Pope's Message for 46th World Day of Peace

"1. Each new year brings the expectation of a better world. In light of this, I ask God, the Father of humanity, to grant us concord and peace, so that the aspirations of all for a happy and prosperous life may be achieved.

"Fifty years after the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, which helped to strengthen the Church’s mission in the world, it is heartening to realise that Christians, as the People of God in fellowship with Him and sojourning among mankind, are committed within history to sharing humanity’s joys and hopes, grief and anguish, as they proclaim the salvation of Christ and promote peace for all.

"In effect, our times, marked by globalisation with its positive and negative aspects, as well as the continuation of violent conflicts and threats of war, demand a new, shared commitment in pursuit of the common good and the development of all men, and of the whole man.

"It is alarming to see hotbeds of tension and conflict caused by growing instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds expression in an unregulated financial capitalism. In addition to the varied forms of terrorism and international crime, peace is also endangered by those forms of fundamentalism and fanaticism which distort the true nature of religion, which is called to foster fellowship and reconciliation among people.

"All the same, the many different efforts at peacemaking which abound in our world testify to mankind’s innate vocation to peace. In every person the desire for peace is an essential aspiration which coincides in a certain way with the desire for a full, happy and successful human life. In other words, the desire for peace corresponds to a fundamental moral principle, namely, the duty and right to an integral social and communitarian development, which is part of God’s plan for mankind. Man is made for the peace which is God’s gift.

"All of this led me to draw inspiration for this Message from the words of Jesus Christ: 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God'.

Gospel beatitude

"2. The beatitudes which Jesus proclaimed are promises. In the biblical tradition, the beatitude is a literary genre which always involves some good news, a 'gospel', which culminates in a promise. Therefore, the beatitudes are not only moral exhortations whose observance foresees in due time – ordinarily in the next life – a reward or a situation of future happiness. Rather, the blessedness of which the beatitudes speak consists in the fulfilment of a promise made to all those who allow themselves to be guided by the requirements of truth, justice and love. In the eyes of the world, those who trust in God and His promises often appear naïve or far from reality. Yet Jesus tells them that not only in the next life, but already in this life, they will discover that they are children of God, and that God has always been, and ever will be, completely on their side. They will understand that they are not alone, because He is on the side of those committed to truth, justice and love. Jesus, the revelation of the Father’s love, does not hesitate to offer Himself in self-sacrifice. Once we accept Jesus Christ, God and man, we have the joyful experience of an immense gift: the sharing of God’s own life, the life of grace, the pledge of a fully blessed existence. Jesus Christ, in particular, grants us true peace, which is born of the trusting encounter of man with God.

"Jesus’ beatitude tells us that peace is both a messianic gift and the fruit of human effort. In effect, peace presupposes a humanism open to transcendence. It is the fruit of the reciprocal gift, of a mutual enrichment, thanks to the gift which has its source in God and enables us to live with others and for others. The ethics of peace is an ethics of fellowship and sharing. It is indispensable, then, that the various cultures in our day overcome forms of anthropology and ethics based on technical and practical suppositions which are merely subjectivistic and pragmatic, in virtue of which relationships of coexistence are inspired by criteria of power or profit, means become ends and vice versa, and culture and education are centred on instruments, technique and efficiency alone. The precondition for peace is the dismantling of the dictatorship of relativism and of the supposition of a completely autonomous morality which precludes acknowledgement of the ineluctable natural moral law inscribed by God upon the conscience of every man and woman. Peace is the building up of coexistence in rational and moral terms, based on a foundation whose measure is not created by man, but rather by God. As Psalm 29 puts it: 'May the Lord give strength to His people; may the Lord bless His people with peace'.

Peace: God’s gift and the fruit of human effort

"3. Peace concerns the human person as a whole, and it involves complete commitment. It is peace with God through a life lived according to His will. It is interior peace with oneself, and exterior peace with our neighbours and all creation. Above all, as Blessed John XXIII wrote in his Encyclical Pacem in Terris, whose fiftieth anniversary will fall in a few months, it entails the building up of a coexistence based on truth, freedom, love and justice. The denial of what makes up the true nature of human beings in its essential dimensions, its intrinsic capacity to know the true and the good and, ultimately, to know God Himself, jeopardises peacemaking. Without the truth about man inscribed by the Creator in the human heart, freedom and love become debased, and justice loses the ground of its exercise.

"To become authentic peacemakers, it is fundamental to keep in mind our transcendent dimension and to enter into constant dialogue with God, the Father of mercy, whereby we implore the redemption achieved for us by His only-begotten Son. In this way mankind can overcome that progressive dimming and rejection of peace which is sin in all its forms: selfishness and violence, greed and the will to power and dominion, intolerance, hatred and unjust structures.

"The attainment of peace depends above all on recognizing that we are, in God, one human family. This family is structured, as the Encyclical Pacem in Terris taught, by interpersonal relations and institutions supported and animated by a communitarian 'we', which entails an internal and external moral order in which, in accordance with truth and justice, reciprocal rights and mutual duties are sincerely recognized. Peace is an order enlivened and integrated by love, in such a way that we feel the needs of others as our own, share our goods with others and work throughout the world for greater communion in spiritual values. It is an order achieved in freedom, that is, in a way consistent with the dignity of persons who, by their very nature as rational beings, take responsibility for their own actions.

"Peace is not a dream or something utopian; it is possible. Our gaze needs to go deeper, beneath superficial appearances and phenomena, to discern a positive reality which exists in human hearts, since every man and woman has been created in the image of God and is called to grow and contribute to the building of a new world. God Himself, through the incarnation of His Son and His work of redemption, has entered into history and has brought about a new creation and a new covenant between God and man, thus enabling us to have a 'new heart' and a 'new spirit'.

