Aiming towards a truly Asian Church

Father Desmond de Souza CSsR, Goa
India

Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council 50 years ago, was a professor of Church history.

Elected Pope in 1958, his sense of history indicated a shadowy, new world straining for unity after two catastrophic World Wars within the first half of the 20th century.

His inspiration to call the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was to witness to the world just such an event, a living sign of Christ’s last prayer, “That they may be one…that the world may believe that you have sent me.”(John 17:21)
In his opening address to the Council, Pope John XXIII said, “As regards the initiative for this great event which gathers us here, it will suffice to repeat as historical documentation, our personal account of the first sudden welling up in our heart and lips of the simple words ‘Ecumenical Council’….” It was completely unexpected, like a flash of heavenly light shedding sweetness in eyes and hearts. And, at the same time, it gave rise to a great fervor throughout the world in expectation of the holding of the Council.

His words also reflected hope for renewal of the Church. “We feel we must disagree with those prophets of gloom who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand.…The Council now begins in the Church like daybreak, a forerunner of most splendid light. It is now only dawn, and already at this first announcement of the rising day, how much sweetness fills our heart.”

Rekindling the spirit of Vatican II

In 1966, Father Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), an expert during Vatican II, was appointed professor of dogmatic theology at the prestigious German University of Tubingen. He was appalled at the prevalence of Marxism among his theology students.

During the student revolt that swept Europe, particularly from France, in 1968, one incident in Tubingen particularly upset him. Student protesters disrupted one of his lectures.

In his own words, this incident alarmed him to the fact that religion was being subordinated to “a tyrannical, brutal and cruel” political ideology. “That experience,” he later wrote, “made it clear to me that the abuse of faith had to be resisted precisely.”

Recently, one “Vatican II generation” priest expressed frustration that much of the Council seemed lost. The Pope responded, “We had great hopes, but in reality things showed themselves to be very difficult,” recalling the great “enthusiasm” that he himself felt during Vatican II.

Pope Benedict gave his own reading of what went awry in the implementation of Vatican II, saying it was impeded by two interruptions. The first was in 1968 with the “great crisis of western culture.” The other was in 1989 with the collapse of Communism and the subsequent “plunge into nihilism.”
He then indicated three responses within the Church to the events of 1968 in particular.

One group “identified this new Marxist cultural revolution with the will of the Council” and claimed that “behind the written words [of the documents] was this spirit.” Another group became “absolutely against the Council.”
The third group with which he evidently identified himself began doing “timid and humble research to bring forth the true spirit” of Vatican II. It was time, he observed, to “rediscover the great heritage of the Council, which is not a made-up spirit behind the texts, but is rather the great conciliar texts themselves, re-read today,” in the light of experience.

Towards a genuine Asian Church

The second meeting of the Latin American Bishops’ Conference, known as CELAM, at Medellin in Columbia in 1968 is considered the occasion when the Latin American Church articulated its specific identity.

Similarly for Asia, it was the seventh Plenary of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences at Sampran, Thailand in 2000 that articulated its own specific identity as an Asian Church, not just a European Church in Asia.
The official theme that Pope John Paul II personally chose for the Asian Synod (1998) was “Jesus Christ the Savior and His Mission of Love and Service in Asia.”

Significantly, the FABC Plenary Assembly consciously chose a different theme but in continuity with the Synod, entitled “A Renewed Church in Asia: A Mission of Love and Service.” There is no reference to Jesus Christ the Savior!

Many Asian Church leaders felt that proclaiming the uniqueness of Christ is relevant for Europe, where the Church has lost out against the seductive challenges of agnosticism, secularism, atheism, indifference and post-modernism.

But in Asia, Pope John Paul II’s apprehension that pluralism will lead to relativism may be unfounded. In fact, the Asian Church leaders apprehend the rich diversity of religions, the pluralism of cultures and the diversity of the peoples in Asia, as part of God’s creative genius and integral to God’s plan of salvation.

For the FABC, the starting point therefore was life in Asia, in solidarity with Asian peoples with their diversity of religions and cultures, walking together with them and addressing their existential questions.

Issues such as evangelization, inculturation, dialogue, the Asianness of the Church, justice and options for the poor “are not separate topics to be discussed, but aspects of an integrated approach to our Mission of Love and Service.” (FABC VII n.8)

Instead of Pope John Paul II’s “New Evangelization,” the FABC used a new concept, “active, integral evangelization,” which describes an approach to mission that integrates commitment and service to life, life witness, dialogue and building up the Kingdom of God (FABC VII Plenary 2000 n.3).
The pope seemed to see the Asian cultural and philosophical traditions merely as pedagogical tools to proclaim the Gospel.

The FABC insisted that the Asian local Churches must immerse themselves in and embrace these cultural and philosophical elements to become truly Asian, in harmony and solidarity with Asians and their life realities as part of God’s plan of salvation history (Plenary 2000 n.9).

In contrast to the pope’s emphasis on proclamation, the FABC continued to emphasize dialogue, more specifically a threefold dialogue, with the living realities of plurality of cultures, multiplicity of religions and brutality of poverty (FABC Plenary I, 1974).

Pope John Paul II’s prayer that in the third millennium, “a great harvest of faith will be reaped,” (Introduction to Church in Asia,1999, N.9) made it obvious that he favored a quantitative yardstick in assessing the success of the Church in Asia.

