The Catholic Leader - July 2

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The Catholic Leader, July 2, 2017
World
An Online Programme for those in ordained ministry presented by
the Australian Catholic Council for Clergy Life and Ministry and
the Centre for Christian Spirituality, Randwick and conducted by
Most Rev David Walker, Emeritus Bishop of Broken Bay Diocese.
This programme for those in ordained ministry seeks to provide a
non-academic but serious study of the Church’s traditional teaching
on the life of prayer, how to live it personally and foster it in the
lives of those in their care. The aim of the programme is to assist
clergy to be companions on the faith journey with those in their
care.
Further information:
or
Fostering Faith Life
CHRISTIANS in war-torn areas of the Middle East must never
be far from priests and bishops in their country so they can feel
God’s closeness in the midst of suffering, Pope Francis said.
“It is fundamental to always nourish the style of evangeli-
cal closeness: in the bishops, so they may live it toward their
priests and that they in turn make the Lord’s caress be felt
by the faithful entrusted to them,” he said. “But all the while
keeping the grace of remaining disciples of the Lord, beginning
with the first who learn to be the last among the least.”
The Pope spoke on June 22 during a meeting with members
of a Vatican co-ordinating body, known by its Italian acronym
ROACO, which operates under the auspices of the Congrega-
tion for Eastern Churches.
The funding agencies include two based in the United States
– the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and the Pontifical
Mission for Palestine.
The Congregation for Eastern Churches and the coalition
of funding agencies are responsible for assisting Eastern-rite
churches around the world as well as the Latin-rite church in
the Holy Land. CNS
Clergy in Mid-East
to be close to people
Vatican News
Pope makes major donation
to South Sudan charities
WITH a trip to South Sudan postponed indefinitely, Pope Fran-
cis is sending almost $500,000 to help two Church-run hospi-
tals, a teacher training centre and farming projects for families
as a way to show the people there his solidarity and support.
Because a planned trip with Anglican Archbishop Justin
Welby of Canterbury couldn’t happen this year as hoped, Pope
Francis “wants to make tangible the presence and closeness of
the Church with the suffering people through this initiative ‘The
Pope for South Sudan’,” prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for
Promoting Integral Human Development Cardinal Peter Turkson
told reporters at a Vatican news conference on June 21.
“He fervently hopes to be able to go there as soon as possible
on an official visit to the nation; the Church does not shut hope
out of such an afflicted area.”
An official visit was meant to draw the world’s attention to a
silent tragedy, give voice to those suffering, and encourage con-
flicting parties to make renewed and greater efforts in finding
a peaceful solution to the conflict, the cardinal said. Already in
March, Pope Francis had expressed doubts about the possibility
of making the trip, saying in an interview with Germany’s Die
Zeit newspaper, that visiting South Sudan would be “impor-
tant”, but that “I don’t believe that it is possible”. CNS
Papal
voice: An
elderly
woman
from
Mosul,
Iraq, sits at
a refugee
camp in
Khazer,
Iraq.
Photo: CNS
Zambia bishops, faith leaders
wary of possible dictatorship
THE president of the Zambian Catholic
bishops’ conference joined other religious
leaders in deploring worsening tensions
in the east African country, accusing its
president of intimidating opponents and
silencing the media.
Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu of
Lusaka and leaders of the Council of
Churches of Zambia and the Evangelical
Fellowship of Zambia said in a
statement that the country was
at a crossroads as it faced
“many challenges related to
governance, the muzzling
of people’s freedoms and
human rights violations”.
The leaders said they
were saddened by the
“blatant lack of political
will” to tackle Zambia’s
crisis, and wished to “see the
government do better and succeed”
by raising their “prophetic voice”.
They said they had tried for weeks to
explain their concerns to President Edgar
Lungu.
They also said they feared he was
“creating a new dictatorship”.
“Only leadership that does not have the
will of the people on its side, or thinks it
does not have the will of the people on
its side, uses state institutions to suppress
that same will,” the statement said.
Political tensions increased after the
violent night-time arrest of the head of
the opposition United Party for National
Development Hakainde Hichilema after
his supporters were involved in an April
10 clash with President Lungu’s motor-
cade.
The Lusaka Times reported on June
22 that Mr Hichilema, who could
face the death penalty, had
been transferred with five
others charged in con-
nection with the incident
from a maximum-security
jail back to Mr Lusaka’s
central prison.
