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Bangladesh. A Country In Contrast.

Saturday, 1 September 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

Geography, demography, history, faith and politics are inextricably intertwined in determining the reality known as Bangladesh. Many positive elements and progress in many areas have marked its journey since independence, but an equal number of elements render difficult a view into its future.

The country is mostly a flat area in the combined delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra whose flow is managed by India. It is often struck by catastrophic floods but it benefits from the alluvial deposits and the many water courses for transport. Bangladesh is a country poor in natural resources but rich in manpower.
It places its trust in international aid and investment in low-tech industrial production, and in continual emigration, as well as the Islamic faith of the majority.
These are situations that connect this remnant of Asia and its overwhelming population to a global reality that consists of opportunities and potential but also of the many shadows stretching out over peace and coexistence.

It is impossible to ignore the concrete difficulties afflicting Bangladesh and the enormous challenges that these present to those who govern the country. Nevertheless, even if at least half the population lives below the poverty level and the number of emigrants is increasing and the Bengalis and the Bangladeshis choose the uncertain path of emigration, the reason for this is, in part, the unequal distribution of wealth.
More than three million inhabitants work in difficult conditions so that the country may earn 20 billion dollars a year, mostly in the textile and clothing industries.
With investments directed towards producing labour-intensive, low-priced goods to increase exports, the country’s GNP is growing rapidly (around 6 per cent in recent years), but still not fast enough.
Positive signs are not lacking but, even so, statistics show a country in difficulty: a population of 166 million with 26 per cent below the poverty line (two dollars a day), concentrated in a territory less than two thirds the size of Britain; it is in the 139th position on the Human Development Index (and improving), but with basic literacy available to less than two thirds of the population, and still with marked differences of opportunity, earnings and rights between males and females.

The exposure of Bangladesh to tides and floods undoubtedly places considerable limits on its development but other limits are due to its position and to regional strategies. Neighbouring India effectively controls its access to a large part of its land borders, the availability of energy, fresh water and part of its commerce. Its other neighbour, Myanmar, before 2010, cut off for decades by a military regime, remains mostly a country from where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Moslems have come to escape persecution and conditions that deny them the right of citizenship.
The Moslem community of Bangladesh is the fourth largest in the world; nevertheless, the country, which in March 2016 confirmed by a decision of the Supreme Court its Islamic identity, sanctioned by the Constitution of 1988, follows a moderate version of Islam. Historically, this was preceded by the modernist movement that sprang up among the peasants and the workers at the end of the 18th century, and the birth, in 1906, in Dhaka, of the Islamic League, a movement that was fundamental to the demand for a separate Islamic homeland on the Indian sub-continent, that led to the birth of Pakistan on 15 August 1947 and that of Bangladesh, independent from Pakistan, in 1971.

For reasons of faith and of opportunism, independence brought movements of considerable influence such as Jamaat-e-Islami which took on an ambiguous, if not a role of open collaboration with the Pakistani government against the independence movement. That situation explains why today, the Dhaka government is suspicious of the leadership of the group, decimated by long prison sentences handed down by the courts, as well as executions.
One of the tensions that accompanied this beginning was the decision of the government led by Sheikh Hasina Wazed to reserve a substantial quota of public positions for minority groups and the heirs of the combatants who survived the war of liberation. In mid-April, a massive protest which forced the government to make a u-turn, showed not only the potential reaction by Bangladesh civil society but also its disagreement with the frequent exploitation of the past. In the context of unemployment and the lack of outlets for its numerous university population, the decision seemed at least controversial, even if it did not displease those who, like the tribal people, found themselves at the bottom rung of the ladder of opportunity.

However, what made the decision unacceptable to the opposition was, above all else, that of the 56 per cent of civil service posts meant to be reserved according to the new law, 30 per cent were to be given to the descendants of the veterans.
“We believe this is an injustice, given that these groups – minorities, of different abilities, descendants of veterans and other groups included in the new quotas – include only 2 per cent of the population and the remaining 98 per cent would have to compete for 44 per cent of civil service jobs”, the students emphasised, demanding that the reserved figure be set at 10 per cent.
Demands were made for the punishment of those policemen responsible for the repression against those who started spontaneous protest marches and blocked main roads in different localities in what, for observers, was the greatest challenge to the lady Prime Minister in the past decade. It was seen as greater even than that of the Islam-inspired opposition whose political affiliations, such as Jamaat e Islami, were severely repressed and practically excluded from Parliament. Also in past years they used the judiciary against their leaders accused of collaborationist attitudes during the brief but bloody war of liberation from Pakistan and of having taken an active part in the massacres and violence against Bangladeshi civilians that accompanied it. It is estimated that there were at least 300,000 deaths among non-combatants in that conflict won by the independence movement led by Mujibur Rahman – father of the present premier and later assassinated – with the decisive intervention of Indian armed forces approved by Indira Gandhi. (S.V.)

The land right, a first remedy to injustice.

Hunger and homelessness continued to rise in major North American cities. Unemployment, employment-related problems, and low-paying jobs are likely contributing to hunger. High housing costs cause lack of affordable housing and are a source of mental illness. Social problems arise from substance abuse while emergency shelters turned away many from family life.

The millions who are hungry and homeless in the United States are unlikely to have ever sufficiently well payed jobs or any jobs at all. Two million manufacturing jobs have evaporated since 2000, either off shoring to China or automating, as fast as they can. In 15-20 years, there will be zero people working in manufacturing jobs. Information jobs are moving to India. Those who still have jobs are less secure than ever been before to keep them.

More than 40 million North American people have no health insure and 140 million are facing soaring health costs. Meanwhile 10% of capital owners own 71% of all North America capital. If current trends continue, they will own it all. Moreover, they are now financing the robotic revolution. Robots are going to create completely automated factories, automatic retail systems, kiosks and self-service checkout lines: by 2022, computers will run at one trillion operations per second, and, with the capacity of the human brain, their cost would be as little as $500.

What will become of our democracy? What will become of “we the people”? What kind of life awaits the future generations if they have no jobs and no income to buy food or shelter? To remedy this injustice we cannot avoid taking account of the land problem: “Humans in their totality are born from the earth. We are earthlings. The earth is our origin, our nourishment, our support, our guide” (Thomas Berry). Henry George had this insight more than a century ago: “Our primary social adjustment is a denial of justice. In allowing one man to own the land on which and from which other men must live, we have made him a bondsman in a degree, which increases as material progress goes on. It is this that turns the blessing of material progress into a curse.”