By contrast the FABC expressed its preference for a qualitative approach to the task of Christian mission. It maintained that the fruits of mission belong to the Spirit, who moves and inspires human hearts and entire communities.
Rather than focus on individuals as the objects of mission and risk being accused of proselytizing in the religiously surcharged atmosphere of many Asian countries, the FABC chose to focus on the subjects of mission, namely, local Church and its members (FABC VII, n.7).

In the final analysis, the “Asian” vision of the FABC does not neglect proclamation, but also values friendship and trust, relationship-building dialogue, as well as solidarity and harmony, as constitutive elements of Christian mission in Asia.

It emphasizes that dialogue should be integrated with other endeavors that seek to transform oppressive and sinful structures. It proposes an integrated mission strategy, which in addition to “immersion” of the Gospel and local Churches in the Asian realities, is committed to service and life in solidarity with the Asian peoples.

The ultimate goal is a genuine Asian Church, truly committed to solidarity with the Asian peoples, in the daily realities of their life experiences and their struggles.

Redemptorist Father Desmond de Souza was the former secretary of FABC’s Office of Evangelization. He was closely associated with the Churches in Asia during 1980-2000. He is now based in Goa, western India


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Women need a voice against abuse

Virginia Saldanha, Mumbai
India

It was interesting to hear Dominique Strauss Kahn (DSK) attempting to redeem himself upon his return to France, describing his encounter with a New York hotel maid as “inappropriate,” “a moral failing,” and denying “using violence.”

The criminal case against him collapsed as prosecutors said Nafissatou Diallo’s “lack of credibility” meant the case could not continue.

DSK also said he felt “afraid and humiliated by the US justice system.”

What would have happened to him if this incident had occurred in India? Sexual harassment of women in the workplace is covered by the Vishaka Guidelines issued by the Supreme Court of India in 1997.

The guidelines were the result of years of effort by activists following the gang rape of Bhanwari Devi, a social worker who was attacked after trying to intervene in a child marriage in 1992 in Rajasthan.

According to the guidelines, sexual harassment is not confined to instances of rape or assault but also includes “unwelcome sexually determined behavior (whether directly or by implication) as physical contact and advances; a demand or request for sexual favors; sexually colored remarks; showing pornography; and any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature” that offends the dignity of the person it is directed towards.

The guidelines take into account the effect such behavior has on the victim and, most importantly, when such behavior comes from persons using their positions of power to degrade, humiliate or demand sexual favors.

“Third-party harassment” is also covered under the guidelines, which is relevant in the hotel sector where employees have contact with third parties through interactions with clients and guests.

In India, it is possible that DSK would have been found guilty. Would he have complained about a justice system that had hauled him before a court for “inappropriate behavior towards a woman from whom he demanded a sexual favor and who is definitely in a position of power?

At a recent Consultation on Gender Relations in the Church, one of the presentations drew attention to the fact that language is important when discussing abuse. Misleading or euphemistic words such as “inappropriate” to describe an offence or crime of sexual harassment or abuse minimizes the harm done to the victim and softens the misconduct of the offender.

The term “moral failing” implies sinful behaviour that is made right by forgiveness from God, not necessarily from the victim, who understandably may not forgive unless she sees that justice is done by way of an apology from the offender and punitive action to prevent further abuse.

The harm done to the victim is not considered. The seriousness and coercive nature of the abuse/harassment using power and privilege is not taken into account. Sanctions by authority and accountability to the community are made redundant when God forgives even the greatest sinner.

“What happened was more than an inappropriate relationship; it was an error, a moral failing of which I am not proud,” said DSK, presenting himself as a contrite, humiliated victim of a woman who sought justice for the abuse of her human dignity.

When the abuser uses a narrative that places himself in the category of victim, the woman is left with no appropriate language to describe her experience of abuse. She is therefore seen as the temptress, seducer, the one who invited the inappropriate advances by trapping the unsuspecting man in a situation of error and moral failure. Is it any wonder then that the criminal case against DSK was dropped on the grounds that Ms Diallo’s case lacked credibility?

Do we see similarities in our own backyard?

The recent Consultation noted that the current attitudes towards woman victims of abuse use a discourse that leaves them with no language to name violence and abuse of women in the Church. This has effectively silenced them. They are left with a sense of guilt to suffer the burden of the “sin.”

To correct this injustice, the institution of an independent, woman-headed and women-centric investigating and grievance redressal commission similar to that mandated by the government in the Vishakha guidelines, in all parishes or dioceses in India, to enable victims to seek justice, was strongly recommended.

It should be noted that these women need to be gender sensitive to the issue of sex abuse by clergy. Only then can the Church claim to give all women victims of clerical sex abuse the justice and “life in abundance” promised by Jesus.

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Putting the celibacy debate into context

Father Mike Kelly SJ, Bangkok
Thailand
September 16, 2011

The courageous Bishop Daley of Derry, protector of the innocent on Bloody Sunday when British soldiers shot dead 26 unarmed civilians conducting an orderly protest in 1972, has said something everyone in the Catholic Church, from the hierarchy to the occasional Mass goer, knows: The rule of celibacy for the diocesan clergy is strangling the Catholic Church in many parts of the world. Dr Daley is the latest to say so, but perhaps the most well-known to nail his colours to the mast.

While the decline in clergy is most marked in Europe and the US and has always been in evidence in Latin America, the challenge is nothing new to the Church in Asia. In many countries, supply of clergy is nowhere near meeting the demand for their services.

