0119
15 January 2019 Monthly Year 3
Fake News and the Bible: Which word is credible?
Studying Facebook .01 o Urban Catholicism in China
A ‘Protocol’ for the Good Spiritual Battle: Chapter Five of Gaudete et
OLUME 3, N 3, OLUME Exsultate V A Church that ‘spends time with the 2019 future’
Preparing the Meeting of Bishops on the Protection of Minors
The Current Situation in Nicaragua
Music against the Mad Cry of War
CONTENTS 0119
BEATUS POPULUS, CUIUS DOMINUS DEUS EIUS
Copyright, 2019, Union of Catholic Asian Editor-in-chief News ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
All rights reserved. Except for any fair Editorial Board dealing permitted under the Hong Kong Antonio Spadaro, SJ – Director Copyright Ordinance, no part of this Giancarlo Pani, SJ – Vice-Director publication may be reproduced by any Domenico Ronchitelli, SJ – Senior Editor means without prior permission. Inquiries Giovanni Cucci, SJ, Diego Fares, SJ should be made to the publisher. Francesco Occhetta, SJ, Giovanni Sale, SJ
Title: La Civiltà Cattolica, English Edition Emeritus editors Federico Lombardi, SJ ISSN: 2207-2446 Virgilio Fantuzzi, SJ Giandomenico Mucci, SJ ISBN: GianPaolo Salvini, SJ 978-988-79386-7-5 (paperback) 978-988-79386-8-2 (ebook) Contributing Editor 978-988-79386-9-9 (kindle) Luke Hansen, SJ
Published in Hong Kong by Contributors UCAN Services Ltd. Federico Lombardi, SJ (Italy) George Ruyssen, SJ (Belgium) P.O. Box 80488, Cheung Sha Wan, Fernando De la Iglesia, SJ (Spain) Kowloon, Hong Kong Drew Christiansen, SJ (USA) Phone: +852 2727 2018 Andrea Vicini, SJ (USA) Fax: +852 2772 7656 www.ucanews.com David Neuhaus, SJ (Israel) Camilo Ripamonti, SJ (Italy) Publishers: Michael Kelly, SJ and Vladimir Pachkow, SJ (Russia) Robert Barber Arturo Peraza, SJ (Venezuela) Production Manager: Bert Daelemans, SJ (Belgium) Rangsan Panpairee Thomas Reese, SJ (USA) Grithanai Napasrapiwong Paul Soukup, SJ (USA) Friedhelm Mennekes, SJ (Germany) Marcel Uwineza, SJ (Rwanda) Marc Rastoin, SJ (France) Claudio Zonta, SJ (Italy) CONTENTS 0119
15 January 2019 Monthly Year 3
1 Fake News and the Bible: Which word is credible? Vincenzo Anselmo, SJ
13 Studying Facebook: Research on the social network that has changed communication Paul A. Soukup, SJ
26 Urban Catholicism in China Michel Chambon – Antonio Spadaro, SJ
39 A ‘Protocol’ for the Good Spiritual Battle Chapter Five of Gaudete et Exsultate Diego Fares, SJ
52 A Church that ‘spends time with the future’ The Synod of Bishops on young people, faith and vocational discernment Antonio Spadaro, SJ
68 Preparing the Meeting of Bishops on the Protection of Minors Federico Lombardi, SJ
85 The Current Situation in Nicaragua Antonio Spadaro, SJ
95 Music against the Mad Cry of War: Mary Gauthier and Michele Gazich Claudio Zonta, SJ ABSTRACTS
ARTICLE 1 FAKE NEWS AND THE BIBLE: WHICH WORD IS CREDIBLE?
Vincenzo Anselmo, SJ
Fake or manipulative news is not a recent phenomenon. Today, it bounces around the internet and social media, passing from one corner of the planet to another. From very early days the Bible warns of the great danger arising from distorted truths and false or counterfeit information. Scripture – in particular the narratives of Genesis 2-3 and Numbers 13-14 – instructs the reader on how to weigh different points of view and their degree of reliability, discerning the words that give life from the lies that lead to death. So, to which word should we pledge allegiance? Those who read discerningly are able to recognize the agenda of opposing points of view in the story, and hence rely on the narrator and the promise of God. The author is a professor of Bible and Biblical Hebrew at the Interregional Pontifical Seminary of Campania in Naples, Italy.
