the permanent members of the Security Council had economic and geopolitical interests conflicting with this goal. The “Cold War” spawned countless conf licts both within nations and between nations. The five permanent members of the Security Council were often actively engaged in fomenting conf lict within nations to destabilize them and arming nations and groups for “proxy wars,” such as the Iran-Iraq conflict, and the countless “civil wars” in Africa and Latin America. Tens of millions of people lost their lives and property, and millions became refugees or internally displaced persons who were forced to flee from their homes.
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People around the world, recognizing the folly of actions that foster endless conf lict, began to clamor for change. In November 1993, the European Union, through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OCSE), established a set of principles to govern arms exports on the basis of eight previously established criteria. However, the implementation of these principles was entirely voluntary. Eventually a civil society movement, based on humanitarian and human rights concerns, arose to demand binding instruments. In 1993-94 representatives of Amnesty International, Saferworld, the World Development Movement and the British American Security Information Council – joined, some years later, by Oxfam U.K. and Ploughshares Canada – created a draft proposal for a legally binding “Code of Conduct” on international arms transfers for member states of the European Union. In 1998, the EU did establish a Code of Conduct for Arms Exports. The movement put reasonable limits to international arms transfers which spread and, eventually, became worldwide. The role of a small country
In October 1996, former Costa Rican President and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner Óscar Arias Sánchez invited fellow Nobel Peace Laureates, including Mikhail Gorbachev and Amnesty International, to attend the “State of
the World Forum” that he convened in San Francisco. A revised International Code of Conduct was the eventual fruit of this initiative. Two years later, in the U.S., Senators John Kerry and Cynthia McKinney promoted a law mandating the U.S. President to negotiate an international agreement on arms transfers. However, the U.S. became and has remained the largest manufacturer and exporter of weapons. In November 2000, President Arias, together with other Nobel Peace Laureates and NGOs, asked Costa Rica's UN Mission to promote a draft Code of Conduct intended to bind all UN member states. In 2001, the UN created a Program of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects (PoA). However, its implementation was still voluntary and its scope limited to transfers that were already considered illegal. The group led by Amnesty asked legal scholars to draft what became the “Framework Convention on International Arms Transfers.” In 2003, President Óscar Arias Sánchez, together with other Nobel Laureates, began to actively promote the Convention in the UN system. Amnesty International, Oxfam and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) launched, in October 2003, a Control Arms campaign for a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in more than 100 countries. Eventually, more than a hundred large and small or-
ganizations joined the coalition. Many other human rights organizations have taken an active part in the campaign for an ATT without formally joining the coalition. By early 2005, more than 50 governments had declared their support, in principle, for an ATT. In July 2006, Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Finland, Japan, Kenya and the U.K. sponsored a resolution calling on the UN's First Committee on Disarmament to open negotiations for an ATT. This evolved into the UN General Assembly Resolution 61/89. In December 2006, 153 states voted in favor, and only U.S. voted against it. The anonymous pressure
In 2009, the Obama administration, reversing the stance of the Bush administration, declared qualified support for negotiations towards the creation of an ATT. The UN General Assembly Resolution 64/68 established a time frame for the negotiations. A series of “PrepComs” and meetings of governmental experts from 2010 to 2012 prepared the way for the Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty in July 2012. Throughout this process, the NGO members of the Control Arms Coali-
tion and allied NGOs rallied support for the ATT in over a hundred countries. Countless people, many of whose names we may never know, joined the advocacy effort to win the positive and active support of their governments. Within the UN system Control Arms members lobbied the states’ missions for back up and contributed expert advice and other support to the states with smaller mission staffs. Without this massive effort, U.S. would have excluded ammunition and munitions from the treaty entirely and made many sections of the treaty nonbinding. Russia and China would have excluded small arms and light weapons (SALW) or eliminated criteria for arms transfers based on human rights and international humanitarian law. Even so, U.S., China and Russia scuppered the first round of negotiations in July 2012. However, urged on by citizens of their countries and NGOs based in them, in November 2012, the UN member states voted, with a massive majority of 157, in favor of organizing a final UN negotiating conference that took place at the end of March 2013. The final negotiating conference was, thus, held in New York in March
The Arms Trade Treaty offers new hope to reduce the level of violent death and destruction in many parts of the world. The peoples of the world made the adoption of the Treaty happen! Now, we must make sure that our nations sign and ratify it.
