Nairobi will become the heart of World Wide Marriage Encounter during the month of September 2011. First, there will be the Panaf (African regional secretariat) meeting which will be held at St Therese Girls training center in Karen between September 12 to 18.
His Eminence John Cardinal Njue will preside over the opening mass to be celebrated at 10am on September 12. Secondly, the International Ecclesial Team (IET) Tony and Cathy Witzak with Fr Emile from the USA who are the current head of the movement world wide will be offering a new enrichment program to the African region on 9th and 10th titled ‘Love and Respect’.
The events will reach their climax with the celebration of a community mass to be held at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church at Ongata Rongai at 10am Sunday the September 18. The fifteen African countries who embrace the movement will be represented each by their ecclesial teams comprising of a couple and a priest.
Each of our 17 dioceses embracing the movement will be represented during this mass, which will be presided by His grace Archbishop Boniface Lele of Mombasa Archdiocese.
The theme of the Nairobi meeting is “COMMITMENT THAT LEADS TO EVANGELIZATION”
But what is this movement called World Wide Marriage Encounter?
Many of us in the church today must have had of World Wide Marriage Encounter. This is a lay movement that enjoins the two sacraments of matrimony and the Holy orders with a mission to evangelize love as per Christ’s commandment “Love One Another as I have loved you” John 15:12. The movement promotes the growth of spousal love based on perpetual decisions to love in order to be loved. It is open to married couples, priests and religious.
The Servant of God, his holiness the late Pope John Paul the II while addressing a gathering in 1998 remarked; “I place much of my hope for the future in Marriage Encounter”.
The movement strongly believes that the church of Christ is firmly founded at home, the small church and hence the building of strong faithful homes is key to strengthening faith and evangelization. Once the family is evangelized, the whole church is evangelized.
The movement is 50 years now since the 1960’s when the Spanish Jesuit priest Fr Gabriel Calvo initiated special talks to his parish parents in an effort to contain the source of many street children who kept flocking to his parish in need of food, love and comfort that they lacked at their parents homes. The talks had dramatic effects on couples involved and changed their homes to be havens of love for both themselves and their children. They became popular in other parishes and were later to spread to English speaking America and Europe.
In Kenya, the movement is here courtesy of the late Michael Cardinal Maurice Otunga who experienced his weekend in America during the 1975 Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia. He was so touched with the experience that he decided that it was good for the church in Kenya. Indeed, he worked so hard that in 1978, he brought in some Irish couples with their children and priests who pitched camp in Kenya for three months to train Kenyan facilitators. Since then, the movement has grown from the Archdiocese of Nairobi and it is now to be found in 17 diocese.
Encountered couples are to be found across all spheres of our church and they give testimony to harmonious relationship that is warm and fulfilled. Encountered couples and priests have one thing in common; they have endless love for one another and are strong pillars and source of evangelization. Their unique system of daily dialoguing technique enables them to have a systematic method of resolving any emerging issues before them and turn their differences into opportunities of building their togetherness.
It is a system that enables the couples to reflect deeply on the worldly way of living differently as they are equipped with the Godly plan of matrimony based on the gospel teachings which must be lived daily. The couples becomes the sacraments to each other on a daily basis. The priests and religious are able to see the sacraments through the eyes of the married couples and hence understands in a different dimension the meaning of matrimony. They also understand the interpersonal relationship which they encounter in their own parish houses, community houses or the parishioners themselves.
It becomes a wonderful opportunity for them. To use the words of Prof James Dobson “…it proved to be one of the highlights of my life. I just wish that everyone who trusts my opinion would now accept this advise; attend a Marriage Encounter Weekend at the earliest opportunity”.
World Wide Marriage Encounter in Kenya has sponsored the inception of the International Engaged Encounter, a complimentary movement for premarital counseling which ideally should be experienced by all Christians before sacramental marriage. We have also sponsored the Retrouvaille movement to take care of our hurting marriages.
By becoming hosts to this important conference, it is our hope and desire that the whole of our church will become more aware of evangelizing the family. We are called upon individually to play our part in bringing the plan of God for our lives a little closer to others by playing our roles fully. Let us welcome our guests with open hands and hearts.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
OPINION: The Roman Missal, Enriching it With a Touch of African Culture
At the level of song and dance, no one can doubt that the Roman Catholic Liturgy in Africa today, has a visible and irreversible touch of the African culture! So my thanks and gratitude to all those (musicians, composers, religious, laity, priests and Bishops) who have made this possible.
Another great breakthrough and landmark in the field of Africanisation in recent years has been the publication of the African Bible! Although the main text is the New American Bible translation, the introductions and comments place it in today’s African context.
But there is still another big, heavy and daunting task ahead, which deserves and demands all our attention, skill and energy, namely: The Africanisation of the Roman Missal! And this is much more than a mere good translation of the Missal into African languages like: Kiswahili, Luo, Luganda, Kikuyu etc! It should touch the soul and heart of the African people! In other words, it should reflect as much as possible all the essential elements and values of the African world view which are not contrary to the Gospel! It should also reflect the concrete socio-political and economic reality of the African continent!
The Roman Missal is the Church’s official document, which contains authorised prayers and texts for the liturgy of the Roman Rite. Therefore, this document plays a very important role in the life of the Church, and in the life of every catholic Christian! We use the document for the celebration of Mass. And the Vatican II document on the Sacred Liturgy (N°10) has this to say stressing the importance of the liturgy : The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flow.
So given the centrality of the Roman Missal in the life of the Christians, to be as meaningful and effective as possible, it should be presented to the faithful within their cultural context! In addition, as I have mentioned above, in Africa, it should touch the soul, heart and concrete life of the African people.
The third and revised edition of the Roman Missal is already out and on sell! It is result of 10-years’ work! Mother Church in her wisdom leaves room for adaption and adjustments of the Roman Missal! And the Vatican II document on the Sacred Liturgy recommends and encourages such adaptations and adjustments! It thus says:
It is the goal of this most sacred Council to intensify the daily growth of Catholics in Christian living; to make more responsive to the requirements of our times those Church observances which are open to adaptation; to nurture whatever can contribute to the unity of all who believe in Christ; and to strengthen those aspects of the Church which can help summon all mankind into her embrace. Hence the Council has special reasons for judging it a duty to provide for the renewal and fostering of the liturgy. (Sacrosanctum Concilium No° 1).
And the document adds something very important saying : The Council also desires that, where necessary the rites be carefully and thoroughly revised in the light of sound tradition, and that they be given new vigor to meet the circumstances and needs of modern times. (Sacrosanctum Concilium No° 4) So with adaptations and adjustments to this new edition of the Roman Missal, the Church in Africa should be able to produce an Afro-Roman Missal acceptable to the Holy See.
I propose the following to be part of the adaptations and adjustments :
Inclusion of the ancestors in the Afro-Roman Missal. Ancestors are an essential and integral part of the African perception of reality! Their reverence and veneration is engraved upon the African soul! And they play an active and important role in people’s daily lives! Blessings, joys and curses in one’s life are generally interpreted and understood against the backdrop of ancestors!
In addition, ancestors provide the most powerful symbol of eternal life in the African culture! Africans have no need for philosophical proofs for the immortality of soul and for life after death which occupy a big place in western thought!
The ancestors also symbolise the union between the living and the dead! These are all good reasons for their inclusion in the Afro-Roman Missal! And it should be remembered that celebration of Mass, is celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. It is celebration of eternal life! And this celebration unites both the living and the dead. That is, the pilgrim Church on earth and the saints in heaven!
To the inevitable question: Where exactly should the ancestors be inserted in the Afro- Roman Missal? I proposed that they be inserted between the introductory rites and the penitential rite. And this part of the Mass should be called: The Ancestors Invocation Rite! This place fits them because generally in African traditional worship, ancestors are invoked at the beginning of the ceremony.
The prayer of invocation of ancestors could be formulated along the following lines : Almighty God, Lord of endless ages, without beginning or end, creator of heaven and earth, and all they contain, Ruler of the spirits in the skies above, in the waters below, in the forests, thickets and rocks, Lord of life and death, God of our great, great ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Moses; God of the ancestors our African continent : St. Augustine of Hipo, St. Monica, the Uganda martyrs (Charles Lwanga and his companions,) Bakhita, (other African Saints can be added), God of the ancestors of our clans, men and women, our grandparents, parents and relatives who a lived a holy life before your eyes, we beseech you to let them come down from the heavens above, bringing with them all your blessings; and join us in giving glory and thanks to your name. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen!
The normal penitential rite should follow the ancestor’s invocation rite, but which in my opinion should be said when we are on our knees whenever possible! The symbolism of kneeling would make this rite more meaningful to the African congregation. For in Africa you cannot ask for forgiveness of your wrong doing from the king or chief while standing! You go down on your knees or prostrate yourself to do this! And God is the King of Kings, Chief of chiefs!
In the Afro-Roman Missal, a little adjustment could be done on formula one of the penitential rite. Its first part should thus read: I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, the living and dead, that I have sinned through my own fault. This will provide an occasion of reconciliation for members of the congregation who wanted to reconcile themselves with some people, but who unfortunately died, before this reconciliation could take place.
We should also have an Afro-Eucharistic prayer addressing the deep rooted socio-political problems of the African continent, namely : Tribalism or negative ethnicity, witchcraft, racism corruption and poverty. The 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 2007-2008 Kenya political and ethnic violence, and the independence of South Sudan from North Sudan, are all vivid reminders of these problems. Just a little adjustment of our usual Eucharistic prayer II can serve this purpose!
So after the prayer of consecration, the part that starts with, ‘In memory of his death and…..’ should be adjusted and thus read: In memory of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Father, this life-giving bread, this saving cup. We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. And we ask you Lord God of mercy and love to save and set us free from the dark forces of witchcraft, tribalism, racism, corruption and poverty. So that all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ and the rest of his children be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit. We should call this Eucharistic prayer II with its adaptations: The Afro-Eucharistic prayer.
I also propose that some of the great African Traditional Prayers be integrated into the Afro-Roman Missal as: opening, offertory or prayers after communion, etc! Here are some examples of those great prayers, all taken from the article: African Traditional Prayers – Love Peace and Harmony:
In the beginning was God,
Today is God,
Tomorrow will be God.
Who can make an image of God?
He has no body.
He is the word that comes out of your mouth.
The word!
It is no more,
It is past, and still it lives!
So is God. ( African-Pygmy)
Oludumare, oh Divine One! I give thanks
To You, the one who is as near as my heartbeat, and more anticipated than my next breath.