ARTICLE 13 STUDYING FACEBOOK RESEARCH ON THE SOCIAL NETWORK THAT HAS CHANGED COMMUNICATION Paul A. Soukup, SJ
Over the last 12 years, communication researchers have regularly examined Facebook, gathering its data and analyzing its functions. They have observed how this social network illustrates the perspectives of theoretical communication, and how it helps interpersonal communication, journalism, education, politics, communication within companies and non-profit organizations, healthcare and entertainment. In addition, they have shown the ways it influences daily life, anticipated some of the ethical issues raised by the platform, and identified its negative impacts. The author is a professor of Communication Sciences at Santa Clara University (California, USA).
ABSTRACTS
ARTICLE 26 URBAN CATHOLICISM IN CHINA
Michel Chambon – Antonio Spadaro, SJ
This article examines the recent social and economic changes in the People’s Republic of China and the social context that has seen rural Catholics leave their hometowns. In addition, we analyze how networks of workers who are Catholic have progressively taken shape in the big cities, before highlighting the strengths and challenges of this recent evolution of Chinese urban Catholicism. The article was written by our director and by Michel Chambon, who teaches Anthropology at Hanover College (Indiana, USA).
ARTICLE 39 A ‘PROTOCOL’ FOR THE GOOD SPIRITUAL BATTLE CHAPTER FIVE OF GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE
Diego Fares, SJ
At the heart of the apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (GE) are the Beatitudes, a veritable “program of holiness.” The pope has often defined the Church as a field hospital and, as can happen in hospitals, he has drawn up a “protocol” for acting in mercy. This includes four aids for spiritual combat: the first comes from the certainty of victory, because it is always God’s battle, not ours; the second is to think without falling into the trap of pragmatism; the third is an invitation always to organize dreams and desires, in the light of the beauty of one’s own dedication. The fourth comes from the Jesuit maxim: Non coerceri a maximo, contineri tamen a minimo, divinum est (see GE 169). ABSTRACTS
CHURCH LIFE 52 A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’ THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS ON YOUNG PEOPLE, FAITH AND VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT Antonio Spadaro, SJ
This article summarizes the work of the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme “Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment,” held in Rome, October 3-28, 2018. Our director – who was a synod member by pontifical nomination and secretary for information – examines the Final Document, taking into consideration the synodal process as a whole that lasted for two years. In addition to being an assembly “about” young people, it showed itself in reality to be an assembly “with” young people and “about” the Church, the faithful people of God on its journey in the history of the world. It indicates a direction for the reform of the Church, which is synodal and missionary conversion.
ARTICLE 68 PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS
Federico Lombardi, SJ
Preparations are underway for the meeting of presidents of episcopal conferences on the subject of protecting children. Convoked by the pope, it will take place at the end of February 2019. This article presents a brief overview of the emergence during the last 20 years of awareness of the need to protect minors in different parts of the world. It also underlines the lessons to be learned and looks at what has happened in the United States, Germany, Ireland, Australia and Chile and the particular cases of Marcial Maciel and Fernando Karadima. Then it shows how much has been done to confront the problem during the last two pontificates, with the renewal of canonical norms, the formulation of guidelines by the episcopal conferences, the formation projects and other initiatives, as well as the recent letters by Pope Francis. Finally, it enumerates a series of key issues that the bishops’ meeting will have to address. ABSTRACTS
FOCUS 85 THE CURRENT SITUATION IN NICARAGUA
Antonio Spadaro, SJ
The situation in Nicaragua has been of grave concern since April. Why is President Ortega, who fought in the 1970s to overthrow the Somoza regime, now trying to impose his “dynasty” and repressing the popular movement that is trying to prevent him from doing so? Since protests began, two different reconstructions of events have spread: that of the government which speaks of its response to an “attempted coup,” and that of international observers who see an unjustifiably violent repression of a popular protest. The peace talks initiated by the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, called to intervene by Ortega himself, are currently suspended at the government’s request.