Either we will be in bondage, or we will build an economic democracy to be free and to celebrate life on this amazing planet. We must find the way quickly. The forces of concentration of wealth and power have nearly overpowered us: “One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them” (The Lord of the Rings). We need to build an economic democracy based firmly on this most basic principle – the earth belongs equally to everyone as a birthright: “The earth is given as a common stock for men to labor and live on” (Thomas Jefferson).

Abraham Lincoln has said: “The land, the earth God gave to man for his home, sustenance, and support, should never be the possession of any man, corporation, society, or unfriendly government, any more than the air or water. An individual, company, or enterprise should hold no more than is required for their home and sustenance. All that is not used should be held for the free use of every family to make home-steads and to hold them as long as they are so occupied.”

The policy approach to the problem of escalating land values should be addressed in one clear perspective, i.e., “Man did not make the earth. It is a value of improvement only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property. Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds.”

Economists and politicians start to grasp the problem and the solution in the terms John Stuart Mill has formulated: “Landlords grow richer in their sleep without working, risking, or economizing. The increase in the value of land, arising as it does from the efforts of an entire community, should belong to the community and not to the individual who might hold the title.” This perspective rejoins what many faith based organizations think nowadays. Henry George put it in this way: “We can accomplish nothing real and lasting until we secure to all the first of those equal and inalienable rights with which man is endowed by his creator – the equal an inalienable right to the use and benefit of natural opportunities.” Moreover, the right to land is the first of all.

John Paul Pezzi, mccj
VIVAT International NGO
with consultative special status at UN

Philippines. Feeding Street People.

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

For the last five years, a retired engineer and his wife have been feeding poor people on the streets almost every week, on Kamias Road in Quezon City.

Nobody knows about it – neighbours, family members, and friends. “We do not advertise or brag about it,” Imelda said. “It is our expression of faith or faith in action in a simple way”, she added.
“In one of the sermons I heard some years ago, the preacher said that one can help other people by giving them something they are in need of”, pointed out August Romero, a 68-year-old mechanical engineer. They are parishioners from Holy Family Parish, Kamias Road, Quezon City, in the diocese of Cubao.

Keeping this in mind, the couple decided to feed people on the street. “You cannot give them money. It is insensitive to give them money, because one is not sure what they will spend it for. What is best we thought, is to give them food”, August said.
In doing this, August got inspiration from two people: one is the late Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr., a Filipino director, comedian, movie, television, stage, and radio actor. He is fondly called ‘Dolphy’, who is known for his comedy works earning him the nickname, ‘The King of Comedy’. Every time Dolphy went out of his house, he always carried packets of sandwiches which he distributed to poor people on the street. “This was our background. We thought of doing the same in our own way in our vicinity – Kamias Road in Quezon City. All these poor people on the street are in need of food”, August recalled.
In the beginning, the home-cooked food of 50 packets with rice and meat were distributed once a month, then two or three times in a month. Then it became weekly. Now it is three times a week. The other person who inspired August is Pope Francis. From the time he began his pontificate, Pope Francis has been speaking for the poor and their rights and dignity. “Pope Francis’ talks and sermons on the poor have touched our lives and way of living”, August pointed out.

When asked how he prepared the food to be distributed, August said that he personally does the shopping the previous day and with love and passion, personally cooks the meal with the help of a housekeeper. The food is cooked in the morning so that it can be ready to be distributed by lunch time. Together with his wife, they distribute the food packets on different days in the various streets using their red car.
“The more effort you put in it, the more satisfaction it generates for oneself”, he said, quoting another biblical verse or remembering the words of Jesus who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
He explains that they never distribute leftovers or give away stale food. “We cook fresh food and distribute it. As soon as they get the food packets, they start eating these. They just thank us for the food. Our interaction or communication with them is limited. Sometimes, they can identify me because of my red car. We go to the streets where the poor are. We avoid narrow streets so as not to obstruct the road and cause traffic. It is always a hassle-free service”, he added.
When asked why he does what he does, his answer was – “food is basic to all. These people on the street always look for food. When they do not get it, they sleep. Consequently, they become crazy. It can drain their physical strength. When this happens, they are helpless in a way”, he explained.The retired engineer never considered himself rich. “We are not rich, but God provides enough for us. We can still survive with what we have. We will continue to feed our brothers and sisters on the streets as long as we can afford to and our strength permits. In case we physically cannot do it any longer, we may seek others’ help to do it. Until that scenario arrives, we will do it with love and passion and still keep it to ourselves,” August said.

The couple have a daughter and three grandchildren who are settled in the U.S. August was born in Romblon Province on 10 March 1950. It is a cluster of 20 islands lying in the Sibuyan Sea that is practically at the centre of the Philippine archipelago. It is south of Marinduque, west of Masbate, east of Mindoro, and north of Panay Island. Romblon is also known as the ‘Marble Country’.
August was educated at Don Bosco, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. He earned his mechanical engineer degree from the National University, Manila. He worked as a teacher in Manila for a while and later he worked at the Balara water-filter station in Quezon City.
“Now that I am retired and have enough time, I can help the poor in my own way. Every time I pass through some streets of Manila or Quezon City, my attention goes to people on the streets and I have a feeling for them. Thank God, I am trying to follow the dictate of my heart enlightened by my Christian faith”, August stated.

Santosh Digal

Ivory Coast. Breaking Chains.

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

For 35 years now, Grégoire Ahongbonon has been helping African mental patients, providing them with treatment care and work. In the final analysis: ‘They are no different from ourselves’.

Grégoire Ahongbonon, 65, originally from Benin, is no psychiatrist. He does not even have any health-care training. He is a mechanic by trade. But he has become not only a great expert but also one of the people in West Africa most committed to the mentally ill. “They are not dangerous. They are not witch doctors or violent people. One has to understand their gestures. If you approach any of them, listen to them and trust them, they return your trust”, he says.

Grégoire’s interest and concern for the living conditions of the mentally ill goes back to the eighties. “In those days, there were only two psychiatric hospitals in the whole of Ivory Coast, a country with a population of over 20 million where I had gone to seek work. That is when I first got the idea of trying to help them”. However, it all grew out of a deep crisis. It was the fifth of November, 1982, when Father Joseph Pasquier, Grégoire’s spiritual director during that difficult period, proposed that he should go to Jerusalem: and he returned completely transformed, aware that, in his Christian life, he had to be ‘a living stone’. He received the gift of being able to see his own situation in a new way, a situation that had always been before his very eyes, without his seeing it as it really was: “I had just been to Mass and received Holy Communion – he recalls – and I saw a man completely abandoned, almost naked and wandering alone. For the first time I saw Jesus himself in him. I believe that all Christians, wherever they may be, must try to learn how to be an instrument of God in their daily lives”.