"For this very reason the Church is convinced of the urgency of a new proclamation of Jesus Christ, the first and fundamental factor of the integral development of peoples and also of peace. Jesus is indeed our peace, our justice and our reconciliation. The peacemaker, according to Jesus’ beatitude, is the one who seeks the good of the other, the fullness of good in body and soul, today and tomorrow.

"From this teaching one can infer that each person and every community, whether religious, civil, educational or cultural, is called to work for peace. Peace is principally the attainment of the common good in society at its different levels, primary and intermediary, national, international and global. Precisely for this reason it can be said that the paths which lead to the attainment of the common good are also the paths that must be followed in the pursuit of peace.

Peacemakers are those who love, defend and promote life in its fullness

"4. The path to the attainment of the common good and to peace is above all that of respect for human life in all its many aspects, beginning with its conception, through its development and up to its natural end. True peacemakers, then, are those who love, defend and promote human life in all its dimensions, personal, communitarian and transcendent. Life in its fullness is the height of peace. Anyone who loves peace cannot tolerate attacks and crimes against life.

"Those who insufficiently value human life and, in consequence, support among other things the liberalization of abortion, perhaps do not realize that in this way they are proposing the pursuit of a false peace. The flight from responsibility, which degrades human persons, and even more so the killing of a defenceless and innocent being, will never be able to produce happiness or peace. Indeed how could one claim to bring about peace, the integral development of peoples or even the protection of the environment without defending the life of those who are weakest, beginning with the unborn. Every offence against life, especially at its beginning, inevitably causes irreparable damage to development, peace and the environment. Neither is it just to introduce surreptitiously into legislation false rights or freedoms which, on the basis of a reductive and relativistic view of human beings and the clever use of ambiguous expressions aimed at promoting a supposed right to abortion and euthanasia, pose a threat to the fundamental right to life.

"There is also a need to acknowledge and promote the natural structure of marriage as the union of a man and a woman in the face of attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different types of union; such attempts actually harm and help to destabilize marriage, obscuring its specific nature and its indispensable role in society.

"These principles are not truths of faith, nor are they simply a corollary of the right to religious freedom. They are inscribed in human nature itself, accessible to reason and thus common to all humanity. The Church’s efforts to promote them are not therefore confessional in character, but addressed to all people, whatever their religious affiliation. Efforts of this kind are all the more necessary the more these principles are denied or misunderstood, since this constitutes an offence against the truth of the human person, with serious harm to justice and peace.

"Consequently, another important way of helping to build peace is for legal systems and the administration of justice to recognize the right to invoke the principle of conscientious objection in the face of laws or government measures that offend against human dignity, such as abortion and euthanasia.

"One of the fundamental human rights, also with reference to international peace, is the right of individuals and communities to religious freedom. At this stage in history, it is becoming increasingly important to promote this right not only from the negative point of view, as freedom from – for example, obligations or limitations involving the freedom to choose one’s religion – but also from the positive point of view, in its various expressions, as freedom for – for example, bearing witness to one’s religion, making its teachings known, engaging in activities in the educational, benevolent and charitable fields which permit the practice of religious precepts, and existing and acting as social bodies structured in accordance with the proper doctrinal principles and institutional ends of each. Sadly, even in countries of long-standing Christian tradition, instances of religious intolerance are becoming more numerous, especially in relation to Christianity and those who simply wear identifying signs of their religion.

"Peacemakers must also bear in mind that, in growing sectors of public opinion, the ideologies of radical liberalism and technocracy are spreading the conviction that economic growth should be pursued even to the detriment of the state’s social responsibilities and civil society’s networks of solidarity, together with social rights and duties. It should be remembered that these rights and duties are fundamental for the full realisation of other rights and duties, starting with those which are civil and political.

"One of the social rights and duties most under threat today is the right to work. The reason for this is that labour and the rightful recognition of workers’ juridical status are increasingly undervalued, since economic development is thought to depend principally on completely free markets. Labour is thus regarded as a variable dependent on economic and financial mechanisms. In this regard, I would reaffirm that human dignity and economic, social and political factors, demand that we continue 'to prioritise the goal of access to steady employment for everyone'. If this ambitious goal is to be realised, one prior condition is a fresh outlook on work, based on ethical principles and spiritual values that reinforce the notion of work as a fundamental good for the individual, for the family and for society. Corresponding to this good are a duty and a right that demand courageous new policies of universal employment.

Building the good of peace through a new model of development and economics

"5. In many quarters it is now recognized that a new model of development is needed, as well as a new approach to the economy. Both integral, sustainable development in solidarity and the common good require a correct scale of goods and values which can be structured with God as the ultimate point of reference. It is not enough to have many different means and choices at one’s disposal, however good these may be. Both the wide variety of goods fostering development and the presence of a wide range of choices must be employed against the horizon of a good life, an upright conduct that acknowledges the primacy of the spiritual and the call to work for the common good. Otherwise they lose their real value, and end up becoming new idols.

"In order to emerge from the present financial and economic crisis – which has engendered ever greater inequalities – we need people, groups and institutions which will promote life by fostering human creativity, in order to draw from the crisis itself an opportunity for discernment and for a new economic model. The predominant model of recent decades called for seeking maximum profit and consumption, on the basis of an individualistic and selfish mindset, aimed at considering individuals solely in terms of their ability to meet the demands of competitiveness. Yet, from another standpoint, true and lasting success is attained through the gift of ourselves, our intellectual abilities and our entrepreneurial skills, since a 'liveable' or truly human economic development requires the principle of gratuitousness as an expression of fraternity and the logic of gift. Concretely, in economic activity, peacemakers are those who establish bonds of fairness and reciprocity with their colleagues, workers, clients and consumers. They engage in economic activity for the sake of the common good and they experience this commitment as something transcending their self-interest, for the benefit of present and future generations. Thus they work not only for themselves, but also to ensure for others a future and a dignified employment.