2013. Although 18 Nobel Peace Laureates had urged Pres. Obama to take the lead to bring about a positive outcome, the U.S. delegation seemed to be primarily concerned to establish the legitimacy of commerce in arms and to create major “loopholes” in the draft treaty, serving the interests of the arms industry. Considerable progress was made in the text of the draft treaty, but some nations were concerned that their right to import weapons for self-defense could be compromised, and other nations wanted to explicitly include the right to self-determination for Palestinians and other peoples. At the end of the conference, Iran, North Korea and Syria blocked adoption of the treaty. However, the UN General Assembly, on April 2, 2013, approved the ATT by an overwhelming majority of 154 votes in favor. The ATT will be “open” to be signed by UN member nations and will go into effect after 50 nations will have ratified it. Africa’s support
African states and civil society groups played a major role in promoting and negotiating the ATT, with most of the Sub-Saharan states voting as a bloc. In 2006, Kenya co-sponsored the UN resolution that set the negotiation process in motion. During the July 2012 and March 2013 negotiations, African states helped to ensure that small arms and light weapons (SALW) were included in the scope of the treaty. In March, Ghana spoke for a group of 69 states to insist that international transfers of ammunition and munitions be covered by at least some of the provisions. Ghana also spoke for 103 states in insisting on the principles of transparency and accountability. The Arms Trade Treaty offers new hope to reduce the level of violent death and destruction in many parts of the world. The peoples of the world made the adoption of the Treaty happen! Now, we must make sure that our nations sign and ratify it for the common good of the whole world.
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"Though being divine in nature, He did not claim equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness." - Phil. 2:6-7
in focus • What We Believe In
Jesus Christ, our Lord
We are used to calling Jesus, Lord, but perhaps we should think more about the meaning of those words. Only God can be called Lord. Only God is above every creature. Only God has a Name that is over any other name. To say that Jesus is Lord means to recognize Him as God. Not simply Son of God – which, in Jewish mentality of that time, meant a similarity, a closeness to God – but God Himself. by
Fr. Joseph Car amazza | COMBONI MISSIONARY
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esus Christ. How many times have we said these two words? Surely, a Christian calls his Lord: Jesus Christ. Certainly, most priests will quote Him, at least, once in their sermons: Jesus Christ. Yet, have we ever thought that if Jesus is the name of a historical person, Christ is not His name? It is not even His last name. Jesus is a name and Christ is a title. In fact, the exact diction should be “Jesus, the Christ.” What is the meaning of saying “I believe in Jesus Christ”? I think it would be interesting to explore more what lies behind a name, and see how the realities it signifies shape our faith in the Lord. Jesus, son of Joseph, was born in what we call Holy Land some 4 to 6 years before the beginning of the modern era. A mistake in calculating His date of birth brought us to start the Christian era when Jesus was actually a small boy. The Gospels tell us that He was born in Bethlehem, yet as an adult He is always referred to as the Nazarene, the one from Nazareth. So where was He really from? It is difficult to say. We reason in a historical way, while the Gospels were written not as books of history, but as Good News, they portray the truth of faith for salvation, not always the truth as we understand it currently. Matthew and Luke speak of Bethlehem because they need to show how Jesus was indeed in the line of David, who was from Bethlehem. Mark and John, who do not place much importance on Jesus’ genealogy, simply name Him after the town He came from. This already tells us something important: Jesus was a person born in
history; He had a father and a mother, and He was clearly born in one place. At the same time, the Gospels are not interested in telling us about the historical Jesus; they were written to tell us about His message and meaning. We should be discerning in understanding the history of Jesus as different from what we read in the Gospel. In fact, the Gospels are silent about Jesus’ life until He starts his public life. Where did He live? What languages did He speak? What work did He do to support Himself? Where did He study the Holy Scriptures that He used in preaching so well? We simply do not know, but we can still learn something from what the evangelists tell us.
