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J/P Alert is the newsletter of the Justice and Peace office of CMSM. It is intended to inform and stimulate discussion and involvement among the members. Its contents do not necessarily represent official positions of CMSM.
[Herman Kinzler, O.Carm., is a student at the Washington Theological Union. As part of his training, he spent the 2006-07 school year as an intern at CMSM, working with the Justice and Peace Director. Part of his responsibility was to track and participate in the work of the Colombia Steering Committee. The following are his reflections on that experience.]
Colombia: A Ministry of Presence
My name is Herman Kinzler and I am a Carmelite brother
studying for the priesthood. I am starting my fourth and final year of
study at the Washington Theological Union, and this past year I worked
as an intern for CMSM under the supervision of Michael McNulty, SJ in
the area of social justice.
My ministry required me to follow issues and go to meetings. Some (but not all) of the meetings that I attended were the following: Border Working Group, a group concerned with human rights violations along the U.S.-Mexico border; Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment, a group committed to seeing that the voice of faith communities is heard in public policy discussions on trade justice; Latin America Working Group, a group that encourages justice in U.S. policies with Latin America, specifically in the area of human rights and sustainable economic development; and the Colombia Steering Committee, a group devoted to increasing respect for human rights and humanitarian law in Colombia.
When I first began my ministry,
I thought of these as being "someplace
else" issues – they seemed far removed geographically from
my neighborhood in northeast Washington, D.C. As my ministry progressed,
however, I saw how these "far away" issues were affecting
those living in my own neighborhood. I saw the U.S.-Mexico Border issue
every time I drove along New Hampshire Avenue and passed all of the day
workers; I saw the Central America issue every time I read about another
young person being killed by Mara Salvatrucha; and I saw the Colombia
issue every time I heard about another violent crime occurring in Prince
George's County. I began to see that the issues I was working on
were not only relevant to my own life "here", but to
all lives everywhere.
The Colombia Steering Committee brought to my attention some of problems faced by the people of Colombia. I learned that Colombia has the world's third largest number of internally displaced persons, behind Sudan and the Congo. These are staggering numbers. In 2005, for instance, violence forced 250,000 Colombians to leave their homes. Most of this displacement was caused by the forty-year conflict between left-wing guerillas, the Colombia State, and right-wing guerillas over land considered to have either strategic or economic value. To make matters worse, the U.S. in its fumigation of the coca crop has poisoned the land making it unusable for farming. Last year, 424,000 acres were fumigated. The peasant farmers who live in these areas are now no longer able to grow beans and corn. There are also many reports of people becoming sick after fumigation runs, particularly the young and elderly, and reports of livestock dying as well. As for the coca crop, the fumigation campaign has not really stopped coca growing. It has only caused coca farming to be moved to more remote areas.
Since cocaine use in the United States is relatively high, we are partly to blame for the problems faced by the people of Colombia. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 33.7 million Americans ages 12 and older had tried cocaine at least once in their lifetimes. This represents 13.8% of the U.S. population. The survey also says that 5.5 million Americans had used cocaine in the past year and 2.4 million had used cocaine within the past month. Cocaine use is not simply limited to adults; it is also prevalent among our school children. According to the 2006 Monitoring the Future Survey, 3.4% of eighth graders, 4.8% of tenth graders, and 8.5% of twelfth graders reported using cocaine within the last twelve months. Our national demand for cocaine is high and its use begins at young ages.
The problems faced by Colombia are also our own because we all make up the Body of Christ. The apostle Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves." (1 Cor 11:27-29) Paul was concerned about the way in which the Corinthians were celebrating the Eucharist. The Corinthians began to eat before all the guests had arrived, some got drunk while others went hungry, and rifts were beginning to mount between the rich and the poor. They had an erroneous sense of Church. They failed to recognize that all of us, whether young or old, rich or poor, living in the United States or Colombia, constitute the Body of Christ. We all make up the Body of Christ, and because of this, we must treat each other justly. It is only then that we can say we celebrate the Eucharist in an authentic way and are able to drink from the cup worthily.
With the demand for drugs being so high in the United States, how can we celebrate the Eucharist in an authentic way while knowing that our national drug addiction is perhaps the biggest factor contributing to Colombia's problems? Don't we all belong to the same Body of Christ? By the U.S. fumigating the cocoa crop and poisoning the land, what is that saying about our being stewards of God's creation? Or, when violence is seen as a public health problem in Colombia, what is that saying about the respect for human life? These questions all seem to be unanswerable. They are questions for us to reflect upon, pray over, and take to Eucharist with us.