He returned to Ivory Coast in 1983 and founded the Association of Saint Camillus de Lellis, drawing inspiration from the words of the saint: ‘The sick are the apple of God’s eye and close to his very heart. Respect them’. “Before that time – Grégoire recounts, remembering his encounter with one of them – I had noticed people of that sort but I was looking without seeing: then I really saw them and I said to myself: ‘This is Christ himself, the same Christ I look for in churches and to whom I pray; he is here right in front of me’.
He started his work by forming a prayer group and organising the beginnings of assistance in the hospitals and prisons. “At that time I used to go around bringing food to the sick, especially those with psychiatric problems, people nobody cared for or were even hidden away. I sought them out, going from village to village”.In 1994 he opened his first ‘Welcome Centre’ in a former coffee shop at Bouaké hospital towards the north of the country. Since then, more than 60,000 mentally ill people have been treated in the various Centres, some of which are also in neighbouring countries: Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso.At present, there are about 25,000 patients being treated in eight Care Centres, 28 Consultation centres and 13 Rehabilitation Centres.

More than 1,000 people have been physically freed from their chains; in some cases, the patients are chained to prevent them harming others, but all too often the chains become a real form of torture. In almost all cases, those people are the victims of witch doctors or quack healers who may even profess to be Christians and hope to gain from the sick by promising miraculous healings while, in actual fact, they extort money from families who do not know how to handle their sick members.
“As long as there is even a single person chained to a tree or confined in a hut, the whole of humanity will be in chains”, insists Grégoire who, with his commitment and his work, seeks a change of vision and mentality, and even to undo the many prejudices and ‘legends’ that surround people affected by mental illnesses. For this reason, together with his work of hospitality and treatment, Grégoire continues tirelessly with his work of sensitisation at all levels, both in Africa and abroad.

Grégoire knows very well that it will take many years to convince people that “mental illnesses are illnesses like any other and can be treated with medicine and that the mentally ill are people like ourselves. For many of them the first ‘medicine’ is work. When they have work to do, they regain their human dignity and feel like everyone else. They need to feel loved and especially need to feel trusted. After all these years, I am convinced that the mentally ill can be treated and cured, but not only with medicine”.Because he is so convinced, Grégoire has involved many former patients in his Centres, whether cured or stabilised, thanks to therapies that require the use of psycho-pharmacological medicine but also a good dose of humanity, Christian love and community support. “Their presence – he adds – helps create a relationship of trust with the other patients and gives them the chance to have a regular job”. This is also confirmed by the Camillian missionary, Thierry de Rodellec, who runs the Djougou Centre in Northern Benin: “The charism of this work – he says – is to look upon the sick in a way that differs from that of official psychiatry. There is no longer a barrier between the one who gives and the one who receives treatment; they are both on the same level of equality. The first moments when sick persons are approached, when they are taken off the street or arrive at the Centre accompanied by their relatives, are decisive: they feel people looking at them as nobody had done for years. When they start to feel better, they accept with enthusiasm the suggestion that they, in turn, take care of the new patients. In this way, a therapeutic community is built up where the sick take care of the sick”.

In his work, Grégoire strongly feels the presence of the Church and prayer. He tells us: “There are many lay people and priests who support us, in Africa and elsewhere. We feel supported most of all when one particular aspect of our work is understood: this is not our work alone. I know that, without the prayers of many others, I could not continue. The first thing I ask for is for everyone to pray for us”.
He also spoke to us about the ‘Oasis of Love Fraternity’ which began within the Saint Camillus Association, Grégoire’s operative branch. Today the Fraternity has around twenty former patients consecrated to the cause of the mentally ill. These are all signs of Divine Providence which has never fallen short: “My family is very much involved in my work. My youngest daughter chose to study medicine and is now a doctor, specialising in psychiatry. I did what God asked of me and God looked after those who supported me”. With great emotion, he tells how his family never lacked anything. “Also for my wife Léontine, our commitment has become her joy. I could not continue without her. We are all united in this work with the Lord”. (L.M.)

The forgotten Real Issues.

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

If we analyse the actual reality of the continent from a security point of view we can see that if the fight against terrorism and insurgencies in Africa seems to be the priority for external partners, there are others major security issues that are not managed properly. But foreigners are not giving them the same level of attention reserved for terrorism and insurgencies.

First of all, the risk of a conventional international conflict cannot be underestimated. The tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea could lead to a full-scale war. But in April 2018, the tensions between Algeria and Morocco also increased. Rabat threatened to intervene militarily in Western Sahara if Saharawi groups (supported by Algiers) did not withdraw from this area. At this moment a war is still not likely, especially because the military balance is in favour of Algeria. According to Akram Kharief, a military analyst quoted by ‘Middle East Eye’ (7 April 2018), the two neighbours have more or less the same number of troops (150,000) but Algerian security forces are much better equipped (in terms of tanks, warplanes, etc.), even if, on paper, Moroccan security forces are better trained. But the escalation of the tones served as a memo that terrorism is not the only security issue that must be solved.

Another rising threat for security in West Africa are the clashes between pastoralists and farmers. Especially in Nigeria, but also in Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, the causalities of this kind of violence are increasing. Between 2012 and 2016 more than 2,500 people died in gunfights in sub-Saharan Africa. This phenomenon is fuelled by arms trafficking that is also a consequence of the ongoing conflicts in countries like Libya and Mali. Tensions between herders and farmers on issues like access to water and land, grazing paths, ethnicity and religions, have increased in these latest years to the point that the old dialogue mechanisms between the two groups are no longer used. The smallest incident leads to violence. Pastoralists are now routinely armed, and farmers have created self-defence militias. African governments are not yet able to manage those conflicts. Nigerian authorities imposed limits to the activity of nomadic herders in order to avoid contacts with farmers, but pastoralists are opposed to these measures that go against entrenched traditions.