Let Your wisdom become one with this vessel as I lift my voice in thanks and love. (African-Yoruban)
To our Gods [God] of old, we bless the ground
That you tread in search of our freedom!
We bless your presence in our lives and in our hearts!
Take this offering to your delight,
And be filled with our prayers of thanksgiving!
May our lives remain as full as our hearts on this day! (African-Yoruban)
Praise ye, Ngai…Peace be with us.
Say that the elders may have wisdom and speak with one voice. Peace be with us.
Say that the country may have tranquility. Peace be with us.
And the people may continue to increase. Peace be with us.
Say that the people and the flock and herds,
may prosper and free from illness. Peace be with us.
Say that the fields may bear much fruit,
and the land continue to be fertile. Peace be with us.
May peace reign over earth,
may the gourds cup agree with vessel. Peace be with us.
May their heads agree and every ill word be driven out
into the wilderness, into the virgin forest.
Praise ye, Ngai…Peace be with us. (African-Kikuyu of Kenya)
With such adaptations and adjustments, the Afro- Roman Missal will speak to the heart of hearts of the African people! It will touch the greatest depth of their being!
Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo
Monastery Val Notre-Dame, Canada.
Another great breakthrough and landmark in the field of Africanisation in recent years has been the publication of the African Bible! Although the main text is the New American Bible translation, the introductions and comments place it in today’s African context.
But there is still another big, heavy and daunting task ahead, which deserves and demands all our attention, skill and energy, namely: The Africanisation of the Roman Missal! And this is much more than a mere good translation of the Missal into African languages like: Kiswahili, Luo, Luganda, Kikuyu etc! It should touch the soul and heart of the African people! In other words, it should reflect as much as possible all the essential elements and values of the African world view which are not contrary to the Gospel! It should also reflect the concrete socio-political and economic reality of the African continent!
The Roman Missal is the Church’s official document, which contains authorised prayers and texts for the liturgy of the Roman Rite. Therefore, this document plays a very important role in the life of the Church, and in the life of every catholic Christian! We use the document for the celebration of Mass. And the Vatican II document on the Sacred Liturgy (N°10) has this to say stressing the importance of the liturgy : The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flow.
So given the centrality of the Roman Missal in the life of the Christians, to be as meaningful and effective as possible, it should be presented to the faithful within their cultural context! In addition, as I have mentioned above, in Africa, it should touch the soul, heart and concrete life of the African people.
The third and revised edition of the Roman Missal is already out and on sell! It is result of 10-years’ work! Mother Church in her wisdom leaves room for adaption and adjustments of the Roman Missal! And the Vatican II document on the Sacred Liturgy recommends and encourages such adaptations and adjustments! It thus says:
It is the goal of this most sacred Council to intensify the daily growth of Catholics in Christian living; to make more responsive to the requirements of our times those Church observances which are open to adaptation; to nurture whatever can contribute to the unity of all who believe in Christ; and to strengthen those aspects of the Church which can help summon all mankind into her embrace. Hence the Council has special reasons for judging it a duty to provide for the renewal and fostering of the liturgy. (Sacrosanctum Concilium No° 1).
And the document adds something very important saying : The Council also desires that, where necessary the rites be carefully and thoroughly revised in the light of sound tradition, and that they be given new vigor to meet the circumstances and needs of modern times. (Sacrosanctum Concilium No° 4) So with adaptations and adjustments to this new edition of the Roman Missal, the Church in Africa should be able to produce an Afro-Roman Missal acceptable to the Holy See.
I propose the following to be part of the adaptations and adjustments :
Inclusion of the ancestors in the Afro-Roman Missal. Ancestors are an essential and integral part of the African perception of reality! Their reverence and veneration is engraved upon the African soul! And they play an active and important role in people’s daily lives! Blessings, joys and curses in one’s life are generally interpreted and understood against the backdrop of ancestors!
In addition, ancestors provide the most powerful symbol of eternal life in the African culture! Africans have no need for philosophical proofs for the immortality of soul and for life after death which occupy a big place in western thought!
The ancestors also symbolise the union between the living and the dead! These are all good reasons for their inclusion in the Afro-Roman Missal! And it should be remembered that celebration of Mass, is celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. It is celebration of eternal life! And this celebration unites both the living and the dead. That is, the pilgrim Church on earth and the saints in heaven!
To the inevitable question: Where exactly should the ancestors be inserted in the Afro- Roman Missal? I proposed that they be inserted between the introductory rites and the penitential rite. And this part of the Mass should be called: The Ancestors Invocation Rite! This place fits them because generally in African traditional worship, ancestors are invoked at the beginning of the ceremony.
The prayer of invocation of ancestors could be formulated along the following lines : Almighty God, Lord of endless ages, without beginning or end, creator of heaven and earth, and all they contain, Ruler of the spirits in the skies above, in the waters below, in the forests, thickets and rocks, Lord of life and death, God of our great, great ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Moses; God of the ancestors our African continent : St. Augustine of Hipo, St. Monica, the Uganda martyrs (Charles Lwanga and his companions,) Bakhita, (other African Saints can be added), God of the ancestors of our clans, men and women, our grandparents, parents and relatives who a lived a holy life before your eyes, we beseech you to let them come down from the heavens above, bringing with them all your blessings; and join us in giving glory and thanks to your name. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen!
The normal penitential rite should follow the ancestor’s invocation rite, but which in my opinion should be said when we are on our knees whenever possible! The symbolism of kneeling would make this rite more meaningful to the African congregation. For in Africa you cannot ask for forgiveness of your wrong doing from the king or chief while standing! You go down on your knees or prostrate yourself to do this! And God is the King of Kings, Chief of chiefs!
In the Afro-Roman Missal, a little adjustment could be done on formula one of the penitential rite. Its first part should thus read: I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, the living and dead, that I have sinned through my own fault. This will provide an occasion of reconciliation for members of the congregation who wanted to reconcile themselves with some people, but who unfortunately died, before this reconciliation could take place.
We should also have an Afro-Eucharistic prayer addressing the deep rooted socio-political problems of the African continent, namely : Tribalism or negative ethnicity, witchcraft, racism corruption and poverty. The 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 2007-2008 Kenya political and ethnic violence, and the independence of South Sudan from North Sudan, are all vivid reminders of these problems. Just a little adjustment of our usual Eucharistic prayer II can serve this purpose!
So after the prayer of consecration, the part that starts with, ‘In memory of his death and…..’ should be adjusted and thus read: In memory of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Father, this life-giving bread, this saving cup. We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. And we ask you Lord God of mercy and love to save and set us free from the dark forces of witchcraft, tribalism, racism, corruption and poverty. So that all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ and the rest of his children be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit. We should call this Eucharistic prayer II with its adaptations: The Afro-Eucharistic prayer.
I also propose that some of the great African Traditional Prayers be integrated into the Afro-Roman Missal as: opening, offertory or prayers after communion, etc! Here are some examples of those great prayers, all taken from the article: African Traditional Prayers – Love Peace and Harmony:
In the beginning was God,
Today is God,
Tomorrow will be God.
Who can make an image of God?
He has no body.
He is the word that comes out of your mouth.
The word!
It is no more,
It is past, and still it lives!
So is God. ( African-Pygmy)
Oludumare, oh Divine One! I give thanks
To You, the one who is as near as my heartbeat, and more anticipated than my next breath.
Let Your wisdom become one with this vessel as I lift my voice in thanks and love. (African-Yoruban)
To our Gods [God] of old, we bless the ground
That you tread in search of our freedom!
We bless your presence in our lives and in our hearts!
Take this offering to your delight,
And be filled with our prayers of thanksgiving!
May our lives remain as full as our hearts on this day! (African-Yoruban)
Praise ye, Ngai…Peace be with us.
Say that the elders may have wisdom and speak with one voice. Peace be with us.
Say that the country may have tranquility. Peace be with us.
And the people may continue to increase. Peace be with us.
Say that the people and the flock and herds,
may prosper and free from illness. Peace be with us.
Say that the fields may bear much fruit,
and the land continue to be fertile. Peace be with us.
May peace reign over earth,
may the gourds cup agree with vessel. Peace be with us.
May their heads agree and every ill word be driven out
into the wilderness, into the virgin forest.
Praise ye, Ngai…Peace be with us. (African-Kikuyu of Kenya)
With such adaptations and adjustments, the Afro- Roman Missal will speak to the heart of hearts of the African people! It will touch the greatest depth of their being!
Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo
Monastery Val Notre-Dame, Canada.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Abolition of Death Penalty
In a recent meeting, the representatives of East African judges rejected calls from the international organisations to formally abolish death penalty. Other judges within Kenya found themselves divided on whether to maintain or abolish death penalty. Those in favour of keeping the capital punishment are posing the question “whose right to life is to be defended; that of the already killed victim or of the live aggressor?
The United Nations is in favour of a moratorium on the death penalty whereby the executions are suspended in view of total abolition. Although most of the countries in the world have not officially abolished the law, they no longer practice death sentence or if it is done very rarely (cf. Evangelium Vitae n. 56). Although the Catholic church does not exclude the possibility of the extreme way of punishing capital offences if this is the only way to defend other lives against the aggressor, it has nevertheless defended the right to life of every person and advocated for non lethal means to punish capital offences, which are more in conformity with human dignity and in line with the conditions of common good (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 2266-2267).
A non governmental Organization in Italy called “Hands off Cain” (in Italian Nessuno Tocchi Caino), initiated in the early 90’ the movement of suspension of death sentence and war against torture in general. The name of this association originates from the Biblical verse in the book of Genesis 4:15, whereby God put a mark on Cain so that nobody would kill him. Cain who killed his brother Abel out of jealousy was well aware that his burden was greater than he could bear and that people would be looking for his blood. However, God decided to protect the murderer saying that whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.
Is this not a clear indication that nobody really deserves death penalty, not because the crime committed is not capital, but simply because there is nothing or no punishment which can equal the crime of death of another person. I think a life lost in crime like murder can only be paid not by eliminating another life through death sentence, but by maintaining another life so that throughout his or her life one can repay through penance and other forms of punishment.
Those advocating for the death penalty instead seem to follow the law of an eye for an eye. Although they don’t quote the bible it can be traced in Genesis 9:6, where God speaks to Noah and tells him that he who sheds blood of man, shall by man his blood be shed. By this statement God however wants to stress how important and valuable human life is. This can be seen in the prohibitions (do not kill) found not only in Deuteronomy 5:17 and Exodus 20:13, but also in Mathew 5:21, among other biblical texts.
