Pope appeals for African families, condemns promotion of abortion

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

LUANDA, Angola (CNS) -- Addressing Angolan political leaders and an international group of diplomats, Pope Benedict XVI appealed on behalf of African families struggling from the effects of poverty, disease and war.

The pope said women and girls in particular experience "crushing" discrimination and sexual exploitation. At the same time, he criticized agencies that, under the pretext of improving health care, try to promote abortion.

"How bitter the irony of those who promote abortion as a form of 'maternal' health care! How disconcerting the claim that the termination of life is a matter of reproductive health!" he said.

The pope made the remarks March 20 at the presidential palace in Luanda, the Angolan capital, where President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos welcomed him at an official ceremony. After private talks with the president, the pope entered a room filled with foreign diplomats stationed in Angola, bishops and other dignitaries.

The pope delivered his speech standing on a small stage decorated with Angolan and Vatican flags. After praising Angolan efforts to rebuild after a civil war, he turned to wider African questions and said the strains on African families include poverty, unemployment, disease and displacement.

"Particularly disturbing is the crushing yoke of discrimination that women and girls so often endure, not to mention the unspeakable practice of sexual violence and exploitation which causes such humiliation and trauma," he said.

Church agencies have become increasingly active in promoting women's rights in Africa, and the pope was scheduled to speak with Catholic activists in that field before leaving Angola. In addition to continuing discrimination in legal areas like property and marital rights, many African women suffer from human trafficking often linked to prostitution rings.

Reports in recent years by the United Nations and the World Health Organization have found that in many African countries wife-beating is common and the idea that husbands have a "right" to physically punish or intimidate their wives is deeply ingrained.

In raising the abortion issue, the pope was returning to a subject the Vatican has pressed many times in international forums. The Vatican's concern is that international agencies are pushing abortion as a human right.

In effect, the pope said, these are policies promoted by "those who, claiming to improve the 'social edifice,' threaten its very foundations."

The pope pledged that, through its charitable agencies, the church will "continue to do all it can to help families, including those suffering the harrowing effects of HIV/AIDS -- and to uphold the human dignity of women and men."

The pope addressed broader issues in Africa as well. He said that for Africa to become the "continent of hope," good people will have to work to transform it and free their people from greed, violence and unrest.

This passage should lead to the principles of every modern democracy: respect for human rights, transparent government, an independent judiciary, a free press, a civil service of integrity, and properly functioning schools and hospitals.

The most pressing element to the transformation was a determination to "excise corruption once and for all," he said. People of Africa are calling out not for more programs, but for "a deep-seated, lasting conversion of hearts to sincere solidarity."

"Their plea to those serving in politics, public service, international agencies and multinational companies is simply this: Stand alongside us in a profoundly human way; accompany us, and our families and our communities," he said.


The pope reminded richer nations not to forget their aid commitments to Africa, including the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000, which foresaw the commitment of 0.7 percent of the gross national product for development assistance. That goal should not become one of the casualties of the current global financial crisis, he said.

He strongly endorsed Angola's efforts to recover from a devastating 27-year civil war. In addition to government initiatives and multilateral assistance, Angola has been helped immensely by its many teachers, medical workers and civil servants who work for little or nothing in the service of the needy.

The pope's talk, broadcast on Angolan television, drew a brief standing ovation from those in attendance.

Luanda, the Angolan capital, gave the pope a rousing welcome on his first day in the country. Tens of thousands of well-wishers lined the papal motorcade route, wearing T-shirts and hats with the pope's picture and chanting, "Papa, amigo, Angola esta contigo!" -- "Pope, my friend, Angola is with you!"

The pope returned to the theme of the family at his encounter the same evening in the apostolic nunciature with Angola's 25 bishops, asking them to defend the institution of marriage and the sanctity of life.

Many marriages today lack inner stability, he said, and "there is the widespread tendency in society and culture to call into question the unique nature and specific mission of the family based on marriage."

Part of the bishops' task, he said, was to demand economic and legislative measures to support the family in bearing and raising children.

The pope praised the church in Angola for its dynamism, and said he had come to the country to confirm the church's basic mission in society. He warned that Africa, like other places, was faced with encroaching relativism, which acknowledges nothing as definitive and makes the individual the ultimate measure of things.

"We hold out another measure," he said. "Christ is the measure of true humanism."

As night fell, young Catholics jammed the area outside the papal nunciature where the pope was staying, singing songs and hoping for a glimpse of the pontiff. They got their wish when the pope, smiling after a long day, appeared on a balcony of the nunciature and gave them all a blessing.

In another part of the city, thousands of Catholics held candles and walked through the streets toward a Marian sanctuary for a vigil.

The pope was on the second leg of a weeklong trip that took him first to Cameroon, where he delivered to African bishops the working document for next October's Synod of Bishops for Africa.

END

ANGOLA-DIPLOMATS (UPDATED) Mar-20-2009 (1,000 words)

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In Angola, pope encourages postwar spiritual and material recovery

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

LUANDA, Angola (CNS) -- Arriving in Angola on the second stage of his African pilgrimage, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the country to continue on the path of reconciliation after a devastating civil war.

As Angola recovers spiritually and economically from the conflict, it must not forget its own poor, the pope said after landing at Luanda's airport March 20.

"The multitude of Angolans who live below the threshold of absolute poverty must not be forgotten. Do not disappoint their expectations!" the pope said.

Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos met the pontiff as he disembarked from the Alitalia charter plane that brought him from Cameroon. When a young woman who was presenting the pope with flowers lost her white cap, the pope promptly put it back on her head.

Then the president led the 81-year-old pontiff past a long line of dignitaries in torrid midday heat that brought handkerchiefs to many brows. The pope did not appear to be bothered by the warm temperatures, and he smiled as a crowd cheered and ululated from the airport rooftops.

Angola, a former Portuguese colony that became independent in 1975, was evangelized by missionaries more than 500 years ago. Today, about 57 percent of the population is Catholic, one of the highest percentages in Africa.

Angola's civil war lasted 27 years, ending with a peace agreement in 2002. The fighting between government forces and a rebel movement supported by the United States left an estimated 500,000 dead, 80,000 maimed and the country's infrastructure shattered.

In his arrival speech, the pope said that as someone who grew up in Germany during World War II he understood what war can do to a country and the need for moral and material rebuilding. He also referred to Germany's postwar division, with oppression caused by "destructive ideologies."

"You can therefore understand how keenly aware I am of dialogue as a way of overcoming every form of conflict and tension and making every nation -- including your own -- into a house of peace and fraternity," he said.

Addressing all Angolans, the pope said the church would do its part in the country's recovery, and that it shared in the common mission of "building together a freer and more peaceful society, marked by greater solidarity."

The pope's comments about not forgetting Angola's impoverished sectors of the population touched on a sensitive topic in the southern African country. In recent years, Angola has emerged as an important supplier of crude oil, resulting in an economic boom that has created a growing rich-poor gap.

"Unfortunately, within the borders of Angola, there are still many poor people demanding that their rights be respected," the pope said. He emphasized that the whole of Angola needs to be involved in the country's healing and revitalization.

The pope added a particular appeal on behalf of flood victims in southern Angola, where torrential rains left some 20,000 people homeless a week before his arrival. He expressed his solidarity and his encouragement for their reconstruction efforts.

Dos Santos, who has been in power 30 years, told the pope that the entire country was looking forward to what he had to say during his visit.

He said his government's goal was to build a "spiritually harmonious and tolerant nation, able to assume its responsibilities in defense of human dignity and honor, justice, solidarity, freedom and universal peace."

The church should have a key role in this process, he said.

When the pope left the airport, his motorcade was engulfed in a sea of chanting, waving people, many of whom ran alongside the popemobile for blocks. The crowd extended all the way into the city center.

Later in the day the pope was scheduled to pay a formal visit to Dos Santos at the presidential palace, address foreign diplomats and meet with the country's bishops.

END

ANGOLA-ARRIVE Mar-20-2009 (640 words)

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Pope outlines his view of African synod's main themes

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI offered a sneak preview of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, identifying several issues he believes will be crucial.

Above all, he said, the church in Africa is called to be a healing community on a continent torn by "savage conflicts" and other tragedies.

The pope spoke in Cameroon March 19 to a council of bishops preparing the October synod. Earlier in the day, he delivered the synod's working document to African bishops at a Mass.

The pope's essential point, one he has stressed during his visit to Africa, was that to carry out its mission in society "the church must be a community of persons reconciled with God and among themselves."

"In this way, she can proclaim the good news of reconciliation to contemporary society, which unfortunately experiences in many places conflicts, acts of violence, war and hatred. Your continent, sadly, has not been spared, and it has been and continues to be a theater of grave tragedies which cry out for true reconciliation between peoples, ethnic groups and individuals," he told the bishops' council.

The church is challenged in a special way by local or regional wars, massacres and genocides perpetrated in Africa, he said. The aim is to show Africans that through Jesus they all belong to the same family, and so reject hatred and injustice, he said.

The church's goal, he said, should be to "enhance African traditions and to correct and perfect their concept of life, humanity and the family." The church must do so by presenting Jesus Christ as the one mediator and redeemer, he said.

"The Christian vocation consists in letting oneself be freed by Jesus Christ," he said.

The pope reminded African bishops of the continent's long history of contributions to the church, especially in the theological development of the early centuries.

With Christianity thriving in Africa again, he suggested it might be time for a theological rebirth, too. He suggested a particular field of study for modern African theologians: the depth of the Trinitarian mystery and its meaning for everyday African life.

The pope paid tribute to the missionary efforts of the last 500 years and singled out catechists for praise. The tens of thousands of catechists in Africa have helped bring about inculturation, served as a link between local communities and their priests and bishops, and inspired many to join the church, he said.

"This was a case of Africans evangelizing other Africans. In evoking their glorious memory, I greet and encourage their worthy successors who work today with the same selflessness, the same apostolic courage and the same faith as their predecessors," he said.

END
CAMEROON-SYNOD Mar-19-2009 (450 words)

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In Africa, pope warns of erosion of values, 'tyranny of materialism'

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS) -- Celebrating Mass with more than 40,000 Catholics in Cameroon, Pope Benedict XVI urged African families to reject the "tyranny of materialism" and other social changes that risk eroding the continent's traditional values.

"Brothers and sisters in Cameroon and throughout Africa, you who have received from God so many human virtues, take care of your souls! Do not let yourselves be captivated by selfish illusions and false ideals!" the pope said in a homily March 19 at the Amadou Ahidjo soccer stadium in Yaounde.

The Mass marked the publication of the working document for October's Synod of Bishops for Africa, and at the end of the liturgy the pope personally handed copies of the text to bishops from all over the continent.

Wearing gold vestments, the 81-year-old pope celebrated Mass on a hut-shaped altar erected at one end of the playing field. The liturgy used eight languages, including Cameroon's native Ewondo language, and featured African songs backed by the distinctive notes of wooden balaphons.

