Faith helps Asian youth face challenges: Youth Ministers

Asian Bishops' desk for young people organized a meeting in Malaysia recently.

International:  Young Asian Catholics are acting as Heralds of the Gospel to tackle difficulties such as moral relativism, discrimination for reasons of religion, poverty and marginalisation.

This was affirmed by Youth Pastoral delegates during a recent meeting in Malaysia organised by the Young Peoples’ Desk, at the Office for the Laity and the Family within the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).

The final document prepared at the meeting attended by 95 delegates from various Asian countries confirmed that Youth Pastoral in local Churches in Asia is bearing fruit: “Our young people are a blessing for our Church and for this we give thanks.”

“Like the Samaritan, young people are in search of identity, the truth and the meaning of life. With the rapid evolution of Asian societies and the impact of technology, they need of guidance in order to find a purpose and grow in self-esteem,”reads the statement.

One emerging question regarded “young people who become migrants for economic reasons, in certain parts of Asia, the victims of human trafficking, clandestine situations, forced labour are mainly young people”. While the international organisations insists on “education, occupation and commitment” in response to these issues, the Church in Asia recalls “the necessity to build a deeper relationship with God”.

To work in Youth Pastoral means “showing concern and compassion for all, especially those who are despised and marginalised by society; being welcoming and sincerely interested in young people, showing patience, presence and willingness to build authentic relationships; listen to young people with an open mind, without prejudice and with respect in order to initiate meaningful dialogue, leading them to discover the treasures of the teaching and the experience of Christ,”the Asian delegates concluded.

Source: Agenzia Fides

Tribal leaders vow to resist displacement

Jesuit ministry promotes a 'new awakening' to protect culture.

Bhopal:  Hundreds of tribal leaders in India have resolved to resist attempts by the government and big businesses to take over ancestral lands and forests — part of a move by Catholic groups to organize the often marginalized community in the face of rampant development.

More than 500 delegates from across India gathered in Jharkhand state, eastern India, to discuss the loss of vital land, forest and water resources.

Organizers of the Oct. 24-26 summit — the Jesuit Conference of South Asia's indigenous peoples' ministry — say India's tribal people have for centuries been exploited for their natural resources. Increasing industrialization has worsened the problem in recent years.

"The life, livelihood and culture of the indigenous people have been under serious threat on account of industrialization in the country," said Father Joseph Marianus Kujur, head of the Jesuits' Ranchi province.

Father Kujur, who is an indigenous person, said industrialization has forced many indigenous people from their traditional homes and pushed them toward lives in migrant labor, mining and construction.

India is home to an estimated 104 million indigenous people, belonging to hundreds of separate tribes spread across the country. The majority of Indian Christians in northern and eastern India, particularly in Jharkhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh states, come from tribal communities.

Father Kujur said industrialization has displaced more than 60 million people throughout the country in the past six decades. He estimated that people from indigenous communities make up 40 percent of these displaced people.

"Since independence, the plight of the tribal people has been going from bad to worse, with successive governments enforcing laws that are meant to harass and take over their resources, rather than making laws for their protection," he said.

The situation prompted Jesuits in India to create a special ministry for indigenous people in 1984.

Displacement

Tribal leaders during the Jesuit-led summit recalled that the Indian Constitution has provisions to give indigenous communities administrative control of specific areas, but this has not been fully implemented.

On the contrary, various governments have instead enforced colonial-era laws that allow authorities to seize land at will.

"The very existence of the indigenous people depends on forests and land," said Sanjay Bosu Mallick of the Jharkhand-based Save the Forest Movement.

Jesuit Father Alex Ekka said the summit is meant to create a "new awakening" among indigenous people to protect livelihoods and culture.

Displacement, said the priest from an indigenous community, will harm education, culture, language and other traditions. With such pressures, indigenous communities risk "losing everything, including their identity."

