An ethnic Tamil. A Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Kuzhithurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Promotes creative and alternative ministries; laity participation and progressive thinking in the Church. Believes in ecumenism, inter-faith and inter-religious dialogue. Rooted in Catholic orthodoxy and orthopraxis. Concerned in Eco-spirituality, Minimalism, and lives by the Benevolence of God.
The Vatican’s Fides News Agency releases its annual list of Catholic missionaries who died a violent death in 2021, with the majority bearing witness to their faith on the African continent.
By Devin Watkins
Twenty-two missionaries lost their lives across the world this year: 13 priests, 1 religious brother, 2 religious sisters, and 6 lay persons.
Half (11) were killed on the African continent, followed by the Americas (7), then Asia (3), and finally Europe (1).
The Vatican agency says it uses the term “missionary” in a broad sense of “all the baptized engaged in the life of the Church who died in a violent way, not only ‘in hatred of the faith’.”
According to Catholic theology, all baptized Christians are missionary disciples, “whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith” (EG 120).
African witnesses
Though Europe counted just one murdered missionary, only the killing of Fr. Olivier Maire, SMM, in France made the headlines of the US- and Euro-centric Western press.
The provincial superior of the Montfort Missionaries died at the hands of a Rwandan-born immigrant whom he had been assisting.
Yet, the African continent counted the most missionary deaths, with a total of 11. The most recent was Fr. Luke Adeleke, a diocesan priest killed on Christmas Eve in a remote part of southwestern Nigeria.
Africa’s most populous nation also witnessed the murders of 3 other priests, in areas where lawless bandits often have free reign.
Three missionaries—2 women religious and one layman—lost their lives in South Sudan, while missionaries were also killed in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Uganda, and Angola.
Activists in the Americas
Mexico endured the bulk of missionary-murders in the Americas, with 4 men bearing witness to the faith in blood.
One was an indigenous lay catechist who was an activist campaigning “for respect of human rights in a non-violent way.”
Missionaries also lost their lives in Haiti, Peru, and Venezuela, where a religious brother was killed by a thief in the school in which he taught.
Asian pastoral workers
In Asia, a Filipino priest was shot in the head as he returned to his Seminary on the island of Mindanao.
The tumult in Myanmar left two Catholic laymen dead. Both were killed by snipers as they brought food and humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing the civil conflict.
Though they did not make the list, at least 35 innocent Catholic civilians were massacred on Christmas Eve by army forces.
Countless others killed in the faith
In its annual report, Fides adds that the list is provisory and only includes missionaries whose fates have been independently verified.
The agency says there are countless others whose names will never be known and who “in every corner of the planet suffer and pay for their faith in Jesus Christ with their lives.”
For example, it fails to include another 16 catechists and pastoral workers killed in South Sudan during armed conflicts in 2021, whom the local bishop said were all “targeted and killed by pistol bullets for having spoken the truth with works of peace!”
The report also points to the murder of a young Italian layman who moved to Mexico to live a simple life and help his poor neighbors in any way possible.
Sr Elena Balatti, a Comboni missionary working in South Sudan, describes the peace process and how Christmas has renewed hope for an end to conflict in the country.
By Antonella Palermo
In the world's youngest country - independent from Sudan since 2011 - the road to peace remains uphill but not stationary. The 2018 RevitalisedAgreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, finds continuous momentum on the ground.
Sister Elena Balatti, of the Comboni Missionaries, is Coordinator of the Office for Integral Human Development (Caritas) in the diocese of Malakal.
Her commitment is humanitarian and in defence of human rights. She works in the field of justice and peace, networking with many other people in South Sudan and in close contact with a group made up entirely of lay people.
In an interview with Vatican News, she describes the challenges of dialogue in the country and the recent glimmers of concrete gestures of reconciliation.
Q: At the beginning of a new year, following the Pope's Message for the World Day of Peace, how is the path to reconciliation proceeding in a country marked by constant conflict? And how much effort is behind this journey?
The word peace is used a lot: "We must continue to pursue the peace agreement... We want real peace that we can touch with our own hands...". This reveals how important it is for us and also how hard it is for we human beings to live in peace, among ourselves, with God and with ourselves. As far as South Sudan is concerned, the process is extremely laborious, but it goes on.