Article 26 § 1 of the Kenyan constitution states that every person has right to life. Although § 3 of the same article says that except to the extend authorised by the same constitution or any other law, it does not mean that such a law that might permit killing is a just law. We need to look at the objectives of punishment. It is meant to expiate one’s offences, to preserve public order and safety and as medicinal scope to correct the offender. It is obvious that when the person’s life is eliminated, some of the goals mentioned above won’t be effected. Preservation of public order and safety may be maintained by the aggressor’s death, but it is not guaranteed that such other persons capable of committing similar crimes are not still at large. And it might be impossible to eliminate each and every one who threatens public order and offends fundamental human rights. The circle will be too vicious if we have to apply an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth rule to every capital offence. Even when the universal declaration of human rights (UDHR) defends the right of every person, it states in article 1 that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights. This implies that even the person who murders another has the same right to life, regardless of the offence committed. While article 3 of the same UDHR defends security of every person, article 5 prohibits acts torture, cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment and punishment. With death penalty we can no longer talk of punishment, but revenge.
This is what precisely God meant by saying that whoever kills Cain will have sevenfold vengeance. Whoever then executes another person because he has committed a capital offence will also have to face the same charge. He is also going against the right to life of the other person (a murderer). As I pointed out, the vicious circle will be endless and the injustice great. Nowadays there are new technological ways of administering death penalty unlike the traditional head chopping or hangman. Nevertheless this does not lessen the gravity of the offence. All those involved in administering such punishment in countries whereby this is still practised, have a right to objection of conscious. This means they can pronounce against the act of killing someone if this goes against their inner voice: not simply as a personal matter, but against natural law of preservation of life, which is also prohibited by divine law.
Looking at the world records between 2010 up to at least July 2011, there is a positive evolution towards abolition of capital punishment. The number of countries/states practising it has gone down compared to the past years. In Africa, death penalty was executed by 6 countries in 2010 namely; Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea and Botswana. Recently it has been eliminated in Burundi, Rwanda, Cȏte d’Ivoire, Senegal etc. Asia remains the continent with the highest number of executions. In 2009 president Mwai Kibaki announced that the Kenyan government was commuting all death sentences to life in prison, a move which was seen to reduce by a fifth the total number of prisoners in the world facing the execution. What the East African judges are proposing now is a setback.
Kenya should be looking forward to officially eliminate death sentence after it took the move not to carry out the sentence, which in effect has not been done since 1983. Kenya should focus more on justice as pertains to non capital offences than putting into action the already dormant law of death punishment. It should actualize the moratorium favoured by majority of the nations because it is in line with the dignity the human person and in defence of his rights.
Death penalty can’t be termed as such like legitimate defence which needs to be an actual defence in the here and now action. When the officers in charge of security come across such concrete cases where the public need to be defended, unintentional killing may be viewed as legitimate self defence, if that was the only option to disarm the aggressor. However, when death penalty is executed it is not as a means to punish someone, but it becomes an end on its own. The end of capital punishment is the elimination of the culprit (killing). This does not neither guarantee that the crime committed will end nor give a chance to the person to amend his life. Life imprisonment seems to make sense as the society is free from the aggressors, yet at the same time the prisoners have time to reflect on their past life. Not all of them repent as seen by those who still organize other crimes while in prison or those who escape from prison. But at least the fact that they are imprisoned for life is almost equivalent to being sentenced to death, without being killed by anybody. One just waits for the natural death as he or she continues to study, work, reconcile with the creator and those he offended.
BY FR PASCAL MWAMBI MWAKIO
Master’s degree student at the Faculty of Bioethics
REGINA APOSTOLORUM UNIVERSITY, ROME.
The United Nations is in favour of a moratorium on the death penalty whereby the executions are suspended in view of total abolition. Although most of the countries in the world have not officially abolished the law, they no longer practice death sentence or if it is done very rarely (cf. Evangelium Vitae n. 56). Although the Catholic church does not exclude the possibility of the extreme way of punishing capital offences if this is the only way to defend other lives against the aggressor, it has nevertheless defended the right to life of every person and advocated for non lethal means to punish capital offences, which are more in conformity with human dignity and in line with the conditions of common good (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 2266-2267).
A non governmental Organization in Italy called “Hands off Cain” (in Italian Nessuno Tocchi Caino), initiated in the early 90’ the movement of suspension of death sentence and war against torture in general. The name of this association originates from the Biblical verse in the book of Genesis 4:15, whereby God put a mark on Cain so that nobody would kill him. Cain who killed his brother Abel out of jealousy was well aware that his burden was greater than he could bear and that people would be looking for his blood. However, God decided to protect the murderer saying that whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.
Is this not a clear indication that nobody really deserves death penalty, not because the crime committed is not capital, but simply because there is nothing or no punishment which can equal the crime of death of another person. I think a life lost in crime like murder can only be paid not by eliminating another life through death sentence, but by maintaining another life so that throughout his or her life one can repay through penance and other forms of punishment.
Those advocating for the death penalty instead seem to follow the law of an eye for an eye. Although they don’t quote the bible it can be traced in Genesis 9:6, where God speaks to Noah and tells him that he who sheds blood of man, shall by man his blood be shed. By this statement God however wants to stress how important and valuable human life is. This can be seen in the prohibitions (do not kill) found not only in Deuteronomy 5:17 and Exodus 20:13, but also in Mathew 5:21, among other biblical texts.
Article 26 § 1 of the Kenyan constitution states that every person has right to life. Although § 3 of the same article says that except to the extend authorised by the same constitution or any other law, it does not mean that such a law that might permit killing is a just law. We need to look at the objectives of punishment. It is meant to expiate one’s offences, to preserve public order and safety and as medicinal scope to correct the offender. It is obvious that when the person’s life is eliminated, some of the goals mentioned above won’t be effected. Preservation of public order and safety may be maintained by the aggressor’s death, but it is not guaranteed that such other persons capable of committing similar crimes are not still at large. And it might be impossible to eliminate each and every one who threatens public order and offends fundamental human rights. The circle will be too vicious if we have to apply an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth rule to every capital offence. Even when the universal declaration of human rights (UDHR) defends the right of every person, it states in article 1 that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights. This implies that even the person who murders another has the same right to life, regardless of the offence committed. While article 3 of the same UDHR defends security of every person, article 5 prohibits acts torture, cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment and punishment. With death penalty we can no longer talk of punishment, but revenge.
This is what precisely God meant by saying that whoever kills Cain will have sevenfold vengeance. Whoever then executes another person because he has committed a capital offence will also have to face the same charge. He is also going against the right to life of the other person (a murderer). As I pointed out, the vicious circle will be endless and the injustice great. Nowadays there are new technological ways of administering death penalty unlike the traditional head chopping or hangman. Nevertheless this does not lessen the gravity of the offence. All those involved in administering such punishment in countries whereby this is still practised, have a right to objection of conscious. This means they can pronounce against the act of killing someone if this goes against their inner voice: not simply as a personal matter, but against natural law of preservation of life, which is also prohibited by divine law.
Looking at the world records between 2010 up to at least July 2011, there is a positive evolution towards abolition of capital punishment. The number of countries/states practising it has gone down compared to the past years. In Africa, death penalty was executed by 6 countries in 2010 namely; Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea and Botswana. Recently it has been eliminated in Burundi, Rwanda, Cȏte d’Ivoire, Senegal etc. Asia remains the continent with the highest number of executions. In 2009 president Mwai Kibaki announced that the Kenyan government was commuting all death sentences to life in prison, a move which was seen to reduce by a fifth the total number of prisoners in the world facing the execution. What the East African judges are proposing now is a setback.
Kenya should be looking forward to officially eliminate death sentence after it took the move not to carry out the sentence, which in effect has not been done since 1983. Kenya should focus more on justice as pertains to non capital offences than putting into action the already dormant law of death punishment. It should actualize the moratorium favoured by majority of the nations because it is in line with the dignity the human person and in defence of his rights.
Death penalty can’t be termed as such like legitimate defence which needs to be an actual defence in the here and now action. When the officers in charge of security come across such concrete cases where the public need to be defended, unintentional killing may be viewed as legitimate self defence, if that was the only option to disarm the aggressor. However, when death penalty is executed it is not as a means to punish someone, but it becomes an end on its own. The end of capital punishment is the elimination of the culprit (killing). This does not neither guarantee that the crime committed will end nor give a chance to the person to amend his life. Life imprisonment seems to make sense as the society is free from the aggressors, yet at the same time the prisoners have time to reflect on their past life. Not all of them repent as seen by those who still organize other crimes while in prison or those who escape from prison. But at least the fact that they are imprisoned for life is almost equivalent to being sentenced to death, without being killed by anybody. One just waits for the natural death as he or she continues to study, work, reconcile with the creator and those he offended.
BY FR PASCAL MWAMBI MWAKIO
Master’s degree student at the Faculty of Bioethics
REGINA APOSTOLORUM UNIVERSITY, ROME.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
OPINION: Church Launches New Evangelisation: NASA Scientists Launch First Rocket to Jupiter, 600 Million KM away
The launching of the first rocket ever to Jupiter by NASA scientists, demonstrates the technological stage on which Pope Benedict’s New Evangelisation plan is unfolding! And reveals some of the greatest challenges ahead! Challenges posed by advanced technology which appears to be out pacing by far, our theological reflection and thinking, leaving theologians gasping for breath!
At some point in history, we thought and believed that going to the moon, which is only 384, 000, Km away from the earth was a dream and an impossible task! But on 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped where no human had ever trodden! He set foot on the moon!
The apparently inexhaustible human intellectual powers are at it again! On 5 August 2011, NASA’s Juno spacecraft blasted off heading to Jupiter about 644 million kilometers way from the earth! It is a 5-year journey to the largest planet in the solar system! In terms of surface area, Jupiter is about 122 times bigger than the earth! In July 2016, Juno is expected to settle in the orbit around Jupiter!
In 2014, NASA will launch the James Webb Space Telescope, the most advanced and sophisticated space telescope of our time! It will study the birth and evolution of galaxies, and the formation of stars and planets. It will replace the Hubble Space Telescope.
All this reveals today’s complicated context in which God’s people for whom our Lord Jesus Christ died live. The context in which the Gospel, the Good News of salvation is to be proclaimed to all humans and to all creation! We are not living in the middle ages nor in the early 1900s! We in a world of highly advanced technology! We are in the digital age whose spiritual, moral, economic and socio-political challenges the New Evangelisation seeks to address and tackle!
The Pope is very conscious and aware of the technological and complex life situation in which we live today. And this is why he has given an important position and role to science and technology in his plan of the New Evangelisation as necessary tools at the service of the Word!