"In the economic sector, states in particular need to articulate policies of industrial and agricultural development concerned with social progress and the growth everywhere of constitutional and democratic states. The creation of ethical structures for currency, financial and commercial markets is also fundamental and indispensable; these must be stabilised and better coordinated and controlled so as not to prove harmful to the very poor. With greater resolve than has hitherto been the case, the concern of peacemakers must also focus upon the food crisis, which is graver than the financial crisis. The issue of food security is once more central to the international political agenda, as a result of inter- related crises, including sudden shifts in the price of basic foodstuffs, irresponsible behaviour by some economic actors and insufficient control on the part of governments and the international community. To face this crisis, peacemakers are called to work together in a spirit of solidarity, from the local to the international level, with the aim of enabling farmers, especially in small rural holdings, to carry out their activity in a dignified and sustainable way from the social, environmental and economic points of view.

Education for a culture of peace: the role of the family and institutions

"6. I wish to reaffirm forcefully that the various peacemakers are called to cultivate a passion for the common good of the family and for social justice, and a commitment to effective social education.

"No one should ignore or underestimate the decisive role of the family, which is the basic cell of society from the demographic, ethical, pedagogical, economic and political standpoints. The family has a natural vocation to promote life: it accompanies individuals as they mature and it encourages mutual growth and enrichment through caring and sharing. The Christian family in particular serves as a seedbed for personal maturation according to the standards of divine love. The family is one of the indispensable social subjects for the achievement of a culture of peace. The rights of parents and their primary role in the education of their children in the area of morality and religion must be safeguarded. It is in the family that peacemakers, tomorrow’s promoters of a culture of life and love, are born and nurtured.

"Religious communities are involved in a special way in this immense task of education for peace. The Church believes that she shares in this great responsibility as part of the new evangelisation, which is centred on conversion to the truth and love of Christ and, consequently, the spiritual and moral rebirth of individuals and societies. Encountering Jesus Christ shapes peacemakers, committing them to fellowship and to overcoming injustice.

"Cultural institutions, schools and universities have a special mission of peace. They are called to make a notable contribution not only to the formation of new generations of leaders, but also to the renewal of public institutions, both national and international. They can also contribute to a scientific reflection which will ground economic and financial activities on a solid anthropological and ethical basis. Today’s world, especially the world of politics, needs to be sustained by fresh thinking and a new cultural synthesis so as to overcome purely technical approaches and to harmonise the various political currents with a view to the common good. The latter, seen as an ensemble of positive interpersonal and institutional relationships at the service of the integral growth of individuals and groups, is at the basis of all true education for peace.

A pedagogy for peacemakers

"7. In the end, we see clearly the need to propose and promote a pedagogy of peace. This calls for a rich interior life, clear and valid moral points of reference, and appropriate attitudes and lifestyles. Acts of peacemaking converge for the achievement of the common good; they create interest in peace and cultivate peace. Thoughts, words and gestures of peace create a mentality and a culture of peace, and a respectful, honest and cordial atmosphere. There is a need, then, to teach people to love one another, to cultivate peace and to live with good will rather than mere tolerance. A fundamental encouragement to this is 'to say no to revenge, to recognize injustices, to accept apologies without looking for them, and finally, to forgive', in such a way that mistakes and offences can be acknowledged in truth, so as to move forward together towards reconciliation. This requires the growth of a pedagogy of pardon. Evil is in fact overcome by good, and justice is to be sought in imitating God the Father Who loves all His children. This is a slow process, for it presupposes a spiritual evolution, an education in lofty values, a new vision of human history. There is a need to renounce that false peace promised by the idols of this world along with the dangers which accompany it, that false peace which dulls consciences, which leads to self-absorption, to a withered existence lived in indifference. The pedagogy of peace, on the other hand, implies activity, compassion, solidarity, courage and perseverance.

"Jesus embodied all these attitudes in His own life, even to the complete gift of Himself, even to 'losing His life'. He promises His disciples that sooner or later they will make the extraordinary discovery to which I originally alluded, namely that God is in the world, the God of Jesus, fully on the side of man. Here I would recall the prayer asking God to make us instruments of His peace, to be able to bring His love wherever there is hatred, His mercy wherever there is hurt, and true faith wherever there is doubt. For our part, let us join Blessed John XXIII in asking God to enlighten all leaders so that, besides caring for the proper material welfare of their peoples, they may secure for them the precious gift of peace, break down the walls which divide them, strengthen the bonds of mutual love, grow in understanding, and pardon those who have done them wrong; in this way, by His power and inspiration all the peoples of the earth will experience fraternity, and the peace for which they long will ever flourish and reign among them.

"With this prayer I express my hope that all will be true peacemakers, so that the city of man may grow in fraternal harmony, prosperity and peace."

OPINION: Nigeria is Not a Lost Cause, Cardinal Onaiyekan

“I’m just doing my duty,” said Monsignor John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, the Archbishop of Abuja who will become Africa’s newest Cardinal. Before leaving for Rome, he spoke of peace and war, and distorted and true journalism true, but not limited to Nigeria.

The 68 year old Archbishop, a native of Kabba, a small town located in the geographical heart of his country, Monsignor Onaiyekan is co-chairman of the Council of the religious leaders of Africa. On October 31, after receiving the Pax Christi Internationalis Peace Prize, he gave a speech on “risks” and “opportunities” of globalization. Christians and Muslims, on occasion, must take “responsibility for peace” starting from “their mutual relationships.”

Monsignor, you have often been called bishop of peace and interfaith dialogue. What is your message for Nigeria and Africa?