Terrorist groups and criminal organisations are exploiting the weakening of some of the states of the region. Mali is one of the most evident examples of this trend. Tuareg autonomists tried to separate the North of the country but opened the way to jihadists. Bamako lost the control of those areas where different jihadists groups found refuge. Only the intervention of French troops stopped the extremist march southward to the capital. Therefore, re-establishing the rule of law and eradicating phenomena like corruption and inability to provide basic public services are universally considered as pre-conditions to guarantee stability.
But some Western governments seems to prefer shortcuts. They are willing to cooperate with African authoritarian regimes to maintain stability on the continent, turning a blind eye to their deficiencies in providing public services and to corruption. Dealing with a dictator is easier and apparently quicker. But usually it implies a ‘give and take’ in terms of funding and political legitimation. Authoritarianism is also one of the elements that leads to the emergence of terrorist groups and insurgencies. Unemployed youths who find no job opportunity, feel oppressed by the regime and who cannot emigrate, could choose to join extremist or insurgent groups. That is to say, authoritarianism is also a source of instability. Establishing democracy and supporting economic and social development are, in the medium to long term prospect, the best tools to create stability and fight extremism. But they are expensive in terms of time and resources, and difficult to sell to the public opinion. It is also true that African authoritarian regimes can find help elsewhere (like China) if Western powers start to push for democracy. But the Westerners have many tools to influence the civic society and the populations of those countries and can support the oppositions.

In these days ‘security’ seems to be the keyword for some Western countries where cooperation with African countries is concerned. Sure, security is a major issue that needs to be considered. In some countries (like Mali, Niger and Nigeria) insurgents and jihadists can push the entire system (politics, the economy, civil society) into a downward spiral towards chaos. Nevertheless, security remains only one of the elements of the many problems, together with bad governance, poverty and corruption.Western governments seem to acknowledge that military operations must be only one of the tools used to guarantee security in Africa. But then they prefer to rely only on troops. They also preach the importance of democracy and rule of law for the stability of the area, but then they support some authoritarian regimes that give a false idea of stability. This sort of double standard fuels resentments in the populations that help extremist groups to thrive.

Andrea Carbonari
Security Analyst

Military Escalation In Africa.

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

After the beginning of the crisis in Mali in 2012, external powers have increased the deployment of troops in Africa to stabilise the area and to neutralise terrorist groups.

This deployment is often followed by the creation of military bases that can lead to a stable military presence in the region. But is this strategy useful? There are some reasons to doubt this. We will focus on two Western countries which are particularly active in Africa on the security level, the United States of America and France. It must be noted that if their military moves on the continent are more or less mediatized, other countries (like China or Russia) are also active but keep a low profile.

In terms of numbers and places, it is difficult to assess the exact dimension of USA military intervention in Africa. Several analysts and journalists tried to calculate the number of troops and military sites and their location. According to Steven Feldstein in a paper published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (9 February 2018), there are more than 6,000 USA troops stationed in Africa in about forty-six military sites of different nature. These troops have been sent there to contain the terrorist violence (which is supposed to be on the rise) and to guarantee political stability to the countries of the region.
The deployment of these troops follows a model called ‘light footprint’. That is to say, the number of soldiers effectively deployed (‘boots on the ground’) is kept at a minimum and the counter-terrorism offensive is a mix of special operations and airstrikes (operated mainly by drones). Officially, military operations conducted by US soldiers are only a small part of the complex and are flanked by cooperation and training of local security forces.

The main hub in the US military network on the continent is Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. The command centre responsible for Africa (AFRICOM) is still based in Stuttgart (Germany), even if from time to time news of a transferring on African soil are reported. The establishment of such a structure in an African state seem to be a thorny issue, due mainly to political reasons. Several smaller bases (in many cases temporary) are connected to Camp Lemonnier in states like Senegal, Ghana and Gabon. There are also air bases that host drones in Tunisia, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Kenya and Somalia. From a technical point of view, according to the estimates there are two ‘Forward Operating Bases’ (FOB), thirteen ‘cooperative security locations’ and thirty-one ‘contingency locations’. According to Eric Schmitt (New York Times, 22 April 2018) 4,000 military personnel operate in Camp Lemonnier.

It is in particular the new airbase in Agadez (Niger), built to host drones, that drew the attention to the increasing US military effort in Africa. Niger is considered a hub both for extremist operations in the Sahara Desert and for illicit trafficking (especially human trafficking) towards Europe. Together with Mali, Niger has become a major theatre of operations for Western countries. US drones hosted in Niger fly over countries like Libya to collect information or to kill extremists. Schmitt reports that in Niger 800 US soldiers operate. More or less the half of this contingent is deployed in the Agadez base. (A.C.)

A Proxy War.

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

Apparently, the US government’s discretion on its military initiatives in Africa is due to two reasons. First of all, US public opinion is basically hostile to an excess of military intervention in stormy areas. Second, the desire not to fuel an anti-US sentiment that is very easy to stimulate in many countries, especially in Muslim communities.

From a geopolitical point of view, the US fight against terrorism in West Africa can be described as a ‘proxy war’, in which the African armies are the proxy. US advisors, coming from Special Forces, advice, train, equip and support local troops that do most of the fighting against jihadists.

Even in a ‘light footprint’ perspective, US troops in Africa are scarce, due to the need for Washington to fight in multiple continents. And also their resources are scarce. US Defense Secretary James Mattis stated in January 2018 that he was trying to assess if conventional forces can be used to support the Special Forces in Africa and in other theatres of operations. This measure could increase the effectiveness of US military effort that at this moment relies on Special Forces personnel that, even if it is trained to operate under stress in critical situations, is overstretched. At this moment, US Special Forces must cope with a wide range of factors (culture, ethnicity, rivalries, etc.) at multiple levels (local, regional, national and international), while fighting an enemy that is capable of penetrating into different theatres, even if it has not a strong and wide popular support.

France and the others

France also intervened in Africa to fight extremism, but with a different approach from the USA. France is a power with deep roots and wide interests in the region. As an example, most of the uranium used in French nuclear power plants comes from Niger. According to data reported by Reuters (23 February 2018), there are 4,000 French troops in West Africa. Undoubtedly, due to their common history, Paris has a deep knowledge of the area and has strong links with many of the governments. But, for the very same reason, it is in a risky position. Every move it makes can be (and often actually is) perceived as an attempt to reinforce its neo-colonial power on the former subjects. And the governments of the regions, even when they actually ask for it, can be sanctioned by the population as lackeys of the French.