St. Thérèse of Lisiuex, Carmelite nun and Doctor of the
Church, said: "In the evening of this life, I shall appear before
you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works.
All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed
in your own justice and to receive
from your love the
eternal possession of yourself." Thérèse really gives us something to
ponder when she says that "all of our justice is blemished" in
God's eyes. No matter how much we are involved in social justice
ministry, whether as a year-long intern or as one's life's
work, it just doesn't seem as if we are doing enough.
"God Hears The Cry Of The Oppressed"
[Pastoral Letter by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference on the Current Crisis of Our Country: Holy Thursday, 5 April 2007]
As your Shepherds we have reflected on our national situation and, in the light of the Word of God and Christian Social Teaching, have discerned what we now share with you, in the hope of offering guidance, light and hope in these difficult times.
The Crisis
The people of Zimbabwe are suffering. More and more people are getting
angry, even from among those who had seemed to be doing reasonably well
under the circumstances. The reasons for the anger are many, among them,
bad governance and corruption. A tiny minority of the people have become
very rich overnight, while the majority are languishing in poverty, creating
a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Our Country is in deep crisis.
A crisis is an unstable situation of extreme danger and difficulty. Yet,
it can also be turned into a moment of grace and of a new beginning,
if those responsible for causing the crisis repent, heed the cry of the
people and foster a change of heart and mind especially during the imminent
Easter Season, so our Nation can rise to new life with the Risen Lord.
In Zimbabwe today, there are Christians on all sides of the conflict; and there are many Christians sitting on the fence. Active members of our Parish and Pastoral Councils are prominent officials at all levels of the ruling party. Equally distinguished and committed office-bearers of the opposition parties actively support church activities in every parish and diocese.
They all profess their loyalty to the same Church. They are all baptized, sit and pray and sing together in the same church, take part in the same celebration of the Eucharist and partake of the same Body and Blood of Christ. While the next day, outside the church, a few steps away, Christian State Agents, policemen and soldiers assault and beat peaceful, unarmed demonstrators and torture detainees. This is the unacceptable reality on the ground, which shows much disrespect for human life and falls far below the dignity of both the perpetrator and the victim.
In our prayer and reflection during this Lent, we have tried to understand the reasons why this is so. We have concluded that the crisis of our Country is, in essence, a crisis of governance and a crisis of leadership apart from being a spiritual and moral crisis.
A Crisis of Governance
The national health system has all but disintegrated as a result of
prolonged industrial action by medical professionals, lack of drugs,
essential
equipment in disrepair and several other factors.
In the educational sector, high tuition fees and levies, the lack of
teaching and learning resources, and the absence of teachers have brought
activities in many public schools and institutions of higher education
to a standstill. The number of students forced to terminate their education
is increasing every month. At the same time, Government interference
with the provision of education by private schools has created unnecessary
tension and conflict.
Public services in Zimbabwe's towns and cities have crumbled. Roads, street lighting, water and sewer reticulation are in a state of severe disrepair to the point of constituting an acute threat to public health and safety, while the collection of garbage has come to a complete standstill in many places. Unabated political interference with the work of democratically elected Councils is one of the chief causes of this breakdown.
The erosion of the public transport system has negatively affected every aspect of our Country's economy and social life. Horrific accidents claim the lives of dozens of citizens each month.
Almost two years after the Operation Murambatsvina, thousands of victims are still without a home. That inexcusable injustice has not been forgotten.
Following a radical land reform program seven years ago, many people are today going to bed hungry and wake up to a day without work. Hundreds of companies were forced to close. Over 80 per cent of the people of Zimbabwe are without employment. Scores risk their lives week after week in search of work in neighboring countries.
Inflation has soared to over 1,600 per cent, and continues to rise, daily. It is the highest in the world and has made the life of ordinary Zimbabweans unbearable, regardless of their political preferences. We are all concerned for the turnaround of our economy but this will remain a dream unless corruption is dealt with severely irrespective of a person's political or social status or connections.
The list of justified grievances is long and could go on for many pages.