The Philippines has an average of one priest per 6,000 Catholics compared with one priest per 2,000 in the US and Australia, where the crisis of supply and demand for clergy is a regular subject of discussion. Other countries in Asia such as Thailand, Vietnam and Korea do not face the problem as acutely and have their own local and culturally based motives for running counter to the worldwide cycle.

On a global scale and despite claims to the contrary, the situation is only getting worse. While the gross number of clergy may be increasing slowly, it’s at less than half the rate of growth of the Catholic population.

Why is, as Dr Daley says, celibacy at the heart of the problem? Changes in cultural attitudes to the human body, the technology of sex, smaller families, the death of fear as a motivator for religious compliance and changes within the Church’s own understanding of marriage have all combined to pose questions for celibacy that the sexual abuse scandals involving a very small percentage of clerics have only reinforced. Altogether, these pressures make celibacy an option few even consider, let alone embrace.

And what this does is eat away at the heart of the Catholic Church, because it means a diminishing capacity to provide the essential element to sustaining the life of the community: Mass.

The most authoritative voice in the Church – a Council, and in this case Vatican 2, which opened its first session 49 years ago – described Mass/the Eucharist as the “source and summit of the Church’s life.” For Mass, you need celebrants. They’re priests and under the law prevailing in the Western or Roman Church, to be a priest, mostly, you have to be celibate.

I say “mostly” because if you’re a married Anglican priest who opposes the ordination of women, you slip straight in to becoming a Roman Catholic priest. What is the logic behind that and its implications for the celibacy of Catholic priests? Don’t ask me. I leave it to your speculation on the unintended consequences of actions by Church leadership.

This year, the powers that be in the international liturgical life of the Church have introduced changes to the language of the texts used at Mass in English. This seems a sideline preoccupation with whether the text is faithful to the Latin original when the central issue facing the whole English-speaking Catholic Church and beyond it is that in the foreseeable future Mass will not be available in any language to a majority of Catholics in the English-speaking world.

The elephant in the room is the decline in clerical numbers, which has been under way for forty years as celibate priests leave in parallel with a decline in numbers joining the seminary. The number of those joining now will probably never match the need.

The reasons for why clerical celibacy was made mandatory in the Latin Rite (i.e. Roman Catholic, as opposed to the Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Lebanese, Syrian, Armenian, etc. rites) are well known. It all came down to property and what we might today call insurance. In the event of the death of a diocesan priest, who got his property and who looked after his family? The answer was no answer, just a removal of the question. The Pope of the time – Gregory – insisted that priests couldn’t marry and believed that this would be an end to the issue.

Celibacy is a bit like lifelong monogamous marriage, or parenthood for that matter. Delivery of any of them is a wonderful achievement but those doing the delivering know there is more art than science involved, and we often deliver some bad art. All are a splendid ideal, which we frail human beings don’t always live up to.

The law imposing celibacy on the diocesan clergy is something taken out of the context from which it proceeded, the monasteries, and is borrowed from a lifestyle and commitment that has many more checks and balances.

Monasteries provide things not available to a diocesan priest: a stable, residential community, provision of income to match current or foreseeable expenses and care in times of bad health or stress and strain. These are all things provided for in one way or another in monastic living. Not so for diocesan clergy. For most, if not all, celibacy was not chosen but accepted as part of the package to be taken on if they wanted to be able to be part of the service to people that being a priest bestows. Diocesan priests have to make material provision for themselves.

The reward of celibacy faithfully lived is great and it’s most likely that reward which keeps a lot of priests going. Being celibate says to those who seek him out that they have put their bodies on the line to be available for service. That’s why there’s so much trust placed in priests and why, rightly, when that trust is betrayed, the perpetrators have done the unforgivable by anyone but God.

But what brings me and most other priests I know their deepest satisfaction is the trust people have in us despite our frailties and failures.

It’s foolish to believe that married clergy will deliver some heavenly transformation of the Church’s professional service class. The experience of non-Catholic denominations with married clergy is testament enough to that. And, in a world where married couples run a high chance of their marriages breaking up, no one can be under any illusion about the risks and challenges involved in that demanding and self-sacrificing commitment.

Married clergy will bring their own raft of problems and not even an end to sexual abuse. As is well known, the overwhelming majority of child sexual abuse occurs within families when heterosexual adults interfere with children.

But none of that is the issue. The change needs to occur for reasons that relate to what the Church is and how it should provide the sacraments. That’s what Bishop Daley and many others are saying.


Father Mike Kelly SJ is the executive director of UCA News


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Credit unions are effective tools for the Church

Konradus Epa, Jakarta

July 12, 2011

Today, Indonesia celebrates National Cooperatives Day. But for the Indonesian Church it could mean something else — a celebration of the success of credit unions.

Indeed, the presence of credit unions in Indonesia has undoubtedly benefited many people, particularly the poor.

For the Catholic Church, credit unions have become a popular way of reaching out to people since they were first introduced by a German Jesuit priest, Father Albrecht Karim Arbie, in 1960.

Ever since then, the Church has considered a credit union a means of teaching people about values such as self-help, responsibility, compassion, democracy, equality, justice, solidarity, love, brotherhood, togetherness and honesty.

These values made the Church continue what Father Arbie started.

In 1975, a credit union was introduced in West Kalimantan and several others were later formed. However, they all later collapsed.

The Church didn’t give up and revived the idea by establishing the Credit Union Pancur Kasih in Pontianak archdiocese in 1986, and which is today regarded as the largest credit unions in Indonesia.