In a greeting, Archbishop Simon Tonye Bakot of Yaounde explained that Africans treat the "Mvamba," or grandfather, with immense respect, and that they welcomed the pontiff as the "great Mvamba."

The pope delivered his sermon emphatically, speaking in French and English. He said it was essential for African mothers and fathers to pass on to their children the human and spiritual values of the past, beginning with belief in God.

But social changes, including a growing generation gap and a sense of uprootedness on the continent, have made this difficult today, he said.

"At a time when so many people have no qualms about trying to impose the tyranny of materialism, with scant concern for the most deprived, you must be very careful. Africa in general, and Cameroon in particular, place themselves at risk if they do not recognize the true author of life!" he said.

The pope said traditional values have also been overturned by a rural exodus and urbanization that have broken family ties and left many younger people alone, unemployed and disoriented. Africans in general have left the land, physically and morally, resulting in a kind of "interior exile" that alienates them from God and themselves, he said.

"Is this an irresistible development? By no means!" the pope said. He said the church is ready to bring spiritual and material help to suffering people of the continent.

"The first priority will consist in restoring a sense of the acceptance of life as a gift from God," he said. Every "tiny person, however weak," is created in God's image, he said, adding: "Every person must live! Death must not prevail over life!"

The pope held out St. Joseph, whose feast day was celebrated the same day, as a model for husbands and fathers in Africa. He made a special plea for husbands to treat their wives with respect and love, as St. Joseph treated Mary. It is a sensitive topic in Africa, where in many places wives are still considered the property of their husbands and subservient to them.

The pope also offered special words to young Africans, asking them to allow Christ into their lives and, if they feel called, to enter the "supreme service" of the priesthood or consecrated life.

"To the children who no longer have a father, or who live abandoned in the poverty of the streets, to those forcibly separated from their parents, to the maltreated and abused, to those constrained to join paramilitary forces that are terrorizing some countries, I would like to say: God loves you, he has not forgotten you and St. Joseph protects you!" he said, as the crowd burst into applause.

The papal Mass was the pope's biggest liturgical event in Cameroon, and was broadcast on national television. President Paul Biya, a Catholic, sat near the altar with other leading government officials.

At the end of the liturgy, the pope handed out the 60-page working document for the Oct. 4-25 Synod of Bishops for Africa. The text called on Catholics to help end the rampant injustice that fuels conflicts on the continent and usher in an era of peace. It said the synod would examine ways to better prepare the faithful in Africa for a more visible and active role in promoting unity both in the church and society.

The document said globalization "infringes on Africa's rights" and tends "to be the vehicle for the domination of a single, cultural model and a culture of death." But it also pinned the blame for many of Africa's ills on the evil in people's hearts, which makes them thirsty for riches, power or revenge.

Later in the day, the pope was scheduled to visit a church-run center for the sick and disabled, and then talk with a group of African bishops in greater detail about the themes of the upcoming synod.

END
CAMEROON-MASS Mar-19-2009 (810 words)


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Pope encourages Christian-Muslim efforts to defend African values

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS) -- Meeting with Muslims from Cameroon, Pope Benedict XVI said Christians and Muslims need to cooperate in Africa to defend traditional values and reject all forms of violence.

The pope's brief talk March 19 offered a capsule version of his take on interreligious dialogue, which he believes should join believers in a defense of religious faith as "reasonable" and as the foundation of any truly human civilization.

Muslims represent about 22 percent of Cameroon's population while Christians make up about 44 percent, and Christian-Muslim relations are generally quite good. In his talk, the pope noted that members of both faiths live, work and worship in the same neighborhoods.

"Both believe in one, merciful God who on the last day will judge mankind. Together they bear witness to the fundamental values of family, social responsibility, obedience to God's law and loving concern for the sick and suffering," he said.

The urgent task for believers today, he said, is to "unveil the vast potential of human reason, which is itself God's gift and which is elevated by revelation and faith."

"Belief in the one God, far from stunting our capacity to understand ourselves and the world, broadens it. Far from setting us against the world, it commits us to it," he said.

It is important for believers, he said, to remind the world that "what is 'reasonable' extends far beyond what mathematics can calculate, logic can deduce and scientific experimentation can demonstrate; it includes the goodness and innate attractiveness of upright and ethical living made known to us in the very language of creation."

When believers step outside the sphere of self-interest and act for the good of others, he said, it shows the world that genuine religion widens human understanding and "stands at the base of any authentically human culture."

"It rejects all forms of violence and totalitarianism: not only on principles of faith, but also of right reason," he said.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the climate of the encounter was very cordial and friendly, and that the 22 Muslims leaders -- two more than scheduled -- greeted the pope warmly and thanked him for his comments.

The pope told the group that he hoped Christian-Muslim cooperation in Cameroon would serve as a beacon to other African nations.

African church officials emphasize that in most African countries dialogue between Christians and Muslims has advanced in recent years. But they are also worried about sporadic outbreaks of violence. In Nigeria, which borders Cameroon, attacks between groups of Christians and Muslims have left hundreds dead in recent months, although church leaders have emphasized that the violence has been primarily political and not religious.

END

CAMEROON-MUSLIMS Mar-19-2009 (450 words)

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In Cameroon, pope asks bishops to lead new evangelization efforts

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service


YAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI, on his first full day in Africa, encouraged Cameroon's bishops to be strong preachers of the Gospel and vigilant shepherds on matters of priestly formation and behavior, liturgical dignity and Christian marriage.

Emphasizing the church's missionary task, the pope said bishops must first of all be religious educators and men of prayer in order to lead the way of evangelization. He met with Cameroon's 31 bishops March 18 in the Church of Christ the King in the Tsinga quarter of Yaounde, the capital of the country on Africa's west coast.

Earlier in the day, the pope paid a formal visit to President Paul Biya at the Unity Palace for private talks and a gift-giving session. The pope presented the president with a mosaic from a Vatican workshop depicting St. Paul, who is being celebrated in a special year marking the 2,000th anniversary of his birth.

The meeting with bishops was a simple affair. After adoration of the Eucharist and a few songs from the church's choir, the pope delivered his talk in French and English. He focused on the bishops' responsibility to guide the country's priests and make sure there is "serious discernment" in choosing candidates for the priesthood. Cameroon has enjoyed a boom in vocations and currently has 1,360 seminarians.

The pope said the bishops should have personal and profound knowledge of priesthood candidates, overseeing formation programs that guarantee they are "mature and balanced men" when ordained.

He urged the bishops to be "especially vigilant regarding the faithfulness of priests and consecrated persons to the commitments made at their ordination or entry into religious life."

"The authenticity of their witness requires that there be no dichotomy between what they teach and the way they live each day," he said. The pope was not specific, but in the past Vatican officials have expressed concern that the commitment to priestly celibacy be better understood and respected among African clergy.

Pope Benedict said the bishops should vigorously defend the family values of their traditional society against the impact of modernization and secularization. He asked them to promote better understanding of marriage as a stable union between a man and a woman; polygamy remains a common practice in parts of Cameroon.

The pope praised the "festive and joyful" liturgies in Cameroon, which reflect the happiness of those participating. But he told the bishops it was essential that "the joy expressed in this way does not obstruct, but rather facilitates dialogue and communion with God" through the structure of the Catholic liturgy. The dignity of liturgical celebrations must be preserved, especially when large crowds of faithful are attending, he said.

The spread of sects and the growing influence of superstitious forms of religion require a new attention to the formation of Catholic children and young adults, the pope said.

He said the bishops should make sure lay Catholics are guided by the church's social teaching in their daily lives and bring the faith to bear in social, economic and political spheres. Through its social doctrine, the church tries to "awaken hope in the hearts of those left by the wayside," and the bishop himself must be "the defender of the rights of the poor," he said.

The pope also asked the bishops to demonstrate to Catholics that the church is truly "God's family" in which no one is excluded for ethnic or factional reasons.

The pope arrived in Cameroon March 17 and was welcomed by tens of thousands of well-wishers who lined the streets of Yaounde and danced, waved and shouted as the papal motorcade passed by.

Biya, who has been in power since 1982, greeted the pope at the airport, and the next morning hosted him at the presidential palace, a modern architectural landmark in the capital. Biya, a Catholic, presented the pope with a wooden map of Africa on which the papal portrait was painted. No details of their private talks were made public immediately after the encounter.

Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi of Douala, Cameroon's senior churchman, said one possible topic of the discussions was the string of unsolved killings of church personnel in Cameroon since the 1980s; the latest occurred in December.

Cardinal Tumi, in an interview with a Cameroon radio station March 17, said the church has asked the government for details about the most recent killing, but to date has not received a response. On Dec. 24, Father Francois Xavier Mekong was found apparently beaten to death at his residence in southern Cameroon.

Church leaders have voiced disagreement with Biya and his Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, especially when Biya changed the constitution last year to allow him to run for another seven-year term in 2011.

END
CAMEROON-BISHOPS Mar-18-2009 (780 words)

source: WWW.catholicnews.net
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Perempuan Kini Hadapi Kekerasan Ekonomi

JAKARTA (UCAN) -- Kekerasan ekonomi dengan menghalangi perempuan untuk mencari nafkah merupakan bentuk kekerasan terhadap perempuan yang sering terjadi di 2008, demikian kata laporan baru-baru ini.

"Komnas Perempuan mencatat kekerasan ekonomi yang terjadi di dalam rumah tangga dan kekerasan seksual yang terjadi di lingkungan komunitas merupakan dua jenis kekerasan yang paling besar dialami oleh perempuan," kata Ninik Rahayu ketika menyampaikan laporan itu. Wakil ketua Komnas Perempuan itu selanjutnya menjelaskan bahwa laporan itu dikumpulkan berdasarkan kasus-kasus kekerasan terhadap perempuan yang ditangani oleh lembaga-lembaga layanan, rumah sakit dan institusi penegak hukum tahun 2008.

Laporan tahunan itu dikeluarkan dalam konferensi pers pada 7 Maret untuk memperingati Hari Perempuan Internasional, yang jatuh pada hari berikutnya.

Rahayu kemudian memberikan contoh para suami yang melarang istri mereka untuk bekerja sebagai sebuah bentuk kekerasan ekonomi. Ia menjelaskan bahwa tindakan seperti itu melanggar undang-undang Penghapusan Kekerasan Dalam Rumah Tangga (KDRT), yang mengatakan setiap orang dilarang menelantarkan orang dalam lingkup rumah tangganya.

Menurut laporan itu, mayoritas dari perempuan korban kekerasan ekonomi dalam rumah tangga adalah para istri, sebanyak 6.800 dari 46.884 kasus. Dengan mengutip data Lembaga Mitra tahun 2008, laporan itu juga mengatakan kekerasan terhadap istri merupakan kekerasan yang paling banyak terjadi dalam rumah tangga.

Dari 1.870 kasus kekerasan seksual dalam komunitas, 469 kasus merupakan kekerasan terhadap perempuan di bawah usia 18 tahun, kata laporan itu. Untuk kasus kekerasan ekonomi maupun seksual paling banyak terjadi di pulau Jawa.