In his message for the 44th World Communication Day he thus said :
All priests have as their primary duty the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God,…
Responding adequately to this challenge amid today’s cultural shifts, to which young people are especially sensitive, necessarily involves using new communication technologies. … Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word.
… Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, and websites)…
And on 21 September 2010, when he created the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation, it was revealed that one of its specific tasks was the study and promotion of the use of modern forms of communication, as tools for the New Evangelisation.
In our Community of Val Notre-Dame, our Superior Dom André Barbeau, shared with us his reflections on the Lineamenta for the Synod on the New Evangelisation. And from his sharing I discovered that this document too, discussed the technological and digital culture in which we live!
Reading the document myself, I found that chapter one in the section entitled: The Sectors Calling for the New Evangelisation discussed the extensive mixing of cultures due to today’s technological means of communication. The text thus says:
Although these means of social communications, in their initial stages, were limited to the industrialized world, they are now able to influence vast portions of the developing countries. Today, no place in the world is beyond reach and, consequently, unaffected by the media and digital culture which is fast becoming the ‘forum’ of public life and social interaction.
In my view, this section touches a very important issue, which deserves all our attention, namely: Science and technology in the life, thinking and theology of the Church today. And when the Pope requests and encourages the priests to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources, we are for sure talking about technology in the life of the Church!
So at this point, I would like to give an answer to question number two at end of the introduction of this Lineamenta, which states:
In the process of discerning events in history, what should be shared with the universal Church, so that, by mutual listening to these happenings, the universal Church can recognize where the Spirit is leading her in the work of evangelization?
One of the most striking and amazing things in today’s world and which I would like to be shared with the universal Church, is the incredible speed at which science and technology are developing and advancing! All the time scientists are coming up with new discoveries and astounding findings, in addition to the newly developed scientific theories! So I would like the universal Church during the Synod on the New Evangelisation to ask herself whether or not her theological thinking is coping with the speed and pace at which science and technology are developing.
Are we for example able to integrate the developments in synthetic biology (e.g. the invention of artificial life or DNA, by Dr. Craig Venter and his team, and the invention of the artificial sperm by the Japanese scientists, etc.)? Some genetic scientists, from a mixture of human genes and animal genes are now creating being that are between humans and animals (human-animal hybrids) How is our theology tackling this?
In astrophysics, a theory has been advanced and supported in Stephen Hawking’s book the Grand Design that the universe created itself! This renders God as creator meaningless. How is our theology handling this? In particle physics we are at the level of subatomic particles like: quarks, photons, neutrinos, muons etc, is our present theology making use of this development in physics?
We have Bioethics, but science being so vast, I feel Bioethics is too limited to theologically handle all the material and findings from the different fields of science! So I think the Holy Spirit wants the Church at this point in its history to create a new body of experts who are at once scientists and theologians or at least men and women of faith, to theologically make use of the scientific and technological developments of our day! So I propose that a new Pontifical Academy be created for these experts! And I further propose that it be called: The Pontifical Academy of Techno-theology!
And by Techno-theology, I term I have coined, (techno, stands for technology) we should understand: A theology that uses scientific and technological discoveries of our time and modern scientific theories as its major material for reflection in light of the Gospel and our Christian faith. And it does so, inorder that theology may move at the same pace as science and technology.
So the proposed Pontifical Academy of Techno-theology should be a Sister Institute to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. And should be structured along the same lines of universality. Meaning, its members like those of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences should be of diverse racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, coming from different parts of the world. But what they should all have in common is faith in a Personal God and being experts in the natural sciences or technology.
This means members of this academy could be : Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews etc, as is the case with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. This would give us an opportunity to profit from the theological reflections of believing scientist who are not Christians!
But one could ask, if such an academy were created what exactly would be its contribution to the New Evangelisation? Given the fact that in today’s world especially in the West, young people generally, listen more to scientists than to religious leaders (Imams, Gurus, Pastors and Priests,) if the scientists who believe in God were brought together in such an academy, their strong voice as believers would touch many people’s hearts! Their voice would be strong instrument for the New Evangelisation plan.
I remember for example being touched very deeply by the faith testimonies of two great scientists of our time, Charles Townes (Nobel Physics Prize 1964) and William Phillips (Nobel Physics Prize 1997) published in a French magazine, Le Monde des Religions. (see, Le Monde des Religions, Janvier-Fevrier 2010 N°39 p.36-38.)
I believe and I am convinced that all these great scientists of our day, men and women of deep faith, are an indispensable tool for the New Evangelisation. Let us bring them together in a Pontifical Academy of Techno-theology and we shall live to see a changed world through their testimony of faith and theological reflections.
Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo
Monastery Val Notre-Dame, Canada.
At some point in history, we thought and believed that going to the moon, which is only 384, 000, Km away from the earth was a dream and an impossible task! But on 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped where no human had ever trodden! He set foot on the moon!
The apparently inexhaustible human intellectual powers are at it again! On 5 August 2011, NASA’s Juno spacecraft blasted off heading to Jupiter about 644 million kilometers way from the earth! It is a 5-year journey to the largest planet in the solar system! In terms of surface area, Jupiter is about 122 times bigger than the earth! In July 2016, Juno is expected to settle in the orbit around Jupiter!
In 2014, NASA will launch the James Webb Space Telescope, the most advanced and sophisticated space telescope of our time! It will study the birth and evolution of galaxies, and the formation of stars and planets. It will replace the Hubble Space Telescope.
All this reveals today’s complicated context in which God’s people for whom our Lord Jesus Christ died live. The context in which the Gospel, the Good News of salvation is to be proclaimed to all humans and to all creation! We are not living in the middle ages nor in the early 1900s! We in a world of highly advanced technology! We are in the digital age whose spiritual, moral, economic and socio-political challenges the New Evangelisation seeks to address and tackle!
The Pope is very conscious and aware of the technological and complex life situation in which we live today. And this is why he has given an important position and role to science and technology in his plan of the New Evangelisation as necessary tools at the service of the Word!
In his message for the 44th World Communication Day he thus said :
All priests have as their primary duty the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God,…
Responding adequately to this challenge amid today’s cultural shifts, to which young people are especially sensitive, necessarily involves using new communication technologies. … Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word.
… Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, and websites)…
And on 21 September 2010, when he created the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation, it was revealed that one of its specific tasks was the study and promotion of the use of modern forms of communication, as tools for the New Evangelisation.
In our Community of Val Notre-Dame, our Superior Dom André Barbeau, shared with us his reflections on the Lineamenta for the Synod on the New Evangelisation. And from his sharing I discovered that this document too, discussed the technological and digital culture in which we live!
Reading the document myself, I found that chapter one in the section entitled: The Sectors Calling for the New Evangelisation discussed the extensive mixing of cultures due to today’s technological means of communication. The text thus says:
Although these means of social communications, in their initial stages, were limited to the industrialized world, they are now able to influence vast portions of the developing countries. Today, no place in the world is beyond reach and, consequently, unaffected by the media and digital culture which is fast becoming the ‘forum’ of public life and social interaction.
In my view, this section touches a very important issue, which deserves all our attention, namely: Science and technology in the life, thinking and theology of the Church today. And when the Pope requests and encourages the priests to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources, we are for sure talking about technology in the life of the Church!
So at this point, I would like to give an answer to question number two at end of the introduction of this Lineamenta, which states:
In the process of discerning events in history, what should be shared with the universal Church, so that, by mutual listening to these happenings, the universal Church can recognize where the Spirit is leading her in the work of evangelization?
One of the most striking and amazing things in today’s world and which I would like to be shared with the universal Church, is the incredible speed at which science and technology are developing and advancing! All the time scientists are coming up with new discoveries and astounding findings, in addition to the newly developed scientific theories! So I would like the universal Church during the Synod on the New Evangelisation to ask herself whether or not her theological thinking is coping with the speed and pace at which science and technology are developing.
Are we for example able to integrate the developments in synthetic biology (e.g. the invention of artificial life or DNA, by Dr. Craig Venter and his team, and the invention of the artificial sperm by the Japanese scientists, etc.)? Some genetic scientists, from a mixture of human genes and animal genes are now creating being that are between humans and animals (human-animal hybrids) How is our theology tackling this?
In astrophysics, a theory has been advanced and supported in Stephen Hawking’s book the Grand Design that the universe created itself! This renders God as creator meaningless. How is our theology handling this? In particle physics we are at the level of subatomic particles like: quarks, photons, neutrinos, muons etc, is our present theology making use of this development in physics?
We have Bioethics, but science being so vast, I feel Bioethics is too limited to theologically handle all the material and findings from the different fields of science! So I think the Holy Spirit wants the Church at this point in its history to create a new body of experts who are at once scientists and theologians or at least men and women of faith, to theologically make use of the scientific and technological developments of our day! So I propose that a new Pontifical Academy be created for these experts! And I further propose that it be called: The Pontifical Academy of Techno-theology!
And by Techno-theology, I term I have coined, (techno, stands for technology) we should understand: A theology that uses scientific and technological discoveries of our time and modern scientific theories as its major material for reflection in light of the Gospel and our Christian faith. And it does so, inorder that theology may move at the same pace as science and technology.
So the proposed Pontifical Academy of Techno-theology should be a Sister Institute to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. And should be structured along the same lines of universality. Meaning, its members like those of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences should be of diverse racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, coming from different parts of the world. But what they should all have in common is faith in a Personal God and being experts in the natural sciences or technology.
This means members of this academy could be : Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews etc, as is the case with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. This would give us an opportunity to profit from the theological reflections of believing scientist who are not Christians!
But one could ask, if such an academy were created what exactly would be its contribution to the New Evangelisation? Given the fact that in today’s world especially in the West, young people generally, listen more to scientists than to religious leaders (Imams, Gurus, Pastors and Priests,) if the scientists who believe in God were brought together in such an academy, their strong voice as believers would touch many people’s hearts! Their voice would be strong instrument for the New Evangelisation plan.
I remember for example being touched very deeply by the faith testimonies of two great scientists of our time, Charles Townes (Nobel Physics Prize 1964) and William Phillips (Nobel Physics Prize 1997) published in a French magazine, Le Monde des Religions. (see, Le Monde des Religions, Janvier-Fevrier 2010 N°39 p.36-38.)
I believe and I am convinced that all these great scientists of our day, men and women of deep faith, are an indispensable tool for the New Evangelisation. Let us bring them together in a Pontifical Academy of Techno-theology and we shall live to see a changed world through their testimony of faith and theological reflections.
Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo
Monastery Val Notre-Dame, Canada.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Science and Religion: Are the Wonders of the Digital Age here to Stay?