“To promote dialogue and peace in Nigeria is only my duty. Every bishop must work for reconciliation, peace and justice. There is nothing exceptional about what I do. I have only one regret: that my efforts and those of the Church often do not achieve the desired results. In Nigeria, particularly in the northern regions, the violence continues. We bishops are trying to do our best. And there is one thing that encourages us: the majority of Nigerians want to live in peace. They want to live in peace regardless of religion, ethnicity or other elements of diversity. ”

And what of the attacks launched by Boko Haram? This group claims to be fighting for the implementation of Islamic law across the country, including the predominantly Christian South.

“Behind the violence there is only a small minority. And the challenge is: how do you reach this minority, which so far has not been able to forgive and that continues to kill? I am convinced that Nigeria is not ‘a lost cause’. Through dialogue we can still work towards peace. Of course, you have to convince the government and the largest possible number of people to join our effort. This is my mission in Nigeria and in Africa.”

Saturday, you will become the only new African cardinal. From eastern Congo, the geographical heart of the continent, there has been painful news coming…

“Many parts of Africa are still held hostage by armed conflicts, old and new. And the victims of these conflicts are almost always the poor, innocent women and children. Too few leaders capable of leading their countries while maintaining a broad vision, which encompasses the whole continent! Often behind the wars in Africa there is an attempt to grab natural resources. Our continent is one of the richest in the world, but unfortunately we do not know how to govern it. Our political leaders want power and riches. They do not care about people’s needs and working for peace. ”

What does the world do?

“The international community could play a positive role. But often it does not, because it is controlled by world powers – and states that non-state actors – with interests that do not coincide with those of the Africans. During the past Synod which was held in the Vatican in October we made an appeal for Africa, an appeal loaded with anguish. ”

What is happening in Congo, with rebels advancing east of the country, is just the latest injury …

“One of the great problems, not only in the Congo, is the trafficking of weapons. Who produces the Ak47 rifles and light weapons continue to kill Africans? Where did they come from? Who provides these? Is it possible that the world’s powers do not know? The truth is that the arms trade is a huge business and it does not matter if innocent people end up paying the bill. Even countries like Italy know what happens, but they do nothing. ‘If we don’t sell them arms, the Chinese will’ they say, to clean their consciences.”

Can the media make a positive contribution? How to they comment on Africa?

“When I turn on the television in Italy, I hear about the economic crisis that affects rich countries and high-level diplomatic meetings. The only information about African countries relate to attacks or disasters of various kinds. Nothing I said about Africa for months, when suddenly appears the emergency in Mali, because insurgents and terrorists took control of a part of the country. Nigeria endures a similar treatment. I suspect that the journalists in my country end up feeding the flow of ‘bad news’ because they understood that these and not others will be taken up by the BBC or other information giants. 

The preference for this type of news also concerns northern Nigeria. We tend to talk about the tensions felt throughout the region as the result of a religious conflict, distorting the facts. Just because Boko Haram militants shout ‘Allah Akbar’ does not mean that they are true Muslims. As reflected in the sentences and expressions of solidarity of the members of the Islamic community that invariably follow every attack. The Boko Haram issue is very complex; it also has social and political components. Millions of people are plagued by unemployment and poverty and they can justly denounce the government’s inadequacies. That said, social discomfort does not justify violence. Never. ”

MISNA

S A Prelate Establishes Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Cape Town

The Catholic Church, in the face of growing secularism, has called for a new evangelization focused on conversion within the Church. Among the many tools that the Holy Spirit is giving the Church for this endeavor are the new movements and ecclesial realities.

One of these, the Neocatechumenal Way, was founded more than 40 years ago, by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández. Since its beginnings in the small shanty towns of Madrid, thousands have discovered the richness of the Catholic faith through this charism. Among the many fruits that the ecclesial reality has fostered are the Redemptoris Mater Seminaries, diocesan missionary seminaries that aid in accomplishing the Church's call for a new evangelization.

According to a communique released by the Archdiocese of Cape Town, "these international seminaries are not seminaries that belong to the Neocatechumenal Way, since the Way is not a religious order nor has clergy of its own.  All the Redemptoris Mater seminaries are fully diocesan seminaries, whose seminarians have arrived at their vocation as result of their Neocatechumenal path and the rediscovery of their baptism as lived through small Neocatechumenal communities."

"The seminaries thus formed are also called ‘international’ and ‘Missionary’ since their seminarian vocations come from all parts of the world, and the Redemptoris Mater priests, once formed and ordained in the diocese and having served for some years in the Archdiocese they are ready to travel to other dioceses, to serve the Church wherever necessary."

This year alone, 10 new Redemptoris Mater seminaries have been opened, bringing the total number of these seminaries worldwide to 95.

Archbishop Stephen Breslin of Cape Town, South Africa, was in Rome this week to sign the decree establishing the diocesan missionary seminary in his diocese. The seminary statutes were signed during a Eucharistic celebration presided over by the archbishop and his vicar general, and held in the grotto of Saint Peter’s Basilica, in the Lithuanian Chapel, at the feet of the effigy of our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, Mother of Mercy.

In his homily, the archbishop of Cape Town referred to the student protests taking place in Rome that very day, and which he had involuntarily witnessed along the streets that brought him to Vatican City.  "Unfortunately these days,” he said, “a great anger grows, too often involving the young.  It is a phenomenon that we are witnessing in South Africa as well.  This anger is a symptom of a great thirst, a thirst for truth; a thirst that shows a great desire to comprehend, in order to give a full sense to life. We know that the sole answer to this thirst lies in the person of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again.”

Archbishop Breslin spoke with ZENIT on the significance of the Redemptoris Mater in Cape Town and its role in the new evangelization.

Part 2 of this interview will be published Tuesday.

ZENIT: We hear that you will be opening a Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Cape Town? Why is this significant?

Archbishop Breslin: We've had Neocatechumenal communities in Cape Town for more than 25 years now. And I believe that this is a logical growth and step [not only] for the Neocatechumenal Way but also for the growth of the Church in Cape Town itself. And it is a way of connecting ourselves to the call first made by Blessed Pope John Paul II for the new evangelization and that we contribute to the worldwide movement of continuing to bring Christ to people and to lead people to have an encounter with Jesus Christ.