European countries like Italy and Germany are also sending their troops into West Africa, mainly to try to manage the problem of illegal immigration coming from sub-Saharan Africa. Even if they try to keep a low profile, they are put under pressure by their own public opinions and by African population. Hostility towards foreign intervention is on the rise in some Western African countries. This is true especially for France, but also countries like Germany and Italy suffer the consequences of this state of mind. The support for some authoritarian regimes in the areas worsens the situation.
Together with one to one cooperation, another tool to increase stability in the area is the financial support for multilateral African initiatives, especially when they translate into military effort by African states. As an example, on 23 February 2018, donor countries pledged about 500 million US dollars to support the so called G5 Sahel military force, composed by troops from Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. The G5 Sahel force is tasked to fight jihadism from West Africa. Its command base is Mali and it is supposed to employ up to 5,000 troops.

Djibouti has become a hub for the foreign military intervention in Africa, not only for the USA. Camp Lemonnier is in reality a former French base that the Djibouti government leased to the USA. France is still present in the country with a Foreign Legion base. Also, Italy created a military base in this small country with a big strategic importance, due to its position in the Horn of Africa. And both China and Japan have military bases in Djibouti. The United Arab Emirates are building military sites in Eritrea and Somaliland (a part of Somalia which claims to be independent), and also in the Horn of Africa.

Russia is trying to establish a military presence in Africa too. In North Africa, Moscow is apparently supporting General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), a militia operating in the East of the country. Russia, linked with Egypt, is supporting Haftar with the hope of creating a naval base in Libya. And it is developing a cooperation with Tunisia in the field of security, among other things by giving Tunis satellite-images for tracking terrorist groups that operate in North Africa. According to ‘Mondafrique’, Moscow is planning to create an air base in Berengo, in Central African Republic, a country devastated by a civil war.
These events show that in Africa there is a real scramble for setting up military bases that sees the competition among powers from all over the world willing to increase their influence. Countries with a long tradition of military presence in Africa (like France, but also Great Britain) now have dangerous rivals. (A.C.)

Bolivia. CAM 5. Church On A Journey.

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

On the theme: “America on a Mission, the Gospel is joy”, the Fifth American Missionary Congress was held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia). A moment of encounter, of reflection on the challenges to be found in the society and Church of the American Continent today.

How can the Church strengthen its identity and missionary commitment in America that is being profoundly transformed from north to south? How can we proclaim the joy of the Gospel with particular attention to the peripheries of the world, at the service of a more just, a more sharing and fraternal world?
The icy wind blowing down from the Sierra did not prevent the 2,500 delegates from 24 American countries from facing and giving a courageous and effective response to the challenges to be found today in society and in the Church.

The Fifth American Missionary Congress (CAM 5) that was held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) from 9 to 14 July 2018 had as its theme “America on a Mission, the Gospel is joy!” The Congress forms part of a long series of meetings that began in 1977 in Mexico with the First Latin American Congress (COMLA1). Since COMLA 6 which took place in Parana (Argentina) in 1999, it was re-named the American Missionary Congress (CAM), incorporating Canada and the United States. The last CAM was held at Maracaibo in Venezuela in 2013. The meeting is held every five years but always presents new challenges.

The four themes of the Congress: Gospel, Joy, Communion and Reconciliation and lastly Mission and Prophecy. The group work was carried out using the “see, judge and act” method. Two symbols: The “Missionary Cross”, that was carried in pilgrimage to in the different communities of the Americas to sustain the preparation of CAM 5, as well as the reliquary of Blessed Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa (1889 – 1943), foundress of the first religious congregation, started in Bolivia. Pope Francis will canonise her on 14 October next.

America divided

The peoples of the Americas live in a fragmented continent, divided and violent. As well as violence there is also poverty. According to CEPAL, extreme poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean increased from 8% in 2014 to 10% in 2016. At the same time, poverty increased from 28.5% in 2014 to 30.7% in 2016. Inequality of income (according to the Gini coefficient) changed from 0.538 in 2002 to 0.467 in 2016. Latin America is the most unequal region of the world. A January 2018 OXFAM report showed that, in Latin America, 10% of the richest hold 68% of all wealth.

Corruption within many governments has a great impact on the region. A case in point in Brazil is that of “Lava Jato” that uncovered a network of corruption and financing in local electoral campaigns. A single Brazilian company, Odebrecht, was involved in illicit financing in more than ten countries in Latin America and two in Africa.
In the view of Transparency International, the Latin American region is considered among the most corrupt in the world. Today the international organisation shows that various democracies are going through difficult times at institutional and social level and in the exercise of power.
Other serious factors in the region are drug-trafficking, human trafficking and the question of immigration. The Bolivian Jesuit Sergio Montes points out how all this violence, inequality and poverty is taking place in a continent with a Catholic majority. He insists that, in a sometimes discouraging situation, the Church is called to “knock down walls, build bridges, reconcile people, bind up wounds and repair what is damaged”. “We can do it”, he says, “If we feel co-responsible for how the society lives where we proclaim the Kingdom of God which starts here and now” through the presentation of the Gospel witnessed above all “by our participation in the life of others, going out from ourselves to meet them truly”. Father Sergio Montes presents three missionary challenges. The urgency of an ecological challenge “which must create a new relationship between creation and God. We are called to be in charge of our Common Home. The destinies of the earth and of the poor are intimately linked”, he says. This requires communion in Christian communities, teamwork and collaboration. Then there is the challenge of many situations of conflict, violence and corruption. The missionary community must be “outgoing”, it must leave much of its security and comfort and “join a complex world where action and concrete commitment are required”.

Witnesses to Joy

Salome’ Mamani Hilari smiles captivatingly in her traditional Aymara costume. She is a member of the community radio team and is responsible for the pastoral programmes. She tells us: “Joy, the theme of the Congress, has kept us busy during these years of preparation. Each week I prepared a programme to try to explain the meaning of the joy of the Gospel. We are going through very sensitive times. I believe that speaking of the joy of the Gospel gives us a feeling of hope. Our indigenous communities give great importance to the word joy. Our Indian culture does not make us sad”.

Bishop Guido Charbonneau of the Honduran diocese of Choluteca, said in his initial conference that, in order to present the Gospel with joy and passion, it is necessary “to communicate with joy our encounter with the Risen Lord “which fills us with contagious joy that leads to conversion. “ Our peoples cannot hide their sadness”, they feel “humiliated, frustrated, tired of so many broken promises”. But in the encounter with Jesus they discover “the deep meaning of the scriptures and this fills them with interior fire” and, together with it, “the passionate joy of the Gospel”. Their joy is uncontainable and also comes from the Beatitudes that also indicate a path of holiness and help to find the strength to face experiences of suffering.
Regarding the proclamation of the Gospel to the world of today, Mons. Santiago Silva Retamales, president of the Episcopal Conference of Chile, intervened on how to be witnesses to communion and reconciliation. “The missionary – the bishop stressed – is born of the empty tomb and is a witness to the Risen Christ; he belongs to the Kingdom and is a new person, assumes a new identity, ‘he is Christified’ and assumes the identity of Christ both as an individual and a community, with all this implies in radical life choices”.