The fruits of scientific research and the wonders of advanced technology are everywhere, tangible and visible to everybody! But are they here to stay? Are we sure future generations will live to see them and enjoy them?
The bicycles and motor vehicles on our roads, the trains on the rails, airplanes flying the vast skies above and rockets and satellites orbiting the outer space are all fruits of science and technology! The triumph of the human mind!
We are living in a technological and digital world! The mobile phone is now common even in the remote villages of Africa! The Internet, Facebook, Twitter etc, all these are fruits of science and technology, which have revolutionised human communication! And have bridged the enormous distances between us, turning the world into a global village!!
The human mind is constantly in search for knowledge! Even the poor people who never had a chance to go to school are searching for knowledge within their limits to cope with life and its daily challenges!
As for scientific researchers, they are spending sleepless nights in private, national and international laboratories and the Space laboratory trying to find the key and explanation to the mystery of the universe and the enigma of life!
Using advanced ground telescopes and sophisticated space-crafts like : Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope, Astronomers and Astrophysicists have plunged into deep space to study the origins of the universe, the formation of stars, black holes etc! And Astrobiologists have joined them in search of the possibility of life on other planets beyond the earth!
A new French video called: Du Big Bag Au Vivant (which translates: From the Big Bag to life) is out! It discusses among other things: the galaxies, the planets, their sizes and the distances between them, the sun as a nuclear reactor, the spectacular explosion of a dying star (supernova), the beautiful colours of the stars, etc.
As I watched the unfolding of the marvels of the universe in this video, several questions crossed my mind, namely: What is the ultimate goal of our hunger, thirst and search for knowledge? In other words, what do we want to achieve as the very last and final goal of our scientific endeavours and struggles? And can science really survive without religion?
I call upon both the scientific community and the religious community to reflect seriously on these questions. And together formulate and articulate the ultimate goal of our scientific project and research. For experience shows that the knowledge obtained through our scientific and technological breakthroughs, can be used for both good and evil purposes!
Breakthroughs in the medical field, for example: the discovery of vaccines, antibiotics, and organ transplant, has led to the improvement of the quality of human life. But 11 September, 2001 will always be remembered as a day of unspeakable terror! The day, passenger jets, fruits of high technology, were turned into deadly weapons that crashed into the World Trade Centre and reduced it to a heap of ruins and ashes killing thousands of people.
So the possibility that we can wipe the whole human family out of existence by the knowledge we have obtained through scientific research and technological advancement is very real. Scientists, politicians, tycoons who finance scientific projects and religious leaders, should therefore urgently address this problem! And it should be a concern of everybody.
This threat of humanity’s possible self-destruction using the very knowledge we have struggle to obtain through scientific and technological research, in my opinion comes from five basic corners:
• Scientific fundamentalism
• Religious fanaticism, terrorism and intolerance
• Scientific secrecy and bitter rivalry
• Abandonment of ethical and moral principles in scientific research
• Militarisation of outer space
The stance or view held by some scientists which attributes absolutely no positive value to religion and intentionally and systematically seeks its eradication from society and from the human mind, is what I call, scientific fundamentalism!
For example, one of Britain’s leading scientists, Richard Dawkins who is described as: The UK’s Chief Atheist, has declared that religion is a delusion, incompatible with science. To this effect he wrote his now famous book: The God Delusion.
According to him: faith – belief that is not based on evidence – is one of the world’s great evils. And he compares religion to the virus of the mind which is difficult to eradicate!
But the eradication of religion seen as a virus, from the human mind, heart and society, will lead to a human disaster that will eventually bring about our total self destruction. The human race without God will for sure wipe itself out of existence!
What we call, religious fanaticism, terrorism and intolerance has been around since time immemorial! But what makes it so dangerous today is that religious fanatics have access to advanced weaponry technology! They are capable of constructing and assembling devastating bombs! And some already have in their possession sophisticated modern weapons of high tech!
And throughout the world we are witnessing almost at daily basis the heinous crimes committed by these religious fanatics: Muslims, Christians, Hindus etc, alike! They kill innocent people in the name of God or Allah! As they acquire more advanced technical know- how in weaponry construction, these people are capable of doing something that can wipe the entire human race out of existence!
Scientific secrecy and bitter rivalry! Some scientific research projects are in the realm and category of what is called: Top security secrets! An article in Idea Connection entitled: Secrecy in scientific research, states thus:
A considerable amount of scientific research is conducted in institutes or under contracts which preclude dissemination of the results to other than a select group. … Secrecy may be maintained either to gain a military advantage (in the case of defense research) or to gain commercial advantage (in the case of industrial research).
The same article adds: While secrecy in science may be necessary to protect the human race from damage or extinction, secrecy in science in order to increase private profits is morally indefensible.
I have the feeling that if we are not careful, this defense research and the rivalry between different nations, if not checked, might one day bring the human race to the doors of its extinction!
Abandonment of ethical and moral principles in scientific research is a reality we cannot deny! The dignity of the human person has been totally eroded in some scientific research projects! And this is a very dangerous move for the human family.
It has been discovered that some scientists have secretively created what is called, human-animal hybrids. They created embryos from a mixture of human and animal genes. This is totally unacceptable if we still have a sense of respect for the human person. And scientists of this kind, for whom human dignity means nothing, are surely capable of producing something in the laboratory that can wipe out the entire human family and release it out of the lab confinements!
An article posted on 25 July 2011 by Mail Online, entitled: 150 human animal hybrids grown in UK labs: Embryos have been produced secretively for the past three years, has this to say :
Scientists have created more than 150 human-animal hybrid embryos in British laboratories. …
The revelation comes a day after a committee of scientists warned of a night mare ‘Planet of Apes’ scenario in which work on human-animal creations goes too far.
Last night a campaigner against the excess of medical research said he was disgusted that scientists were ‘dabbling in the grotesque’.
Figures seen by the Daily Mail show that 155 ‘admixed’ embryos, containing both human and animal genetic material, have been created since the introduction of the 2008 Human Fertilisation Embryology Act.
Militarization of outer space! If we think, the end of the cold war ended the arms race, we are very deceived! It is still going on unabated and in ways that are more sophisticated than ever before! It is going on in the ocean depths below and in the outer space above!
This unabated arms race among Super powers is no good news! It puts the human race on its toes! Militarizing ocean depths, the earth’s surface and now the outer space above is a real cause for concern! It is an indication that we are constantly creating paths and possibilities, for humanity’s self-destruction!
In an article entitled: Chinese break own deep-water record, posted on 22 July 2011 by The Australian, we thus read:
A Chinese submersible conducted the country’s deepest dive ever Thursday in the latest milestone for China’s deep-sea ambitions as it seeks to exploit the vast resources of the ocean floor. … [Remember these deep-sea crafts have military capability also!]
Chinese technical capabilities have gathered pace in recent decades, exemplified by a fast growing space programme that in 2003 made China the third nation to conduct a manned space flight.
That we have already put military or weapon systems in space is no longer a secret. For many of the satellites orbiting the outer space are for military purposes! For example some of the operations (especially communication) of the deadly Apache helicopters can be done only with the help of satellites. And all the Super powers have satellites in space!
And the idea of space militarisation goes back to the 1960s. In his address to Rice University on 12 September 1962 President, John F. Kennedy had this to say:
Space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of preeminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying threat of war.
It is true: science, genetic engineering and technology have no conscience of their own! Whether we use them for good or ill depends on us. However, without religion, without God can we expect to use them for good?
The total moral bankruptcy and lack of respect for the human person, manifested by those scientists engaged in the creation of human-animal hybrids, reveal what science without God, without religion does! Destruction of the human being! Science guided by moral bankruptcy is a nightmare and a weapon of self-destruction. Science without religion cannot survive!
Without a conscience enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit, we shall eventually destroy all the fruits of science and technology we have achieved so far! We shall put an end to the wonders of our digital age!
Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo
Monastery Val Notre-Dame, Canada.
The bicycles and motor vehicles on our roads, the trains on the rails, airplanes flying the vast skies above and rockets and satellites orbiting the outer space are all fruits of science and technology! The triumph of the human mind!
We are living in a technological and digital world! The mobile phone is now common even in the remote villages of Africa! The Internet, Facebook, Twitter etc, all these are fruits of science and technology, which have revolutionised human communication! And have bridged the enormous distances between us, turning the world into a global village!!
The human mind is constantly in search for knowledge! Even the poor people who never had a chance to go to school are searching for knowledge within their limits to cope with life and its daily challenges!
As for scientific researchers, they are spending sleepless nights in private, national and international laboratories and the Space laboratory trying to find the key and explanation to the mystery of the universe and the enigma of life!
Using advanced ground telescopes and sophisticated space-crafts like : Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope, Astronomers and Astrophysicists have plunged into deep space to study the origins of the universe, the formation of stars, black holes etc! And Astrobiologists have joined them in search of the possibility of life on other planets beyond the earth!
A new French video called: Du Big Bag Au Vivant (which translates: From the Big Bag to life) is out! It discusses among other things: the galaxies, the planets, their sizes and the distances between them, the sun as a nuclear reactor, the spectacular explosion of a dying star (supernova), the beautiful colours of the stars, etc.
As I watched the unfolding of the marvels of the universe in this video, several questions crossed my mind, namely: What is the ultimate goal of our hunger, thirst and search for knowledge? In other words, what do we want to achieve as the very last and final goal of our scientific endeavours and struggles? And can science really survive without religion?
I call upon both the scientific community and the religious community to reflect seriously on these questions. And together formulate and articulate the ultimate goal of our scientific project and research. For experience shows that the knowledge obtained through our scientific and technological breakthroughs, can be used for both good and evil purposes!
Breakthroughs in the medical field, for example: the discovery of vaccines, antibiotics, and organ transplant, has led to the improvement of the quality of human life. But 11 September, 2001 will always be remembered as a day of unspeakable terror! The day, passenger jets, fruits of high technology, were turned into deadly weapons that crashed into the World Trade Centre and reduced it to a heap of ruins and ashes killing thousands of people.
So the possibility that we can wipe the whole human family out of existence by the knowledge we have obtained through scientific research and technological advancement is very real. Scientists, politicians, tycoons who finance scientific projects and religious leaders, should therefore urgently address this problem! And it should be a concern of everybody.
This threat of humanity’s possible self-destruction using the very knowledge we have struggle to obtain through scientific and technological research, in my opinion comes from five basic corners:
• Scientific fundamentalism
• Religious fanaticism, terrorism and intolerance
• Scientific secrecy and bitter rivalry
• Abandonment of ethical and moral principles in scientific research
• Militarisation of outer space
The stance or view held by some scientists which attributes absolutely no positive value to religion and intentionally and systematically seeks its eradication from society and from the human mind, is what I call, scientific fundamentalism!