A middle-class worker
Jesus grew up in Nazareth. This was a small village in Galilee, not far from a large town, Seforis. Even though Seforis is never mentioned in the New Testament, this large town could not have escaped the interest of the young Jesus. Growing in rural Galilee, Jesus was accustomed to look at nature with interest. Later on, during His teaching, He would use what He learnt from His observation of reality: “You cannot hide a town built on a hill;” “you know how to read the signs of the time;” “no one places a patch over old fabric;” “you do not put new wine in old skins;” “a sparrow is sold for two coins at the market;” “look at the f lower in the fields” ... All these sentences reveal a
We reason in a historical way, while the Gospels were written not as books of history, but as Good News, they portray the truth of faith for salvation, not always the truth as we understand it currently... they were written to tell us about His message and meaning.
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in focus • What We Believe In
keen ability in discerning reality and learning from it. Jesus also knew His culture, and made use of proverbs, stories and fresh news in His talk: “Doctor, cure yourself"; “you heard of those on whom the tower of Siloe fell"; “let the dead bury their dead.” It is enough to read some of His parables to realize that He knew how to collect information from everyday’s life and turn it into a story full of meaning. We know, next to nothing, about Jesus’ life before His public ministry. Since He started His teaching when He was around thirty years old, certainly he had a job to support himself. The tradition at the time was: for a son to follow the footsteps of his father. Most probably, Jesus was a carpenter like Joseph, His father. Contrary to what we usually hear, carpenters were not poor. At the time of Jesus in Palestine, fishermen and carpenters were well-to-do middleclass people. Carpenters were needed to repair tools, so that all other workers could carry on their trade. They also built furniture, boats for fishermen and merchants, and often acted as smiths. As a carpenter, Jesus must have travelled in His region and used Aramaic in everyday’s life. However, he was bound to learn a little Greek. Greek was the vehicular language at the time, and it allowed people from different cultures to communicate, more or less like English today which is spoken by many as
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a second language. Most probably, He knew Hebrew also. Hebrew was the language used in the Holy Scriptures. It had been the language of the Jews, but lost importance with time, while Aramaic took over. Jesus shows a great knowledge of the Scriptures, and we can presume that He read and understood Hebrew. The death of an outcast
As a Jew, He was circumcised a week after His birth and offered to God in the Temple, in Jerusalem. He learnt to respect the 613 laws present in the Torah, and knew about the 1,251 forbidden actions on a Saturday. He went to the synagogue to pray with the local community and learnt many passages of the Holy Scriptures by heart. All young men were supposed to marry and raise a family. So, people must have looked at Him as a little odd since He did not marry; yet, had a good social life. When we say we believe in Jesus, we state that we believe in this person who lived two thousand years ago in Galilee and grew up in a Jewish cultural background. Here, He understood to be the Messiah and called to bring about salvation to all. Well, most probably you knew all I said so far. However, do you realize that Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph, carpenter and preacher, did not die? No, He did not die; He was killed, and killed on a cross! The cross was an instrument
of torture and death. It was considered the worst death for a criminal. Roman citizens, no matter what they had done, could not be crucified. The cross meant death for the accused and shame for his family. Those connected to a crucified person were considered outcasts, enemy of society. Yet, this Jesus who died on a cross is now risen. He had said He would rise again, but who could believe the word of an outcast? This is why, early in the morning, two of His disciples unhappy for the tragic end of their master, are running away from Jerusalem. They are disheartened and wish they never followed Jesus. They are going towards Emmaus, the place was then famous because, there the Maccabees won a crucial battle for the freedom of Israel, the last victory in the long history of the chosen people. A man, coming from nowhere, starts walking with them and asks what is going on. They rebuke Him, but the stranger intervenes again. He is told of Jesus, and how His followers who went to see the tomb after the festivities found it empty. Many declared to have seen Him alive. He also appeared to the apostle, yet the two travellers do not believe. The stranger then shows them how the Scriptures had foreseen all that happened to Jesus, how he was to suffer and rise to new life. When evening came, they all entered an inn and shared supper. It is here, at the sign of the breaking of the