At present, credit unions have mushroomed in nearly all the dioceses in the country. All have one goal, which is to help the poor and marginalized improve their lives.

“Credit Unions are not vehicles to convert people to Christianity but part of the Church’s efforts to improve living standards for all people. It is the manifestation of the Catholic responsibility to proclaim the Good News to others,” said Capucin Archbishop Hieronymus Bumbun of Pontianak.

Through credit unions, people learn how to manage their own finances for long-term benefits such as health care, education, investment and insurance.

Currently more than 1.3 million people across Indonesia have seen their lives improve after joining a local credit union.

Today, the question is no longer about whether a credit union is relevant to Indonesian people in the age of globalization. The question perhaps now is how to make them sustainable, which is also a challenge for the Church.

When the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit Indonesia, credit unions were able to survive because their strength lay with the people.

Their strength is not just that they are a solution to economic problems; they are also a binding force that pulls people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds together.

Probably that was the intention of Father Arbie 50 years ago, when he introduced that first credit union while he was working as the director of Jakarta archdiocese’s social development organization.

What Father Arbie introduced in 1960 has become an evangelical tool in many dioceses throughout the country.

During a 2005 synod, the Indonesian bishops recommended Catholics develop micro-finance institutions to boost social and economic conditions at Basic Ecclesial Community levels.

The recommendation was then reformulated in a bishops’ pastoral letter in 2006 titled New Habitus: Just Economy for all.

In the letter the bishops said: “Credit unions run by Catholics should care for the poor.”

A credit union was seen as part of the “new habitus” where goodness, love and justice became the catalyst for individuals and groups to act.

The late Pope John Paul II, in Centessimus Annus, explained that a credit union is a human endeavor that can shed light on the Kingdom of God, leading to the creation of justice and love for the common welfare of Man.


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Hierarchy celebrates fifty yearsChurch celebrates golden anniversary in Indonesia

Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Indonesia

May 25, 2011

This year the Indonesian Church celebrates the golden anniversary of the establishment of its hierarchy.

Capuchin Bishop Martinus Dogma Situmorang of Padang, president of Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, called the journey of the past fifty years “the result of synergy between hierarchy and laity.”

“The local Church has grown not because of the bishops or priests alone, but the entire Catholic people,” Bishop Situmorang said, emphasizing the large contribution made by laypeople to the hierarchy.

The laity contributed significantly to the hierarchy, based on their expertise. Besides, their involvement in various spiritual and pastoral services and financial support have eased the work on the part of the hierarchy.

The Indonesian Church as an institution was made official with the issuance of “Quod Christus Adorandus” by Pope John XXIII on January 3, 1961, nine months after the Bishops Council sent its petition letter.

Since papal approval fifty years ago, the institution has developed into a mature community and has been able to have local pastoral workers (clergy and laity) that support the growth as a “true Church of Christ.”

Another reason to be grateful is that in the past fifty years it has been an integral part of a multi-cultural society and known for its slogan “100 percent Catholic and 100 percent Indonesia.”

At last year’s synod, the Indonesian Bishops Conference allowed each diocese to celebrate thanksgiving at their own discretion.

Over the last 50 years the number of Church workers, especially priests, nuns, bishops, and members of religious congregations, has increased significantly.

The Indonesian Church has good reason to thank God “for continuously choosing men and women to serve His people. We also thank Catholic families.”

As of today the number of Catholics in the country has grown to 6,793,788, living in ten archdioceses and 27 dioceses. They are ministered to by ten archbishops, 26 bishops, six emeritus bishops, and 3,669 priests (1,724 diocesan priests and 1,945 religious priests).

The hierarchy has been recognized by Indonesian society for its constant efforts to maintain harmony, pluralism and continuous dialogue with other religions and cultures.

Indonesian bishops, in their own ways, also emphasized their commitment to protecting the environment, social justice and other social responsibilities.

The hierarchy plays a significant role in motivating Catholics to go out and practise their faith in society. In recent years, pastoral letters from the Bishops Conference addressing social issues have come not only from Catholics but also non-Catholic groups.

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Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS


POPE BENEDICT XVI

FOR THE 45th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

June 5, 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the occasion of the 45th World Day of Social Communications, I would like to share some reflections that are motivated by a phenomenon characteristic of our age: the emergence of the internet as a network for communication. It is an ever more commonly held opinion that, just as the Industrial Revolution in its day brought about a profound transformation in society by the modifications it introduced into the cycles of production and the lives of workers, so today the radical changes taking place in communications are guiding significant cultural and social developments. The new technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, but communication itself, so much so that it could be said that we are living through a period of vast cultural transformation. This means of spreading information and knowledge is giving birth to a new way of learning and thinking, with unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship.

New horizons are now open that were until recently unimaginable; they stir our wonder at the possibilities offered by these new media and, at the same time, urgently demand a serious reflection on the significance of communication in the digital age. This is particularly evident when we are confronted with the extraordinary potential of the internet and the complexity of its uses. As with every other fruit of human ingenuity, the new communications technologies must be placed at the service of the integral good of the individual and of the whole of humanity. If used wisely, they can contribute to the satisfaction of the desire for meaning, truth and unity which remain the most profound aspirations of each human being.

In the digital world, transmitting information increasingly means making it known within a social network where knowledge is shared in the context of personal exchanges. The clear distinction between the producer and consumer of information is relativized and communication appears not only as an exchange of data, but also as a form of sharing. This dynamic has contributed to a new appreciation of communication itself, which is seen first of all as dialogue, exchange, solidarity and the creation of positive relations. On the other hand, this is contrasted with the limits typical of digital communication: the one-sidedness of the interaction, the tendency to communicate only some parts of one’s interior world, the risk of constructing a false image of oneself, which can become a form of self-indulgence.