For example, one of Britain’s leading scientists, Richard Dawkins who is described as: The UK’s Chief Atheist, has declared that religion is a delusion, incompatible with science. To this effect he wrote his now famous book: The God Delusion.
According to him: faith – belief that is not based on evidence – is one of the world’s great evils. And he compares religion to the virus of the mind which is difficult to eradicate!
But the eradication of religion seen as a virus, from the human mind, heart and society, will lead to a human disaster that will eventually bring about our total self destruction. The human race without God will for sure wipe itself out of existence!
What we call, religious fanaticism, terrorism and intolerance has been around since time immemorial! But what makes it so dangerous today is that religious fanatics have access to advanced weaponry technology! They are capable of constructing and assembling devastating bombs! And some already have in their possession sophisticated modern weapons of high tech!
And throughout the world we are witnessing almost at daily basis the heinous crimes committed by these religious fanatics: Muslims, Christians, Hindus etc, alike! They kill innocent people in the name of God or Allah! As they acquire more advanced technical know- how in weaponry construction, these people are capable of doing something that can wipe the entire human race out of existence!
Scientific secrecy and bitter rivalry! Some scientific research projects are in the realm and category of what is called: Top security secrets! An article in Idea Connection entitled: Secrecy in scientific research, states thus:
A considerable amount of scientific research is conducted in institutes or under contracts which preclude dissemination of the results to other than a select group. … Secrecy may be maintained either to gain a military advantage (in the case of defense research) or to gain commercial advantage (in the case of industrial research).
The same article adds: While secrecy in science may be necessary to protect the human race from damage or extinction, secrecy in science in order to increase private profits is morally indefensible.
I have the feeling that if we are not careful, this defense research and the rivalry between different nations, if not checked, might one day bring the human race to the doors of its extinction!
Abandonment of ethical and moral principles in scientific research is a reality we cannot deny! The dignity of the human person has been totally eroded in some scientific research projects! And this is a very dangerous move for the human family.
It has been discovered that some scientists have secretively created what is called, human-animal hybrids. They created embryos from a mixture of human and animal genes. This is totally unacceptable if we still have a sense of respect for the human person. And scientists of this kind, for whom human dignity means nothing, are surely capable of producing something in the laboratory that can wipe out the entire human family and release it out of the lab confinements!
An article posted on 25 July 2011 by Mail Online, entitled: 150 human animal hybrids grown in UK labs: Embryos have been produced secretively for the past three years, has this to say :
Scientists have created more than 150 human-animal hybrid embryos in British laboratories. …
The revelation comes a day after a committee of scientists warned of a night mare ‘Planet of Apes’ scenario in which work on human-animal creations goes too far.
Last night a campaigner against the excess of medical research said he was disgusted that scientists were ‘dabbling in the grotesque’.
Figures seen by the Daily Mail show that 155 ‘admixed’ embryos, containing both human and animal genetic material, have been created since the introduction of the 2008 Human Fertilisation Embryology Act.
Militarization of outer space! If we think, the end of the cold war ended the arms race, we are very deceived! It is still going on unabated and in ways that are more sophisticated than ever before! It is going on in the ocean depths below and in the outer space above!
This unabated arms race among Super powers is no good news! It puts the human race on its toes! Militarizing ocean depths, the earth’s surface and now the outer space above is a real cause for concern! It is an indication that we are constantly creating paths and possibilities, for humanity’s self-destruction!
In an article entitled: Chinese break own deep-water record, posted on 22 July 2011 by The Australian, we thus read:
A Chinese submersible conducted the country’s deepest dive ever Thursday in the latest milestone for China’s deep-sea ambitions as it seeks to exploit the vast resources of the ocean floor. … [Remember these deep-sea crafts have military capability also!]
Chinese technical capabilities have gathered pace in recent decades, exemplified by a fast growing space programme that in 2003 made China the third nation to conduct a manned space flight.
That we have already put military or weapon systems in space is no longer a secret. For many of the satellites orbiting the outer space are for military purposes! For example some of the operations (especially communication) of the deadly Apache helicopters can be done only with the help of satellites. And all the Super powers have satellites in space!
And the idea of space militarisation goes back to the 1960s. In his address to Rice University on 12 September 1962 President, John F. Kennedy had this to say:
Space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of preeminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying threat of war.
It is true: science, genetic engineering and technology have no conscience of their own! Whether we use them for good or ill depends on us. However, without religion, without God can we expect to use them for good?
The total moral bankruptcy and lack of respect for the human person, manifested by those scientists engaged in the creation of human-animal hybrids, reveal what science without God, without religion does! Destruction of the human being! Science guided by moral bankruptcy is a nightmare and a weapon of self-destruction. Science without religion cannot survive!
Without a conscience enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit, we shall eventually destroy all the fruits of science and technology we have achieved so far! We shall put an end to the wonders of our digital age!
Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo
Monastery Val Notre-Dame, Canada.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
OPINION: The Tool Transforming Africa
Father Mose Adekambi on the Bible as the Base of Social Change
Many Nigerians can quote the Bible from memory -- not because they have sat down with a Gospel and drilled the words into their heads. In a population that is only 68% literate, that is not the methodology for memorization. So where do Nigerians learn the Bible? At Mass. They have heard the word of God proclaimed in their churches and retained it in their hearts.
There is a hunger for the word of God in Africa, says Father Mose Adekambi, a diocesan priest from the Diocese of Porto Nuvue in Benin.
Father Adekambi entered the seminary as a youth with dreams of being a simple diocesan priest.
But with time and the encouragement of his bishop he was sent to Rome and became a Biblical scholar. Today, this knowledge and education is serving him well as he is the director of BICAM, the Biblical Center for Africa and Madagascar.
He is responsible for promoting awareness of the Bible throughout all of Africa.
Father Adekambi spoke with the television program "Where God Weeps" of the Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN) in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need, about the Bible in Africa -- and how it is bringing about social change.
Q: Father Mose, before we start talking about your work in Arica with the promotion of the Bible, tell us a bit about yourself. When did you have a sense of your calling to be a priest?
Father Adekambi: I felt my vocation when I was around 12 -- in primary school. Like any other boys of my age at that time, I wanted to be many things in my life. I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be a judge. I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted even to be a priest because I would play pretend priest like many other boys of my age.
Q: Your parents had a background in traditional African religions. What was there reaction?
Father Adekambi: My parents became Catholic as adults. I was already born when my mother was baptized and was married in the Church. I grew up in a Catholic family because I received a Catholic education. One day I was wondering what I wanted to be and my mother said: "You do not know what you what to be exactly?" I think it was on that day that I decided to become a priest. Later on, during the last year of primary school, I had to choose whether to go to the secondary school or enter the minor seminary. I wrote to the first priest of Benin who is a cousin to my grandmother.
Q: The first native Benin priest is a cousin of your grandmother.
Father Adekambi: Yes, I wrote to him saying, "I want to be a priest like you." He wrote back and said: "For this year it is too late for you to enter the minor seminary because the list is already closed and the exam period has passed." Since I was a little bit stubborn, I then went to the parish priest and said I wanted to enter the seminary and he welcomed me and found a way for me to enter the minor seminary. I went then to inform my grandmother and told her that I wanted to be a priest like her brother. So these are the two figures behind my vocation. My mother who unwillingly pushed me to make a decision …
Q: … unwillingly, but when you made the decision there was joy in the family?
Father Adekambi: On the day of my ordination, Aug. 4, 1984, I publicly thanked my parents. And the reason is simple: I am the first-born and I am a man. I was aware that for them it was a big sacrifice, and I thanked them because they allowed me to be free. They never said, "Don't do it." They never said, "Do it." I knew that if I had quit it probably would have been a joy for them, so that is why I thanked them publicly for allowing me to be free to follow my choice despite the pain, which I know they endured.
Q: What is the greatest challenge to your priesthood, to your vocation?
Father Adekambi: To be available. When I decided to become a priest and during my ordination, I used the symbol of raining water. In my language, we have a saying: "Rain water is used carelessly and after that it is thrown away." In Africa, we use tap water and rainwater. I wanted to be available, like rainwater, to God and to my fellow brothers and sisters to meet their needs -- whatever that need may be. Rainwater is used to water flowers, to wash dishes, for the farm, for drinking, it is used for whatever you want. So for me "availability" is a great challenge as a priest -- doing what I don't want to do but what people want me to do …
Q: … and what people will ask of you.
Father Adekambi: Exactly, because that is where they need me and how they need me. It is not easy to give up one's desires, to give your liberty to others to serve in the way they want. I am fighting to be available, and in reading the Church Fathers there was one who particularly affected me. I think it was Alexander of Jerusalem who compared the Holy Spirit to raining water that adapts to each creature. He said that raining water is not the same for a palm tree. It is not the same for the mango tree, but rain always adapts itself to each creature on which it falls. So it became a second challenge for me -- to adapt myself to each person. I am of service just like Paul who said in 1 Corinthian 9: "To the Jews I became like a Jew to win over Jews; to those under the law I became like one under the law ... " and so on, but it is not easy.
Q: Why the focus on the Bible?
Father Adekambi: The focus on the Bible is due to the fact that the Church, especially the African bishops, discovered that there is no evangelization without the word of God. It became very clear that the word of God was not known and the people have a hunger and thirst for the word of God. For example Nigerian missionaries, bishops or priests, tell me Nigerians can often quote the Bible from memory. They have such great facility and love for the word of God. When it comes to Africa I can even tell you that we are more oriented to the word of God than to the book of the word of God.
Q: Why?
Father Adekambi: Precisely because our culture is mostly an oral culture. Let us say a great part of the people cannot read. If you wait for them to know how to read and write before you proclaim the word of God -- how will you do it? How long are you going to wait? So we need to consider that factor, the oral dimension of our culture. As I mentioned, people in Nigeria can quote the Bible precisely from hearing the word of God in the churches -- most of them retain it in their memory.
Q: Because of this oral tradition …
Father Adekambi: … oral tradition and don't forget that in the book of Deuteronomy, the word of God is supposed to be kept on the lips and then be kept in the heart.
Q: So why come back to the written word? Why come back to the Bible?
Father Adekambi: Somehow it is the visible word of God, in terms of sacramentality, it is the Book that is inspired. That is why the Book is important, but we should not emphasize only the Book because to have a larger meaning of the Word of God is even helpful in terms of theology; I always tell people that Chapter 6 is the last chapter preceded by five chapters on what I call the theology on the Word of God. So we need a theology of the Bible before a good apostolate of the Bible.