“Today more than ever – Mons Silva concludes – the Gospel needs to be interpreted and actualised in order to give meaningful answers to the contemporary world”.
Mons. Luis Augusto Castro Q., Archbishop of Tunja in Colombia, underlined, among other things, the need for the prophet to combat idolatry, both against the rivals of God that make take different forms: power, uncontrolled capitalism, idolatry of race, etc., and also against the temptation to manipulate God, a god made in our own image and likeness. Comboni Mons. Vittorino Girardi, Bishop Emeritus of Tilaran-Liberia in Costa Rica, spoke of the ‘ad gentes’ mission within and beyond America. His was a purely missionary intervention, underlining the need for the continental church to open itself up to the ad gentes mission since, in the words of Pope Francis, “evangelising activity is the paradigm of every work of the Church. Its missionary nature is the paradigm of every work of the Church”. Mons. Girardi added that “in the American continent, we have ample room for mission” and, by way of provocation, he further added that “an American-Indian Church, a Church of the indigenous peoples, has yet to be born”.

A prophetic mission

In the CAM 5 conclusions we find “We are aware of the great, rapid and profound changes that are shaking culture and society in the postmodern era […] Among these challenges, our Church is especially concerned with the following phenomena in our continent: the crisis of the family with all its problems, contempt and violence against life and human dignity, the violation of human rights, the economic dominion of the few which creates unemployment and poverty, the panorama of injustice and the lack of solidarity that neglects the human person in this age of secularism, the need to take care of Mother Earth, the worrying situation of inequality and violence to which women are subjected, the indigenous population, the darker aspects of the Church itself, stricken especially by sex-abuse scandals, the decline in priestly vocations, weak and relativist modernity with its inherent negativity and immorality”.

The document also contains some proposals such as: encouraging the communion of goods in the Church and with the poor; work for a missionary Church that is more ministerial and lay. “On this is based the emblematic proposal for the creation of a recognised ministry, lay or female, through which the extraordinary service of women to evangelisation as a living reality”; finally, to promote awareness of the prophetic and liberating mission in all social environments. “We therefore support the creation of the American Ecclesiastical Observatory for Human Rights for the purpose of making prophetic reports on situations of exclusion, marginalisation, oppression, injustice, corruption and the abuse of human, social, political and economic rights in all countries of America”.

It was a feast of colours, music, joy and, especially, informal encounters. However, the various reflection groups emphasised more than once the Congress lacked the sharing of many missionary experiences in which Latin America is so rich. During the conferences, those who intervened were, (but for one priest,) all bishops. It would have been interesting to hear the voices of the laity in order to reflect an image of a Synodic Church in which all walk together, where all listen and all speak. The next Missionary Congress will be held in Puerto Rico in 2023. (C.C.)

Disconnected From Reality.

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

According to Feldstein, an analysis of the African situation leads to the conclusion that the US military strategy for this area is not based on a sound assessment of the reality.

Confronting data provided by two well reputed databases The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and The Global Terrorism Database (GTD), Feldstein reaches the conclusion that terrorist violence is declining in Africa, after a peak achieved in 2014-2015. Much of this decrease is due to the decline of the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram, which is linked to the Islamic State (IS). Both IS and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Al Qaeda branch operating in North Africa, are still dangerous but their threat is diminishing. On the other hand, US military effort in Africa is sharply on the rise.

According to Feldstein, IS and its affiliates, except for Boko Haram, are small groups and their attacks constitute only a small part of the number of attacks committed in Africa. By making IS one of the main targets of its counter terrorism operations, Washington is conflating its status, transforming its militants into some sort of heroes and helping them in their propaganda and recruitment campaigns.According to E. J. Hogendoorn, deputy African program director for the International Crisis Group (quoted by the New York Times), “the deployment of armed drones is not going to make a strategic difference and may even increase local hostility” to Washington and to the Nigerian government.

Even if they claim to defend ideas shared by many in those countries, like the religious faith of a major part of the population and the hostility towards corrupted regimes that are influenced by foreign powers, in reality extremists do not have much support among the population. There are some disenfranchised sectors of these societies that have a positive view of jihadists. And these sectors are a source of funds and a recruitment basin for terrorist groups. But they are not the majority. Religious leaders, civic society activists and some reputed politicians are effectively contrasting terrorist propaganda. The fact that in some areas like Mali, jihadists have to resort to drug trafficking (in terms of escorting the convoys through the desert) shows that they have problems in finding ‘legitimate’ sources of income.

There is also a minor factor to consider when assessing the utility of Western military support to local troops which we can call ‘unintended consequences’. African soldiers trained by Washington, such as Yahya Jammeh in Gambia and Amadou Sanogo in Mali, have organized coups in their countries, chasing out democratically elected leaders. The acquired military capabilities can therefore be used to create political instability and fight against democracy. And if they do not organize a coup against a legitimate government, local militaries can use the skills and the equipment acquired to quash oppositions to a dictator.

Militarization of aid

On a general level, there is a ‘militarization’ of the aid to Africa, especially for the United States. In recent years, also during the Obama administration, the funding of governance and policy programmes to support the African partners was slashed. Diplomacy and development aid are not used to their potential. Therefore, the political, economic and social crisis of this area do not find a concrete political response, if we exclude political rhetoric. This vacuum is therefore filled by the military that in the US has become a multi-use tool. These dynamics are the consequence both of a disengagement of the political leadership and of the initiative of the military hierarchy.

In 2018 the National Defence Strategy, in the paragraph titled ‘Support-relationships to address significant terrorist threats in Africa’, the US security apparatus states: ‘We will bolster existing bilateral and multilateral partnerships and develop new relationships to address significant terrorist threats that threaten U.S. interests and contribute to challenges in Europe and the Middle East. We will focus on working by, with, and through local partners and the European Union to degrade terrorists; build the capability required to counter violent extremism, human trafficking, trans-national criminal activity, and illegal arms trade with limited outside assistance; and limit the malign influence of non-African powers’. It seems clear that in reality contrasting the influence of foreign countries in Africa, especially China, is a geostrategic priority for Washington and counter terrorism is a tool to enter into the arena. (A.C.)

Asian Spirituality. A Quest For Depth.