Young people in particular are experiencing this change in communication, with all the anxieties, challenges and creativity typical of those open with enthusiasm and curiosity to new experiences in life. Their ever greater involvement in the public digital forum, created by the so-called social networks, helps to establish new forms of interpersonal relations, influences self-awareness and therefore inevitably poses questions not only of how to act properly, but also about the authenticity of one’s own being. Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic search for personal encounters with others, provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual world. In the search for sharing, for “friends”, there is the challenge to be authentic and faithful, and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself.

The new technologies allow people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships. This is a great opportunity, but it also requires greater attention to and awareness of possible risks. Who is my “neighbour” in this new world? Does the danger exist that we may be less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life? Is there is a risk of being more distracted because our attention is fragmented and absorbed in a world “other” than the one in which we live? Do we have time to reflect critically on our choices and to foster human relationships which are truly deep and lasting? It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives.

In the digital age too, everyone is confronted by the need for authenticity and reflection. Besides, the dynamic inherent in the social networks demonstrates that a person is always involved in what he or she communicates. When people exchange information, they are already sharing themselves, their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals. It follows that there exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world: this takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others. To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically. Furthermore, it is also true in the digital world that a message cannot be proclaimed without a consistent witness on the part of the one who proclaims it. In these new circumstances and with these new forms of expression, Christian are once again called to offer a response to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is within them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

The task of witnessing to the Gospel in the digital era calls for everyone to be particularly attentive to the aspects of that message which can challenge some of the ways of thinking typical of the web. First of all, we must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its “popularity” or from the amount of attention it receives. We must make it known in its integrity, instead of seeking to make it acceptable or diluting it. It must become daily nourishment and not a fleeting attraction. The truth of the Gospel is not something to be consumed or used superficially; rather it is a gift that calls for a free response. Even when it is proclaimed in the virtual space of the web, the Gospel demands to be incarnated in the real world and linked to the real faces of our brothers and sisters, those with whom we share our daily lives. Direct human relations always remain fundamental for the transmission of the faith!

I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible. This is not simply to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this network is an integral part of human life. The web is contributing to the development of new and more complex intellectual and spiritual horizons, new forms of shared awareness. In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfilment (cf. Eph 1:10). The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive, which stimulates the heart and moves the conscience; one which reflects the example of the risen Jesus when he joined the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). By his approach to them, his dialogue with them, his way of gently drawing forth what was in their heart, they were led gradually to an understanding of the mystery.

In the final analysis, the truth of Christ is the full and authentic response to that human desire for relationship, communion and meaning which is reflected in the immense popularity of social networks. Believers who bear witness to their most profound convictions greatly help prevent the web from becoming an instrument which depersonalizes people, attempts to manipulate them emotionally or allows those who are powerful to monopolize the opinions of others. On the contrary, believers encourage everyone to keep alive the eternal human questions which testify to our desire for transcendence and our longing for authentic forms of life, truly worthy of being lived. It is precisely this uniquely human spiritual yearning which inspires our quest for truth and for communion and which impels us to communicate with integrity and honesty.

I invite young people above all to make good use of their presence in the digital world. I repeat my invitation to them for the next World Youth Day in Madrid, where the new technologies are contributing greatly to the preparations. Through the intercession of their patron Saint Francis de Sales, I pray that God may grant communications workers the capacity always to carry out their work conscientiously and professionally. To all, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 24 January 2011, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales


BENEDICTUS XVI

Underage labor, it just gets worse

Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Indonesia

April 29, 2011

It was midnight when I met an eight year old little girl named Tari at a Jakarta bus station, selling goods to passengers and drivers.

A woman asked her, ”Why don’t you go home?” The little girl replied that she as afraid to go home without any money. “My mum and dad will beat me. They will not let me in,” she said.

Tari is among millions of poor children forced to work every day, late into the night, to support their families. They may not be allowed to step into their house before handing over some money to their parents.

Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) said that in the past two years, out of 58.8 million children aged 5-17, about 1.7 million were classified as child workers more than 12 hours work per week in poor conditions), though a further 4.05 million were “active economically” (not exploited but working up to 12 hours per week).

About 50 percent of these children work about 21 hours a week and 20.7 percent work more than 40 hours a week under hazardous conditions.

The organizations also said 6.7 million children do not attend school.

As parents were poor the children have to help them earn money by becoming newspaper vendors, beggars, shoe polishers, and more.

These children are frequently subjected to sexual abuse, child prostitution and drug trafficking.

The National Commission on Child Protection said Indonesian children are working as domestic helpers, prostitutes, and working in mining, agriculture, plantation and fishing.

ILO recorded that in 2010 most children work in agriculture, plantations, fishing and services.

Child labor in Indonesia is rampant, though it was regulated in the 2002 Law on Child Protection.

The law obliges parents, society, government and the state to uphold children’s rights.

The law, however, has not been fulfilled optimally as poverty is still high, forcing children to work as breadwinners.

The 2002 law was intended to ensure children were treated with dignity, protecting them from violence and discrimination. It’s ironic that poor children are neglected, or even forced to work more than 10 hours daily.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child also gives due respect to children’s rights. Indonesia has ratified the Child Rights Convention, and must protect the children.