Menanggapi laporan itu, Pastor Serafin Danny Sanusi OSC, sekretaris eksekutif Komisi Keadilan Perdamaian dan Pastoral Migran Perantau Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia, mengatakan budaya lokal menjadi faktor penting dalam kekerasan seperti itu. “Saya tidak hanya melihat kedua faktor itu. Ada juga faktor budaya. Wanita dianggap bukan sebagai semartabat namun sebagai pelengkap kehidupan,” kata imam itu pada 13 Maret. Ia memberi contoh istilah Jawa konco wingking bagi seorang istri, yang berarti "teman di belakang rumah."

Laporan tahunan Komnas Perempuan mengatakan kasus-kasus kekerasan terhadap perempuan meningkat dari 25.522 kasus tahun 2007 menjadi 54.425 kasus tahun 2008. Arimbi Heroepoetri, kepala Divisi Pemantauan Komnas Perempuan, mengatakan kepada wartawan dalam konferensi pers itu bahwa peningkatan itu karena banyaknya laporan dan akses informasi yang semakin baik.

Laporan itu memberikan empat kategori perempuan korban kekerasan: perempuan minoritas agama, perempuan miskin, perempuan pembela HAM, dan perempuan pekerja sektor hiburan.

Sementara itu, pada 8 Maret, puluhan wakil perempuan pekerja melakukan aksi damai selama dua jam di Bundaran Hotel Indonesia, Jakarta Pusat. Mereka mengeluarkan pernyataan sikap yang menolak PHK.
2009-3-16 | IJ06865.634b | 393 kata
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Umat Kristiani Mengajukan Judicial Review Terhadap Undang-Undang Pornografi

JAKARTA (UCAN) -- Lebih dari 1.000 orang dari sebuah kabupaten di Propinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur yang mayoritas Katolik memohon dukungan masyarakat untuk pengajuan judicial review terhadap Undang-Undang (UU) Pornografi yang kontroversial.

Dalam pernyataan yang dikeluarkan tanggal 14 Maret, masyarakat Kabupaten Sikka, di Pulau Flores yang mayoritas Katolik ini, mendesak seluruh elemen masyarakat supaya mendukung pengujian yang secara resmi diminta oleh masyarakat sebuah kabupaten yang mayoritas Protestan di Pulau Sulawesi. Para kuasa hukum untuk Kabupaten Minahasa, Sulawesi Utara, telah mengajukan permohonan pengujian Undang-Undang Nomor 44 Tahun 2008 tentang Pornografi terhadap Undang-Undang Dasar 1945 di Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK) di Jakarta tiga hari sebelumnya.

Para penentang UU Pornografi yang disahkan oleh DPR RI Oktober lalu di tengah berbagai penolakan yang dilakukan sejumlah elemen masyarakat, menganggap undang-undang itu tidak jelas dan dapat membatasi ruang gerak kehidupan, termasuk pakaian, seni, dan ekspresi budaya, khususnya di kalangan komunitas minoritas.

“Banyak warga merasa khawatir akan dampak negatif Undang-Undang Pornografi bisa terjadi,” kata pernyataan sikap yang dikeluarkan pada akhir seminar di Seminari Tinggi St. Paulus Ledalero, Flores, yang dikelola SVD. Awam Katolik, para pastor dan frater menandatangani pernyataan tersebut.

Menurut mereka, undang-undang itu berisikan ide-ide sektarian yang mengancam persatuan dan kesatuan bangsa yang beraneka ragam. Meskipun mayoritas penduduknya Muslim, Indonesia memiliki minoritas Hindu, Kristen, Konghucu dan Buddha serta penganut kepercayaan lokal.

Bonifacius Hargens, pembicara dalam seminar itu, mengatakan kepada peserta bahwa undang-undang itu akan menjadi "sebuah alat untuk mengkondisikan secara kultural membatasi diri pada nilai politik tertentu saja.”

Dosen beragama Katolik yang mengajar di fakultas ilmu sosial-politik di Universitas Indonesia itu kemudian menjelaskan bahwa beberapa partai kecil berbasis Islam berada di belakang undang-undang itu. Menurutnya, undang-undang itu bisa menginspirasi rancangan berbagai perda dan peraturan yang memaksa norma-norma budaya dari satu komunitas terhadap yang lain.

Dalam sidang di Mahkamah Konstitusi, 11 Maret, kuasa hukum Otto Cornelis Kaligis berpendapat bahwa UU itu mengancam budaya tradisional di Minahasa.

UU Pornografi “melanggar living constitutional values yang terdapat dalam penjelasan UUD 1945,” katanya.

Kaligis menyebut beberapa tarian daerah yang bisa menjadi ilegal di bawah undang-undang baru itu. Tarian Timo Penden menceritakan legenda sembilan bidadari sedang mandi di bumi, kemudian seorang pemuda tertarik dengan salah satu bidadari dan mencuri sayapnya. Penari wanita mengenakan pakaian minim dan ketat lalu satu per satu melepas selendangnya, kemudian memperagakan gerakan-gerakan mandi. Penari pria mendekati seorang penari wanita dan menggodanya. Sedangkan Tarian Maengket melambangkan bagaimana pemuda-pemudi Minahasa zaman dulu mencari jodoh. Penari lelaki mengenakan baju perempuan dan penari perempuan mengenakan baju lelaki.

Kebiasaan-kebiasaan lain yang membentuk budaya yang terancam untuk tidak dapat dilaksanakan lagi adalah mandi bersama di pesisir pantai, lelaki membuka celana dan wanita membuka pakaian atas, dan hanya dipisahkan oleh dinding; lomba kencing bersama di muka umum di salah satu kelurahan; dan pertemuan adat di pantai seminggu atau sebulan sekali, di mana lelaki bertelanjang dada dan perempuan mengenakan pakaian minim seperti celana pendek dan tanpa penutup dada.

Kaligis kemudian mengatakan kepada media bahwa UU itu mematikan kebudayaan Indonesia yang beranekaragam. “Undang-undang ini penuh muatan politik,” tegasnya, seraya menyerukan kepada masyarakat untuk menghormati masing-masing kebudayaan dan hidup saling berdampingan karena kekayaan kebudayaan itu membuat Indonesia semakin dikenal di dunia luar.

Dalam sidang pertama tanggal 23 Februari, Mahkamah Konstitusi meminta pemohon dari Kabupaten Minahasa ini untuk memperbaiki permohonannya, khususnya kesalahan dalam mengutip Pasal 1 UU Pornografi dan mengenai kedudukan hukum atau legal standing para pemohon.

Ada tiga norma dalam UU Pornografi yang diajukan untuk diuji yakni Pasal 1 angka 1 tentang penjelasan pornografi, Pasal 4 Ayat (1) huruf D tentang larangan memproduksi, memperbanyak, menyebarluaskan dan yang lain, yang berhubungan dengan hal-hal yang mempertontonkan ketelanjangan, dan Pasal 10 tentang larangan mempertontonkan diri di muka umum yang menggambarkan ketelanjangan, ekspolitasi seksual yang bermuatan pornografi.

Para pemohon menyatakan bahwa definisi “pornografi” yang digunakan dalam UU Pornografi membuat pengertian sangat bias dan dangkal dalam melihat dan membatasi apa yang dimaksud dengan pornografi. Para pemohon berpendapat bahwa definisi pornografi yang terdapat dalam UU Pornografi tidak dapat memberikan batasan jelas dan pasti “untuk menilai pelanggaran nilai-nilai kesusilaan dalam masyarakat.” Juga dipertanyakan, bagaimana pekerja seni bisa mencari nafkah untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidup kalau mereka tidak bisa lagi menjual benda-benda seni yang menurut UU Pornografi melanggar batasan pengertian pornografi.

“Pasal 4 Ayat 1 UU Pornografi ini telah melanggar hak konstitusional pekerja seni, khususnya di wilayah Minahasa, sebab pekerja seni tersebut mencari nafkah dan penghasilan yang digunakan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidup dengan jalan memperjualbelikan benda-benda seni yang secara eksplisit memuat ketelanjangan atau tampilan yang menegaskan ketelanjangan,” demikian salah satu alasan yang diungkapkan para pemohon kepada Mahkamah Konstitusi.

Setelah sidang kedua, Kaligis menunjukkan sebuah bukti yang diserahkan kepada Mahkamah Konstitusi berupa kopi artikel yang diterbitkan oleh The Jakarta Post” tanggal 7 Februari dengan judul “'Jaipong' dance becomes latest victim of pornography law” (Tarian Jaipong menjadi korban terakhir UU Pronografi).

"Undang-undang pornografi yang kontroversial dimaki karena menargetkan warisan budaya, setelah Gubernur Jawa Barat Ahmad Heryawan menggunakannya sebagai dasar hukum untuk melarang para penari Jaipong mengenakan pakaian yang 'sexy' dan melakukan gerakan-gerakan tarian yang 'provokatif'," tulis artikel itu.

Kaligis menambahkan: “Dalam pikiran kita gerakan-gerakan dalam tarian jaipongan itu adalah keindahan, namun karena UU Pornografi menafsirkannya secara kotor, maka orang memiliki pikiran kotor terhadap tarian itu.”

2009-3-16 | IJ06864.634b | 841 kata
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Gunakanlah Ajaran Sosial Gereja untuk Membangun Keadilan, Kata Para Pembicara

MUMBAI, India (UCAN) -- Sebuah simposium tentang ajaran sosial Gereja menekankan peran umat Katolik India dalam mengupayakan suatu masyarakat yang adil dan damai berlandaskan ajaran Gereja.

India adalah sebuah negara “sangat nyaman” dan “kemiskinan sangat tidak manusiawi.” Jutaan orang hidup “di garis kemiskinan,” kata Oswald Kardinal Gracias dari Bombay kepada para peserta simposium dalam pertemuan 13-15 Maret itu.

Mengacu pada ajaran sosial Katolik yang dirangkum dalam "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church" (Kompendium Ajaran Sosial Gereja) itu, kardinal mengatakan bahwa Gereja di India “telah menunjukkan rasa prihatinnya terhadap kehidupan manusia dalam masyarakat melalui beragam karya pembangunan, lembaga sosial, sekolah, dan rumah sakit yang banyak jumlahnya.”

Kompendium itu diterbitkan tahun 2004 oleh Dewan Kepausan untuk Keadilan dan Perdamaian.

Kardinal mendesak peserta untuk “membuka hati guna memenuhi kebutuhan kaum miskin” dan mengambil langkah-langkah untuk memerangi kemiskinan” dalam berbagai upaya untuk “membangun suatu peradaban perdamaian."

Simposium di Mumbai itu diselenggarakan oleh Komisi Ajaran dan Teologi dari Konferensi Waligereja India. Simposium itu membahas "Church's Social Doctrine Promoting A Civilization Of Peace: Commitment To The Common Good In A World of Economic, Political And Social Conflicts" (Ajaran Sosial Gereja yang Mempromosikan Peradaban Perdamaian: Komitmen Kesejahteraan Bersama dalam Dunia Konflik Ekonomi, Politik, Sosial).

