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COMBONICOMBONICOMBONI NETWORK NETWORKNETWORK FOR FORFOR JUSTICE, JUSTICE,JUSTICE, PEACE PEACEPEACE AND ANDAND INTEGRITY INTEGRITYINTEGRITY OF OFOF CREATION CREATIONCREATION BeBeBe thethethe changechangechange youyouyou wishwishwish tototo seeseesee ininin thethethe worldworldworld COMBONICOMBONICOMBONI LAYLAYLAY MISSIONARIES MISSIONARIESMISSIONARIES change change change Be the Be the Be the Be the world in the to see wish you world in the to see wish you world in the to see wish you TheTheThe ComboniComboniComboni FamilyFamilyFamily andandand Justice,Justice,Justice, PeacePeacePeace andandand IntegrityIntegrityIntegrity ofofof CreationCreationCreation COMBONI NETWORK FOR JUSTICE, PEACE AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION Be the change you wish to see in the world The Comboni Family and Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation edited by Fernando Zolli and Daniele Moschetti Cover photo: SASIN TIPCHAI 3 Foreword “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings, and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”. (Exodus 3, 7-8) The book we hold in our hands aims to recall the path we walked as Comboni Family in the field of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), and among other things to make memory of the experiences in the several editions of both the World Social Forum (WSF) and the Com- boni Social Forum. Thus, this book is not an essay on Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation dimension, rather a corpus of experiences from different points of view. It is a reflection inviting us to elaborate on the reasons and the pressing need for this ministry, as we were also encour- aged by Pope Francis’ speeches to popular movements, a real synthesis of the Catholic Social Teaching. Many Comboni Missionaries brothers, sisters and lay people are daily committed in this area, and they work tirelessly for the marginalised and the most abandoned through humble actions without making noise. All of them appear on these pages. Our participation in the WSF and in the Comboni Forum provided an opportunity of mutual enrichment and offered the possibility to create networks to improve our understanding and efficiency into the matter. On these pages, we find a critical assessment of those encounters whose purpose is to use them at their best and like foundation to inspire and 3 to develop new methods responding to ever growing challenges in the world today. Each Forum has represented a sharing life-experience workshop and a space for new ideas born from the perception charac- terising our own Charism. The evangelising mission of our Comboni Institutes often faced with the major injustices perpetrated against the people we work with. From a creative and true reading of the Gospel arises a genuine engagement in the advocacy for the most vulnerable people. Comboni’s encounter with slavery deeply wounded him and gave to his mission a distinctive methodology. The letters he wrote over a lifetime clearly demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the political, economical, cultural and reli- gious forces regulating relations among people and the impact they had on their lives. The first missions undertaken by Comboni missionaries brothers and sisters in Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and other countries point out such an interest and concern for the human context of life, the “making of a common cause” cherished in Saint Daniel Comboni’s heart. We have always sided with those nations who suffer because of any kind on in- justice and oppression and we still side with them at present. The mar- tyrs of our family who paid with their own lives the love for the mission they have been assigned to are witnesses of this commitment. A radical experience of faith strengthened their loyalty to the calling. It is true that the language of an epoch could betray us and reduce our under- standing to a certain missionary approach but achievements speak for themselves. The ceaseless work in the fields of education and health- care is proof. Evangelisation unfolded from a whole understanding of human beings as dignified individuals blessed by an only Father who puts all of us on an equal horizontal plan of universal fraternity (see, for instance, Evangelii Gaudium, 78). Therefore, anything related to men and women’s life now is a matter of concern for a missionary brother or sister walking alongside peo- ple from different countries of the world. God’s Salvation Plan comes through the incarnation of His Son, providing a radically new plan for life. This is the heart of the urgency of our mission: the proposal for life in its fullness based on the love of the Father for all humankind 4 5 (Redemptoris Missio, 7). The method of salvation through Jesus Christ is liberating, and it fully reaches the individual as His public activity in the villages of Palestine shows. Advancements in different areas like in technology, communication, medicine, and means of transportation over the last few decades do not necessarily result into a better existence. Pope Francis warns us on the economy of exclusion which rules out many people creating intolerable inequalities (cf. EG 53). We are aware that we are part of this unjust economy. Under the pretext of being good “professionals” it is easy to fall into the trap of consumerism that tries to offer solution to any prob- lem. It does exist an intrinsic relationship between plain life and justice. Some lifestyles and customs reinforce unbearable economic structures based on the oppression of the most fragile part of humanity. In recent decades, in addition to Peace and Justice there also has been a new element that is Integrity of Creation. Environmental destruction is leading our Mother Earth to a critical point. Hence, we are required to call into question our lifestyle. The attention to environment demands unity in order to face this global challenge (cf. Laudato Si’,13) and it is therefore useful to join in different networks allowing us to be more conscious of the question so to incorporate this consciousness into pas- toral programs. Within a global and interconnected world, participation and commit- ment to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation imbues all missionaries activities. Pastoral, missionary animation, youth ministry, formation and human development projects of all kinds cannot be separate from this central dimension. Actually, as we approach social, political and economical reality of people we share our mission with, we let our- selves be questioned and brought into new dynamics of communion and journey besides poor. As a consequence, a real commitment to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation dimension can be carried through by the compassion of those who invites us to walk towards periphery. One of the most frequent criticism to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation is the easy decay toward a mission without God. The search for justice is calcified and the spiritual dimension appears to be a form 5 an alienation. Further, many activities pertaining to this field are imple- mented in cooperation with institutions strictly secular in nature and even with pronounced antireligious tendency. It is therefore fundamen- tal to develop a characteristic spirituality of the work by Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, as a result of its familiarity with the Gospel that represents a source of life and love for the mission. Those who operate for justice and peace must be ready to be misunderstood, not to see immediate results, and primarily to be a means for forgiveness and reconciliation. Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation is one of the areas that made possible a rich encounter among the members of the Comboni Family which make up a range of additional ministries. This book aims to unite such a richness of different contributions in which are developed specif- ic services in response to the need of the mission today. There exists a deep relationship between global and local, and it is therefore essential to make a reflection on both levels in order to enrich them mutually. The world seems to be a vast network in which all phenomena are inter- linked. For this reason, here are included numerous enriching mission- ary activities. Pope Francis urges on us to “reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel” (EG, 20). To the whole Comboni Family, commitment to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation repre- sents an appropriate space to enter those fringes of society where life is despised, inspired by the passion of Comboni. The Gospel is the source of full life owning the power to transform the hearts, to bring life where there is nothing but death, and hope where everything seems to be lost. Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation viewed in terms of incarnation of our own spirituality, presence on behalf of the poor and liberation from every yokes oppressing them, is a true Comboni mission. Sr. Luigina Coccia Mother General of Comboni Missionary Sisters Father Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries 6 7 CHAPTER ONE 7 9 Paths to build Peace The journey of Justice and Peace in the Comboni institute From its very beginning, the Comboni Institute has always been known as an instrument of transformation and regeneration of a humiliated, de- spised, enslaved and rejected humanity. St. Daniel Comboni expressed it quite well saying that the Comboni Institute must be at the service of the “poorest and most abandoned”, “the unhappy Nigrizia”, against the scourge of slavery (See Slavery in Writings nn. 2216 ff), and against arms trafficking (Writings 3349). In the “Plan” he foresaw the forma- tion of religious and lay teams for the regeneration of their brothers and sisters at all levels of human, religious and social life.