Sunday, 1 July 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

Nearly all major religions of the world were born in Asia. Some characteristics of Asian spirituality – inner journey, search for depth, silence, detachment nonviolence, honesty – show their significance in today’s world.

An inward pilgrimage has remained central to the Asian understanding of religion. Spirituality is the removal of all obstacles on this journey to arrive at one’s true self, the purification of the inner being in this process, and seeing it in relationship with the universal self.
According to the Upanishads – the sacred scriptures of most Hindu traditions – inner liberation comes from withdrawal and reflection on the deeper nature of things. ‘Sitting in forgetfulness’ is considered most helpful for attaining the highest state of perfection, Nirvana.

The Taoist thought in Chinese tradition also identifies religious quest as the liberation of the spiritual element of the ego from its physical limitations in order to move on to immortality. The danger of this form of spirituality is that it tends to neglect the social dimension, though correctives have been proposed in modern times. The search for one’s inner identity undoubtedly calls for depth.
The depth is not about intellectual sharpness in discussing abstruse ideas. It is rather looking at life in all seriousness, in its objective reality: pains and their causes, gains and their limitations, problems and possibilities. It is about taking a holistic vision of things rather than be lost in immediate issues, for example, remoter causes, long-term consequences, diverse perspectives, attention to other people’s concerns. It builds up in a religious person, sturdy convictions and unshakable commitment. It provides inner stamina during trouble, ensures intelligent balance in success, and endows consistency and coherence on one’s being. It supplies great enduring capacity and sustaining power for long-term effort.

The search for depth in Asians makes them value silence. They have a conviction that an understanding of deeper truths can be gained only in silence and through careful self-discipline. Silence strengthens one’s spiritual depth making it more a resurging resource than mere blank emptiness. In fact, silence leads to intense activity in the inner world. It equips one to delve into the unfathomable depths of Truth which are to be realized and lived out. It is true that many western spiritual traditions emphasize silence; but we should not forget many of them, including monasticism, had their origins in Asia.
For Asians, spiritual seriousness is expressed most of all in detachment. The world-renouncing tradition goes several millennia back in South Asian religious history. If this quality is missing in a religious person, something essential is missing in him in Asian understanding, no matter how competent he is in other respects.

Gandhi’s humble lifestyle and peasant’s attire gave him enormous moral authority and persuasive power among his people. He consciously added a social dimension to his spirituality of detachment, silence and depth. His renunciation and self-improvement efforts were for the benefit of his society; more concretely, for national freedom. He claimed that the Hindu holy book Bhagavadgita taught him how to bring absolute dedication to his work with perfect detachment from its fruit. Such an outlook provided him with energies to keep up a peaceful struggle for decades in spite of limited success, to withstand difficulties of every kind, and bring joy into the entire endeavour. His exposure to Christianity in England must have prompted him to add this social dimension to an ancient Indian value. (T.M.)

Peru.To Share Life With People Who Are Incredibly Wise.

Sunday, 1 July 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

As we approach the Pan-Amazonian Synod, the importance the indigenous culture. Two Augustinians, who live in Iquitos (Peru) talked about their experience.

When we first arrived in the Marañon River Valley, more than two decades ago, the first thing we experienced was miscommunication: we didn’t understand the way people talked. It first struck us in the city of Iquitos, although the blow there was relatively soft. When we travelled to Nauta, a city founded by the Kukama Manuel Pacaya in 1830, the following week, the sense of miscommunication was sharply accentuated. A week later, we reached our new home, Santa Rita de Castilla, amid the Kukama people. And here the feeling of miscommunication was enormous, even though the Kukama nowadays speak Spanish as their first language. When we visited communities, we felt as if we were entering another world.

Accustomed as we were to speaking our minds, it was difficult for us to understand the importance of ceremony in communication. Greetings, repetitive formulas … they seemed to be from another era. We later realised that language itself creates situations. We had already studied how ‘I baptise you’, in a ceremony in the church, creates a new Christian. But what we began to learn about ‘how to do things with words’ seemed much more intense in the Amazon. The importance of the blessing, and the importance of never, under any circumstance, speaking a curse. With persistence, effort and patience on the part of our indigenous interlocutors, we gradually learned to communicate better.
We later realized that the same word had different meanings.

To us, ‘Lend me your machete’ meant, ‘Give me your machete’ for a limited time. For the Kukama, the borrower becomes the owner of the machete. It would therefore be in poor taste for the owner to ask for its return. It took us a long time to understand that, and it led us to study the Kukama language. The discovery of the language was a revelation. We gradually became accustomed to the Kukama culture. Or more accurately, from the indigenous point of view, they gradually domesticated us. Drinking masato (fermented cassava beer) was a lesson in domestication.

To play soccer is a demonstration of skill and strength.

Every afternoon, people play soccer or fulbito (a scaled-down version of the game). Without fail. The soccer field is in the middle of the community. It gives one the sense of being on solid ground. The first day we played, all went well. The second day, we were knocked around a bit, but put it down to poor calculation. The third day, we received rougher treatment. Play didn’t stop, and no one called foul, which surprised us. So we paid little attention. We later understood that strength is a key element for the Kukama. Their way of playing soccer is a demonstration of skill and strength. The weak have no chance. Much later, we discovered that a toad may be placed on the goal post to keep the ball away, or a shaman can make an opponent fall and injure himself.

Why talk about soccer? Knowing that it is a game that came from outside, we can discover a key indigenous characteristic: appropriating from the foreign to continue being indigenous. People have appropriated soccer (a foreign game) so as to continue being indigenous (they play in their own way). Thus the importance of the soccer field’s central location. The external (soccer) is taken into the heart so people continue to be indigenous.
Soccer tournaments are crucial. One Animador Cristiano (leader of the village’s Catholic community) told us that one of his sons, age 16, went to play soccer in another community. He arrived home late at night, and immediately went to bed under his mosquito net. The next morning, he slipped out from under his mosquito net as usual and went to the river to fetch water. His mother was annoyed, although she said nothing. At breakfast time, a young woman appeared from under his mosquito net. He introduced her as his wife. Soccer is much more than sport. It makes young men travel to other communities, and more than a few families or couples have been formed at a soccer match.

The Bible

Señora Miguelina did not know how to read or write and had never been to school. But she was a woman of great wisdom and an excellent midwife. One day, when she was ill, she sent for us. We went to her home and she asked us for a Bible. We were aware that she did not know how to read or write. So why did she want a Bible? It was simple: to place it under her pillow.

