So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each TERHAD of you look not only to his own interests, but also PP 8460/11/2012(030939) to the interests of others. Have this mind among ISSN: 1394-3294 yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Vol. 27 No. 38 THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY Phil. 2:1-3 The world cannot afford a new cold war between China and the US EW YORK: The world is wards the clean up of the planet. taking a “very dangerous For his part, in a speech that various ana- lysts have described as “good cop”, Xi Jin- Ndirection”: that of a new ping said that his country wants to defend Cold War between China and the multilateralism; that by 2060 it will reduce United States. carbon emissions; that it will use dialogue The warning and negotiation to “reduce the differences” comes from the UN between nations. Secretary General, Diana Fu, who teaches political science at Antonio Guterres the University of Toronto, described the spec- (pic) who two days tacle of the two General Assembly speeches ago, at the opening as “bullies duking it out on the stage of the of the United Na- United Nations”. tions General As- “The American bully, personified by sembly, warned all Trump, is ostentatiously attacking its rival countries of possible by stigmatising it as a global virus,” she said. future tragedies and “The other is attacking its opponent by pay- divisions. ing lip service to multilateralism while actu- This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ally playing by its own rules.” the large hall is empty and the speeches of An example of how similar China and the over 100 heads of state, plus other personali- United States really are can be seen from one ties, are taking place via video. fact: neither intends to participate in an alli- Without directly mentioning Beijing and ance for the production of an anti-COVID Washington, Guterres said that “Our world vaccine that can be distributed to the world cannot afford a future where the two largest (and especially to poor countries). Three days economies split the globe in a great fracture US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping. (SCMP photo) ago, the WHO proposed a global scheme for — each with its own trade and financial rules at all costs”. global warming. the production of future vaccines, which 156 and internet and artificial intelligence capaci- A few days ago, the video interventions of The US president lashed out at China ac- nations have joined. Neither the United States ties”. the two leaders — Donald Trump and Xi Jin- cusing it of letting COVID-19 spread with its nor China have so far joined. Both superpow- He added: “A technological and economic ping — revealed their profound disagreement silence and its influence on the World Health ers prefer to first secure the vaccine for them- divide risks inevitably turning into a geostra- on many aspects: from international coopera- Organisation and also accused it of being the selves and then distribute it to “friendly coun- tegic and military divide. We must avoid this tion, to the management of the pandemic, to most polluting country and of doing little to- tries”. — AsiaNews Chinese Catholics angry over book claiming Jesus killed sinner HONG KONG: Catholics in mainland China “I want everyone to know that the Chinese said that distorting the original text itself “is are upset about the distortion of a Bible story Communist Party has always tried to dis- against morality and the law, so how can we in a school textbook, which claims that Jesus tort the history of the Church, to slander our teach professional ethics with this book?” Christ stoned to death a sinner woman in order Church, and to make people hate our Church,” “It is a sad social phenomenon in mainland to respect the law of the time. his post said. China,” he added. The textbook, published by the government- Mathew Wang, a Christian teacher at a vo- Paul, a Catholic in mainland China, said that run University of Electronic Science and cational school, confirmed the content but said several such distortions of Christian life and Technology Press, aims to teach “professional the textbook content varies from place to place history keep happening but Christian protests ethics and law” to the students of secondary within China. will have no impact. vocational schools. Wang added that the controversial textbook “The same pattern has been repeated every The book quotes the story of Jesus forgiving was reviewed by the Textbook Review Com- year but the Church has never fought back or the sins of a woman who committed adultery mittee for Moral Education in Secondary Vo- received the respect and apology it deserves,” from the Gospel of John. But it has a changed cational Education. said Paul. ending. Part of the cover page of the school textbook that Wang said that the authors had used a wrong Kama, a Catholic who manages the social The crowd wanted to stone the woman to has caused a row in China. (UCA News photo) example to justify Chinese socialist laws. media account of a Catholic group, said the death as per their law. But Jesus said, ‘Let But if the law could only be executed by men The authors of the book, some Catholics textbook's content violates religious beliefs, the one who has never sinned throw the first without blemish, the law would be dead,” the said, want to prove that the rule of law is su- and authors and publishers must publicly cor- stone.’ Hearing this, they slipped away one by textbook said. preme in China, and such respect for law is es- rect it and apologise. one. A parishioner who uploaded the textbook on sential for a smooth transfer to socialism with “We hope that Church authorities will come When the crowd disappeared, Jesus stoned social media said the distortion was an insult to Chinese characteristics. forward and speak up for the Church,” Kama the sinner to death saying, “I too am a sinner. the Catholic Church. A Catholic priest who refused to be named said. — ucanews.com 2 FORUM / REFLECTION HERALD September 27, 2020 Sabah shows the way hatever the outcome of the Sa- more sustainable alternatives to the contro- bah state election this weekend, Sunday Observer versial Papar dam for its water needs.) Wone thing was clear in the weeks Meanwhile, two rarely used words have leading up to it: Malaysians badly crave By been highlighted over social media, which greater inclusiveness built on a celebration would seem quite apt for our times: defen- of unity in diversity. Anil Netto estration (to jettison someone or something Many thought the country had made that out of the window) and snollygosters. [email protected] breakthrough in 2018 with a change of Defenestration informally means “the government ushering in a new, more inclu- action or process of dismissing someone sive nation. Whichever direction the pendulum none of the name-calling and derogatory from a position of power or authority”. But then the pendulum swung right back swings – towards greater inclusiveness or remarks that we have come to expect from Snollygoster is a US slang word for “a earlier this year, when political defectors the pushback to the divisive ethnoreligious the real MPs. shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a toppled the then-ruling coalition from pow- politics – there is something else happen- How did this happen? Maybe these politician”. er. It was back to the old divisive politics ing. With each swing of the pendulum, we young people have been exposed to alter- Let’s combine these two cute words into based on race and religion. The pushback are being elevated to a higher level of con- native education systems: home schooling, one sentence: It is time for a defenestra- – the swinging back of the pendulum to the sciousness. private schools, vernacular schools, inter- tion of the snollygosters who unethically old politics – had actually begun soon after Call it the working of the Spirit. national schools. Maybe they picked up manipulate racial and religious sentiments the change of government in 2018. We can see evidence of this from the the sense of interconnectedness from their to divide the people for political gain. This But in the weeks leading up to the Sa- awakening of the young people – and not own spirituality in their respective faiths. can be done periodically through elections. bah election on Sept 26, the pendulum was just those behind new political parties. Or perhaps their interactions on social And while we are at it, let’s throw out swinging back to a more inclusive direc- Recently, while Parliament was under media have shown them that whole world of the window the divisive politics of race tion. Many Malaysians, including those in lockdown, we witnessed youths coming is one, and we all have more in common and religion. the peninsula, were captivated by the more up with a brilliant initiative: Parliamen than what divides us. Who knows? Whichever way the pendulum has swung inclusive, rich, multicultural way of life in Digital. It was not just the way they quietly Whatever the case, these young people in the Sabah election, have no doubt: we Sabah – and its neighbour, Sarawak.