bread that they realize who the stranger was. He was Jesus who walked with them and opened their eyes with the sign of his total donation: the shared bread, the shared body, the Eucharist. The two disciples, who were afraid and discouraged, now feel the strength to go back to Jerusalem and give their testimony. They met the Christ of faith. Salvation and peace for all
The Easter experience allowed the first community to realize that the Jesus they knew and followed is also the Christ of faith. They finally un-
derstood that Jesus was the Messiah, even though not the Messiah they were expecting. They thought Jesus would organize an armed struggle against the oppressors, the colonizers. They believed Jesus would easily defeat the enemies of Israel and guide the people to new glory. Instead, they now see that Christ wishes peace, that He came for all the people on earth. The experience of Easter, and later of Pentecost, makes them ready to go out and preach who Jesus really was. The full understanding of Jesus took time. Even today, we are still dis-
The Easter experience allowed the first community to realize that the Jesus they knew and followed is also the Christ of faith. They finally understood that Jesus was the Messiah, even though not the Messiah they were expecting.
covering the Christ of faith. The early community had to struggle with the idea of the Kingdom of God open to everyone. There were tensions within the Church about the Jewish heritage, the liturgy, the books of the Scriptures, and on and on. Yet, little by little, the first believers came to understand that Jesus, the Christ, was really walking with them and guiding their decisions. Going back to what they heard and saw while Jesus was with them, they understood how He always followed the Father’s plan. They remembered how He accepted John the Baptist’s ministry, but also took His own path to preaching the Gospel. They realized He had started a new people of God, given them a new Law – the law of love, the Beatitudes, the power to call God, Father – which did not take the place of the old Law but perfected it. The first Christian community could really say: we have seen Him, touched Him. Jesus is Lord! If the man Jesus experienced human limitations, the Christ of faith is free from that all. Christ is now alive, present wherever two or three gather in His name. Jesus was human, totally human and lived in a specific place and time. Christ lives continuously in the community of those who believe in Him. He is neither man nor woman, but everything to all. He is neither free nor slave, but brother and sister to all. He is neither White nor Black, but intimately part of any human experience. We are used to calling Jesus, Lord, but perhaps we should think more about the meaning of those words. Only God can be called Lord. Only God is above every creature. Only God has a Name that is over any other name. To say that Jesus is Lord means to recognize Him as God. Not simply Son of God – which, in Jewish mentality of that time, meant a similarity, a closeness to God – but God Himself. The Jesus of history was a man like many other men; the Christ of faith goes far beyond that. Today, we can proclaim that Christ is God, that Jesus is Lord!
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Missionary vocation • fr. fausto tentorio
Murder in paradise
The Italian missionary, who was affectionately known by the people of his parish as “Tatay Pops,” was gunned down by an assassin in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato (Mindanao) less than two years ago. Father Fausto Tentorio (1952-2011) was a gentle man, evangelically simple and prudent but fiercely courageous in his advocacy for the Indigenous people and for the integrity of creation. His killing represents the tip of the iceberg of dozens of other extrajudicial victims in that land which can be described as beautiful and fertile but is also an ethnic, religious and political “fault line.” It is common opinion that the militia, organized by the military, is responsible for his murder. This may be the reason why, as to this day, nobody has been tried and condemned for his killing. by
Fr. Lorenzo Carr aro | COMBONI MISSIONARY
GOD'S GIFT. Fr. Fausto had a contagious simplicity coupled with a courageous commitment in favor of the indigenous, a true gift of God.
A
rakan Valley, in North Cotabato, in the island of Mindanao, is a place of immense beauty and natural wealth. Traversing fertile land from Cotabato to the boundaries of Bukidnon and Davao City, Arakan and its adjacent areas of sloping hills and steep mountains have contributed to making Mindanao the ‘Land of Promise’ for migrant settlers and wealth-seekers.