The suffering people of Zimbabwe are groaning in agony: "Watchman, how much longer the night"? (Is 21:11)
A Crisis of Moral Leadership
The crisis of our Country is, secondly, a crisis of leadership. The
burden of that crisis is borne by all Zimbabweans, but especially
the young
who grow up in search of role models. The youth are influenced and
formed as much by what they see their elders doing as by what they
hear and
learn at school or from their peers.
If our young people see their leaders habitually engaging in acts and words which are hateful, disrespectful, racist, corrupt, lawless, unjust, greedy, dishonest and violent in order to cling to the privileges of power and wealth, it is highly likely that many of them will behave in exactly the same manner. The consequences of such overtly corrupt leadership as we are witnessing in Zimbabwe today will be with us for many years, perhaps decades, to come. Evil habits and attitudes take much longer to rehabilitate than to acquire. Being elected to a position of leadership should not be misconstrued as a license to do as one pleases at the expense of the will and trust of the electorate.
A Spiritual and Moral Crisis
Our crisis is not only political and economic but first and foremost
a spiritual and moral crisis. As the young independent nation struggles
to find its common national spirit, the people of Zimbabwe are reacting
against the "structures of sin" in our society. Pope John Paul
II says that the "structures of sin" are "rooted in personal
sin, and thus always linked to the concrete acts of individuals who introduce
these structures, consolidate them and make them difficult to remove.
And thus they grow stronger, spread, and become the source of other sins,
and so influence people's behavior." [1] The Holy Father stresses
that in order to understand the reality that confronts us, we must "give
a name to the root of the evils which afflict us." [2] That is what
we have done in this Pastoral Letter.
The Roots of the Crisis
The present crisis in our Country has its roots deep in colonial society.
Despite the rhetoric of a glorious socialist revolution brought about
by the armed struggle, the colonial structures and institutions of
pre-independent Zimbabwe continue to persist in our society. None
of the unjust and oppressive
security laws of the Rhodesian State have been repealed; in fact, they
have been reinforced by even more repressive legislation, the Public
Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection
of Privacy Act, in particular. It almost appears as though someone
sat down
with the Declaration of Human Rights and deliberately scrubbed out
each in turn.
Why was this done? Because soon after Independence, the power and wealth of the tiny white Rhodesian elite was appropriated by an equally exclusive black elite, some of whom have governed the country for the past 27 years through political patronage. Black Zimbabweans today fight for the same basic rights they fought for during the liberation struggle. It is the same conflict between those who possess power and wealth in abundance, and those who do not; between those who are determined to maintain their privileges of power and wealth at any cost, even at the cost of bloodshed, and those who demand their democratic rights and a share in the fruits of independence; between those who continue to benefit from the present system of inequality and injustice, because it favors them and enables them to maintain an exceptionally high standard of living, and those who go to bed hungry at night and wake up in the morning to another day without work and without income; between those who only know the language of violence and intimidation, and those who feel they have nothing more to lose because their Constitutional rights have been abrogated and their votes rigged. Many people in Zimbabwe are angry, and their anger is now erupting into open revolt in one township after another.
The confrontation in our Country has now reached a flashpoint. As the suffering population becomes more insistent, generating more and more pressure through boycotts, strikes, demonstrations and uprisings, the State responds with ever harsher oppression through arrests, detentions, banning orders, beatings and torture. In our judgment, the situation is extremely volatile. In order to avoid further bloodshed and avert a mass uprising the nation needs a new people-driven Constitution that will guide a democratic leadership chosen in free and fair elections that will offer a chance for economic recovery under genuinely new policies.
Our Message of Hope: God is always on the Side of the
Oppressed
The Bible has much to say about situations of confrontation. The conflict
between the oppressor and the oppressed is a central theme throughout
the Old and New Testaments.[3] Biblical scholars have discovered that
there are no less than twenty different root words in Hebrew to describe
oppression.
One example is the Creed of the chosen people, which we read on the First Sunday of Lent: "My Father was a homeless Aramaean. He went down to Egypt to find refuge there, few in numbers; but there he became a nation, great, mighty and strong. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders . ... " (Deut 26:5b-8).