Source: UCAN

Saint Marcellus, the Centurion and His Children Martyrs († 298)

Saint Marcellus, the Centurion
and His Children

Martyrs
(† 298)

Saint Marcellus, the Centurion, Martyr It is believed that Saint Marcellus was born in Arzas of Galicia. A brave pagan, he entered upon the career of arms, hoping to gain a large fortune. He married a young lady named Nona and they were blessed with twelve children. Saint Marcellus was a valorous solider and was promoted to the charge of centurion; he had no thought for any advancement except the sort pertaining to his military life, when he heard the fervent preaching of a holy bishop of the church of Leon. He was converted with his entire family to the Christian religion. All of them except his wife would soon give their blood in honor of their Faith.
The birthday of the Emperor Maximian Herculeus was celebrated in the year 298 with extraordinary feasting and solemn rites. Marcellus, as a centurion of the army, a captain in the legion of Trajan then posted in Mauritania or Spain, in order not to defile himself in these impious sacrifices, left his company, throwing down his cincture and his arms and declaring aloud that he was a soldier of Jesus Christ, the eternal King. He was at once committed to prison. When the festival was over, he was brought before a judge, and having reiterated his faith, was sent under a strong guard to a prefect, Aurelian Agricolaus. This Roman officer passed upon him a sentence of death by the sword. Marcellus was immediately led to execution and beheaded on the 30^th of October of the year 298. Cassian, the secretary or notary of the court, refused to record the sentence pronounced against the martyr, because of its injustice. He was immediately hurried to prison, and was beheaded in his turn on the 3^rd of December.
The children of Saint Marcellus imitated his constancy, and all lost their lives for the defense of the Gospel; three of the boys were hanged and then decapitated at Leon. Their pious mother bought back their bodies for money and buried them secretly; they were later transferred to a church built in their honor in the city of Leon.

Saint Narcissus Bishop of Jerusalem († Second Century)

Saint Narcissus

Bishop of Jerusalem
(† Second Century)

Saint Narcissus Saint Narcissus from his youth applied himself with great care to the study of both religious and human disciplines. He entered into the ecclesiastical state, and in him all the sacerdotal virtues were seen in their perfection; he was called the holy priest. He was surrounded by universal esteem, but was consecrated Bishop of Jerusalem only in about the year 180, when he was already an octogenarian. He governed his church with a vigor which was like that of a young man, and his austere and penitent life was totally dedicated to the welfare of the church.
In the year 195, with Theophilus of Cesarea he presided at a council concerning the celebration date of Easter; it was decided then that this great feast would always be celebrated on a Sunday, and not on the day of the ancient Passover.
God attested his merits by many miracles, which were long held in memory by the Christians of Jerusalem. One Holy Saturday the faithful were distressed, because no oil could be found for the church lamps to be used in the Paschal vigil. Saint Narcissus bade them draw water from a neighboring well and after he blessed it, told them to put it in the lamps. It was changed into oil, and long afterwards some of this oil was still preserved at Jerusalem in memory of the miracle.
The virtue of the Saint did not fail to make enemies for him, and three wretched men charged him with an atrocious crime. They confirmed their testimony by horrible imprecations. The first one prayed that he might perish by fire, the second that he might be wasted by leprosy, the third that he might be struck blind, if the accusations they made against their bishop were false. The holy bishop had long desired a life of solitude, and at this time he decided it was best to withdraw to the desert and leave the Church in peace. But God intervened on behalf of His servant, when all three of the bishop's accusers suffered the penalties they had invoked. Narcissus could then no longer resist the petitions of his people; he returned to Jerusalem and resumed his office. He died in extreme old age, bishop to the last.

Making a universal church less European

Restoring inculturation may become Francis' chief legacy.

By Fr William Grimm
Tokyo:  Missioners, migrants, international business people, diplomats and refugees all find that the experience of moving from one culture to another changes them. They remain themselves, yet find that they are themselves in new ways they may have never imagined possible. A Korean who lives in France does not become French, but learns new things about being Korean, hitherto-unsuspected potentialities of Korean-ness.

The process of entering that transformation is called "inculturation."

That word was often used in Catholic circles after Vatican II, especially in terms of liturgy and mission, the twin activities that define the church. Catholics realized that like that Korean moving to France, the catholicity of the church could and should be influenced and reshaped by encounters with cultures around the world. Those encounters and that reshaping would help us deepen our understanding of what Christianity is, as we view it in new garb.

However, with the election of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, modern and universal inculturation became suspect. Especially under Benedict's re-Latinizing of the liturgy, inculturation in a single place, Southwestern Europe, and a single time, the late Classical period modified by the Medieval and Baroque periods, was to become once again the worldwide norm for Catholicism.