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The Manobo tribesmen have lived since time immemorial in Arakan and its lush forests. They worshiped Manama, their supreme deity. Their shamans had guardian spirits and offered rituals to the spirit world. Their warriors fought battles to defend their communities, that is why the Manobo honor their tradition of tribal struggles. Across this landscape are signposts to remind them of
important events in the lives of their heroes. These events are incorporated in their epic “Ulahingan,” which continues to be chanted today, and which depicts a brave people resisting any attempt to dominate them. But while the Manobos were fierce, harmony and mutuality were maintained in the tribe through customs and laws. The pre-colonial period allowed them to establish their sense
of identity, vis-à-vis the neighboring tribes. When the colonization set in, however, the Manobos' life-world drastically changed. In the 1950s, peasants began arriving in Arakan hoping to own a piece of land they could till. They sought ways to get the Manobos to allow them to take over small plots in exchange for sardines, cigarettes and other goods from the lowlands. An increasing number of the Manobo started retreating to the hinterlands. But they soon found out that there were no more forests, and many were forced to live in peaceful co-existence with the settlers. As more Christian Ilonggo reached Arakan, religious congregations sent missionaries to minister to them. The first to reach Arakan belonged to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Then the members of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions (PIME), coming from Italy, took charge of the pastoral needs of the area, in the midst of the tensions between tribal farmers, ranchers and miners. You and I are one
In the morning of October 17, 2011, at about 7.30, Fr. Fausto Tentorio, an Italian missionary belonging to the PIME group and parish priest of the Catholic community of Arakan, was about to board his car to attend a meeting of the clergy in the capital city of Kidapawan, thirty kilometers away, when a lone assassin with a gun equipped with a silencer appeared out of the blue and shot him eight times. Fr. Fausto collapsed on the ground and the gunman, wearing a crush helmet, casually walked to a motorcycle waiting near the Mother of Perpetual Help Church compound and sped away with a companion. “I rushed to where he was and I saw him on the ground, blood oozing from his body” Leonardo Reovoca, a former parish worker and now a councilor for Arakan testified. Fr. Tentorio, 59 years old, was declared dead at the hospital – the third Italian priest and the third member of the PIME who paid with his life the faithfulness to the people and to
One was easily drawn to him. He was gentle, soft-spoken, unobtrusive, and insisted on staying in the background. He worked hard on the language and was very interested to know about the Philippines, particularly Mindanao. a mission threatened by contrasting interests and ridden with violence. In what can be seen as a premonition of his premature death, Fr. Fausto had written down in his Last Will, in February 2004: “…If I were to die in Arakan, my body is to be laid into a coffin built with the wood of the mahogany tree which I have planted here in Arakan.” Then he added: “If it will be possible, on my grave, the following words are to be inscribed: ‘You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” And in Cebuano language, he wrote: “Your dreams are my dreams, your struggles are my struggles; you and I are one as partners in building God’s Kingdom.” To those who remarked: “But you are not going to die yet, Father. You are still strong,” Fr. Fausto replied: “I won’t die of sickness. I’m going to die of bullets.” Hippie priest
Fr.Fausto Tentorio was born on January 7, 1952 in St. Mary of Rovagnate, Lecco, Italy. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1977 and left for the Philippines the following year. He worked with Chris-
tian, Muslim and indigenous communities in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, before transferring to the mission in Arakan in 1980. Fr. Fausto, who came to be fondly called “Father Pops” by the indigenous people, when he arrived in the Philippines, struck an unusual figure with his sharp eyes, shoulder-length hair, and simple wardrobe: T-shirt, faded jeans, rubber slippers. He was a hippie Jesus look-alike. He was only 26 when he landed in the Philippines, a new type of missionary, who had gone through the 1968 students’ revolution and had found his identity in his vocation to the missions. One was easily drawn to him. He was gentle, soft-spoken, unobtrusive, and insisted on staying in the background. He worked hard on the language and was very interested to know about the Philippines, particularly Mindanao; the people’s culture; the evils of martial rule; and the people’s resistance. At first meeting, one knew he was a progressive churchman with militant views on justice and the burning social issues of the day. But he was no rabble-rouser; he did not make radical speeches and fiery sermons. He lis-
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DOUBLE TRIBUTE. A throng of people joined the last farewell to Fr. Fausto while Fr. Peter vowed to seek justice for his senseless murder.