Q: Africa, as we know, has terrible social ills such as poverty, war, etc. Can the promotion of the Bible address some of these social ills and is this also part of your work?
Father Adekambi: The word of God can help a lot. Take the Letter of the Hebrews Chapter 4 in which it is stated that the word of God is a double-edged sword; it scrutinizes our inner thoughts. If you open yourself and are affected by the word of God, definitely, your bad intentions are challenged and it pushes you to conversion. I think our stance may be wrong. To date, when we talk about social issues in Africa we always talk about things that go wrong: the problem with our leaders, hatred and violence. What we need is what I call an objective approach; an object-centered approach.
Q: ... something in the heart.
Father Adekambi: Exactly, and to solve the problems of Africa we should concentrate on Africans, how they can change their hearts, their mentality. The word of God in that sense is wonderful for change precisely because it challenges us to conversion through many generations. In fact, in 2007, the biblical motto was: "Where is your brother?" Are we fighting against one another? Can we re-define in the image of God who is my brother? Only then do we learn a responsibility toward our brother. Then from this you move to Matthew Chapter 5, the love of enemies. This can help us in Africa. That is really our main concern. This is our workshop.
I would like to share with you what I saw following these workshops in Africa. When I visited Rwanda -- I go around to know what is happening in the country as part of this apostolate -- they told me: "Father, Bible sharing is good. The Bible helps us to reconcile."
Q: After the genocide?
Father Adekambi: And we should never forget that. In fact, also in South Africa during apartheid, the Bible did a lot in terms of reconciliation and helping people address social issues including apartheid and after apartheid for reconciliation and for the reconstruction of the country.
Q: So, for you the Bible and the reintroduction of the word of God, is a foundation on which to build a new society?
Father Adekambi: Exactly, I believe it. I'm convinced. That is my hope for Africa. It is my hope. It is my dream. It is a realized dream because I saw it in Rwanda. I saw it in South Africa. I saw it in Zambia where they have a program where the small Christian communities, at the lowest level, are really trying to get away from their old mentalities and thus changing the world around them by listening to the word of God and the social teaching of the Church.
Q: And putting it into practice?
Father Adekambi: Exactly. The biblical meaning of listening is putting it in practice. Otherwise, if you remember James: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves." So, we are supposed to listen, all of us.
* * *
This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for "Where God Weeps," a weekly television and radio show produced by Catholic Radio and Television Network in conjunction with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
Many Nigerians can quote the Bible from memory -- not because they have sat down with a Gospel and drilled the words into their heads. In a population that is only 68% literate, that is not the methodology for memorization. So where do Nigerians learn the Bible? At Mass. They have heard the word of God proclaimed in their churches and retained it in their hearts.
There is a hunger for the word of God in Africa, says Father Mose Adekambi, a diocesan priest from the Diocese of Porto Nuvue in Benin.
Father Adekambi entered the seminary as a youth with dreams of being a simple diocesan priest.
But with time and the encouragement of his bishop he was sent to Rome and became a Biblical scholar. Today, this knowledge and education is serving him well as he is the director of BICAM, the Biblical Center for Africa and Madagascar.
He is responsible for promoting awareness of the Bible throughout all of Africa.
Father Adekambi spoke with the television program "Where God Weeps" of the Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN) in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need, about the Bible in Africa -- and how it is bringing about social change.
Q: Father Mose, before we start talking about your work in Arica with the promotion of the Bible, tell us a bit about yourself. When did you have a sense of your calling to be a priest?
Father Adekambi: I felt my vocation when I was around 12 -- in primary school. Like any other boys of my age at that time, I wanted to be many things in my life. I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be a judge. I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted even to be a priest because I would play pretend priest like many other boys of my age.
Q: Your parents had a background in traditional African religions. What was there reaction?
Father Adekambi: My parents became Catholic as adults. I was already born when my mother was baptized and was married in the Church. I grew up in a Catholic family because I received a Catholic education. One day I was wondering what I wanted to be and my mother said: "You do not know what you what to be exactly?" I think it was on that day that I decided to become a priest. Later on, during the last year of primary school, I had to choose whether to go to the secondary school or enter the minor seminary. I wrote to the first priest of Benin who is a cousin to my grandmother.
Q: The first native Benin priest is a cousin of your grandmother.
Father Adekambi: Yes, I wrote to him saying, "I want to be a priest like you." He wrote back and said: "For this year it is too late for you to enter the minor seminary because the list is already closed and the exam period has passed." Since I was a little bit stubborn, I then went to the parish priest and said I wanted to enter the seminary and he welcomed me and found a way for me to enter the minor seminary. I went then to inform my grandmother and told her that I wanted to be a priest like her brother. So these are the two figures behind my vocation. My mother who unwillingly pushed me to make a decision …
Q: … unwillingly, but when you made the decision there was joy in the family?
Father Adekambi: On the day of my ordination, Aug. 4, 1984, I publicly thanked my parents. And the reason is simple: I am the first-born and I am a man. I was aware that for them it was a big sacrifice, and I thanked them because they allowed me to be free. They never said, "Don't do it." They never said, "Do it." I knew that if I had quit it probably would have been a joy for them, so that is why I thanked them publicly for allowing me to be free to follow my choice despite the pain, which I know they endured.
Q: What is the greatest challenge to your priesthood, to your vocation?
Father Adekambi: To be available. When I decided to become a priest and during my ordination, I used the symbol of raining water. In my language, we have a saying: "Rain water is used carelessly and after that it is thrown away." In Africa, we use tap water and rainwater. I wanted to be available, like rainwater, to God and to my fellow brothers and sisters to meet their needs -- whatever that need may be. Rainwater is used to water flowers, to wash dishes, for the farm, for drinking, it is used for whatever you want. So for me "availability" is a great challenge as a priest -- doing what I don't want to do but what people want me to do …
Q: … and what people will ask of you.
Father Adekambi: Exactly, because that is where they need me and how they need me. It is not easy to give up one's desires, to give your liberty to others to serve in the way they want. I am fighting to be available, and in reading the Church Fathers there was one who particularly affected me. I think it was Alexander of Jerusalem who compared the Holy Spirit to raining water that adapts to each creature. He said that raining water is not the same for a palm tree. It is not the same for the mango tree, but rain always adapts itself to each creature on which it falls. So it became a second challenge for me -- to adapt myself to each person. I am of service just like Paul who said in 1 Corinthian 9: "To the Jews I became like a Jew to win over Jews; to those under the law I became like one under the law ... " and so on, but it is not easy.
Q: Why the focus on the Bible?
Father Adekambi: The focus on the Bible is due to the fact that the Church, especially the African bishops, discovered that there is no evangelization without the word of God. It became very clear that the word of God was not known and the people have a hunger and thirst for the word of God. For example Nigerian missionaries, bishops or priests, tell me Nigerians can often quote the Bible from memory. They have such great facility and love for the word of God. When it comes to Africa I can even tell you that we are more oriented to the word of God than to the book of the word of God.
Q: Why?
Father Adekambi: Precisely because our culture is mostly an oral culture. Let us say a great part of the people cannot read. If you wait for them to know how to read and write before you proclaim the word of God -- how will you do it? How long are you going to wait? So we need to consider that factor, the oral dimension of our culture. As I mentioned, people in Nigeria can quote the Bible precisely from hearing the word of God in the churches -- most of them retain it in their memory.
Q: Because of this oral tradition …
Father Adekambi: … oral tradition and don't forget that in the book of Deuteronomy, the word of God is supposed to be kept on the lips and then be kept in the heart.
Q: So why come back to the written word? Why come back to the Bible?
Father Adekambi: Somehow it is the visible word of God, in terms of sacramentality, it is the Book that is inspired. That is why the Book is important, but we should not emphasize only the Book because to have a larger meaning of the Word of God is even helpful in terms of theology; I always tell people that Chapter 6 is the last chapter preceded by five chapters on what I call the theology on the Word of God. So we need a theology of the Bible before a good apostolate of the Bible.
Q: Africa, as we know, has terrible social ills such as poverty, war, etc. Can the promotion of the Bible address some of these social ills and is this also part of your work?
Father Adekambi: The word of God can help a lot. Take the Letter of the Hebrews Chapter 4 in which it is stated that the word of God is a double-edged sword; it scrutinizes our inner thoughts. If you open yourself and are affected by the word of God, definitely, your bad intentions are challenged and it pushes you to conversion. I think our stance may be wrong. To date, when we talk about social issues in Africa we always talk about things that go wrong: the problem with our leaders, hatred and violence. What we need is what I call an objective approach; an object-centered approach.
Q: ... something in the heart.
Father Adekambi: Exactly, and to solve the problems of Africa we should concentrate on Africans, how they can change their hearts, their mentality. The word of God in that sense is wonderful for change precisely because it challenges us to conversion through many generations. In fact, in 2007, the biblical motto was: "Where is your brother?" Are we fighting against one another? Can we re-define in the image of God who is my brother? Only then do we learn a responsibility toward our brother. Then from this you move to Matthew Chapter 5, the love of enemies. This can help us in Africa. That is really our main concern. This is our workshop.
I would like to share with you what I saw following these workshops in Africa. When I visited Rwanda -- I go around to know what is happening in the country as part of this apostolate -- they told me: "Father, Bible sharing is good. The Bible helps us to reconcile."
Q: After the genocide?
Father Adekambi: And we should never forget that. In fact, also in South Africa during apartheid, the Bible did a lot in terms of reconciliation and helping people address social issues including apartheid and after apartheid for reconciliation and for the reconstruction of the country.
Q: So, for you the Bible and the reintroduction of the word of God, is a foundation on which to build a new society?
Father Adekambi: Exactly, I believe it. I'm convinced. That is my hope for Africa. It is my hope. It is my dream. It is a realized dream because I saw it in Rwanda. I saw it in South Africa. I saw it in Zambia where they have a program where the small Christian communities, at the lowest level, are really trying to get away from their old mentalities and thus changing the world around them by listening to the word of God and the social teaching of the Church.
Q: And putting it into practice?
Father Adekambi: Exactly. The biblical meaning of listening is putting it in practice. Otherwise, if you remember James: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves." So, we are supposed to listen, all of us.
* * *
This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for "Where God Weeps," a weekly television and radio show produced by Catholic Radio and Television Network in conjunction with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
Friday, July 15, 2011
OPINION: Genetic Modification
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS AND ORGANISMS AND THE PROBLEM OF HUNGER
We talk of genetic modification, genetic engineering or transgenic plants when there is a combination of genes from different organisms (recombinant DNA). The current debate in Kenya on importation of genetically modified maize to curb the problem of hunger is not without foundation.