ZENIT: This recent Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization had a particular focus on the role of movements in the Church. How do you see this new seminary fostering that and the call to conversion that Pope Benedict XVI made during the synod?

Archbishop Breslin: Regretfully, I wasn't at the synod; I would have loved to have been a participant. But we've had a very good report back from our delegates from South Africa and I think that the Neocatechumenal Way contributes, in this sense, with the seminary that we are intending to open.

The priests, first of all, come from an international setting, different countries in the world and they contribute to the life of the Church in Cape Town, but they are [also] missionary diocesan priests who, after serving a certain amount of time in the Archdiocese of Cape Town, will be sent out to different parts of the world. Either where Christ has never been proclaimed or elsewhere, where there is a need to re-call people to their Christian foundation and their Christian origins.

ZENIT: A part of the text within the decree establishing the seminary included words from Pope Benedict's message from the Synod of Bishops. Could you expand on that and its significance?

Archbishop Breslin: Yes, certainly. Because in terms of the new evangelization, the missionary nature of the Church continues to bring Christ to people who have never heard of Christ and to cultures that have never heard of Christ. And that is the traditional missionary role of the Church, of going out to all peoples, to teach and to proclaim Jesus Christ.

 But in a secularized world, many people who know about Jesus Christ and perhaps were Christian have drifted away from their faith, or have become very apathetic to their faith. So it's not so much that they don't believe in Christ, but they have become indifferent, and they have become indifferent to leading a Christian life. And therefore, the first [elements] of the faith need to be rekindled in their hearts and they need help to come to an encounter with Jesus Christ.

And I think that is what the Pope is trying to say is that this is a very important part of the new evangelization, it's not just taking Christ to cultures that have never heard of Christ, but it is trying to proclaim Christ in cultures that have become very secularized, very materialistic, and that have become totally indifferent to the presence of God and to the presence of Jesus Christ.

ZENIT: How can the movements help in this mission?

Archbishop Breslin: I think Blessed Pope John Paul II put it very well that the role of Evangelization is the role of all baptized people. And perhaps in the Church we have become a little bit too…[pause] with the understanding that the evangelization belongs to the bishops, the priests and religious, but the fact of the matter is that all people are meant to be evangelizing at the various different sectors that were mentioned in the synod as well.

 So to evangelize culture, to evangelize the economy, to evangelize people at various different levels, and that we are all meant to be the bearers of Jesus Christ, taking Christ to people, and certainly this is not limited to priests and religious. It is the role of each and every baptized person.

 I think the great advantage of the movements is that they are motivating lay people particularly, in order to be bearers of the message, the good news and to take that into the various sectors of society.

Source: ZENIT

Human Trafficking….

OPINION: Human Trafficking….

21^st Century Slaves-the silent epidemic...

Our Story-our Challenge

By Maggi Kennedy MSOLA

Your Eminencies, My Lords, Reverend Fathers, Religious Sisters and Brothers all the members of the Lavigerie family represented here today and all those in Africa and the rest of our globalised world who we serve as the sons and daughters of Cardinal Lavigerie and Mother Marie Salome, good evening.

Today marks a momentous moment in our history as a Church. 125 years ago Cardinal Charles Martial Lavigerie, Archbishop of Algiers - at the request of Pope Leo XIII - began the Catholic Church’s involvement in the movement for the abolition of the Slave Trade, together with other pioneers like William Wilberforce, with their focus on Africa.

On December 23^rd, 1888, Lavigerie said:

 “Slavery, as it is practiced in Africa, is not only, indeed, contrary to the Gospel, it is contrary to natural law…it involves all humanity. That is why I am appealing to everyone, without distinction of nationality, party or religious creed. I do not address myself simply to faith, but to reason, to justice, to respect, to love of liberty”.

That same evening he spoke to the hearts of his Congregation then as he does today. His challenge from the past is not new…..for today…..

But he went even further…..

“I am a man, and nothing human is foreign to me. I am a man, and injustice towards others revolts my heart. I am a man, and oppression offends my nature…. I want to restore to the sons and daughters of this unhappy race, family, honour and freedom”

 Such a great desire…….

« I am a man and nothing human is foreign to me. » became the Cardinal’s motto as he raised awareness in many European cities as to the various kinds of slavery…which was and is a crime against humanity.

         Near to his own death he sadly said “Few people, too few people have the ultimate vocation: humanity”. This is our challenge today with the Cardinal’s spirit in our blood we are called to follow him. Who will speak if we don’t…as a Church today?

          Trafficking in persons…..Human trafficking, the New Slavery…Are these just jargon words! The Old Slavery was banned in France 1794 and was re-introduced and banned a second time. In the UK it was banned in 1807. Slavery was banned worldwide 1926. In Mauritania in North Africa it was finally banned in 1981. In many countries it continues to grow in ever new forms.

Does Human Trafficking really exist

Yes, but it takes many different forms. It touches families like yours and mine, ordinary people and families who are drawn into a deep dark pit of hopelessness, often through poverty, money, greed and sometimes adventure and power.

          I became involved in this struggle in 2010 on my return to Kenya. An Assumption Sister of Nairobi shared with me how her two nieces applied for jobs have seen an advert in the newspaper. It offered a good salary and many perks. They called the agency. They were asked to go for an interview.  They were very excited and prepared themselves. They left the house happy together, with their parents as excited as they were….They left….never to be seen again alive...

Where are they now? We cannot image the trauma for their families not knowing where they are and what has happened to them…no funeral…no laying to rest, no grieving. What of the other families???? This could be you or me or members of our families or friends.