The extraordinary display of love of the Filipino people for Fr. Fausto Tentorio somewhat lightened the grief of his family members present during the final rites that celebrated his life of dedication to the poor and the abandoned. tened intently to what people had to say and was very supportive of laypeople. The land grab
At the time of his arrival in Arakan, the valley was seething with the Manobo’s frustration as the arable land in their control quickly dwindled. Life was not rosy either for most of the migrant settlers, although they were a little better off than the indigenous people. But businessmen from the lowlands and local government bureaucrats aligned with the Marcos dictatorship – all wellprotected by the military – continued to find ways to grab more fertile land. Fr. Fausto initially assisted his confreres in building and strengthening the Basic Christian Communities, but soon decided to work full-time for the Manobo as part of the Tribal Filipino Apostolate. He stayed in this apostolate for the rest of his life along with another confrere, Fr. Peter Geremia. Fr. Fausto decided to address the plight of the Manobos who, like many of the indigenous people in Mindanao, are the most neglected in terms of government services and even the ministrations of the churches.
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He trained his staff in order to set up literacy classes, health centers, and farms and other livelihood projects to provide the Manobos with the skills they needed to improve their lives. Hundreds of Manobo families benefited from these projects. But the most pressing task was to stop the encroachment of outsiders on the remaining Manobo ancestral domain. Fr. Fausto and his staff realized that empowerment was imperative. Thus, the massive organizing work in all the Manobo settlements, which led to the birth of the Manobo Lumadnong Panaghiusa (MALUPA). At risk of his life
Through the sheer force of unity and backed by the social capital of the Church, the Manobo struggled for selfdetermination. There were skirmishes with the military and its militia, but the indigenous people were somehow able to advance their interests. Fr. Fausto never took center stage in all these. With the Manobo empowered to take leadership, he took on the role of inspiring, supporting and affirming them. But the PIME missionaries experienced harassment, and eventually
two of them were shot dead for their commitment to the poor of Mindanao – Fr. Tullio Favali in Cotabato on April 11, 1985, and Fr. Salvatore Carzedda in Zamboanga on March 20, 1992. Fr. Fausto knew that he, too, was at risk. In 2003, eight years before his death, Fr. Fausto had survived a threat of abduction by an anti-communist paramilitary group called “Baganis,” when he went to a remote village in Kataotao, Bukidnon. After two hours of riding on motorcycles and horses, he and his team arrived at Kabalantian where people told him that armed men were lying in wait for him a bit further on. Despite the threat, Fr. Tentorio and his people walked on foot to Sitio Malinao and again the people told him that the Bagani wanted to cut his head, roast his ears and eat them. Fr. Fausto spent the night with them. They hid him in a small bamboo cabinet. In the morning the Baganis arrived but the people who had gathered to protect the priest were many and the paramilitary group did not insist in searching. Then people of another village invited the Baganis to their place to eat a pig that they had slaughtered. It was after the Baganis had gone to eat the pig, heeding the astute invitation of Fr. Fausto’s friends that he and his companions were able to leave their hiding place.