Sekitar 600 orang termasuk 12 uskup, 90 imam, dan sekitar 150 suster dari 58 keuskupan menghadiri program itu. Para pembicara mengatakan, ajaran sosial Gereja dapat digunakan sebagai alat untuk membangun suatu peradaban perdamaian.

Dalam makalahnya, Renato Raffaele Kardinal Martino, ketua Dewan Kepausan untuk Keadilan dan Perdamaian, mengatakan bahwa berbagai surat kabar secara rutin memberitakan berbagai persoalan sosial, ekonomi, dan politik.

"Terlalu banyak berita buruk" dari India dengan kekerasan anti-Kristen yang terus terjadi sehingga "melumpuhkan kehidupan sedemikian banyak orang di berbagai wilayah di negeri ini," demikian makalah kardinal itu, yang dibacakan karena dia tidak bisa menghadiri pragram itu.

"Berbagai solusi untuk banyak dari persoalan-persoalan ini langsung berasal dari pesan Injil yang diberikan kepada kita oleh Tuhan Yesus. Salah satu cara, yang melaluinya pesan itu sampai kepada kita, adalah melalui ajaran sosial Gereja,” kata Kardinal Martino.

Kardinal Gracias, dalam presentasinya, berbicara tentang begaimana perlakuan yang diskriminasi dan tidak manusiawi terhadap lebih dari 165 juta warga dalit di India itu dijustifikasi atas dasar kasta, suatu isu yang perlu menjadi perhatian Gereja.

Sekitar 60 persen dari 2,3 juta umat Kristen India itu berasal dari kelompok-kelompok warga dalit. Dalit, yang secara literer berarti "terinjak-injak" atau "pecah berantakan," tertuju pada masyarakat paling bawah dalam sistem kasta India yang sebelumnya dikenal dengan orang-orang yang emoh disentuh.

Kardinal Gracias, ketua Konferensi Waligereja India yang tinggal di Mumbai, mengatakan "Compendium on the Social Doctrine of the Church" itu menegaskan "kesetaraan radikal dan persaudaraan di antara semua orang, tanpa mempedulikan ras, bangsa, seks, asal-usul, kebudayaan, dan kelas."

Gereja juga berkarya untuk melenyapkan eksploitasi perempuan dan diskriminasi gender, katanya. Tentang eksploitasi seksual terhadap perempuan dan anak-anak, prelatus itu mencatat bahwa perdagangan manusia menurut laporan merupakan kejahatan nomor tiga paling menguntungkan di dunia, setelah perdagangan obat terlarang dan perdagangan senjata. "Kita perlu berusaha untuk memastikan bahwa kaum perempuan sepenuhnya dihormati" dalam pengertian martabat mereka, tegasnya.

Ajaran Gereja juga mendesak umat Katolik untuk melindungi keluarga, memerangi kemiskinan, dan memperhatikan orang lanjut usia, tambahnya.

Kardinal itu menegaskan bahwa "komitmen kita terhadap budaya kehidupan dan peradaban perdamaian dapat dilihat melalui sikap dan tanggapan kita terhadap mereka yang lebih miskin dan lemah."

Sensus India 2001 menunjukkan bahwa 12,5 juta anak usia 5-14 tahun menjadi pekerja anak, katanya. Banyak dari mereka, termasuk gadis-gadis, terlibat dalam berbagai pekerjaan yang berbahaya walaupun undang-undang melarang mempekerjakan anak-anak.

"Ini merupakan tanda bahwa nilai-nilai Injil belum cukup diresapi untuk menghancurkan perpaduan tanpa belas kasihan antara kemiskinan dan kepentingan diri sendiri yang membuat pekerja anak itu bisa terjadi. Ini jelas merupakan tugas di tangan Gereja India,” tegas kardinal itu.

2009-3-18 | ID06878.634b | 611 kata
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Pontiff Tells Muslims Religion Must Unveil Reason

Encourages Cooperation in Building Civilization of Love


YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon, MARCH 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging the participation of all faiths to affirm the unity of reason and religion, to imbue society with genuine values and to build an authentically human culture.

The Pope said this today in an address to Muslim leaders of Cameroon in the Yaoundé apostolic nunciature.

He acknowledged that the meeting was "is a vivid sign of the desire we share with all people of good will -- in Cameroon, throughout Africa and across the globe -- to seek opportunities to exchange ideas about how religion makes an essential contribution to our understanding of culture and the world, and to the peaceful coexistence of all the members of the human family."

The Pontiff noted that both Christians and Muslims "believe in one, merciful God who on the last day will judge mankind."

"Together," he affirmed, "they bear witness to the fundamental values of family, social responsibility, obedience to God’s law and loving concern for the sick and suffering."

He added, "By patterning their lives on these virtues and teaching them to the young, Christians and Muslims not only show how they foster the full development of the human person, but also how they forge bonds of solidarity with one’s neighbors and advance the common good."

Right reason

The Holy Father underlined the "urgent task of religion today," to "unveil the vast potential of human reason, which is itself God’s gift and which is elevated by revelation and faith."

He continued: "We are called to help others see the subtle traces and mysterious presence of God in the world which he has marvelously created and continually sustains with his ineffable and all-embracing love.

"Although his infinite glory can never be directly grasped by our finite minds in this life, we nonetheless catch glimpses of it in the beauty that surrounds us.

"When men and women allow the magnificent order of the world and the splendor of human dignity to illumine their minds, they discover that what is 'reasonable' […] includes the goodness and innate attractiveness of upright and ethical living made known to us in the very language of creation.

Benedict XVI noted that this recognition "prompts us to seek all that is right and just," and "act for the good of others."

Thus, he said, genuine religion "rejects all forms of violence and totalitarianism: not only on principles of faith, but also of right reason."

He added that "religion and reason mutually reinforce one another since religion is purified and structured by reason, and reason’s full potential is unleashed by revelation and faith."

The Pope encouraged his "dear Muslim friends" to "imbue society with the values that emerge from this perspective and elevate human culture, as we work together to build a civilization of love."

He expressed a prayer that "the enthusiastic cooperation of Muslims, Catholics and other Christians in Cameroon" will inspire "other African nations of the enormous potential of an interreligious commitment to peace, justice and the common good."

ZE09031907 - 2009-03-19
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-25414?l=english

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Benedict XVI: When Suffering, Trust God

Visits Sick at Cardinal Léger Centre

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon, MARCH 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Although many doubt God's presence in their lives when facing suffering, it's actually the best time to entrust oneself even more to him, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today upon meeting with sick people at the Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger Centre. He assured those present, "You are not alone in your pain, for Christ himself is close to all who suffer."

"Faced with suffering, sickness and death, it is tempting to cry out in pain, as Job did, whose name means 'suffering,'" the Pontiff reflected. "As our condition deteriorates, our anguish increases; some are tempted to doubt whether God is present in their lives.

"Job, however, was conscious of God’s presence; his was not a cry of rebellion, but, from the depths of his sorrow, he allowed his trust to grow.

"His friends, like each of us when faced with the suffering of a loved one, tried to console him, but they used hollow and empty words."

"In the presence of such torment," the Holy Father continued, "we feel powerless and we cannot find the right words. Before a brother or sister plunged into the mystery of the cross, a respectful and compassionate silence, a prayerful presence, a gesture of tenderness and comfort, a kind look, a smile, often achieve more than many words."

You visited me

Addressing the hospital staff and those who work in the field of health care, Benedict XVI said that by "accompanying those who suffer, through the care and attention you offer them, you accomplish an act of charity and love that God recognizes: 'I was sick, and you visited me.'"

He reminded the doctors and researchers of their "task of putting into practice every legitimate form of pain relief."

"You are called, in the first place, to protect human life, you are the defenders of life from conception to natural death," the Pope affirmed. "For every person, respect for life is a right and at the same time a duty, since all life is a gift from God."

The Pontiff urged priests and those who visit the sick to "commit themselves to an active and friendly presence in their hospital chaplaincy, or to assure an ecclesial presence in the home, for the comfort and spiritual support of the sick. In accordance with his promise, God will give you a just reward, and he will recompense you in heaven."

"I also want to express my wish that none of you should ever feel alone," the Holy Father concluded. "In fact it is the task of every human person, created in the image of Christ, to be a good neighbor to those around him."

ZE09031912 - 2009-03-19
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-25419?l=english

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Pontiff Notes Africa's Vocation to Know Christ

Highlights Need for Reconciliation Among Peoples

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon, MARCH 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Africa has a particular vocation to know Christ, and that's something all Africans should be proud of, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today upon meeting with the Special Council of the Synod for Africa at the apostolic nunciature of Yaoundé. The meeting took place to mark the publication of the "instrumentum laboris" (working document) of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.

The synod will be held Oct. 4-25 in the Vatican on the theme "The Church in Africa, at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: You Are the Salt of the Earth; You Are the Light of the World."

"Your continent has been blessed by our Lord Jesus himself," the Pontiff began. "At the dawn of his earthly life, sad circumstances led him to set foot on African soil. God chose your continent to become the dwelling-place of his Son.

"In Jesus, God drew near to all men and women, of course, but also, in a particular way, to the men and women of Africa. Africa is where the Son of God was weaned, where he was offered effective sanctuary."

Noting the continent's long history of Christianity, the Holy Father recalled that "God himself brought salt and light to Africa. From that time on, the seed of his presence was buried deep within the hearts of this dear continent, and it has blossomed gradually, beyond and within the vicissitudes of its human history.

"As a result of the coming of Christ who blessed it with his physical presence, Africa has received a particular vocation to know Christ. Let Africans be proud of this!"

Rebirth

In reflecting on the events since the Second Vatican Council, which coincided with the emergence of new democracies on the continent, Benedict XVI noted the progress of the Church in Africa, which "accompanied the building of new national identities and, at the same time, sought to translate the identity of Christ along its own ways."

"As the hierarchy became increasingly African following Pope Pius XII’s ordination of Bishops from your continent, theological reflection began to ferment quickly," the Pope continued. "It would be well for your theologians today to continue to probe the depth of the Trinitarian mystery and its meaning for everyday African life.

"This century will perhaps permit, by God’s grace, the rebirth, on your continent, albeit certainly under a different and new form, of the prestigious School of Alexandria. Why could we not hope that Africans today and the universal Church might thereby be furnished with great theologians and spiritual masters capable of contributing to the sanctification of those who dwell in this continent and throughout the Church?"

Turning toward the themes to be addressed by the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, Benedict XVI spoke of the need for reconciliation "between peoples, ethnic groups and individuals" on the continent.

"Your continent," he said, "has been and continues to be a theatre of grave tragedies which cry out for true reconciliation between peoples, ethnic groups and individuals."