The Indonesian government, via its manpower and transmigration ministry, has taken measures to reduce the number of child workers.

Minister Muhaimin Iskandar claimed he has helped over 6,000 children in the past two years and threatened to imprison parents and anyone else who perpetuates child labor.

No matter how hard the government will work on this, it will not change the situation.

Statistics bureau reports that 35 million Indonesians earn less than $1 a day. If the number of poor people remains high, children will still be vulnerable to exploitation by families.

With regard to World Day against Child Labor on June 12, ILO suggests taking “hazardous child labor” as the theme.

It hopes to decrease the number of children exposed to hazardous environments, slavery, drug trafficking and prostitution, as well as armed conflict.

The Indonesian church is also concerned with the high number of child workers.

Jakarta archdiocese and other dioceses, parishes, lay groups, religious congregations and individuals have offered various services to help children.

These include offering scholarship, free health care, and consultations.

The Holy See’s representative to United Nations, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, urged those responsible to “invest in children” as part of the solution to eradicate poverty.

“Human history teaches us that if there is sufficient investment in children they will grow up to contribute far in excess of what they have consumed, thereby raising the standard of living for all,” the prelate said in his speech in the UN last February.

Indonesian church groups have done their part, but they lack finance as the number of poor children increases.

To help save more children from falling into the same pit, the government has to provide free education, allocate big amounts for children’s education, must be committed to protect children’s rights, and educate the public to respect children.


Konradus Epa is a journalist living in Jakarta

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Amnesty slams government ‘failure’Rights watchdog says religious minorities need more protection

Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Indonesia

April 7, 2011

Saman Zia-Zarifi, director of Amnesty's Asia-Pacific programAmnesty International yesterday accused the Indonesian government of failing to address abuses committed against religious minorities.

The human rights watchdog said the government has failed to meet its obligation to protect people’s rights as mentioned in Indonesia’s 1945 constitutions and the international covenant on civil and political rights.

“The Indonesian government must do more to stop the rising number of cases of violence, intimidation, harassment and discrimination against religious minority groups,” said Saman Zia-Zarifi, Amnesty’s Asia-Pacific director at a press conference in Jakarta yesterday.

He said the ministry of home affairs should have instructed provincial and district governments to implement measures protecting basic human rights, such as religious belief and freedom of expression, to prevent the stigmatization of religious minority groups.

Zarifi said he had met leaders from the Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, and Communion of Churches in Indonesia, to discuss the government’s failure in tackling religion-based violence.

Amnesty, he said, has also urged the Indonesian police to stay on alert to prevent church attacks such as in Temanggung and attacks on Ahmadiyah sect members from happening again.

Three sect members were killed during an attack by more than 1,000 mainstream Muslims on worshippers at a house in Banten, in central Java on February 6.

Two days later, in Temanggung, also in central Java, mobs ransacked three churches after a court jailed a Christian for five years for insulting Islam. The mobs had demanded the death penalty.

Human rights activists from different organizations also attended yesterday’s press conference.

Haris Azhar from the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence, said there were 62 cases of violence against Ahmadis in the first three months of this year, and at least 20 cases occurred in the past month.

Ahmadis, unlike orthodox Muslims, do not believe Mohammed was the last prophet.

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Priest warns of threats to national idealsOportunistism and religious intolerance on the increase, says Jesuit

Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Indonesia

April 12, 2011

A Jesuit priest yesterday warned Indonesians of two serious threats to Pancasila — their national ideology.

Pancasila — the five principles — enshrined in the preamble to the 1945 constitution, stipulates belief in one God; a just and civilized society; a united Indonesia; democracy guided by consensus; and social justice for all.

“We now are facing two serious threats, namely opportunism and narrow-mindedness. It these are not addressed immediately, Indonesia is really in danger,” said Father Franz Magnis-Suseno.

He was speaking to 300 lawmakers and religious leaders attending a book launch at the parliament building in Jakarta.

According to the lecturer at the Jesuit-run Driyarkara School of Philosophy, opportunists are individuals who use a situation to better themselves and their existence and ignore the public interest. “This should not happen,” he said.

Narrow-mindedness is when people dismiss diversity and pay more attention to sectarian interests. “Those who are like this cannot appreciate religious and cultural diversity anymore,” he continued.

Masdar Farid Masudi of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama agreed.

Opportunism is more dominant in both the legislative and executive bodies of government, and narrow-mindedness is displayed by certain religious leaders, especially Muslims, that teach radicalism and fundamentalism and interpret texts literally, he said.

The book: Plenary State: Historicity, Rationality and Actuality of Pancasila, was written by Yudi Latif, a Muslim intellectual.

In his speech, he said: “I wrote this book to make people know about our nation. Who we are? In national life, we are neither the majority of dictators nor marginalized minority. We are equal,” he asserted.

Related report

Indonesia urged to live up to its principles

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Hearing the silent cries of the mothers

Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Indonesia

March 7, 2011

It is common nowadays to see dozens of mothers of dead human rights fighters, standing silently across the road from the presidential palace. Dressed in black, holding black posters, banners and umbrellas, they say nothing.

Onlookers might wonder what was going on. As a matter of fact, in silence, these women are crying out loud, seeking justice for their kidnapped or killed activists.

They have been present there now for more than 200 times. They regularly gather at 4-5pm local time, the normal time for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono leave the palace. They hope the president and his aids will see them.

But what do they get in return?

No response from the president, who lately even escapes through another exit, running away from these women.