The faith leaders said
continued mistreatment of
Mr Hichilema, who ran in
five presidential elections and
finished a close second to President
Lungu in voting in August, was causing
“growing amazement and alarm”.
Mr Hichilema unsuccessfully chal-
lenged the election result in Zambia’s
Constitutional Court.
President Lungu has threatened a state
of emergency if his legitimacy remained
contested.
Recent pressure on newspapers and tel-
evision and radio stations was exacerbat-
ing an atmosphere of “fear, intimidation
and threats”, the leaders said.
“There cannot be national reconcilia-
tion and healing through manipulation of
truth – the kind of leadership we have now
allows law-breaking as long as it benefits
the powers that be,” the statement said.
“If this isn’t dictatorship, then what is
it?”
In their statement, the faith leaders said
their previous warnings had been ignored,
raising anxieties for the future of Zambia,
which has been long viewed as a bastion
of democracy in Africa.
They added that Mr Hichilema should
be “treated with respect as a political pris-
oner” and released into house arrest, while
Mr Lungu should act as “guardian for all
Zambians”, rather than aiming “only to
protect the good of members of his party”.
The Lusaka Times reported on June 19
that Auxiliary Bishop Benjamin Phiri of
Chipata had contested the statement and
accused Archbishop Mpundu of failing to
consult other Catholic leaders before its
release. CNS
Crisis: Zambian President Edgar
Chagwa Lungu.
Photo: CNS
Church supports creation of
separate Gorkha homeland in India
People are suffering
Support: Protesters supporting ethnic Gorkha people carry signs and shout slogans
during a June 22 demonstration in Mumbai, India. Church leaders have expressed
solidarity with ethnic Gorkha people who are on an indefinite strike protesting for a
separate homeland in the Darjeeling area of eastern India. Photo: CNS
CHURCH leaders have ex-
pressed solidarity with ethnic
Gorkha people who are on an
indefinite strike protesting for a
separate homeland in the Dar-
jeeling area of eastern India.
Since June 8, Darjeeling district in West
Bengal state has witnessed violent clashes
between local residents and police.
Street protests, stone-throwing as well
as violence from both sides has intensified
since June 12 when the popular local or-
ganisation Gorkha Janmukti Morcha called
for an indefinite strike demanding the crea-
tion of a separate homeland – Gorkhaland
– for ethnic Gorkha people.
At least three people have been killed in
the violence.
“The Church is not directly involved in
the protest. But the Church is with the peo-
ple,” Bishop Stephen Lepcha of Darjeeling
said.
He said local people were demanding
the right of self-governance because West
Bengal state officials did not attend to their
needs.
The Gorkhas live in the hill country
of West Bengal and have a language and
culture separate from the rest of the state.
“The problem arises here again because
people do not see the government helping
with any development in this hilly region,”
Bishop Lepcha, a native of Darjeeling,
said.
“People suffer unemployment and
poverty. The administration has failed
miserably.”
The struggle for a separate state within
the Indian federation began three decades
ago.
Armed classes claimed 1200 lives from
1986 to1988.
The confrontation then was resolved by
the West Bengal government, which estab-
lished the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill council,
a semi-autonomous body administering
Darjeeling.
“But in effect everything was controlled
by the state government,” the bishop said,
adding that without freedom the council
also “failed to work for the welfare of the
people”.
Bishop Lepcha said the demand for
Gorkhaland was “genuine as it will help
Gorkha people safeguard their language
and ethnic culture, which they consider
under threat”.
He would like the government and the
Gorkha people “to have dialogue and solve
the problem, or else the situation will be
out of control”.
Catholics were “very small in number”
from among the local population but had
a “good rapport” with other local people
and the West Bengal state government, the
bishop said.
“We are in a process to find out some
ways to help bring peace back to the
region,” he said.
Jesuit Father Kinley Tshering, the
order’s provincial superior in Darjeel-
ing, said he was worried the strike, if it
continued, may hit ordinary people hard
because they may run out of food and other
essential items.
The strike has led to blocked roads, pre-
venting trucks with food and other supplies
from traveling to the region.
“This can fan further protests,” Fr Tsher-
ing said.
“Our people are suffering. We can’t run
away with our responsibilities. Our prayer
and solidarity are with them.”
The priest also said the demand for a
separate homeland was “right because the
former council did very less in terms of
development in the hilly region”.
CNS