For Christians, the Pope said, "reconciliation is rooted in the merciful love of God the Father, and it is accomplished through the person of Christ Jesus who, in the Holy Spirit, has offered the grace of reconciliation to all. Its consequences will be shown, then, in the justice and peace which are indispensable for building a better world."

"If it is true," he added, "that in Jesus Christ we belong to the same family and share the same life -- since in our veins there flows the Blood of Christ himself, who has made us children of God, members of God’s Family -- there must no longer be hatred, injustice and internecine war."

Nourishment

Benedict XVI also spoke of the need of fostering a deeper eucharistic life and a "profound listening to the word of God and meditative reading of sacred Scripture."

"The word of life and the Bread of life offer light and nourishment as medicine and food for our journey in fidelity to the Teacher and Shepherd of our souls, so that the Church in Africa can carry out the service of reconciliation, justice and peace," the Pope explained.

"If they are truly to be this, the faithful must undergo conversion and follow Jesus Christ; they must become his disciples in order to be witnesses of his saving power," he added.

"No ethnic or cultural difference, no difference of race, sex or religion must become a cause for dispute among you," the Holy Father concluded. "You are all children of the one God, our Father, who is in heaven. With this conviction, it will then be possible to build a more just and peaceful Africa, an Africa worthy of the legitimate expectations of all its children."

ZE09031913 - 2009-03-19
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-25420?l=english



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Growing Concern in Cameroon Over Wahhabite Muslims

Professor Notes Government's Peacemaking Efforts

By Nieves San Martin

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon, MARCH 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A Cameroon university center that specializes in the study of Islam is noting a growing concern over the influence of Wahhabite Muslims who have arrived in the country from Sudan and Nigeria.

The concern was expressed to ZENIT by Father Krzysztof Zielenda, director of Yaoundé's St. Joseph Mukasa Institute, a university for religious of 14 congregations.

According to Father Zielenda, a Mary Immaculate oblate, who has lived for many years in the country and who is a professor of Islamic religion at the institute, "in Cameroon, Islam is changing its physiognomy."

He explained that "it is moving from the traditional Islam of fraternities, to an Islam marked by the Wahhabite movement," a Muslim sect founded in Arabia in the 18th century by Muhammad ibn-Abdul Wahhab.

The priest explained "these are more fundamentalist movements that have arrived in Nigeria from Sudan and are now coming here from Nigeria. So the Muslim world is being reformed in Cameroon."

He said Cameroon's Islam community "has always been very linked to Nigeria because the first Muslim communities came from there." He added, "And now the influence coming from there is not good because they are more fundamentalist groups."

Father Zielenda asserted that up until now Muslims and Christians have lived together in harmony in Cameroon in a large extent due to the attitude of the political authorities.

He noted: "If coexistence between religions is good here, it is because the government watches over that coexistence. For example, in 2004, in a city in the north, there was a problem because a group of young Muslims virtually called a war against Cameroon's Christians. All the administrative authorities were involved to try to calm spirits."

The priest, a Polish missionary, was then a pastor in that city and recalled that the governor called him, along with other Protestant pastors and two Muslim imams and "asked each of us to calm the spirits in our communities." He said, "The bishop also met with the governor and with the head of the Muslim community for the same end."

The missionary stated his opinion that the government's work of mediation to maintain coexistence between the country's religions was not an isolated case. He said, "I am certain that the government really watches so that those relations are not broken."

Moreover, he said, the attitude of Cameroonian Muslims in general is one of understanding with other religions, especially with Christianity.

Father Zielenda emphasized in particular their attitude on the controversial topic of Benedict XVI's address in Regensburg. He noted that they did not follow the line of many other Muslim groups in reacting to the Pope's address.

He explained: "The day after the Pope's conference in Regensburg, there was to be a joint meeting here of the government, Muslims and Catholics. The Muslims said they would not attend.

"But the same ones who did not want to attend that meeting published a document making it very clear that the Muslims who were going to confront the Pope's address had nothing to do with the Muslims who live in Cameroon."

"Traditionally relations between Christians and Muslims have been good and continue to be good," concluded Father Zielenda. "However, both Christians and Muslims are very worried over the influence of Wahhabites, which is increasingly visible."

source : ZE09031909 - 2009-03-19
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-25416?l=english

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Israeli Foreign Ministry says pope can wear cross at Western Wall

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- "In accordance with rules of hospitality and dignity," Israel will not prevent Pope Benedict XVI from wearing his pectoral cross when he visits the Western Wall, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. Responding to what it called a "misleading quotation" in The Jerusalem Post, the ministry released a statement by Ambassador Mordechay Lewy from the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See March 17. When Pope Benedict visits the Western Wall during his mid-May trip to the Holy Land, "the same procedure that was applied in the papal visit of the year 2000 will be valid," Lewy said in the statement released by the Foreign Ministry.

"The Israeli host will respect, as a matter of course, the religious symbols of the Holy Father and of his entourage." During his 2000 pilgrimage Pope John Paul II visited the site with his cross visible. The Jerusalem Post article quoted the rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, as saying that it was "not fitting to enter the Western Wall area with religious symbols, including a cross."


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Archbishop: Vatican to try to influence UN meeting on fighting racism

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The only way to influence the results of the upcoming U.N. conference on fighting racism and discrimination is to be present and participate in the negotiations, said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, who will lead the Vatican delegation.

Israel, Canada and Italy had said they would boycott the April 20-24 conference in Geneva, and the United States, Australia and the European Union were threatening to join them if the conference's preparatory document continued to single out Israel and criticize its treatment of the Palestinians. A new draft, circulated March 17, has no specific references to Israel. In response to other threats of boycott, the draft also now has no references to discrimination based on sexual orientation and to criticism of religious leaders and figures, which some Muslim leaders wanted the conference to define as a violation of human rights. Archbishop Tomasi, the Vatican representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, told Catholic News Service in Rome March 18 that the fact the preparatory document has been rewritten should guarantee greater participation.

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In Africa, pope says Gospel is answer to continent's problems

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS) -- Arriving in Africa, Pope Benedict XVI said the church's message of hope and reconciliation was sorely needed by a continent suffering disproportionately from poverty, conflict and disease.

At a welcoming ceremony March 17 in Yaounde, the pope said he was making his first visit to Africa to respond to the many men and woman who "long to hear a word of hope and comfort."

In Africans' fight against injustice, he said, the church is their natural ally.

"In the face of suffering or violence, poverty or hunger, corruption or abuse of power, a Christian can never remain silent," the pope said.

The 81-year-old pontiff stood on a platform at Yaounde's airport next to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who welcomed the pope on a hot, humid afternoon. Groups of schoolchildren sang and cheered, waving paper flags with the Vatican's colors.

The pope said he came to Africa as a pastor, not a politician, to a continent where the saving message of the Gospel needs to be "proclaimed loud and clear." The encounter with Christianity, he said, can transform situations of hardship or injustice.

He cited the regional conflicts in Africa that have left thousands homeless, destitute and orphaned, as well as human trafficking that has become a new form of slavery, especially for women and children.

"At a time of global crisis in food shortages, financial turmoil and disturbing patterns of climate change, Africa suffers disproportionately: More and more of her people are falling prey to hunger, poverty and disease. They cry out for reconciliation, justice and peace, and that is what the church offers them," he said.

"Not forms of economic or political oppression, but the glorious freedom of the children of God. Not the imposition of cultural models that ignore the rights of the unborn, but the pure healing water of the Gospel of life," he said.

In place of bitter ethnic or interreligious rivalry, the church offers the righteousness and peace of the "civilization of love," he said.

The pope described Cameroon as a "land of hope," noting that the country has accepted refugees from neighboring countries and tried to settle border disputes with patient diplomacy.

Cameroon is also a "land of life, with a government that speaks out in defense of the rights of the unborn," the pope said.

In his remarks on the unborn, the pope may have been referring to a recent exchange between the Cameroonian government and a U.N. committee that monitors compliance with a convention on eliminating forms of discrimination against women. In response to a request to liberalize its abortion law, the government responded that abortion was murder and should not be elevated to a right.

It was Pope Benedict's first papal visit to Africa. As a cardinal, he visited the continent only once, attending a theological conference in 1987 in what is now Congo.

Aboard the plane taking him to Africa, the pope told reporters that he considered corruption one of the continent's biggest problems. According to the U.S. Department of State, Cameroon's corruption level is among the highest in the world.

Biya and his Cameroon People's Democratic Movement have retained power for 27 years, giving the country political stability but at a price. Critics say national elections have been unfair, and human rights organizations have faulted the government for restricting freedoms of speech, press, assembly and association.

Last year, Biya, 76, steered a movement to lift constitutional term limits and thus allow him to run for office again in 2011. Cameroon's bishops sharply criticized the move and appealed for the creation of conditions to allow an "effective democratic alternative" in the country.

At that time, Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi, archbishop of Douala and Cameroon's senior churchman, personally appealed to Biya not to carry out the constitutional modifications. Weeks later, riots broke out as the public reacted to the political maneuverings, high prices, high unemployment and widespread corruption. The government said 40 people died in the protests, though the opposition said the death toll was much higher.

Cardinal Tumi was among the church leaders who stood near the president as he welcomed the pope at the airport.

The pope later rode in his glass-walled popemobile some 20 miles into the city of Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, past groups of well-wishers who sat in plastic chairs in front of their cinderblock homes and waved palm fronds in greeting. As the pope drew closer to the city center, the enthusiastic crowd was wall-to-wall.

Yaounde was given a partial facelift for the pope's arrival, and the clean-up projects included the mass demolition of illegal shops around the city's cathedral. That prompted angry protests from the vendors, but city officials defended the move, saying it was needed to ease traffic along the main urban routes.

The main purpose of the pope's stop in Cameroon was to deliver a working document for the Synod of Bishops for Africa, to be held in Rome next October. The pope said the synod would be a summons to all African Catholics to "rededicate themselves to the mission of the church to bring hope to the hearts of the people of Africa, and indeed to people throughout the world."

Cameroon, sometimes called "Africa in microcosm," was chosen for the consignment of the synodal document because the country includes French- and English-speaking populations and approximately 200 ethnic groups.

The Synod of Bishops will be the second for Africa, and its theme is "The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace." The first African synod took place at the Vatican in 1994. In 2004, Pope John Paul announced that another synod would be held to allow church leaders to address the continent's changing religious, demographic, social and political scenes.

For the Catholic Church, Cameroon represents an evangelization success story on a continent that has experienced an explosion of church growth over the last century. Over the last 40 years, the number of Catholics in Africa has increased from 11 percent to 17 percent of the total population; in Cameroon, Catholics today constitute 27 percent of the population, up from 23 percent 40 years ago.

Africa also has the fastest growth in priestly vocations, and Cameroon, with 26 seminarians for every 100,000 Catholics, has one of the highest vocation rates on the continent.

END

POPE-ARRIVE Mar-17-2009 (1,050 words)
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Pope asks Cameroon's pastoral workers to live in spirit of service

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to Cameroon's small army of pastoral workers and asked them to "reveal the loving face of God to the poor" through their efforts.