These women have pledged to make their voices heard against shooting of university students in Semanggi and University of Trisakti during the 1998 riots in Jakarta. Many activists disappeared during the period of political turmoil in the country when massive protests escalated nationwide.

The women are not only crying for the fate of their own children, husband or partners but for all Indonesian people, for Papuans who are tortured by military, for farmers, migrant workers and minority groups who are tortured and discriminated against.

They include killings in Talangsari massacres in Lampung in 1989, Wasior and Wamena in Papua in the 1990s.

“We struggle for national interest and voice out the voice of the voiceless,” said Catharina Sumarsih, a Catholic woman, one of coordinators of the initiative.

This is the way the women remind the government not to ignore abuses in the past, she added.

Indonesian women nowadays are more and more vocal in fighting for women’s rights, including against bylaws that perpetuate discrimination against women.

Rights groups, including National Commission on Human Rights, National Commission on Violence against Women, the Commission for Missing Person and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial), have supported the struggles of Indonesian women.

“Indonesia must strive for justice, fair laws, and against impunity for human rights violation in the past and now,” said Souhayr Belhassen, president of The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

Though after 1998 (post New Order regime) human rights situation in Indonesia has shown positive development, the mothers considered the government failed to handle human rights abuses.

Ifdal Kasim, National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chairman, said human rights violation in the past must be settled and prevent it from happening in the future.

“We saw people killed in past, and it must not happen again,” she said.

In 1999 the United Nations agreed the “Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms” (UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders).

It describes the rights, frameworks and scope of works which might be undertaken by human rights defenders in doing their advocacy and also including the responsibilities of states to secure those rights.

Some cases in Indonesia have been handed over to the attorney general, but no follow up has been made, prompting the women and rights defenders to take the lead, despite threats and intimidations from rivals.

The mothers have also met with People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and related institutions to settle their cases, but they were not given their due. Nevertheless their spirit to fight for human rights is not subdued.

Indonesians need government protection against any perpetrators, not only against torture and physical abuse but also minority groups and over 30 million people living below poverty line, who need access to social security, education, healthcare and food.

Unsettled human rights abuses just show the ignorance of current administration.

Konradus Epa is a ucanews.com journalist living in Jakarta

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Political conspiracy perpetuates intolerance

Published Date: February 2, 2011

By Konradus Epa, Jakarta

An escalation in violence, intolerance and discrimination against religious or minority groups, as reported by Indonesian human rights groups at the end of last year, showed just how fragile freedom of worship is in the country.

It is no longer a secret that a conspiracy within the political elite has perpetuated violent acts against freedom of faith and religious minorities –not only Christians – in the country.

Hard-line groups were not punished for attacking churches or damaging the property of other beliefs such as the Islamic sect Ahmadiyah. Many perpetrators were freed without charge; those who were taken to court had little to fear in what were shows to please the public. Yet the government and security forces were silent, and didn’t impose stricter sanctions against the aggressors.

Most violations, however, happened against Christians and Church properties.

The Wahid Institute reported 63 acts of violence against religious liberty last year – up from 35 cases in 2009. The institute also reported 133 cases of intolerance and discrimination in 13 regions.

The Setara Institute for Freedom and Democracy, meanwhile, reported 216 cases of religious freedom violations or acts of persecution in 2010.

The Jakarta Christian Communication Forum, however, recorded 700 cases of closures, attacks or banning of worship places since 1998.

All these organizations pointed to a high-level conspiracy between radical groups and political figures, but no report was published on how these violations were processed legally.

Democratic society becomes a mockery when the government is supplanted by radical groups using stereotypes of certain religions to impose Islamic laws.

Christians were often the target of unfounded accusations of proselytizing.

Making such accusations and blowing them out of proportion were the easiest ways of gaining public support and winning over local authorities. As a result, permits for places of worship were withheld and churches were shut down.

The issue of conversion is a “weapon” used by extremists to justify their fight against activities – even humanitarian ones – Christians in Indonesia. Catholics assisting non-Christian survivors of the Mount Merapi eruptions in central Java were even accused of proselytizing.

The same accusation is also aimed at a Christian church in Bogor, West Java. Although a Jan. 14 court ruling backed its appeal, the church remained sealed. On Jan. 28 church members protested at the Supreme Court in Jakarta to try and persuade the court to order local government and police to reopen the church so they could pray.

Sidney Jones, an expert on terrorism in South East Asia, has tried to mitigate the proselytizing issue. In a January 19 article in The Jakarta Post, she reminded people that not all Christian activities are proselytization, in terms of reaching out to congregations beyond one’s own, and not all proselytization is aimed at winning converts from Islam.

The problem perhaps does not only lie in the misunderstanding of such terminology, but also in the goodwill of those in power. The government has the power to keep the ball rolling or stop it.

If national or local governments have the political will to stop acts of violence against religions, then tolerance and harmony will prevail. It they say “no” to extremists then religions can live side by side.

Unfortunately, authorities and politicians have heeded the petitions of extremists because they are afraid of losing votes.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is not blameless either, though he has promised to ensure religious freedom and protect minority groups when he addressed Christians last Christmas.

Indonesian minority groups expect the president not to be complacent and enforce the law on hard-liners such as the Islamic Defenders’ Front. Unfortunately, he hasn’t.

This has increased the mistrust of religious leaders who have branded government and political elite as “liars.”

They say the “promises are lies” because “violence by a certain religion against other religious groups happens again and again.” The government promises solutions, but more problems arise.