The Bible describes oppression in concrete and vivid terms: Oppression is the experience of being crushed, degraded, humiliated, exploited, impoverished, defrauded, deceived and enslaved. And the oppressors are described as cruel, ruthless, arrogant, greedy, violent and tyrannical; they are called "the enemy." Such words could only have been used by people who in their own lives and history had an immediate and personal experience of being oppressed. To them Yahweh revealed himself as the God of compassion who hears the cry of the oppressed and who liberates them from their oppressors. The God of the Bible is always on the side of the oppressed. He does not reconcile Moses and Pharaoh, or the Hebrew slaves with their Egyptian oppressors. Oppression is sin and cannot be compromised with. It must be overcome. God takes sides with the oppressed. As we read in Psalm 103:6: "God who does what is right, is always on the side of the oppressed." [4]
When confronted with the politically powerful, Jesus speaks the language of the boldest among Israel's prophets. He calls Herod "that fox" (Lk13:32) and courageously exposes the greed for money, power and adulation of the political elite. And he warns his disciples never to do likewise: "Among the gentiles it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. With you this must not happen. No, the greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves" (Lk 22:25-27). And he warns Pilate in no uncertain terms that he will be held to account by God for his use of power over life and death (John 19:11).
Throughout the history of the Church, persecuted Christians have remembered, prayed and sung the prophetic words of Mary: "[The Lord] has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty" (Lk1:50-53).
Generations of Zimbabweans, too, throughout their own long history of oppression and their struggle for liberation, have remembered, prayed and sung these texts from the Old and New Testaments and found strength, courage and perseverance in their faith that Jesus is on their side. That is the message of hope we want to convey in this Pastoral Letter: God is on your side. He always hears the cry of the poor and oppressed and saves them.
Conclusion
We conclude our Pastoral Letter by affirming with a clear and unambiguous
Yes our support of morally legitimate political authority. At the same
time we say an equally clear and unambiguous No to power through violence,
oppression and intimidation. We call on those who are responsible for
the current crisis in our Country to repent and listen to the cry of
their citizens. To the people of Zimbabwe we appeal for peace and restraint
when expressing their justified grievances and demonstrating for their
human rights.
Words call for concrete action, for symbols and gestures which keep our hope alive. We therefore invite all the faithful to a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Zimbabwe, on Saturday, 14 April 2007. This will be followed by a Prayer Service for Zimbabwe, on Friday, every week, in all parishes of our Country. As for the details, each Diocese will make known its own arrangements.
May the Peace and Hope of the Risen Lord be with you always. Happy Easter.
Prayer For Our Country
God Our Father,
You have given all peoples one common origin,
And your will is to gather them as one family in yourself.
Give compassion to our leaders, integrity to our citizens, and repentance
to us all.
Fill the hearts of all women and men with your love
And the desire to ensure justice for all their brothers and sisters.
By sharing the good things you give us
May we ensure justice and equality for every human being,
An end to all division, and a human society built on love,
Lasting prosperity and peace for all.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
+Robert C. Ndlovu, Archbishop of Harare (ZCBC President)
+Pius Alec M. Ncube, Archbishop of Bulawayo
+Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, Bishop of Mutare (ZCBC Secretary/Treasurer)
+Michael D. Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo
+Angel Floro, Bishop of Gokwe (ZCBC Vice President)
+Martin Munyanyi, Bishop of Gweru
+Dieter B. Scholz SJ, Bishop of Chinhoyi
+Albert Serrano, Bishop of Hwange
+Patrick M. Mutume, Auxiliary Bishop of Mutare
References:
[1] John Paul II (1987), Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis,
paragraph 36
[2] Ibid
[3] The Kairos Document (1985), Challenge to the Church, A Theological
Comment on the
Political Crisis in South Africa, p 19 f
[4] The Kairos Document (1985), Challenge to the Church, A Theological
Comment on the
Political Crisis in South Africa, p 20
Justice for Immigrants
The Justice Prayer
Come, O Holy Spirit!
Come, open us to the wonder, beauty, and dignity of the diversity found
in each culture,
in each face, and in each experience we have of the other among us.
Come, fill us with generosity
as we are challenged to let go and allow others to share with us
the goods and beauty of earth.
Come, heal the divisions
that keep us from seeing the face of Christ in all men, women, and
children.
Come, free us to stand with and for those
who must leave their own lands in order to find work, security,
and
welcome in a new land, one that has enough to share.
Come, bring us understanding, inspiration, wisdom, and
the courage needed to embrace change and stay on the journey.
Come, O Holy Spirit,
show us the way.
Iraq: Catholic Resources for Discernment
The third installment of this resource is available on the web site of Jesuit Conference.