The pope led an evening prayer liturgy March 18 at the Basilica of Mary Queen of the Apostles in a hillside neighborhood of Yaounde, the nation's capital. The basilica, a Marian sanctuary, marks the site of the first church built by missionaries to the African country more than a century ago.

Some 3,500 people packed the church. Most of them were priests and nuns, joined by deacons, members of church movements and representatives of other Christian communities.

The pope smiled when he walked briskly down the main aisle, delivering blessings left and right as digital cameras flashed around him. A whoop of joy rang out when his gift to the church, a gilded votive lamp in the form of five roses, was held aloft.

The pope's homily focused on the figure of St. Joseph, whose feast was to be celebrated the next day. St. Joseph, the pope said, remains a model for all pastoral workers precisely because he lived his life in service to God's will.

Although not the biological father of Jesus, St. Joseph lived fatherhood "fully and completely," the pope said.

"To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. St. Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails," he said.

St. Joseph also loved Mary with great respect, appreciating the mystery that was unfolding in her, the pontiff said. He teaches people how to love without possessing, he added.

In that sense, he said, St. Joseph also inspires all pastoral workers today to be attentive to those around them and to God's plan.

"May you reveal the loving face of God to the poor, especially by your works of mercy, your human and Christian education of young people, your programs for the advancement of women and in so many other ways," the pope said.

Part of pastoral ministry is self-sacrifice, he said. He held out as an example a 20th-century Cameroonian priest, Father Simon Mpeke, known as "Baba Simon," who lived as a missionary in northern Cameroon among "Kirdi" or "unbelievers." He found much to admire in their culture as he evangelized them.

"All of you know how this 'barefooted missionary' spent all his energies with selfless humility in the loving service of souls, heedless of the cares and sufferings involved in the material service of others," the pope said.

As he left the church, the crowd broke into dance and song.

Cameroon has experienced a large increase in the numbers of priests and religious in recent decades and has one of the highest vocations rates in Africa. The country has 2,847 priests, or one for every 2,622 Catholics. By far the largest category of pastoral workers in Cameroon, however, is catechists, who number 18,700.

END
CAMEROON-CHURCH Mar-18-2009 (510 words) With photos. xxxi
www.catholicnews.net
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Nilai dan Metafora yang Memungkinkan Storytelling Katolik

BRISBANE, Australia (UCAN) -- Beberapa tahun lalu saya membaca sebuah berita UCAN tentang dampak penulisan Katolik pada masyarakat Jepang. Berita itu mengutip seorang misionaris yang mengatakan bahwa orang Jepang cenderung untuk lebih menghargai apa yang ditulis para novelis mereka ketimbang apa yang dikatakan secara lisan oleh para imam. Pastor Alfons Deeken SJ mengungkapkan pandangan ini dalam sebuah pertemuan para penulis Katolik.

Sebuah komentar serupa dikutip dalam kolom ini sekitar enam bulan lalu. Kolom ini mengutip seorang misionaris lain yang mengatakan bahwa selain sekitar satu juta umat Katolik di Jepang, negeri itu memiliki 4 juta orang yang “berpikir Katolik.” Tidak heran, gejala orang yang “berpikir Katolik” itu karena dampak para penulis seperti mereka yang dipuji oleh Pastor Deeken.

Shasuko Endo, yang paling terkenal di antara para penulis Katolik Jepang, “menghabiskan seluruh hidupnya untuk bergulat dengan iman," kata jandanya baru-baru ini. Junko Endo menambahkan bahwa mendiang suami meninggalkan tiga tugas baginya: mengatakan kepada masyarakat bahwa kematian bukan akhir kehidupan; membuat Yesus dihormati sepantasnya oleh orang Jepang; dan melanjutkan program suaminya untuk membuat rumah sakit lebih bersabahat dengan para pasien, keluarga, dan sahabat-sahabat mereka. Suatu mandat raksasa yang hanya mungkin mencuat dari komitmen iman penulis itu!

Benar, rangsangan literer berbasis iman dari semua penulis Katolik itu pasti berbeda. Misalnya, Endo mengatakan bahwa dia mulai menulis novelnya "Deep River" setelah "menyelami ketidaksadaran" di India. Hal serupa dikatakan oleh Anne Rice bahwa buku-buku vampire-nya mempersiapkannya untuk buku-bukunya belakangan ini tentang Kristus Tuhan. Penulis perempuan ini mengatakan bahwa vampire merupakan sebuah metafora “dalam dunia atheistik, yang susah karena iman yang hilang, kemungkinan rahmat yang hilang."

Pencarian seorang penulis akan rahmat bisa saja berbeda dengan pencarian orang lain. Ekspresi iman mereka juga mungkin menggunakan alam berbeda. Penyair perempuan Korea, Kim Chi-ha, berbicara tentang dirinya sebagai seorang imam "Minjung" – kaum tertindas. Berbicara tentang tulisan-tulisannya, dalam sebuah serial BBC tentang iman, novelis Amerika-Cina Amy Tan mengatakan, "Setiap cerita mengandung sejumlah elemen keyakinan tentang bagaimana dunia bekerja."

Mendiang Pastor Michael Traber dari Tarekat Swiss Bethlehem, seorang guru jurnalisme yang disegani, menyebut elemen keyakinan itu sebagai “nilai-nilai Injil.” Nilai-nilai seperti itu merupakan pusat kerasulan menulis, apakah itu storytelling (penuturan cerita) kreatif atau storytelling naratif.

Dalam sebuah artikel yang diterbitkan dalam majalah "America" beberapa hari sebelum kecelakaan tragis November lalu, Pastor Andrew M. Greeley menekankan rahmat yang memungkinkan seorang menjadi storyteller (penutur cerita) Katolik. Jelas, imam penulis itu merujuk pada apa yang disebutnya “rahmat yang tersedia dalam komunitas-komunitas dan lingkungan-lingkungan Katolik."

Dalam pujiannya kepada penulis Katolik Amerika Jon Hassler, Pastor Greeley meringkas sebuah pertanyaan kuno tentang apakah sebuah novel Katolik itu mungkin. Jawabannya akan bergantung pada "apakah sebuah cerita itu ditulis oleh seseorang yang imajinasinya sudah meluap dengan belantara metafora Katolik," katanya.

Melihat apa yang disebutnya "dampak pervasif dari sakramentalitas Katolik” pada teologi serta pada fiksi, imam peneliti itu mengatakan imajinasi Katolik melihat dasar yang kuat bagi pengharapan. Dia menyebut dasar itu “hutan tropis pengharapan."

Tempat pengharapan pada penulisan Katolik itu lebih penting di Asia, yang hampir semua kebudayaan telah disusupi oleh fatalisme. Dan jika pelayanan pengharapan mereka itu mau efektif, para storyteller harus menenggelamkan diri dalam metafora iman dan nilai-nilai dari komunitas-komunitas iman mereka.

------

Hector Welgampola, jurnalis asal Sri Lanka, pernah menjadi Executive Editor UCA News dari 1987 hingga pensiun pada Desember 2001.

Kolom UCAN - "Living Church in Asia" oleh Hector Welgampola
2009-3-18 | AS06882.634b | 529 kata

sumber : www.ucanews.com
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Uskup Agung Tekankan Hak untuk Menuntut Wakil-Wakil Rakyat Mundur

PANAJI, India (UCAN) -- Semakin mendekat pemilihan umum wakil-wakil rakyat, seorang uskup agung di India bagian barat meminta umatnya untuk memilih mereka yang memberi hak kepada rakyat untuk menuntut wakil-wakilnya mundur.

Uskup Agung Gos-Daman Mgr Felip Neri Ferrao membuat himbauan ini dalam siaran persnya pada 9 Maret. Dalam kesempatan itu, dia juga meminta masyarakat untuk menggunakan kebebasan mereka dalam pemilihan umum parlementer yang akan diselenggarakan 23 April di Negara Bagian Goa.

Perhatikan para kandidat yang "memberdayakan rakyat dengan hak untuk menuntut wakil-wakil yang dipilihnya mundur karena tidak melakukan tugas dengan baik, korupsi, dan tidak punya integritas pribadi,” kata Uskup Agung Ferrao dalam pesannya kepada rakyat.

Uskup agung mengatakan bahwa memberi suara itu merupakan suatu tanggungjawab dan keistimewaan. Dia juga menasehati rakyat untuk memilih mereka yang akan melindungi dan meningkatkan sekularisme dan demokrasi, menegakkan hak fundamental untuk kehidupan, kebebasan, kesetaraan, dan keadilan; memberantas kemiskinan dan buta huruf; serta menghapus pekerja anak.

Dia mengatakan bahwa pemilihan umum parlementer merupakan saat paling menentukan ketika rakyat diajak untuk menentukan nasib bangsa dalam lima tahun ke depan.

Pastor Francis Caldeira, jurubicara keuskupan agung, mengatakan bahwa uskup agung menekankan hak untuk mendesak para politisi mundur karena “sudah menjadi pengalaman di masa lalu bahwa setelah terpilih, para legislator melupakan rakyat dan mabuk dengan kekuasaan, sehingga mereka tidak lagi peka terhadap kebutuhan-kebutuhan rakyat."

Dia menambahkan, "rakyat cukup lama menerima begitu saja dan tidak berbuat sesuatu untuk mengontrol penyalahgunaan wewenang yang dilakukan para legislator.” Dia menjelaskan bahwa pemberdayaan rakyat dengan hak untuk menuntut para legislator mundur itu bisa mengubah situasi. Mudah-mudahan itu akan mengubah sikap dan membuat para legislator waspada, dan para legislator akan melakukan apa yang semestinya diharapkan dari mereka untuk dilakukan, lanjutnya.

Analis politik Stanley Fernandes menggambarkan himbauan uskup agung itu sebagai sesuatu bersifat “futurisik.” Namun, katanya, rincian lebih lanjut tentang hak untuk menuntut wakil-wakil rakyat mundur itu harus ada, seperti sebelumnya memberi mereka kesempatan dua tahun untuk memperbaiki kinerjanya.

Jesus Ribeiro, seorang Katolik, mengatakan bahwa himbauan uskup agung itu hendaknya menjadi bagian dari manifesto setiap kandidat yang sedang bersaing, dan itu akan membuktikan "ketulusan" mereka.

Goa, tempat asal Uskup Agung Ferrao, telah mengalami pengangkatan sumpah 16 pemerintahan dan penjungkir-balikan pemerintahan yang dilancarkan oleh para politisi.
2009-3-10 | ID06834.633b | 355 kata
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Awam Katolik Sediakan Makanan Murah bagi Mahasiswa dan Pekerja

HUE, Vietnam (UCAN) -- Para mahasiswa dan pekerja yang miskin dapat menabung dan makan makanan sehat di sebuah restoran yang dimulai awam Katolik di Vietnam.

Ratusan orang berbaris untuk membeli kupon, masing-masing seharga 2.000 dong (US$0.11), yang kemudian ditukarkan dengan makanan di sebuah restoran dekat Katedral Phu Cam di Hue.