In the diocese of Malakal, for the first time this Christmas, some glimmers of hope are more concrete because the tones have changed; they are more subdued. There have been no accusations. The past has been put a little in parentheses in order to look towards the present and the future, towards an active collaboration of the various forces for development. The President has recently declared that 2022 will be the year of truth. One of the articles of the Peace Accord signed in 2018 provides precisely for the establishment of the Truth Commission to heal the wounds of the past that war necessarily inflicts on civil society.
Looking at history, in fragile situations a consolidated peace can be seen in the long term. The serious economic crisis that the country is experiencing is destabilising in itself, so there are risk factors for localised and nationwide conflicts but, in my view, the indicators for peace far outweigh the potential indicators for a return to conflict.
Q: Sr Balatti, what does 'dialogue' mean in light of your mission?
Dialogue is first of all listening and contemplating. The first characteristic is to be quiet and to look at others. We try to promote it through courses, by preparing our staff to go to the communities in the diocese, a very large diocese - almost a third of the entire territory of the country - the most devastated by the consequences of the civil war.
Dialogue is extremely difficult when people have been directly affected by the events of the war: pain, suffering, loss of possessions, of their social status, of affections. War is all this. Therefore, training consists first of all of a 'conversion' in the sense of a change of perspective, from one in which one has become a victim to one in which one is convinced that one can become an agent of change, that one can come out on a personal level and then be able to drag others out of the vicious circle of violence.
Dialogue is being able to look at others not as enemies but as brothers and sisters, who are all in some way victims like us. The style is to talk to each other, to take time to reflect, not to respond immediately, to go to a slightly deeper level.
I say all this also for me because our community in Malakal, and not only that, became displaced during this last civil conflict. We had to try to talk to ourselves to reopen ourselves to more positive possibilities, because we get discouraged. We must not lose heart, be ready to start again every day.
Dialogue is about keeping the door open at all times, even if it costs so much at times. As the Lord does for us.
Q: As the Pope says, it is about activating processes. The word finality, in essence, does not make much sense. Is that so?
It does. Every day the Lord gives us a new day, and it is a positive becoming. There can never be finality in evil or in a disastrous situation. This applies to everyone, to South Sudan and to other countries that are experiencing conflicts and wars.
Sister Elena Balatti among her people, in Malakal Cathedral
Q: Is there a story you would like to recall which is emblematic of a healing process that has been brought to completion?
Yes, it happened over Christmas. In South Sudan there are opposing ethnic groups. For generations, the Murle and Nuer groups have taken it in turns to raid cattle, which is not even considered stealing. Whereas in the past the raids were carried out with spears and the damage was fairly limited, now the huge presence of small arms has turned them into mini but bloody conflicts. They can cause dozens of deaths. They seem to be never-ending, preventing schooling for the young and development for the population.
Before Christmas, the governor of the Murle area decided to voluntarily return a few hundred cattle to the governor of the other ethnic group. When we heard the news we said: this is Christmas. This is the only way we can be together again: someone has to give something, but they will find that they will get a much bigger reward.
From Christmas to now, the situation on the border of the two tribes is such that there have been no clashes. We hope that this significant gesture will be followed by others like it.
Q: The local bishops have recently asked for progress in the investigation into the attack on Father Cristian Carlassare and for the killers of Sisters Mary Daniel Abbud and Regina Roba to be identified, rejecting "attempts to use the tragedy to wreck the peace process". What updates can you give us on the evolution of these events?
A positive update is that the Rome-talks have resumed; there have been meetings and these negotiations with the groups that are not the signatories of the 2015 and 2018 peace agreements.
The agreements - which had stalled after the killing of the two nuns on the road from Nimule to the capital - have resumed. On the negative side is the fact that there are no publicly known developments in the two investigations.
Q: Have you ever been afraid for your safety?
No, we are not at that level. One must be prudent, however, and not expose oneself too much in moving and speaking. I don't want to say that Father Christian or the two nuns exposed themselves to risks, absolutely not, but there are tense situations in which one has to evaluate well. The Catholic Church is studying these episodes, and we must bear in mind that there have also been other incidents of this kind involving members of the Church and other Churches.
The Church must continue to be prophetic. It cannot remain silent. On the other hand, I think that ecclesiastical diplomacy is trying to arrive at some form of human justice. Personally, I am not afraid. South Sudan is my country where I have lived half my life. Fear can come in the face of threats that can occur almost anywhere. I have experienced it, but you always have to overcome fear, which is paralysing.
Sister Elena Balatti with some of the young people she works with
Q: How widespread is the pandemic in South Sudan, and how widespread are Covid-19 vaccines?