Missionary vocation • fr. fausto tentorio The Bagani tribal force is one of several paramilitary groups, composed of indigenous people, organized by the Army of the Philippines in order to fight the communist guerillas of NPA (New People’s Army). According to the common conviction, they are the same people who eventually caught up with Fr. Fausto and killed him. Two of them have recently been indicted but, as to this day, nobody has been tried and condemned for the murder of Fr. Fausto, confirming the impression of the atmosphere of impunity that prevails not only in Mindanao, but in the Philippines as a whole. Fr. Fausto had made a clear choice. Like the Man from Nazareth whom he followed all the way to Arakan, he chose to be on the side of the most abandoned. He was fearless. Not once, not even in the worst of times, did he ever harbored fear in his heart. He lived simply in the company of the Manobos, at peace in the land that he loved. With his death, Fr. Fausto has become a martyr. The funeral was a plebiscite
The extraordinary display of love of the Filipino people for Fr. Fausto Tentorio somewhat lightened the grief of his family members present during the final rites that celebrated his life of dedication to the poor and abandoned. The slain Italian missionary was escorted to his final resting place by an estimated ten thousand mourners, mostly Lumad (indigenous people) and peasants demanding justice for his killing. Fr. Tentorio’s brother, Felice, and other family members, 88 priests and
bishops, Italian Ambassador Luca Fornari, North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Mendoza, and Fr. Gian Battista Zanchi, the PIME superior general, attended the funeral Mass at Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces Cathedral packed to capacity. The funeral procession wound its way for more than four kilometers to the compound of the Bishop’s Residence in Balindog, where Fr. Tentorio was buried in a tree-shaded lot next to Fr. Tulio Favali. At the Mass, Ambassador Fornari, who had defied his own advisory banning Italian nationals from traveling to Mindanao, expressed indignation over Fr. Tentorio’s killing and the prevailing climate of impunity in the Philippines that, he said, allowed the murder of the missionary and indigenous peoples. He demanded that the government go after and punish Fr. Tentorio’s killers, saying: “Only then will the memory of Fr. Fausto be honored; only then can we continue to serve the indigenous peoples; only then can the quest for equality not be lost but shared with the generations to come.” In a message read before the Mass, Zanchi also condemned Fr. Tentorio’s killing and called for justice. He said that the diocese was “now soaked with the blood of Fr. Fausto and Fr. Tullio.” Bishop Romulo dela Cruz of Arakan added: “Even when peace and justice will finally arrive in Arakan, their memory and martyrdom shall not be forgotten.” The archbishop of Cotabato, Orlando Quevedo, said that Fr. Tentorio was “a worthy member of the noble line of martyrs in the Church in Mindanao.”
Bishop Quevedo said that the missionary had “a soft, easy smile and a voice that invited conversation. The only enemies he could make are those who wanted to silence his voice appealing for justice and peace for the indigenous peoples and for God’s creation.” He added: “If the perpetrators think that his murder would silence priests, religious and bishops from proclaiming the justice of God’s kingdom, they are wrong. The blood of martyrs, like Fr. Fausto, fans the dare and courage of those who care about peace and justice enough to sacrifice themselves while traveling the road of active nonviolence.” Fr. Peter Geremia, Fr. Fausto’s confrere, spoke in these terms of his martyred colleague: “Fr. Pops represents the dreams of our people in the Arakan area, all over the diocese of Kidapawan, and all over Mindanao, whom we call t he PDOMES-Poor-Deprived- Op pressed-Marginalized-Exploited-Struggling masses. The assassins tried to kill our dreams but they only added life to Pops. They expanded his presence and his influence. Now, he is a much larger figure and his death touched the heart of many more people. “He used to be a low profile, shy type, avoiding publicity, allergic to interviews and statements, a very simple and active servant of the people, as a priest, as a friend, as a companion. He has now become a new sign of the times, the bearer of the dreams of many victims and of other dreamers who continue serving the people in their struggles.”