The Kukama traditionally place the leaf of the toé plant under their pillow so it will make them dream. Señora Miguelina wanted God to make her dream, and the most appropriate way was to place the Bible under her pillow.
Recounted in those terms, it seems unimportant. But for indigenous people, the world is not just what we see; other worlds also exist, inhabited by other beings. God, for the Kukama, lives in the highest heaven. Dreams are a form of true revelation. We should add that the Bible also becomes a means of protection. Given that Señora Miguelina was ill, it is easy to understand that she was asking God, through the Bible, for protection against evil (illness, in this case).

Towards the pan-Amazonian Synod

Through these experience we would like to offer guideposts. Learning has come at great cost. Much patience is required. But when we realized that we were understanding, we were overcome with a sense of satisfaction, of knowing what was going on, of being able to share life with people who were incredibly wise, and who also were extremely patient with us.

That does not mean we know it all, by any means. We are still humble apprentices. That is why an indigenous ministry is necessary.
Every indigenous people is different. Diversity is one of the most important characteristics of Amazonia. The essays in this series are rooted in the Kukama people. They reflect our experiences. Other peoples and other people may have different experiences. This seems like a good moment for a conversation among the people who journey through Amazonia. It is our small contribution to the call for a pan-Amazonian synod. We hope it can help start a conversation.

Frs. Manolo Berjón and Miguel Angel Cadenas

India. In The Name Of Thomas.

Sunday, 1 July 2018 8:00
Written by: Fr.Carmine

Founded in Kerala fifty years ago, the Missionary Society of St Thomas is the first exclusively missionary Institute of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation, at Melampara (in Kerala, India), of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Thomas.
Today it has grown to around 350 priests responsible for three large missionary regions in the north of India and is also present in other countries of the world.
The Society of St. Thomas is the first exclusively missionary Institute of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, and is an Institute of Apostolic Life.

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world and goes back to the preaching of the Apostle St. Thomas himself. The word “Syro” indicates that this community belongs to the family of ancient oriental Churches that have Syriac (a language close to Aramaic spoken by Jesus) as their mother liturgical language. “Malabar” indicates Malabar, the ancient geographic name of Kerala, a state in western India where this Church began and still exists to this day. The Syro-Malabar Church has 4.5 million faithful and is endowed with impressive missionary vitality.The missionaries of St. Thomas incarnate the decision of the “St. Thomas Christians” – as the Syro-Malabar faithful are called around the world – to be fully committed to ad gentes missionary work. The main founder of the Institute was the Bishop of Pala (Kerala), Mar Sebastian Vayalil (Mar is the title given to bishops of the Syrian Church). Mar Vayalil was a man with a great ecclesial and missionary vision, aware that the Syro-Malabar Church was called to a new and historical mission: to open itself to ad gentes evangelisation. Without a mission, there is no Church, however prestigious or ancient.

In the nineteen fifties, when it was increasingly difficult for western missionaries to obtain a visa for India (still more so today), missionary awareness increased among the St. Thomas Christians. The number of young people of the Syro-Malabar Church ready for the mission in India and abroad soared. This was due to the fact that the Syro-Malabar Church had regained its autonomy and dignity in the universal Church, after centuries of serious and unwarranted intrusions and oppression on the part of Church authorities among the Portuguese colonialists who acted, at least formally, in the name of the Church of Rome. But some incongruence remained: for example, the numerous young people of the Syro-Malabar community who wished to become missionaries had to join a diocese, congregation or Institute of the Latin rite and give up their most ancient ecclesial and spiritual tradition.

Mar Vayalil understood that his Church needed something new, an association capable of interpreting and valuing the missionary renaissance. In 1959, Bishop Vayalil, on the occasion of the ad limina vest to the Vatican, began a series of contacts and consultations. The bishops of Kerala and the Church authorities in India and Rome encouraged the bishop of Pala to follow his intuition. And so he set about founding an Institute of Apostolic Life dedicated exclusively to the mission.Mar Vayalil brought into the discussion the bishops of the Syro-Malabar Episcopal Conference, suggesting that the Institute belong to the all Syro-Malabar Church of Kerala, and come under its hierarchy. The bishops agreed with the project and involved many priests in meetings where they could express their views and suggestions.After about ten years, Mar Vayalil, on 22 February 1968, officially declared the creation of the Missionaries of St. Thomas, in the presence of the Prefect for Oriental Churches, Cardinal Maximilien de Fürstenberg, of the former Archbishop Giuseppe Caprio, Pro-nuncio in India and the bishops of Kerala. The same day, the foundation-stone of the Mother House was laid. The following July, the first 18 took the promise of membership.

Today, fifty years later, the MST look back at their history with satisfaction. They now have 345 members and 220 seminarians of whom about one hundred are in the major seminary. However, it is the entire Syro-Malabar Church that is flourishing with candidates for ministry and the religious life. Pala, the cradle of the Institute, is the Indian diocese with the highest number of missionaries going out to the world.
There are also other missionary Institutes in India: that of St. Francis Xavier (founded in Goa) and the Indian Missionary Institute, both of which follow the Latin rite. There are numerous missionary congregations such as the Franciscan Poor Clares, founded in Kerala and an expression of the Syro-Malabar Church with its seven thousand women religious.
Despite this abundance, the faithful are daily subjected to great challenges: religious fundamentalism that persecutes Christians; nationalism that seeks to marginalise and eliminate the Churches; daily confrontation and dialogue with believers of other faiths. Nevertheless, the Christians of St. Thomas and the Indian Catholic Christians in general (only 2.3% of the population), we see no signs of giving up or being discouraged despite the great difficulties. Instead, they have remained faithful to their most ancient tradition, despite unending opposition and misunderstanding, even – at least in the past – on the part of the “colonial” Church.

In the view of Director General of the MST, Fr. Kurian Ammanathukunnel, the Institute proposes to send out missionaries for the evangelisation of India, a subcontinent with many different states, languages and cultures. For the Missionaries of St. Thomas, the evangelisation of other areas of India, especially the north, is really and truly an act of missionary out-going. They are especially proud of the mission opened in the summer of 1995 in the impenetrable region of Ladakh, known as the roof of the world, in the extreme north of the country.
The Missionaries of St. Thomas minister to the faithful of the Syro-Malabar Church who have emigrated to other states of India and other nations of the world.
At the invitation of the local bishops, they now work in twelve countries including Qatar, Tanzania, Nigeria, Brazil, The United States, Papua New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, England, Sweden and Italy.

Gianni Criveller

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