The pandemic is on the rise, but there are no precise figures because only in the capital are there centres where swabs can be taken. In some other major cities, rapid tests can be done but it is difficult to count.
The positive fact is that the number of deaths is proportionally very low. The government has declared a partial lockdown for a few weeks. It has reimposed restrictions in public places, such as universities, and is encouraging vaccinations. The problem is that most people don't want to get vaccinated. Now, however, the number of people who are convinced is increasing a bit.
Q: Coming back to civil society, how severe are the restrictions on its scope for action?
Civil society is not yet well developed. The spaces are limited. The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but in fact it is extremely limited, and there are not many organisations or associations that claim to be spokesmen for civil society.
What is needed is widespread schooling, which is progressing. But we also need the formation of an attitude, and it is not enough that it is written in the Constitution.
Q: When do you think the Pope will be able to visit the South Sudanese people?
Let him come this year! Let him come this year! I received the crucifix from the Pope at the missionary vigil in 2019, and as soon as I said: South Sudan, he said: 'I want to go to that country'. And I said: 'Come, come. Everybody loves you in South Sudan.' So, even today, I would repeat that.
On World Braille Day, Sr. Veronica shares her story as a visually-impaired religious sister from Kenya, and describes how every challenge should be accepted as a portion of Christ's cross to be bourne in service to others.
By Francesca Merlo
As World Braille Day reminds us of the importance of accessibility and independence for people who are blind or visually-impaired, Sr. Veronica shares her story as a religious sister from Kenya who became visually impaired in her early teenage years.
“It all depends on the way one accepts themselves. God never does anything to cause anyone harm. I used to ask myself why I cannot see when my brothers and sisters all can? The way I accept myself, and the way I present myself, that is how others will either accept or reject me.”
Don Orione
Sister Veronica lives in Kenya, in a community with three other visually impaired sisters, which is part of an even larger congregation: the Sacramentine Sisters of Don Orione.
Speaking to Vatican News from her home in Kenya, she explains that the sisters in the congregation are both contemplative and active.
“This was Don Orione’s desire”: to allow those who needed to, to be able to serve God through adoration. “Whatever one has to offer the congregation, they can do so here,” she says. Of the 7 sisters in her community, the 4 who are visually impaired are only "partially contemplative", since they participate in activities around the house, meet people, and give talks.
The four contemplative sisters Veronica, Mary Carmen, Angelina and Rachel
They are a comfort to each other, Sr. Veronica explains, "but I did not join the congregation because I need help."
"I need opportunity, not sympathy," she says. "Often people assume they should be 'doing things for me.' That doesn't help me! Show me how to get the fish, but don't get it for me," says Sr. Veronica. And that is what the sisters in her community do.
Sr. Veronica's story
Veronica was born with full eyesight. At the age of 13, she contracted malaria and was given medication called Quinine to treat it.
"The hospitals weren't anything like they are now," she says, and the medication, which was later banned in Kenya in 1999, damaged her optic nerve and caused her to lose her sight. “I do recognise light and shadow, though,” she specifies, adding that technology is a wonderful help. She explains that she dictates her WhatsApp messages to her phone, and that it reads received messages back to her.
At 13 years old, “that’s the age when you start to develop... you get your first period, when things begin to change, and that’s when I lost my sight," says Sr. Veronica. “But when something like this happens to you as a child, it is easier to bear with and accept.”
She adds that some people lose their sight when they are already settled in life, and that they risk throwing away their lives. “It all depends on the faith of each person,” says Sr Veronica.
Faith and impairment
“I was born into a Catholic family.” At first, Veronica's father, a fisherman, had difficulty accepting her illness, and often asked “why me?”, “why my daughter?" He never did any harm to anyone, she says.
Her mother, who worked helping out in family homes and congregations was more accepting at first. But, “they never stopped going to Church, or praying” and her father grew to accept it, too, because "they knew that everything that happens has its purpose.” And when it does happen, she adds, and you have a family which helps and sustains you, “it becomes much easier.”
But, despite the help of a loving family, being visually impaired does take courage. Now aged 63, Sr. Veronica says it was courage that allowed her to turn what at first seemed like a weakness into a strength and a virtue. "You can't depend on your parents forever," she says.
It all depends on the person with the disability, she points out. "The way I present myself is the way you will accept me.”