Pham Thi Le Na, 23, seorang Buddha, yang selalu makan siang di sini sejak akhir Februari, menghargai makanan yang murah dan sehat itu. Dulu, perempuan itu harus mengeluarkan 10.000 dong untuk membeli makan siang di restoran-restoran lokal lainnya, yang katanya makanannya tidak disajikan secara higienis.

Na, mahasiswi kedokteran tahun keempat dari propinsi Quang Binh, berharap dapat membeli buku dan materi belajar dengan uang yang ia tabung. Delapan ratus ribu dong yang diberikan orang tuanya setiap bulan tidak cukup untuk membayar uang kos dan makan sehingga ia bekerja sebagai tutor, yang memberinya tambahan sebanyak 250.000 dong setiap bulan.

Joseph Nguyen Van Nghia, 66, pemilik restoran itu, menjelaskan bahwa ia membuka restoran itu pada 24 Februari untuk membantu para mahasiswa miskin dan pekerja yang berpendapatan rendah bersamaan dengan meningkatnya harga makanan dan kebutuhan pokok lainnya. Lelaki itu mengatakan para mahasiswa biasanya mendapat tidak lebih dari 300.000 dong setiap bulan sebagai tutor sedangkan beberapa orang yang menjual lotre untuk hidup menghasilkan kurang dari 20.00 dong setiap harinya.

Berpuluh-puluh ribu mahasiswa dari negeri itu belajar di universitas-universitas dan kolese yang berjejer di Hue, bekas ibu kota kerajaan Vietnam.

Nghia, mantan siswa seminari menengah dan sekarang ayah dari empat anak, mengatakan 300 orang menjadi pelanggan restorannya itu, yang menyediakan makan siang berupa nasi, sop sayuran dan daging, dengan pisang atau manisan sebagai pencuci mulut. Sekarang ini, restoran itu hanya buka pada Selasa, Kamis, dan Sabtu.

Awam yang mengelola sebuah tempat penginapan di Ho Chi Minh City itu mengatakan ia berharap bisa menggunakan 13 juta dong setiap bulan dan mengelola restoran itu sebagai pelayanan, bukan untuk mencari uang. Sekitar enam sampai 10 umat Katolik dari paroki katedral menjadi sukarelawan untuk menyajikan makanan dan menjamu mereka yang berkunjung ke restoran itu.

Beberapa mahasiswa mengatakan penyajian makanannya higienis dalam wadah-wadah yang tertutup, sedangkan restoran lainnya menempatkan makanan dalam kantong plastik yang terbuka. Salah satu mahasiswa menambahkan bahwa ia terkena diare setelah memakan makanan di sebuah restoran dekat asramanya.

Tran Hap, 72, tukang becak yang selalu datang ke restoran itu, mengatakan restoran itu membantunya menabung untuk membiayai lima anggota keluarganya. Dulu, lelaki itu makan roti seharga 4.000 dong untuk makan siang, jumlah besar dari 15.000-30.000 dong yang ia peroleh setiap hari.

Di restoran itu, di bawah lukisan Perjamuan Terakhir tertulis pesan: “Kami melayani anda. Bantulah orang-orang miskin jika anda sukses kelak.”
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Para Pemuka Agama Tekankan Kebebasan Memilih dalam Pemilu

ENDE, NTT (UCAN) -- Para pemuka agama mengatakan bahwa warga negara Indonesia hendaknya memilih sesuai dengan hati nurani mereka dalam pemilihan umum (pemilu) 9 April.

Para pemuka agama Katolik, Hindu, Muslim dan Protestan mengomentari hal ini dalam sebuah pertemuan 11 Februari di Ende, Propinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur, yang diselenggarakan Komisi Hubungan Antaragama dan Kepercayaan Kevikepan Ende di keuskupan agung Ende.

Sekitar 40 tokoh agama menghadiri pertemuan itu, yang mengambil tema, "Orientasi Penyuluh Lintas Agama untuk Pemilu Damai."

Indonesia mengadakan pemilu setiap lima tahun sekali. Sebanyak 44 partai politik sedang berkompetisi untuk memperoleh suara dalam pemilihan anggota legislatif mendatang.

Dosen Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Katolik Ledalero Pastor Paulus Budi Kleden SVD mengatakan Gereja Katolik "tidak mengidentifikasikan dirinya dengan salah satu partai" dan tidak ada paksaan atau ajakan untuk memilih partai atau calon tertentu dalam pemilu yang akan datang. Imam Katolik itu menjelaskan bahwa Gereja tidak setuju jika umat Katolik tidak memberikan hak suaranya karena apatis, namun kalau pertimbangan untuk tidak menggunakan hak pilihnya harus didasarkan dengan alasan yang matang, "kita harus menghormati kebebasan hati nurani mereka."

Senada, Anom Triyadna dari Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) berpendapat bahwa idealnya setiap warga negara hendaknya menggunakan hak pilih, "namun kalau ada alasan yang mendasar untuk tidak menggunakannya, maka kita patut menghormati kebebasan seseorang yang tidak menggunakan haknya."

Basirun Samlawi, dari Universitas Muhammadiyah di Kupang, menceritakan bahwa Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) melalui fatwa menyerukan kepada segenap umat Islam supaya memberikan suaranya dalam pemilu. “Seruan MUI ini dianggap perlu untuk memelihara demokrasi,” katanya.

Jika pemilu bertujuan untuk memperbaiki kehidupan bangsa, “maka memberikan hak suara adalah sesuatu yang wajib.” Ia menambahkan, “Kita diwajibkan untuk memilih orang yang kebaikannya lebih banyak daripada orang yang kebaikannya sedikit.”

Pendeta Yohanes Leymani, dari Gereja Masehi Injili Timor (GMIT), mengatakan masyarakat hendaknya dibebaskan dalam memilih calon legislatif (caleg) "yang sesuai dengan hati nurani mereka."

"Kita harus menghormati kebebasan mereka dalam menggunakan hak pilih," tekannya.

Philipus Harni, seorang peserta awam Katolik dalam pertemuan itu, men-sharing-kan bahwa para pemimpin agama hendaknya mendorong umat mereka supaya memilih caleg-caleg yang mampu tanpa melihat latar belakang mereka baik suku maupun agama.

“Tidak ada gunanya orang memilih caleg kalau didasarkan pada basis suku dan agama karena tidak akan menyumbangkan apa-apa bagi perkembangan politik yang sehat,” katanya.

END
2009-2-18 | IT06695.630b | 363 kata
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Para Misionaris SVD Melihat Perlunya Menghidupkan kembali Spiritualitas

INDORE, India (UCAN) -- Misionaris-misionaris Serikat Sabda Allah (SVD, Societas verbi Divini) melihat sebuah kebutuhan untuk memperkuat kehidupan spiritual mereka setelah menjalani program setahun untuk memperingati kematian pemimpin-pemimpin awal serikat mereka.

Program setahun peringatan seratus tahun kematian Santo Joseph Freinademetz, misionaris perintis SVD ke Cina, dan Santo Arnold Janssen, pendiri SVD, itu mulai 28 Januari tahun lalu.

Program itu ditutup pada 15 Januari tahun ini dengan pertemuan-pertemuan dan doa-doa khusus untuk memperingati 100 tahun itu di pusat-pusat SVD di empat provinsi serikat itu di India.


Pastor Arockia Sebastian Durairaj, provinsial SVD India Tengah, mengatakan bahwa para anggota SVD di provinsinya menjalankan program itu dengan memusatkan perhatian pada spiritualitas dan kehidupan doa.

"Dalam doa, rekoleksi, dan introspeksi khusus sepanjang tahun itu, kami menemukan bahwa kehidupan doa sangat lemah," demikian pengakuan imam yang tinggal di Indore, ibukota komersil Negara Bagian Madhya Pradesh, 810 kilometer selatan New Delhi itu.

Menghidupkan kembali spiritualitas pendiri mereka itu memberi tenaga bagi program-program yang diselenggarakan oleh setiap provinsi secara tersendiri, katanya.

Santo Arnold selalu menekankan "doa yang mendalam," kata Pastor Durairaj. "Kami harus mengikuti jejaknya."

Media baru dan perkembangan teknologi yang telah membantu evangelisasi itu kadang-kadang bisa juga menimbulkan kekacauan, sehingga "kita perlu waspada,” lanjut imam berusia 51 tahun itu.

"Penghormatan terbaik” bagi pendiri mereka, menurutnya, mungkin adalah memperkuat kehidupan spiritual dan kegiatan-kegiatan misi mereka di wilayah yang didominasi agama Hindu itu.

Uskup Indore Mgr Chacko Thottumarickal setuju bahwa teknologi baru turut menyebarkan Sabda Allah. "Namun, terlalu melekat pada teknologi baru bisa membuat kehidupan doa menjadi lemah,” katanya.

Prelatus SVD itu juga mengamati bahwa sementara berusaha menjadi “mandiri dan berhasil,” banyak anggota serikatnya mengesampingkan kehidupan doa yang memperlemah kehidupan spiritual mereka. Maka “ada suatu kebutuhan untuk menghidupkan kembali kehidupan doa,” katanya.

Bruder Herbert Raich, 70, salah satu misionaris asing SVD yang masih berada di India, mengatakan, dia menyesal bahwa orientasi Konsili Vatikan Kedua terhadap misi telah membuat orang mengabaikan doa. "Jika kita menjaga spiritualitas pendiri kita, serikat akan berkembang. Jika tidak, serikat akan menjadi lemah," katanya mengingatkan.

Bruder Emmanuel Bilung, 44, mengatakan bahwa tuntutan untuk meraih keberhasilan dan menghabiskan lebih banyak waktu untuk berkarya merupakan alasan melemahkannya kehidupan doa. Bruder yang mengepalai satu-satunya pers cetak milik SVD di India itu ingin agar para anggota SVD menyempatkan lebih banyak waktu untuk doa pribadi, yang digambarkannya sebagai “kekuatan setiap misionaris.”

Serikat itu mulai karyanya di Indore tahun 1932, dengan 13 anggota. Kini terdapat sekitar 800 anggota di 200 biara di 45 keuskupan dan empat provinsi. Sekitar 170 imam SVD India kini bertugas di luar negeri.

Santo Arnold, yang dilahirkan di Jerman tahun 1837, mendirikan serikat itu tahun 1875. Dia wafat pada 15 Januari 1909. Dia dibeatifikasi bersama Joseph Freinademetz tahun 1975. Keduanya dikanonisasi pada 5 Oktober 2003.

Santo Joseph Freinademetz, yang dilahirkan tahun 1852 di Italia utara dan ditahbiskan imam tahun 1875, bergabung dengan SVD tahun 1878 dan berangkat ke Cina sebagai misionaris pada tahun berikutnya. Dia wafat pada 28 Januari 1908 di sebuah desa di Propinsi Shandong, Cina bagian timur.