ART, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT 95 MUSIC AGAINST THE MAD CRY OF WAR: MARY GAUTHIER AND MICHELE GAZICH
Claudio Zonta, SJ
Rifles & Rosary Beads and Temuto come grido, atteso come canto are albums by Mary Gauthier and Michele Gazich. These two artists shared the same stage and traveled thousands of miles on tours throughout America. The devastating effects of the war in Iraq on the psyche of American veterans and the murderous madness that targeted Jewish patients in the psychiatric hospital of San Servolo during the Second World War are the respective themes of these two albums. The thread that unites them is not only the drama of evil but, above all, an act of artistic love that, through storytelling, allows us to reflect on the need to step out of the logic of violence and follow paths of memory and mercy. LCC 0219:
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Vincenzo Anselmo, SJ
The internet allows us to access a wealth of information that was unthinkable a few decades ago. On the web and on social networks this information is created and exchanged in real time. A user may be disoriented when faced with such a quantity of news and data that corresponds to multiple points of view, each of which attempts 1 to establish itself as truth. In this chaos, the news that makes the most noise and the opinions that acquire greater consensus and more “likes” are considered to be true. In a quagmire from which it is difficult to extricate oneself, how is it possible to authentically discern truth from falsehood? The skein is tangled, to say the very least, and misleading and false information that often manipulates people’s awareness is lurking on the internet.1 The pope dedicated his message for the 52nd World Communications Day to the “fake news” phenomenon. According to Pope Francis, “the effectiveness of fake news is primarily due to its ability to mimic real news, to seem plausible. Secondly, this false but believable news is ‘captious,’ inasmuch as it grasps people’s attention by appealing to stereotypes and common social prejudices, and by exploiting instantaneous emotions like anxiety, contempt, anger and frustration.”2
La Civiltà Cattolica, En. Ed. Vol. 3, no. 1, article 1, Jan. 19: 10.32009/22072446.1901.1
1.On this topic, see also F. Occhetta, “Tempo di post-verità o di post- coscienza?” in Civ.Catt. 2017 II 215-223. 2.Francis, Message for World Communications Day. “The truth will set you free (Jn 8:32). Fake news and journalism for peace,” in w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/ en/messages/communications/documents/papafrancesco_20180124_messaggio- comunicazioni-sociali.html. VINCENZO ANSELMO, SJ
The viral and epidemic nature of false or manipulative news bouncing around the web and social networks from one end of the world to the other makes discernment and recognition of the truth more difficult. However,fake news is not a recent phenomenon.
The narrative model of the Bible From the beginning, the biblical story warns the reader about the great danger arising from distorted truths and from false and counterfeit information. The consequences are dramatic for those who rely on fake news and get carried away with their concerns and fears, without putting their faith in the Word of God, which is always true. For the reader, the biblical narrative can become a 2 real exercise in discernment for learning how to distinguish what is precious from what is vile (cf. Jer 15:19). In reading, we are all called to discern the source of information, what is reliable and what is not, in order not to be misled. Inside the storytelling world, the narrator carries out the task of presenting the story.3 We could say this is his prerogative. The narrator must be considered as a literary presence in the text, not to be confused with the real authors. For example, the Book of Exodus begins: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household” (Ex 1:1). This is the narrator’s voice that is speaking. First of all, in the Bible the narrator is omniscient, knowing everything in the story being told and also accessing the feelings and thoughts of the characters, including the inner life of God. Another characteristic of the narrator is reliability, telling the reader the correct and reliable version of history. The biblical narrator is also anonymous, located behind the text and not coming into the foreground. Rarely, but significantly, the narrator expresses judgments or gives assessments about a character or a situation. In the Bible, therefore, the story is told by an omniscient and reliable narrator. God’s point of view is reliable, while that of other characters is not only partial and limited, but can even
3.For a broad examination of the narrative model of the Bible, cf. J.- P. Sonnet, “L’analisi narrative dei racconti biblici,” in M. Bauks – C. Nihan (eds), Manuale di esegesi dell’Antico Testamento, Bologna, EDB, 2010, 45-85. FAKE NEWS AND THE BIBLE: WHICH WORD IS CREDIBLE? be false and misleading (fake). The presence in the biblical story of a large cast multiplies the points of view so that the reader becomes oriented in the narration through the experience of differing perspectives. Some examples may help us understand how the Bible helps the reader to weigh the various points of view and their degree of reliability, recognizing words that give life and the lies that lead to death.