          Human Trafficking is the world’s best money earner after drugs and small arms. It is estimated by US Government’s yearly report TIP that in 2011 32 billion US Dollars was made out of the innocent blood of 800,000 human persons who were trafficked within or across international boundaries half of whom were children  It is estimated that 12.3 million adults and children are currently held in modern day slavery which includes forced labour and prostitution. There are many more who are trafficked within there own national boundaries for forced labour, bonded labour, sexual servitude and involuntary servitude. It seems almost impossible to curb this epidemic. The appalling treatment and living conditions are unimaginable.. Driven by poverty it touches all levels of society manifests the insatiable greed of unscrupulous people. It may never be stopped completely. But that is no reason to do nothing.

How are we involved?

Human trafficking contaminates us all and is in need of a radical conversion. Fides states, “400 million children around the world live in conditions of slavery”. Many children together with young women and young boys produce products, which are sold in Europe and the rest of the West “indirectly this slavery becomes part of our lives, the carpets we walk on and the T-shirts we wear.”

          The World Day against Child Slavery was first marked on the 16^th April 1995 when a 12-year-old Pakistani Christian boy - Igbo Mash - was killed by his country’s mafia. He had been a slave in the textile industry since he was four. At ten, he escaped and denounced what was happening to the USA and the European Union. He paid the ultimate price. Brazil, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Egypt and Ivory Coast with their textiles, minerals and chocolate flourish with child slave labour. At last the BBC in June 2012 denounced the cocoa trade in Ivory Coast on its programme “Network Africa.” “Children are easier to control than adults people say” These children are used and abused for our comfort.

          Our whole way of life and ways of relating are being challenged. Human Trafficking is around us and in us…that insistent silent scream….the voices of persons not able to defend themselves. Can we hear this cry this evening here in the Gesù?  Where  Cardinal Lavrigerie spoke 125 years ago. Can we bear to hear and feel this pain...Remember that during the 80’s alone, more women and children were enslaved by trafficking from Asia that all the people sold into slavery from Africa in 400 years of the Slave trade. We, as a Church need to be involved … where and when it happens. In Europe much is being done but Africa needs help and justice in order to be able to provide a stable economy where all can benefit.

          Lavigerie used every possible resource to eradicate slavery and to alert people to the horrendous situation. We need his human touch to relate as Jesus did…relating human being to human being as truly brothers and sisters- the God-given gift of human life. The Cardinal called the journalists of his day. He challenged…everything and every person. If he could do that in his limited world, surely we can do something in our globalised world with its entire media network. Pope Leo XIII - a visionary concerned for human rights - had found the right man for the job he wanted done.

          While Europe challenged slavery in Africa the Missionaries of Africa, the Comboni Missionaries and the Spiritans together with the Society for the Africa Missions faced the front line of its reality and bought and freed slaves, founded villages to allow them to lead a human life.

          Already in 1939,Sr Marie Andre de Sacre Coeur MSOLA spoke  to the House of Deputies in Paris concerning the plight of African women and their difficulties as women especially matters concerning early marriages and for sure some of them were being trafficked. In 1983 Sr Lea Ackermann began her work in Mombasa in Kenya bringing to birth SOLWODI (Solidarity for Women in Distress). She is now based in Germany but has 6 offices in Kenya and continues the work she began. In Germany, together with more than a hundred collaborators, she continues her work, as does Sr Eugenia Bonetti in Italy. Other groups, particularly of Religious, work in Nigeria, Kenya, Holland, the UK, the USA, the Philippines and more. We need more men to work in this area. In 2003, the UISG (International Union of Superior Generals) was asked to take up this issue only women religious responded to this call it is as if Human Trafficking were a women’s problem. A good percentage of men are also trafficked

          Human trafficking has become a never ending task and we need Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Policies to put in place a holistic approach without there will be no progress in this process. In Ghana, Sr Connie Gemme and Sr Jacqueline Picard MSOLA have been involved in empowerment and prevention of Human Trafficking as well as Victim Support giving new life in a once horrific situation. Many others in Africa have also taken it as a priority  the Missionaries of Africa in South Africa with Fr Sean O’Leary, in Malawi with Fr Bill Turnbull and Fr Jos Cuppens at the Centre of Social Concern. Fr Anselm in Gao Mali. In the Nairobi slums, Sr Mary O’ Malley MMM and Radek Malinowski have unceasingly been creating awareness against human trafficking acting with HAART, a small NGO.

          Bishop Martin Kivuva of Machakos, near Nairobi, is supporting a project which involves the Small Christian Communities in awareness, victim support, focussing on the most vulnerable, together with developing programmes which will eventually raise the standard of living and provide appropriate sustainability. I work with the Awareness Against Human Trafficking Collaboration, which partners this project and has benefited from the Missionaries of Africa and Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa. Mombasa’s Archbishop Boniface Lele declared the need do more with Solwodi for vulnerable women and children.

What is human trafficking?

A simple answer would be the trading of women, men and children for the purposes of exploitation. The two factors are crucial in the definition of human trafficking ARE: movement and exploitation. There must be recruitment taking place hence there is transportation. There is a transfer from one place to another and harbouring of the person or persons and there is money paid.

The Palermo Protocol (art 3) provides a global definition when it states that “Trafficking in Persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of servitude or the removal of organs.”

          The Palermo Protocol definition is long and complicated, and makes us realise how complex the issue is. 185 countries have signed up to this agreement, yet the trafficking still goes on!

When did the term “human trafficking” first appear?

In the 19^th and 20^th century, when slavery and the slave trade still existed, but were declining, the term “human trafficking” appeared. Initially, it referred to the illegal trade of white women for sex. First international law that tackled the issue of human trafficking was the International Agreement for the Suppression of the White Slave Trade of 1904, popularly called as a White Slave Convention

The end of Cold War saw capitalism as the main dominating socio-economic model

As the tension between the West and the East lessened–barriers were opened between countries. Some states were weak and poor. The technical revolution gave access to untold possibilities of information. Cultural changes accelerated. Economies and societies have become intermingled. Trade as opposed to development has led to the rapidly increasing gap between the rich and the poor.