END
2009-1-23 | IC06535.626b | 488 kata
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Calon Legislatif Katolik Diperkenalkan dengan “Etika Politik Katolik”

JAKARTA (UCAN) -- Komisi Kerasulan Awam Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia (Komisi Kerawam KWI) baru-baru ini mengadakan forum untuk memperkenalkan etika politik berdasarkan ajaran sosial Gereja kepada para calon legislatif (caleg) Katolik.

Pastor Franz Magnis-Suseno SJ menjelaskan tujuh prinsip yang menurutnya dikembangkan dari ajaran Yesus. Sekitar 100 orang Katolik, setengah dari mereka adalah caleg-caleg Katolik dari 10 partai politik peserta pemilihan umum (pemilu) pada April nanti, menghadiri forum pada 24 Januari itu di Gedung KWI, Jakarta Pusat.

Imam-cendikiawan itu menjabarkan tujuh prinsip dalam makalah yang terdiri dari delapan halaman tentang "Etika Politik Katolik." Ia menyebutkan: kebaikan hati, keberpihakan pada kehidupan, kesejahteraan umum, subsidiaritas, solidaritas, hak asasi manusia dan penolakan kekerasan.

Pastor Magnis-Suseno menjelaskan bahwa Yesus tidak mengajarkan sesuatu tentang model negara khusus, namun dalam 150 tahun terakhir Gereja Katolik mengembangkan etika politik berdasarkan apa yang diajarkan dan dilakukan Yesus. Etika politik tersebut dapat ditemukan dalam ajaran sosial Gereja, kata dosen Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Driyarkara Jakarta, yang dikelola oleh Yesuit.

”Prinsip etika politik Katolik adalah inklusif, bukan ekslusif yang dimiliki Katolik saja. Itu universal, yang bernilai dan bermanfaat bagi semua termasuk semua agama,” jelasnya.

Menjelaskan masing-masing prinsip itu, ia mengatakan kebaikan hati adalah tuntutan dasar Yesus. Orang tidak membenarkan politik itu keluar dari kebencian, balas dendam, dan permusuhan. ”Namun Yesus menuntut agar kita tidak memberi ruang kepada kebencian dan rasa balas dendam di hati kita,” katanya.

Keberpihakan kepada kehidupan, lanjutnya, menunjukkan bahwa orang Katolik harus berani menolak aborsi, euthanasia dan pembunuhan janin demi tujuan penelitian.

Imam itu menjelaskan kesejahteraan umum sebagai prinsip yang paling umum dalam ajaran sosial Gereja. ”Politik jangan dijadikan ajang bisnis dan menjadi kesempatan untuk memperkaya diri,” katanya, menasehati.

Subsidiaritas, katanya, berarti lembaga yang lebih tinggi wajib membantu lembaga-lembaga yang lebih rendah apabila mereka tidak dapat sendiri menyelesaikan keperluan-keperluan mereka sendiri.

Solidaritas berarti keberpihakan kepada orang miskin, kata Pastor Magnis-Suseno. "Kita berpolitik berarti semua harus beruntung, sama-sama berkorban, senasib-sepenanggungan."

Para politikus hendaknya membela hak asasi manusia dengan menerjemahkan sikap yang menghormati martabat manusia ke dalam kenyataan kehidupan sosial, politik, ekonomi, dan budaya, lanjut imam itu.

Dalam penolakan kekerasan, jelasnya, orang Katolik harus menolak penggunaan ancaman, pemerasan, dan paksaan untuk mencapai tujuan politik.

Pembicara lain dalam forum itu adalah Thomas Aquino Legowo, seorang pengamat politik dan koordinator Forum Masyarakat Peduli Parlemen Indonesia (FORMAPPI). Ia menjelaskan bahwa caleg Katolik harus bersaing dengan yang lain seperti kolega, partai, musuh, dan pemodal.

Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU) menetapkan 44 partai politik, beberapa berbasis agama, untuk mengikutkan calon-calonnya dalam pemilu yang dijadwalkan pada 9 April.

Pastor Yohanes Rasul Eddy Purwanto, sekretaris eksekutif Komisi Kerasulan Awam KWI, mengatakan tujuan kegiatan itu untuk membangun kesadaran di kalangan para caleg Katolik agar mereka harus berjuang bukan untuk kepentingan mereka sendiri tapi untuk komunitas masyarakat yang lebih luas. "Kami tidak ingin mengarahkan terlalu gegabah dan mencolok, akhirnya Komisi Kerawam KWI yang dianggap sebagai fasilitator untuk semua pihak akan dicap sebagai partisan. Ternyata komisi ini mendukung orang tertentu. Itu bukan tujuan kami. Kami hanya mengarahkan mereka berdasarkan nilai-nilai Katolik," tegasnya kepada UCA News setelah forum itu.

Antonius Doni, caleg dari Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa (PKB), mengungkapkan penghargaannya terhadap kegiatan itu: "Saya menyambut baik apa yang diprakarsa oleh KWI. Ini menunjukkan rasa simpatik Gereja terhadap orang awam Katolik yang terjun ke dunia politik."

Kimmy Dewi Himawan, caleg dari Partai Barisan Nasional mengakui ia adalah orang baru dalam politik namun ia merasa "terdorong dengan tujuh prinsip yang dijelaskan oleh Pastor Magnis-Suseno."

Selain prinsip-prinsip ini imam itu menambahkan bahwa para caleg Katolik tidak hanya memiliki keahlian dan kualitas, tapi juga “harus maju, berani dan percaya diri.”

2009-1-30 | IJ06580.627b | 578 kata
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Perempuan Protestan, Islam, Katolik Meluncurkan Gerakan Perdamaian

BOGOR, Jawa Barat (UCAN) -- Tiga puluh perempuan Katolik, Islam dan Protestan dari Indonesia dan Malaysia meluncurkan sebuah gerakan untuk perdamaian sebagai hasil lokakarya antariman yang berlangsung baru-baru ini.

Gerakan itu "meminta pemerintah, Gereja dan masyarakat agar memperhitungkan kepentingan perempuan dalam membuat kebijakan, dan mengakomodir keterlibatan perempuan dalam penyelesaian konflik dan membangun rekonsiliasi," kata Pendeta Rosmalia Barus, dari Persekutuan Gereja-Gereja di Indonesia (PGI), tanggal 4 Maret.

Pendeta Barus adalah Sekretaris Eksekutif Dewan Perempuan dan Anak PGI, yang melaksanakan lokakarya tanggal 23-26 Februari itu bersama dengan Asian Women Fellowship of Mission 21, sebuah organisasi Kristen yang bernarkas di Basel, Swiss.

Peristiwa itu berlangsung di Cipayung, Bogor, Jawa Barat.

Pendeta Barus mengumumkan peluncuran "Gerakan Perempuan Cinta Damai” itu di akhir lokakarya dengan tema, "Perempuan sebagai Agen Perdamaian."

Diskusi-diskusi sepanjang peristiwa itu memperlihatkan bahwa perempuan dari agama-agama berbeda telah banyak melakukan kegiatan antariman untuk perdamaian, namun upaya-upaya mereka tidak diekspose oleh media.

"Aksi pertama yang akan segera dilaksanakan setelah lolakarya ini adalah memberitahukan kepada masyarakat tentang gerakan ini dan mengajak lebih banyak perempuan untuk bergabung," katanya. Dia menambahkan bahwa peserta memutuskan agar memulai gerakan seperti itu di tingkat lokal dan membangun jaringan.

"Kami akan juga mengajak perempuan Buddha, Hindu dan Kong Hu Chu untuk bergabung. Setiap perempuan yang cinta damai bisa menjadi anggota," lanjutnya.

Dalam sambutan pembuka, ketua PGI Pendeta Andreas Yewangoe memberitahukan mengenai tema Sidang Raya XV PGI yang akan diselenggarakan akhir tahun dengan tema: “Tuhan Itu Baik Kepada Semua Orang.” Dengan tema itu, “Gereja-Gereja di Indonesia telah menentukan posisinya sebagai sesama umat dengan mereka yang beragama lain. Dulu yang hanya ‘strangers’ sekarang adalah ‘neighbors.’”

Ia menceritakan tentang surat terbuka tahun 2007 berjudul "A Common Word," yang dikirim oleh 138 pemimpin Islam kepada pemimpin Gereja di seluruh dunia, yang mengingatkan bahwa umat Islam dan umat Kristen mewarisi secara bersama a common word yaitu Kasih.

Surat itu, katanya, memperoleh reaksi positif dari tokoh-tokoh agama Kristen sedunia. Berbagai prakarsa untuk melakukan dialog lintas-agama, katanya, patut memperoleh perhatian dan apresiasi. Demikian juga dialog lintas-iman, khususnya antara Islam dan Katolik yang baru-baru ini diselenggarakan di Vatikan perlu dilihat sebagai sumbangan berharga bagi kemanusiaan, katanya.

Pendeta Yewangoe menegaskan bahwa di kalangan Gereja-Gereja Protestan, dialog-dialog semacam ini telah lama dilakukan.

Perempuan-perempuan dari latarbelakang agama berbeda menyambut baik gerakan perdamaian yang baru itu.

Peserta termuda Irma Muthoharoh mengatakan bahwa ia menghargai perempuan Kristen yang mengundang dia, seorang Muslim, untuk ikut dalam lokakarya itu. "Ini saat terindah dalam hidup saya," ia berbagi, seraya menambahkan harapannya agar perempuan bisa sungguh bertindak sebagai agen perdamaian di komunitas mereka masing-masing.

Retno Tri dari dari Sekretariat Jaringan Mitra Perempuan Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia mengatakan, ”dari pengalaman di lapangan kami melihat kebutuhan akan adanya gerakan seperti itu."

Endang Larasati Pohan, peserta Islam mengatakan, “Deklarasi gerakan itu menunjukkan bahwa perempuan telah membuat perubahan. Mereka melihat perbedaan agama-agama dan membuat persatuan dari perbedaan-perbedaan itu.” Deklarasi itu membuat perempuan dari agama apa saja bekerja bersama untuk perdamaian.

Gerakan itu akan menyemangati perempuan untuk berkarya dalam bidang sosial dan kemanusiaan, kata Pendeta Marlyn Takaria. "Saat pulang nanti saya akan terus mengupayakan persatuan perempuan Muslim dan Kristen, dan berkarya bagi perdamaian."

Pendeta Lucy Kumala dari Asian Women fellowsip of Mission 21 mengakui karya ke depan tidaklah mudah. Namun, ia mengatakan kepada para perempuan peserta supaya tidak kuatir: "Pulanglah sebagai agen-agen perdamaian. Tuhan akan membantu dan menguatkan kalian!"

Dalam lokakarya itu, wakil-wakil Protestan, Katolik, Islam, Hindu, Buddha, dan Kong Hu Chu juga menyampaikan masukan dalam diskusi panel bertema "Agama, Sumber Damai," dari perspektif agama mereka masing-masing.
2009-3-5 | IN06796.632b | 569 kata
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