Braille, learning and teaching
School for blind people was free in Kenya at the time. "I learned Braille when I was 13, the same year I contracted the illness that caused my visual impairment." Sr. Veronica then went "to blind school where, for 7 years, I studied the same curriculum all other students across Kenya studied. Though I studied in Braille, the exam is the same for everyone." She says students had to type their responses out on a keyboard, just like everybody else.
Then, between finishing school and becoming a nun at the age of 23, Sr. Veronica felt the calling to teach visually impaired children English and Swahili, the Kenyan national language. "And sometimes even maths," she adds, with the laugh of someone who is perhaps not particularly good at the subject.
One challenge, like another
Sr. Veronica never loses the joyful tone in her voice, speaking with strength and determination.
“I am not shy about talking about myself! This is part of life! This situation is normal. Challenges are everywhere... you must learn to handle your challenges, and not allow them to handle you. Once God diminishes one sense, the others increase. Where my sight cannot reach, I can use my imagination, and sensitivity... and common sense. It depends on the gift of each one.”
This is why, she says, "there is no difference between me and you."
Travelling
Sr. Veronica also loves to travel. "I do have trouble crossing the road," she admits, but with help getting on the right bus, and changing onto the correct next one, "I can go anywhere." She used to travel to a different province, overnight, to get to school, and she did so on her own.
“Be confident. Not so much as to say that you can do everything and that you don't need help. But before you ask for help, try. If others can do it, you can at least try.”
Bearing the Cross
Sr. Veronica has never "seen" her two brothers and her sister. They were born after she lost her most of her sight.
At first, the religious sister says she asked herself why they could see and she could not. But later, she began to understand that she should appreciate that "each of us, the visually impaired, has a piece of God's Cross." With that in mind, "it is better to appreciate it, and live happily."
Each day is a gift, she concludes, and "I have gained my independence."
புனித பூமியில் உள்ள கத்தோலிக்கர் அனைவரும் தங்கள் எதிர்காலம் குறித்து மிகுந்த நம்பிக்கை கொண்டிருக்கவும், 2022 ஆண்டு தலத் திருஅவைக்கு மீட்பின் ஆண்டாக இருக்கும் எனவும் முதுபெரும் தந்தை
செல்வராஜ் சூசைமாணிக்கம் - வத்திக்கான்
புதிய ஆண்டின் தொடக்கத்தில், யெருசலேமின் இலத்தின் வழிபாட்டுமுறை முதுபெரும் தந்தை, பேராயர் Pierbattista Pizzaballa அவர்கள், புனித பூமியில் உள்ள கத்தோலிக்கர்களை, தற்போதைய நிலையில் சிரமங்கள் இருந்தபோதிலும், அவர்களின் எதிர்காலத்தைப் பற்றிய நேர்மறையான கண்ணோட்டத்தை கொண்டிருக்கவவும், திருஅவை மற்றும் சமூக வாழ்வின் செயல்பாடுகளில் தீவிரமாக பங்கேற்கவும் அழைப்பு விடுத்துள்ளார்.
ஜனவரி முதல் தேதியன்று, 'அன்னை மரியா இறைவனின் தாய்' என்ற பெருவிழாத் திருப்பலியில் தான் ஆற்றிய மறையுரையில், உள்ளூர் கிறிஸ்தவர்கள் தாங்கள் எதிர்கொள்ளும் பல சிரமங்கள், மற்றும் பகைமைகளிலிருந்து தாங்கள் ஒரு கண்ணாடி அறையில் பாதுகாக்கப்படுவதையும் தஞ்சமடைவதையும் எதிர்பார்க்கக் கூடாது, மாறாக, அவர்கள் தாங்கள் வாழும் சமூகத்தின் குடிமை மற்றும் சமய வாழ்வின் ஒருங்கிணைந்த பகுதியாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்றும் குறிப்பிட்டார்.
மேலும், உள்ளூர் கிறிஸ்தவ சமூகம் எப்போதும் புகார் செய்யக்கூடாது, மாறாக, வாழ்க்கை மற்றும் மகிழ்ச்சிக்கான வழிகளைத் திறக்கும் இறைவனில் நம்பிக்கை வைக்க வேண்டும் என்றும் கூறிய அவர், நமது செயல்களிலிருந்தும் முயற்சிகளிலிருந்தும் உடனடி முடிவுகளை எதிர்பார்க்கும் மனநிலையை விடுத்து, விதைப்பவரின் நம்பிக்கையையும் பொறுமையையும் நாம் பெற வேண்டும், என்று அறிவுறுத்தினார்.