Kenya in the front line

Kenya, where I work, is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking... The situation is horrendous and a silent epidemic is rising especially in Nairobi and Mombasa which is a real “hot” spot because of the tourist industry.

How are people trafficked?

It happens easily and sometimes we are too gullible and sucked in without realizing and not questioning the offers they receive. We can all be blind. But once hooked

victims may be threatened and force may be used. All forms of coercion including fraud, deception, abduction abuse of power, abuse of authority, financial incentives are easy methods of manipulation. At the initial stages victims often co-operate.

Human Trafficking has many faces. The exploitation of the prostitution of others is a common way together with forced labour and services. Slavery or other practices akin to slavery are also be used. At the UN it was stated also that often a woman is “not treated as a human person on an equal basis with others but as an object to be exploited”. Housemaids and Houseboys are also very vulnerable to sexual abuse. The removal of body parts is also common in some areas especially for witchcraft.

Children are more naturally trusting and therefore more vulnerable than adults, they provide cheap labour. This is why child labour and child trafficking are closely linked. Adults often move voluntarily but children do not migrate on their own. A child can never consent to a trafficking situation as minor.

Why is the Human Trafficking such a lucrative business?

The supply and demand of women, men and children is constant and the costs are very low. There is little legal framework against human trafficking in general and what there is weak. Many countries like South Africa and Mozambique have no legislation. In October 2010 Kenya enacted the “Trafficking in Persons Act” which brought together a number of important Acts including the Sexual Offences Act 2006. In June 2012 it was found that the Act had not been properly enacted so the process is beginning again.

          Lobbying is called for but there is little direction. It is something we are working on how can we otherwise prevent and prosecute offenders! There is also great deal of debate concerning whether prostitution should be legalized or not. The organizers and agencies of human trafficking are rarely targeted. They are hidden and powerful, having many international connections.

Are there special variants in Africa?

Many factors in human trafficking are common worldwide but there are also factors only found in Africa. Prostitution and sexual exploitation and organ trafficking are common worldwide. Generally, when people are trafficked in Africa, brute force would not be used to exploit the trafficked person. The abuse would be more through threats, intimidation, separation from families and the local environment.

Forced Labour what is it?

This is very common and includes cattle herding, working in the fisheries, domestic servitude and sweatshop work. Poverty and lack of education are the driving force in trafficking. Relatives sometimes offer help to educate needy relatives but often education never becomes a reality and those concerned are both used and abused. To employ minors and not pay them is a criminal offence. Many people do not know this in Kenya. As the new Constitution is implemented many could be prosecuted. Often today we find forced labour has become endemic and socially acceptable. It will only change with poverty eradication and education

Factors found mainly in Africa.

In Africa we find the removal of body parts is a common practice especially for witchcraft. Young girls are also raped as a cure against HIV/Aids or are forced to become pregnant and the resulting child is sold to the highest bidder. Some children are driven to the military to become child soldiers; they are traumatised and marked for life. The list is surely not exhaustive…..

What is the Catholic Church saying to us today?

Pope Leo XIII started the ball rolling with his encyclicals concerning rights of workers and on the whole question of “Slavery”. The commitment to end slavery is rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (Paragraph  no 2414 www.ijpc.org) Vatican II in  1965 reaffirmed the same concern.  “ slavery,  prostitution, the selling of women and children, disgraceful working conditions where people are treated as mere tools, for profit rather than as free responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed.  They poison society..and are a supreme dishonour to the Creator”(Guadium et Spes,1965, www.ipjc.org)

Blessed John Paul II reflected the same concern in his Letter to Women in 1995 “Trafficking in human beings-especially women.. flourishes where opportunities to improve their standard of living or even to survive are limited. It becomes easy for the trafficker to offer his own “services” to the victims who do not often vaguely suspect what awaits them.  In some cases there are women and children destined to be exploited almost like slaves in their work and not infrequently in the sex industry, too”. In 2002 he further pointed out that “ the alarming increase in the trade in human beings is one of the pressing,political, social and economic problems associated with the process of globalisation; it presents a serious threat to the security of individual nations and question of international justice cannot deferred”.(Letter on the occasion of the “Twenty-First Century-The Human Rights Dimension to Trafficking in Human Beings” Conference 2002)

In a message to the Seventh Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism in; 2012 Pope Benedict XVI wrote “The trafficking of human persons or organ harvesting as well as the exploitation of minors abandoned into the hands of individuals without scruples and undergoing abuse and torture sadly often happens”. He asks that those who are in the field of tourism and indeed the whole international community to fight against this process. (23^rd April 2012-Vatican Information Service).

          Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialised Agencies in Geneva speaking in September 2011 at the Human Rights Council said:

          “Awareness and prevention are key elements in its abolition”. He further commented that we are challenged: “To counteract the scourge of trafficking of women and children with greater determination and more concrete results, a convergence efforts is necessary; a mentality that is centred on the unique dignity of every person, a sure punishment for traffickers, fight against corruption “What is new” he said “is the globalisation of this trade and the development of the global market which exploits the extreme poverty and the vulnerability of many women and minors who try to escape the intolerable conditions of misery and violence”. Victim support is also essential in order to integrate victims back into life. (Fides 15^th September 2011)

What can we do concretely?

The Catholic Church has the best possible network in the world to eradicate “Trafficking in Persons”. The focus is clear Human Trafficking is the violation of human dignity which is a God-given gift. 

We are called to:

·        Challenge the whole economic order to focus on the eradication of poverty and unequal distribution of wealth collaborating is the establishment of a new social order.

·        Regional Bishops’ Conferences exist and provide a vehicle for working together on common concerns and provide basic networks.