A ludicrous example of that occurred when a Japanese bishop tried to explain to a cardinal in Rome why the bishops of that country wanted to maintain the post-Vatican II practice of bowing before the altar instead of kissing it.

The cardinal responded that kissing is a sign of respect, and surely the Japanese bishops genuflect and kiss the ring of Japan's emperor when they meet him. His Eminence was skeptical when the bishop said that is not the practice. In fact, a mutual friend confirms what can be seen in photos, that His Majesty does not wear a ring at all.

Eventually, when the bishop managed to convince the cardinal that the kiss is a solely sexual gesture in Japan, permission was given to bow instead, so long as it was "not a Japanese bow." The liturgy commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan has spent several years trying to determine the difference between a Japanese bow and other cultures' bending at the waist.

A less amusing result of the abandonment of inculturation was pointed out recently by an article that attributed the sudden steep decline in adult baptisms in the American Church since the imposition of the Latinate maltranslation of the liturgy to its alienating inability to attract people to Christ and the church.

In fact, inculturation, under the designation "incarnation" is the basis of Christian faith. God the Son inculturated himself as a human being in Galilee during the Second Temple period of Judaism under the Roman Empire. He spoke a rural dialect of Aramaic. He wore the same clothing as his neighbors. He had a common name. He worked at a trade. He worshiped according to the traditions of the people among who he lived. He shared the graces and the limitations of their culture. In Jesus, God has shown what we must do as well.



Essential element

At the close of the Synod for the Family, Pope Francis declared inculturation an essential element of the church's life and mission, bringing it back to its central place in the proclamation of the church's faith.

"And — apart from dogmatic questions clearly defined by the Church's Magisterium — we have also seen that what seems normal for a bishop on one continent, is considered strange and almost scandalous for a bishop from another; what is considered a violation of a right in one society is an evident and inviolable rule in another; what for some is freedom of conscience is for others simply confusion. Cultures are in fact quite diverse, and each general principle needs to be inculturated, if it is to be respected and applied."

The pope clearly recognizes that such inculturation might highlight differences, but also that those differences might indicate new possibilities for proclaiming what St. Augustine called the "beauty ever ancient ever new."

As the pope puts it, "Inculturation does not weaken true values, but demonstrates their true strength and authenticity, since they adapt without changing; indeed they quietly and gradually transform the different cultures."

Of course, inculturation is not a blind acceptance of all the elements of a culture. The Gospel stands in judgment of all human creations. But, through an encounter between the Gospel and a given culture, the resulting tension can deepen our understanding of God's will while calling anti-Gospel elements of the culture to conversion.

This is different from acculturation, when the Gospel is absorbed by a culture and is neutralized. Such, in fact, is what happened in Europe. How else in spite of some 1,800 years of Christianity could Nazism and Communism arise on that continent? That in itself is sufficient argument for seeking new non-European ways to show the world the Gospel.

We need to prayerfully, intelligently and sensitively inculturate our faith throughout the world so that all God's People might recognize the joy of the Gospel.

Pope Francis' restoring inculturation as an important aspect of the church's life may become one of the most significant legacies of his papacy.

Maryknoll Father William Grimm is publisher of ucanews.com and is based in Tokyo.

Source: UCAN

New cases of persecution of Christian women in Pakistan’s Punjab

The mistreatment of women and religious minorities in Pakistan continue to be the biggest human rights concern in the nation.

(PHOTO: REUTERS/FAISAL MAHMOOD)

Pakistan:  In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a Christian woman suffers gang rape, while another was set on fire and nearly burned to death after she refused to marry her former boyfriend. A few weeks ago, another Christian woman was abducted and forced to marry a Muslim man.

The mistreatment of women and religious minorities in Pakistan continue to be the biggest human rights concern in the nation.

A Christian woman in a village in the district of Kasur was raped by three Muslim men who intruded into her home, when the men in the family were out at work. The family has made a police complaint and asked for the help of lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill, a Christian.

“It is not easy to find and punish these sort of delinquents. Very often in cases like this the police do little or worse side with the criminals”, the lawyer told Fides. “Christian families or witnesses are pressured to withdraw the charges”, he continues. “Violence against the women and children of religious minorities, the weakest and most vulnerable of persons, is widespread in Pakistan and often passes unaddressed: many cases and stories never come to light and activists who dare to speak out suffer intimidation.