SHARE IN GOD’S MISSION — BE A COMBONI MISSIONARY PRIEST OR BROTHER! For further information, contact: Daniel Comboni Seminary 282 Roosevelt Ave., S.F.D.M. 1105 Quezon City, M. M., Philippines Fr. Théophile Bessan Fr. Romulo V. Panis Tel: (02) 372–5858; (02) 414–3164 Cellphone Number: 09179001999 Cellphone Numbers: 09062905502 E-mail: combonivoc@yahoo.com E-mail: bessantheo@hotmail.com 09184050640
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the last word
HOLY SPIRIT AND MONEY by
Fr . SILVANO FAUSTI, s.J. | BIBLIST & WRITER
“May your money perish together with you!” – Read Acts 8:9-25
I
t was the first mission outside Judea. A village of Samaritans welcomes the Word and they are baptized. Simon, the magician, who had recently converted, is enthralled by deacon Philip’s prodigious feats. Full of admiration, he cannot part from him. Those prodigies were far greater than his own magic performances! But the real prodigy is the fire that Jesus came to bring into this world (Luke 12:48), fire of a love that knows how to give even to those who want to kill it (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60). The Spirit of God, free and sovereign, blows where and how She wants. Even on those who are not yet baptized (Cf. Acts 10:44-48). Peter and John are sent to pray so that the newly baptized may receive the Holy Spirit. The presence of the two Apostles wants to stress that the Spirit is one and unifying. Effused at Jerusalem, She spreads throughout the entire world, embracing every difference and creating communion in the Church and between the Churches. When the apostles communicate the Spirit, Simon, the magician, is literally over the moon. He is ready to give Peter all his money in order to have to himself the power of communicating the Spirit. Religion often weds magic. It expects to have God at its beck and call. Simon wants to buy God with hard cash; pious people with good deeds. It is a blasphemy. It is as if God was not all and only love. His power is the powerlessness of whoever loves and makes himself small in order to hand himself over to all. Magic, instead – like much religiosity – deals with money and wants to put its hands on everything and everybody. The episode of Simon, called the magician - he has the same name as Simon called Peter! – mirrors the constant danger of the Church: to impound God, manipulating Him at will, to the point of making Him “Gott mit uns” (“God with us”)! God is reduced to a projection and a warranty of our power mania. Even Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry, unmasks in Himself the three temptations into which Israel used to fall (Exodus 16:2-9: the manna; Exodus 32: the golden calf; Exodus 17:1-7: lack of faith). Jesus fights them and overcomes them, from the River Jordan to the Cross (Luke 4:1-13;
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23:35-39). We ourselves keep falling into these three temptations. The first two are the temptations of wealth and power. To possess things and people becomes an idol to which we sacrifice our life and that of our brethren. The third, the worst of all, appears with Simon, the magician: money is used in order to possess God Himself. The Spirit of love, the life of both the Father and the Son, is gift. Love is either gratuitous or it is not! To buy God whether with money or good deeds is a sin that goes directly against His essence: it is dealing with God as with a prostitute. The first root of sin for the Church in Jerusalem was religious hypocrisy and trust in money(Acts 5:1ff ), things that are of present-day relevance. But we cannot lie to the Spirit, serving both God and mammon (Luke 16:13). God gives everything and vivifies everything, money takes everything and eats up everything. The only “bank of the Holy Spirit” (a famous Italian bank) is Jesus’ Cross. Here in Samaria, the peak of evil comes to the surface: the attempt to possess God Himself. It is instinctive of every religion to assume the attitude of the Pharisee in the temple, who boasts that God is in debt to him because of his good deeds (Luke 18:9ff ). Luke writes on behalf of Theophilus so that his faith may not be perverted. It is easy to become like the elder brother who accepts neither his younger brother nor his father (Luke 15:1ff ). Or like Peter who thinks that he himself is the one who loves and is going to give his life for Jesus. From the cross, he will understand the mystery: the Lord loves him gratuitously and offers His own life on his behalf, although he is a sinner and a disowner. Love cannot be bought or deserved: it would be “meretricious.” It can only be received gratuitously and gratuitously given back. The only condition in order to receive the gift is Mary’s poverty that makes us sing the Magnificat. © Popoli – www.popoli.info REFLECT AND PRAY – Are you aware that much of the resources of the Church are for charity? Do you praise God for it and pray for the spirit of poverty in the leaders of the Church? – Do you make use of some of your money for charity? Do you do it discreetly or do you boast about your acts of generosity? – Do you pray most of the time for yourself, your material needs or do you care for the great causes like peace, justice, the integrity of creation?
Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see. - William Newton Clark