The word of God and that of the serpent The two stories in Gen 1 and in Gen 2-3, read in sequence, are two complementary accounts of creation, despite the tensions that exist between the two texts of differing origin. The voice of the narrator has the privilege of telling, in 3 its omniscience, even the creation of the world: “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:1-2). It reports not only what God says “Let there be light” – but also what God feels within: “And God saw that the light was good” (Gen 1:4). From the very first pages of the Bible, the reader is invited to enter into a covenant relationship with the narrator, the latter claiming credibility and the former attaining confidencein what is being told. God says in verse 26: “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness,”4 and in verse 27 the narrator confirms: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” The information coming from the narrator and from God is reliable, and the two points of view agree. Chapters 2 and 3 can be read in continuity with the preceding one. Gen 2-3 may be understood narratively as a zoom narrative about the creation of Adam, male and female. According to Jan P. Fokkelman, “the tale of paradise, Gen 2:4b-3:24, strictly speaking, is not a second account of
4.The proposed translations generally follow the version from the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) 2008, with some variations that intend to make the text more faithful to the original Hebrew. VINCENZO ANSELMO, SJ
creation, but a more careful study of the human being that was created, its origins and its fundamental relationship with God and with the world.”5 In Gen 2:8-9 the narrator indicates to the reader that God planted a garden in Eden where the man who was created was placed: “Out of the ground, the Lord God made grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9). The Lord entrusts to the man the dual responsibility of cultivating and maintaining the garden (cf. Gen 2:15). At this point God delivers a double commandment: “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of 4 good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Gen 2:16-17). Above all, God’s speech highlights the positive dimension of the gift. As to the divine command, André Wénin states: “This order is twofold and, often forgotten, its first part has nothing to do with a prohibition. It is a positive precept that orders humans 6 to eat from every tree in the garden.” It gave everything to Adam; he is the king of the garden, at the center of which is located the tree of life (cf. Gen 2:9). In the second part of the commandment, God inserts a limit, giving the man a warning: “but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it 7 you shall die” (Gen 2:17). What will Adam do when faced with the divine command? How will he interpret the word of God? Will he know how to listen deeply, or will he misunderstand what has been said to him? In Gen 3, the first words of the serpent insinuate doubt about the good intentions of the one who has placed the man
5.J. P. Fokkelman, Come leggere un racconto biblico, Bologna, EDB, 2015, 132. 6.A. Wénin, Da Adamo ad Abramo o l’errare dell’uomo. Lettura narrativa e antropologica della Genesi. I. Gen 1,1-12,4, Bologna, EDB, 2008, 45. 7.According to T. N. D. Mettinger, the text of Gen 2:17 refers to a warning of danger of death, rather than a formal sentence of condemnation (cf. T. N. D. Mettinger, The Eden Narrative: A Literary and Religio-historical Study of Genesis 2-3, Winona Lake [IN], Eisenbrauns, 2007, 22). FAKE NEWS AND THE BIBLE: WHICH WORD IS CREDIBLE? in the Garden of Eden. The snake addresses the woman with a provocative and deceptive question that distorts the truth: “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Gen 3:1). With his words, the snake conveys the image of a despotic and tyrannical God, who even wants to starve his very creatures, depriving them of food needed for sustenance.8 The reader, however, knows that the serpent’s words do not correspond to the truth, because God never gave such a command; rather, he did something totally different, giving to the man all, except for one thing. Moreover, if God denied the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it was done so that the man, by not eating from this tree, would not die. The priority of God is that the man remains alive, not the prohibition of eating from the tree. The woman responds, timidly trying to deny the claims 5 of the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die’” (Gen 3:2-3). Eve’s perspective appears to be distorted. The woman does not agree with the serpent, but she also alters the words of God, making the prohibition more important than the gift. Moreover, the prohibition of eating now expands to one of touching. From the point of view of Eve, the prohibition is even more rigorous. Additionally, from the woman’s perspective, the forbidden tree is placed alone in the center of the garden, while God had placed both trees there.9 According to Wénin, “the forbidden tree takes up the entire spot and becomes precisely the tree that hides the forest containing all that has been given.”10