AFP reported last week that 20-year-old Sonia Bibi was nearly burned to death by her disgruntled ex-boyfriend, Latif Ahmed, in the town of Multan.

After Ahmed asked Bibi to marry him and she refused his proposal, Ahmed poured gasoline on Bibi and set her ablaze. Bibi, who suffered 50% burns, is expected to survive.

Local police representative Jamshid Hayat told AFP that Ahmed has been taken into police custody and a preliminary investigation has been launched.

In a third case, Nabila Bibi, a Christian woman, was kidnapped by a Muslim man named Allah Rakha earlier in October in the Changa Manga area of the Punjab province.

Bibi was set to marry her Christian fianc�, Sajid Masih, in November. Bibi's father, Bashir Masih, and other family members searched for her and later filed a complaint with the local police.

The Pakistan Christian Post reports that on Oct. 16, Muslim men went to her father's home and told him that his daughter had converted to Islam and married a Muslim man. They showed him some documents as proof of her conversion and marriage.

On Oct 22, Bibi's fianc�, his cousins, and Bibi's father went to Rakha's home and demanded to see Bibi. They were denied permission and also threatened. When they refused to leave,they were locked up inside Rakha's mansion. They managed to escape next morning. But later, some Muslim men went to Bibi's father's home and found the whereabouts of Bibi's fianc� Sajid Masih. Sajid fled from his home before the men arrived and is now in hiding.

Source: Agenzia Fides; The Christian Post

Philippine church groups call for end to tribal killings

Bishop says indigenous people are victims of abuse and persecution.

Indigenous people from the southern Philippine region of Mindanao lead an Oct. 26 protest in Manila, calling for an end to attacks on indigenous communities. (Photo by Joe Torres)

Manila:  Church groups in the Philippines have joined calls for an end to attacks on indigenous peoples and the killings of tribal leaders in the southern region of Mindanao.

"It is our utmost obligation to hear the cry for help and stand with the poor," said Sister Francis Anover, national coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines.

The nun said calling for an end to attacks on tribal communities is "morally just" and a "concretization of the teachings of Christ."

Catholic priests, nuns, seminarians, and Protestant pastors joined thousands of activists, students and civil society groups in welcoming hundreds of tribal people from Mindanao, collectively known as lumad, who arrived in Manila on Oct. 26 in a protest caravan.

Aside from dramatizing their demand for the pullout of troops in tribal communities, the monthlong march dubbed "Manilakbayan" or "Journey to Manila" aimed to create "national awareness" on the plight of indigenous peoples.

"Allowing the lumad to be subjected to massive forced displacement and, even worse, massacres, killings, harassment and rampages of terror ... is tantamount to tolerating cultural destruction or effecting the obliteration, even genocide, of the lumad people," read a statement issued by the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines.

"We cannot allow this behavior to continue," added the statement signed by some 1,200 church leaders, including Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Obispo Maximo Ephraim Fajutagana of the Philippine Independent Church, Bishop Reul Marigsa of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and the Rev. Rex Reyes of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines.

Tribal leaders in Mindanao had earlier called on the country's Catholic bishops to "actively intervene to end the militarization of areas where tribal communities live."

In a statement, Bishop Pabillo of Manila said the church in the Philippines stands with tribal people, who have been victims of abuse and persecution.

Festive welcome in Manila

Songs, chants, and hugs welcomed the indigenous people from Mindanao, who journeyed more than 1,000 kilometers, when they arrived at the University of the Philippines campus in the suburb of Quezon City on Oct. 27.

Teary-eyed students offered bottled water and food to the marchers while tribal children handed handmade bracelets and head gear during a welcome encounter on a kilometer-long avenue leading to the country's premiere university.

The southern region of Mindanao is known to be rich in mineral deposits of gold, copper, silver, nickel, and chromite and hosts some of the world's largest mining companies.

Data from the indigenous peoples' group, Katribu, shows that at least 53 lumads had been killed since 2010 when President Benigno Aquino came to power. Katribu's documentation shows that the killings have intensified in 2015, claiming 13 lives as of Sept. 1.

Source: UCAN