Benefits from biological experiments has an advantage of increased production, formation of new vegetal species for the benefit of all and especially for the most in need. Since God the creator has mandated man to take care and govern the created, we can not but ask Him to direct the application of scientific research to produce new food supplies in order to combat the tragedy of hunger of the poor people in our country and other places in the world. Power of man to govern over the created and over nature proves his divine origin and thus he becomes a steward of God by developing and modifying nature in an honest, responsible manner and in solidarity with the present and future generations.
Most of us agree that fighting hunger is one of the common grounds of understanding among the world religions and other institutions. However, none of these can effectively address this problem alone without cooperation.
Breeding methods whether natural like cross pollination or manipulated ones like genetic engineering lead to a selection of crops with higher yields and higher nutritional values, thanks to DNA techniques. As population expands, new technology develops to improve food security in a manner that sees decreased labour intensiveness, decreased maturation, decreased pesticide use and increased production and income among others. While this can improve crop properties such as improved health of the plant itself, it is not automatic that there is such improved health or risk elimination to human beings who consume them.
Plant biotechnology has great potentiality to improve productivity, but can have setbacks in the developing countries due to purchasing costs, poor infrastructure and lack of capacity building. The so called developed countries have a duty (in the name of solidarity) to help the developing countries to attain sustainability of these technologies on their own soil.
As we talk of importing GMF (genetically modified foods) like maize, one wonders why we cannot be assisted to produce the same in our country by making available the seeds or by improving the already existing traditional methods. What is the point of helping somebody only to make him or her a beggar and perpetual dependant while there is a possibility to make him/her self reliant and independent.
Just to give an example of malaria which existed in some European countries some years back, and has since then been eliminated. Why should the poor African countries not be assisted to eliminate the mosquitoes transmitting the parasite. Is it genuine to continue producing mosquito nets, malaria drugs, researching for vaccines instead of revealing the secrets behind its eradication if this can work in Africa? The World Food Summit needs to revisit the strategies of food security by empowering local communities to manage for instance the seeds and water banks. If this technology is to serve man, the seeds produced in the laboratory should be made to reproduce even after harvest.
There could be economic motives behind intentionally making the seeds sterile to reproduction to ensure that farmers have to buy them every new season.
While the developed countries have solved the problem of fundamental right to food, our country (not poor as such in terms of resources) still lacks this stability. While some members of parliament want to deny the government revenue from taxes, the poor is struggling to get a meal, leave a lone a balanced diet which may only be attained after a whole week and in un even pattern. The government of Kenya should be the first to solve this problem by having equal distribution of recourses and wealth. And now that we have the new constitution, it is the government’s duty to educate people on their rights and corresponding duties, while the civil servants should be the first to respect the law.
The so called “Golden Rice” is an example of GE (genetically engineered) product which can make an important contribution to fight against serious eye diseases, respiratory and intestinal problems mostly affecting children and women. This rice is inserted with genes and bacterium to modify the grain with sufficient vitamin A potentials and irons. If this rice is approved, then nutrition is improved and mortality rates of the affected groups can be lowered. Apparently there has been a delay to its approval due to the regulation of such products not just for safety, but for other bureaucratic reasons too. The resistance to approve GE products has also to do with the war between GMO and products not modified genetically (organic products). Those producing and selling the organic ones fear loosing market since with high productivity of the GMO the prices go down. The rising cost and campaigns for the advantages of the organic products are justified for the labour/cost of production, originality and nutritional values especially the traditional and indigenous ones. Nevertheless, not all the products portrayed as such in the market are truly organic.
The rejection of GMO is not only in Kenya, but in other places too. In Europe there are restrictions to the importation of GMO not more so for the risks, but for absence of direct benefits to the continent unlike in Africa. In Africa there are more farmers even though the productivity is low while in Europe there are few farmers, but with high productivity. Resisting GMO in Africa is more costly since the effects due malnutrition, hunger and poverty are worse. Over regulation for a long period of time is disadvantageous to the poor and hungry. Those responsible for pre-market safety review for food products should use a reasonable amount of time to assure consumers before deploying the products for consumption. Although regulation is important, some modifications caused by combination of genes are unpredictable. The long term effects may also not be available at the moment. There is however a need to take a lot of precaution when it comes to the use of such products like maize by human beings. High risks must be avoided, zero risk may be almost impossible. However, no damage should be done to human values like health or life due to the unnecessary delays.
Although GMOs are feared for the potential harm to human health, damage to environment, negative impact on traditional farming practices, excessive corporate dominance and lack of free expression of preferences by farmers to employ the technology; it is nevertheless a threat to some politicians and the power elite. In developing countries despite chronic food shortage and poverty the above mentioned are concerned about protecting their export markets of organic products which supply them with money in stable countries, thus protecting their wealth and power. The debate on GMO therefore needs a wider view than we may imagine.
It could be useful to consider the new possibilities that are opening up through proper use of traditional as well as innovative farming techniques, always assuming that these have been judged, after sufficient testing, to be appropriate, safe for human health, respectful of environment and attentive to the needs of the most deprived peoples.
Fr Pascal Mwambi Mwakio
Holds a Masters for Bioethics
Rome, Italy.
We talk of genetic modification, genetic engineering or transgenic plants when there is a combination of genes from different organisms (recombinant DNA). The current debate in Kenya on importation of genetically modified maize to curb the problem of hunger is not without foundation.
Benefits from biological experiments has an advantage of increased production, formation of new vegetal species for the benefit of all and especially for the most in need. Since God the creator has mandated man to take care and govern the created, we can not but ask Him to direct the application of scientific research to produce new food supplies in order to combat the tragedy of hunger of the poor people in our country and other places in the world. Power of man to govern over the created and over nature proves his divine origin and thus he becomes a steward of God by developing and modifying nature in an honest, responsible manner and in solidarity with the present and future generations.
Most of us agree that fighting hunger is one of the common grounds of understanding among the world religions and other institutions. However, none of these can effectively address this problem alone without cooperation.
Breeding methods whether natural like cross pollination or manipulated ones like genetic engineering lead to a selection of crops with higher yields and higher nutritional values, thanks to DNA techniques. As population expands, new technology develops to improve food security in a manner that sees decreased labour intensiveness, decreased maturation, decreased pesticide use and increased production and income among others. While this can improve crop properties such as improved health of the plant itself, it is not automatic that there is such improved health or risk elimination to human beings who consume them.
Plant biotechnology has great potentiality to improve productivity, but can have setbacks in the developing countries due to purchasing costs, poor infrastructure and lack of capacity building. The so called developed countries have a duty (in the name of solidarity) to help the developing countries to attain sustainability of these technologies on their own soil.
As we talk of importing GMF (genetically modified foods) like maize, one wonders why we cannot be assisted to produce the same in our country by making available the seeds or by improving the already existing traditional methods. What is the point of helping somebody only to make him or her a beggar and perpetual dependant while there is a possibility to make him/her self reliant and independent.
Just to give an example of malaria which existed in some European countries some years back, and has since then been eliminated. Why should the poor African countries not be assisted to eliminate the mosquitoes transmitting the parasite. Is it genuine to continue producing mosquito nets, malaria drugs, researching for vaccines instead of revealing the secrets behind its eradication if this can work in Africa? The World Food Summit needs to revisit the strategies of food security by empowering local communities to manage for instance the seeds and water banks. If this technology is to serve man, the seeds produced in the laboratory should be made to reproduce even after harvest.
There could be economic motives behind intentionally making the seeds sterile to reproduction to ensure that farmers have to buy them every new season.
While the developed countries have solved the problem of fundamental right to food, our country (not poor as such in terms of resources) still lacks this stability. While some members of parliament want to deny the government revenue from taxes, the poor is struggling to get a meal, leave a lone a balanced diet which may only be attained after a whole week and in un even pattern. The government of Kenya should be the first to solve this problem by having equal distribution of recourses and wealth. And now that we have the new constitution, it is the government’s duty to educate people on their rights and corresponding duties, while the civil servants should be the first to respect the law.
The so called “Golden Rice” is an example of GE (genetically engineered) product which can make an important contribution to fight against serious eye diseases, respiratory and intestinal problems mostly affecting children and women. This rice is inserted with genes and bacterium to modify the grain with sufficient vitamin A potentials and irons. If this rice is approved, then nutrition is improved and mortality rates of the affected groups can be lowered. Apparently there has been a delay to its approval due to the regulation of such products not just for safety, but for other bureaucratic reasons too. The resistance to approve GE products has also to do with the war between GMO and products not modified genetically (organic products). Those producing and selling the organic ones fear loosing market since with high productivity of the GMO the prices go down. The rising cost and campaigns for the advantages of the organic products are justified for the labour/cost of production, originality and nutritional values especially the traditional and indigenous ones. Nevertheless, not all the products portrayed as such in the market are truly organic.
The rejection of GMO is not only in Kenya, but in other places too. In Europe there are restrictions to the importation of GMO not more so for the risks, but for absence of direct benefits to the continent unlike in Africa. In Africa there are more farmers even though the productivity is low while in Europe there are few farmers, but with high productivity. Resisting GMO in Africa is more costly since the effects due malnutrition, hunger and poverty are worse. Over regulation for a long period of time is disadvantageous to the poor and hungry. Those responsible for pre-market safety review for food products should use a reasonable amount of time to assure consumers before deploying the products for consumption. Although regulation is important, some modifications caused by combination of genes are unpredictable. The long term effects may also not be available at the moment. There is however a need to take a lot of precaution when it comes to the use of such products like maize by human beings. High risks must be avoided, zero risk may be almost impossible. However, no damage should be done to human values like health or life due to the unnecessary delays.
Although GMOs are feared for the potential harm to human health, damage to environment, negative impact on traditional farming practices, excessive corporate dominance and lack of free expression of preferences by farmers to employ the technology; it is nevertheless a threat to some politicians and the power elite. In developing countries despite chronic food shortage and poverty the above mentioned are concerned about protecting their export markets of organic products which supply them with money in stable countries, thus protecting their wealth and power. The debate on GMO therefore needs a wider view than we may imagine.
It could be useful to consider the new possibilities that are opening up through proper use of traditional as well as innovative farming techniques, always assuming that these have been judged, after sufficient testing, to be appropriate, safe for human health, respectful of environment and attentive to the needs of the most deprived peoples.
Fr Pascal Mwambi Mwakio
Holds a Masters for Bioethics
Rome, Italy.
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