While emphasizing intensive dialogue and educating people with humanitarian values, religious leaders believe only political will can stop all forms of persecution against religions.


Konradus Epa is a ucanews.com journalist who lives in Jakarta


Related reports

Indonesian president to discuss ‘lies’ issue

Indonesian government should stop lying

Christians urge police to reopen church



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More funds needed to help abused women

By Konradus Epa, Jakarta

The National Commission on Violence against Women has renewed a call for donations to help prevent Indonesian women becoming victims of violence following a spike in cases over the past several years.

The “16 Days Movement Forever” campaign, which was launched last year and will end in 2014, is collecting money on behalf of the Women Crisis Center, an organization that assists victims of violence. The campaign aims to raise six billion rupiah (about US$665,000).

The commission says funds are desperately needed following a sharp rise in attacks on women in the last four to five years — from 20,526 in 2005 to 143,586 in 2009.

“Every three minutes, one woman suffers from violence. Every hour, there are 16 acts of violence against women,” said commission spokesperson Yendi Amelia in a statement yesterday.

The commission is therefore renewing its call for people to help the 16 Days Movement Forever campaign, the statement said.

“The movement invites all people who care about women and wish to see an end to acts of violence against them to commit themselves by contributing at least 1,000 rupiah a day for 16 days,” Amelia said.

Last year, the program raised 49,409,000 rupiah. Several institutions, including Atma Jaya Catholic University are also taking part in the campaign.

“Through this campaign, we want to make the public aware of a very serious issue,” Amelia said.

The campaign was started because “the government’s response to the issue is very poor,” said Neng Dara Affiah, another commission member.

Related Reports:

Indonesian women stand up to sexual violence

Commission backs law for Papuan women

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Indonesian government should stop lying

Published Date: January 11, 2011

By Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Religious leaders have asked the Indonesian government to stop lying as they set 2011 as the year to resistance lies.

“We call on all national elements, especially the government, to stop lying,” said Father Antonius Benny Susetyo, executive secretary of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference (KWI)’s Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, at the end of the Jan. 10 meeting of religious leaders in Jakarta.

Father Susetyo said Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim and Protestant leaders are also concerned about the environmental destruction and human rights violations which have worsened the country’s poverty situation.

The government’s neoliberal economic policy has failed to create justice for all people and is contrary to the 1945 Constitution, they said.

“The monster of fragility is surrounding our country. Morality, politics…everything is fragile,” said Ahmad Syafii Maarif, a Muslim leader and founder of Maarif Institute for Culture and Humanity. He urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to be more sensitive to the country’s problems.

Sri Pannyavaro Mahathera, a Buddhist monk, said the religious leaders demanded the government stop telling lies and curb lying from becoming a national attribute.

Also attending the meeting were Capuchin Bishop Martinus Dogma Situmorang of Padang, Reverend Andreas Anangguru Yewangoe from the Communion of Churches in Indonesia and Nyoman Udayana Sangging from the Association of Indonesian Hindu Dharma.


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Australian grant to honor Indonesian minister

 Published Date: January 10, 2011

By Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Australia’s Northern Territory has launched the Frans Seda English Language Scholarship program to honor Indonesia’s late Catholic minister who helped strengthen ties between the two countries.

“This scholarship honors the great memory of Frans Seda who played an important role in building relations between Australia and Indonesia,” Greg Moriarty, Australia’s ambassador to Indonesia, said in a press release issued on Jan. 7.

Franciscus Xaverius Seda, popularly known as Frans Seda, served as plantation minister from 1964 to 1966, agriculture minister in 1966, finance minister from 1966 to 1968 and transportation minister from 1968 to 1973. He died on Dec. 31, 2009, at the age of 83.

The ambassador described the former chairman of the Indonesian Catholic Party as a “man of principle” who worked tirelessly to promote the bilateral relations through political, trade, transport, educational, cultural and sport ties.

He said Seda was awarded an honorary Member of the Order of Australia for his work in developing bilateral trade links.

Each year the scholarships will be awarded to three Indonesian students at Charles Darwin University to improve their fluency in English and to three Northern Territory students to learn Indonesian language.

The scholarships, worth AUD$60,000 or approximately 534 million rupiah (US$59,470) over three years, will cover tuition fees for up to 10 weeks of intensive English language training at the university and assist with the study and learning of Indonesian abroad for Australian students based in the Northern Territory.

Frans Seda English Language Scholarship program was launched on Dec. 29 last year.


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Indonesia still a danger zone for reporters

 Published Date: January 12, 2011

By Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Indonesia is considered one of the five most dangerous countries for journalists in the world, a report submitted by the Board of Press to the Ministry for Legal, Political and Security says.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in its statement said the report mentions 97 journalists from worldwide were killed in Indonesia last year, with three being local.

The Indonesian journalists were said to be killed in connection to their reports on organized crimes and illegal logging or clearing of natural resources.

“We are concerned with this case,” Albertus Magnus Putut Prabantoro, chairman of the Association of Catholic Journalists in Indonesia, told ucanews.com on Jan. 10.

“If the death was caused by the journalists themselves, it needed to be questioned,” he said. Indonesian journalists need to reflect whether they do their job professionally or not, he added.

Prabantoro also advised Catholic journalists to perform their jobs based on the code of ethics and values of justice, truth and option for the poor.

“We should not be tempted by money, politics and group interest,” he said.

Besides Indonesia, the other four most dangerous countries for journalists are Honduras, Iraq, Mexico and Pakistan.



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