New
Presidency of Pax Christi International
Pax Christi International has elected Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo and Marie Dennis as the new Presidents of Pax Christi International at their Annual General Assembly taking place 28 April 2007 in Antwerp, Belgium. Their 3 years mandate as co-presidents begins at the Triennial World Assembly of Pax Christi International, which will take place from 30 October to 4 November 2007 in Torhout/Bruges. The present International President, H.B. Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, will remain in office until 3 November 2007.
Pax Christi International was founded in 1945 in France as a movement of Catholics in Europe who wanted to promote reconciliation at the end of the Second World War. Madame Marthe Dortel-Claudot and Msgr. Théas inspired the foundation of the movement. Today, Pax Christi is a dynamic faith based network with more than 100 member organizations active worldwide. By electing co-presidents, a lay woman and a bishop to lead the movement, Pax Christi returns to its roots and lifts up a model of shared leadership in the Catholic Church.
Msgr. Laurent MONSENGWO PASYNIA (DR Congo)
Archbishop of Kisangani and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference
of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As former President of SCEAM (Symposium
of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar), Msgr. Monsengwo
worked continually for peace building efforts in his country, and throughout
Africa. He is convinced that a lasting peace can only be realized through
dialogue among the citizens of all countries. He is often consulted
by high officials concerning Africa. Member of the Executive Committee
of Pax Christi International since 1999 and Vice President until 3
November 2007. He is member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace.
Marie DENNIS (USA)
As director of the Maryknoll
Office for Global Concerns Marie Dennis
is responsible for bringing the voice and experience of Maryknoll
missionaries and their commitment to peace, social justice and
the integrity of
creation into policy discussions in the U.S. and other governments,
the World Bank, the IMF, the United Nations and the corporate world.
She has international experience particularly in Latin America and
Africa and is author or co-author of six books on peace, social justice
and spirituality. Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace. Member of
the Executive Committee of Pax Christi International since 1999
and Vice
President until 3 November 2007. The Maryknoll Office for Global
Concerns is a member organization of Pax Christi International.
Talking Point
[Graphic from the New Dehli Times,
April 2006]
Sowing Seeds: Growing a Movement
This June, thousands of people of faith and conscience will gather in
our nation's capital to sow the seeds of a movement to end hunger
and poverty. The
Gathering 2007, June 9-12,
American University, Washington, DC, is organized by Bread
for the World, Bread for the World Institute,
and the Alliance to End Hunger in partnership with denominations and
religious organizations across the United States. Further information
is available on the web site.
Jubilee USA's second annual grassroots conference
The conference will take place on June 15 to 17 at Loyola University's
Water Tower Campus in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
Special guests at this year's conference will include Amy Goodman of Pacifica Radio program Democracy Now!, hip-hop performance ensemble Kuumba Lynx, Illinois State Senator Don Trotter of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Afro-Colombian performers Julio y Marta Montaño Arboleda, as well as activists and debt campaigners from Liberia, Ecuador, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Invited guests include the Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane, Tanzanian political cartoonist Gado Mwampembwa, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL) and many more. More information is available on the Jubilee USA website.
Social Action Institute
The twenty first annual Social
Action Summer Institute will be held at
Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15-20, 2007. The Institute
is a joint project of the Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action
Directors, USCCB Social Development and World Peace, Catholic Charities
USA, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services
and Justfaith Ministries. An application form is available at www.nplc.org/roundtable/events/sasi_regform.htm.
The Pursuit of Peace in a Culture of Violence:
A National
Catholic Conference on Peacemaking
Pax Christi USA is pleased to announce this year's conference, "The
Pursuit of Peace in a Culture of Violence: A National Catholic Conference
on Peacemaking," to be held August 10-12, 2007, at Seattle University
in Seattle, WA. The conference is being co-sponsored by Seattle University's
Department of Theological and Religious Studies, Office of the Vice President
for Mission and Ministry, and the Graduate School of Theology and Ministry.
More information is available on the Pax
Christi website.
The keynote presenter for the conference is Jack Jezreel of JustFaith Ministries.
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
How
can the Justice and Peace Office help you get involved?
T. Michael McNulty, SJ, editor
mmcnulty@cmsm.org
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8808 Cameron St., Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 301-588-4030
• Fax: 301-587-4575 • www.cmsm.org