·        The Bishops of England and Wales have been asked by the British Police to help them in their work against human trafficking. A Conference was held here in Rome on the 8^th May 2012 to share what is happening in this area. Cardinal Turkson the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace hosted the day. The speakers from the UK Police gave a presentation. Sr Eugenia Bonetti, a Consolata Missionary well known here in Italy and elsewhere for her work against human trafficking, shared her experience.

·        Workshops for Bishops, Priests, Religious men and women together with the laity. These are needed to fully understand the complexity and horrific situation that exists.

·        Providing Training of Trainers Sessions in Dioceses in order to touch the grassroots.

·        Each Diocese forms a particular Church and pastoral letter on “Trafficking in Persons” could be an effective tool in the pastoral care programme which could also be a possibility for a renewed reflection on human sexuality and family values together with economic assistance

·        Justice and Peace Commissions at all levels need to be involved in the prevention of human trafficking. Human Trafficking is a Justice and Human Rights issue. In many places it is looked on just as dealing with migrants. This is not true Human Trafficking is a separate desk from Migrants.

·        Small Christian Communities are our way to the grassroots in the rural areas and urban areas including the slums. In Machakos near Nairobi the Awareness Against Human Trafficking Collaboration have worked together with the Bishop and their Caritas Office. We have had Training of Trainers Sessions in order to reach out to every corner of the Diocese which has 900,000 Catholics, 62 parishes and now 11 teams as there are 11 Deaneries. The enthusiasm to do something is enormous… Now we have some victim support. The reports are often heartbreaking.  More will be done to be aware of the conditions especially on the Mombasa highway which has girls as young as 10 selling themselves for food and other essentials. This is not for the faint hearted.

·        Research and information are vitally important to ensure that the needs are clear and can be monitored and evaluated

·        We can provide training and back-up through our Catholic Secretariats as well as working with other Churches and Non Christians. Through the United Religions Initiative, the team I belong to works with Muslims, Hindus, Baha’i as well as other Churches.

·        Networks are basic to the flow of information and there is need of Co-ordinators in the Dioceses who are known and local officials need to know with whom to communicate. Diocesan Networks need the support of a national network and regional network. The International Union of Superiors UISG has been doing this first in Europe where it works well and now in Africa where it is in its infancy. There is a great deal of collaboration being experienced but named networks are more difficult.

·        There is a need for support systems which would include professionals who are prepared to give their time freely to assist victims when asked. There is a need for writers and artists and journalists to use their skill for pass the message though the Media.

·        There is a need for printed material flyers and posters as well as books for Training Trainers. These can be used in schools, hospitals, places of work, places of worship and can be freely given.

·        Use the all the forms of modern media.

·        In every area of our Diocese we reach our through the Sisters Associations…Zambia Uganda, Kenya and many other countries are having workshop but they need to be more and followed up..

·        The Good Samaritan. This is a well known story but have we ever thought about converting the robbers?

·        It was suggested that the 18^th May be a Day of Prayer for all who have been trafficked as it is the feast day of St Bakhita. Prayer is the touchstone of awareness of the plight of the trafficked.

·        In Kenya there are more than 2000 parishes. Imagine if we could create awareness in all these parishes, schools together with building a small scale finance sector to assist those who need education most. What about in our school assisting with more scholarships…?

·        What about vocational schools teaching skills? Agricultural training with respect for environment is key…. They exist but often the fees are too high for those who need it most.

·        This awareness can be done through families, the Small Christian Communities, hospitals, formation houses, seminaries, media

·        This sacredness of human person takes commitment and courage so can we can commit ourselves by implementing the three R’s Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-integration.

·        Today many activities are taking place throughout Africa…Is this not what our presence is about championing the dignity of the human person providing people with a reasonable standard of living for their families and for young people education for both the girl and boy child. Restoring the precious values which in our modern globalised world often disappear.

“In the face of this difficult task and hearing the cries of suffering humanity, we must above all not surrender to discouragement. We must remember that there is a great majority that opposes those who seek to enrich themselves by exploiting the lives of their fellows. It includes men and women, citizens and leaders, people of faith and those of good will, who devote their lives every day in differing organizations and roles to the fight against the scourge of human trafficking. (Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, President Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 8^th May 2012)

•         If from today we save one person from the horrors of trafficking it has been worth while. However, I believe we now have the opportunity to embark on a process to save many from this human tragedy.

Conclusion

The annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report of the U.S. Department of State (issued each June), which assessed the efforts of 184 foreign governments last year, highlights the “three P’s” – Prevention, Protection and Prosecution – as part of the States responsibilities in the fight against trafficking of human beings. Therefore, we, too, as members of mainly of faith-based organizations with common Christians values, having

different roles and responsibilities, but belonging to the same human family should be equally called to action and  to eradicate this evil.

As the Lavigerie family and in the Cardinal’s spirit what are we challenged to do? NOW!

This is a vast ecclesial event that we celebrate. 

·        We are all called to:

·        Join in the fight against trafficking in human beings to free its victims at all levels.

·        Let us share today the legacy that Cardinal Lavigerie has given us for the service of Africa. 

·        Can we be his fire, zeal and enthusiasm each in their own way and together as a Church to give witness that the Church cares passionately about the human person? 

·        We can challenge Africa as the Synod did to “Rise up” and say “No” to this slavery and with the support of us all we can restore hope in the dignity of the  human person.

·        Can we walk away as the Priest and the Levite did?

·        Remember the Cardinal’s  words “Few people. too few people  have the ultimate vocation; which is to be human”. Where do we stand?

·        This epidemic can be eradicated.

·        Are we prepared  for the challenge  to be truly human  reaching out to others in justice and love?

·        Thank you……in the time we have been here at least 20 people have been trafficked!

Maggi Kennedy MSOLA