8.In the stories of creation, God says: “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food” (Gen 1:29). On this point, cf. A. Wénin, Da Adamo ad Abramo o l’errare dell’uomo..., op. cit., 30-32. 9.According to Paul Joüon, the expression “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9) contains a chain of terms coordinated with each other, but divided by an intrusive element: “in the midst of the garden.” Therefore, both trees would be at the center of Eden (see P. Joüon – T. Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Rome, Gregorian and Biblical Press, 20112, 117t). 10.A. Wénin, Da Adamo ad Abramo o l’errare dell’uomo..., op. cit., 69. VINCENZO ANSELMO, SJ
The snake has muddied the waters to confuse the woman. In the game of multiple points of view, it is easy to get lost if the reader does not remain vigilant in weighing the diverse perspectives and having the words of the narrator and those of God as a measuring stick to discern what is true. The serpent’s fake news trap is not limited to disorienting and confusing Eve: the intended effect is to manipulate and seduce Eve, to lead her into transgression against the divine Word. The last poison instilled by the serpent is a word that engenders the image of an envious God who wants to keep the man and the woman in a lesser and submissive state: “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and 6 evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Even these words are false. The voice of God and the narrator had already told the reader that Adam, male and female, is created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). The man and the woman do not need to struggle to become what they already are. There is no order to subvert and no opponent to knock down in order to take their place. But Eve falls into the trap of the snake and no longer trusts in God. In the words of Paul Ricœur, “the era of suspicion had opened, a crack had been introduced into the most fundamental condition of language, that is, the relationship of trust that linguists refer to as the ‘sincerity clause.’”11 “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise” (Gen 3:6). At the center of the woman’s thoughts and desires is the forbidden fruit only, while the other trees, also beautiful and good, disappeared from her view (cf. Gen 2:9). The serpent built the false image of a despotic and arbitrary God, the enemy of the man and of the woman, instilling doubt and suspicion about the goodness of his word and of his gift. Pope Francis writes: “This biblical episode brings to light an essential element: there is no such
11.A. LaCocque – P. Ricœur, Come pensa la Bibbia. Studi esegetici ed ermeneutici, Brescia, Paideia, 2002, 60. FAKE NEWS AND THE BIBLE: WHICH WORD IS CREDIBLE? thing as harmless disinformation; on the contrary, trusting in falsehood can have dire consequences. Even a seemingly slight distortion of the truth can have dangerous effects.”12
Is the majority always right? (Numbers 13-14) Later in the biblical account we meet the people of Israel on the difficult and uncertain journey toward the land of Canaan. They have to decide whether to trust in the Lord’s promise or whether to rely on their fears and concerns. To which voice will Israel listen? Will the people fall for false and defeatist words or will they listen to the word of God? This time an external entity like the snake does not come into play; rather, the people themselves are the authors of the lie that discredits the Promised Land and weakens the spirit of those who are on the journey. 7 When we find ourselves in Chapters 12-13 of the Book of Numbers, Israel is now on the threshold of the land of Canaan after journeying through the desert. During the journey, the Lord had taken care of and fed his people. God commands Moses to send some men to explore the land of Canaan, reaffirming his will to give it to Israel (cf. Num 13:1-2). The Lord’s word is trustworthy and makes his intentions toward the people clear and unequivocal. God requires that each tribe have its own representative among the explorers, chosen from among the leaders. Thus they will be men who have authority and enjoy credibility before the people. Moses sends out the explorers and gives them thorough instructions. After 40 days they return to the people of Israel and tell about all that they had seen in Canaan, showing the fruits that they had collected in the land. At this point, the narrative presents several speeches that reflect different points of view, openly in contrast with each other. What words will the people deem to be credible? Which speech tells the truth, and which is false? The omniscient narrator and the word of God will be the compass for the reader to understand where the truth lies. The first report of the explorers seems positive: “We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and
12.Francis, Message for World Communications Day…, op. cit., No. 2. VINCENZO ANSELMO, SJ
this is its fruit. Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there” (Num 13:27-28). In fact, these words are carefully crafted to draw the people into a trap.13 The explorers confirm the bounty of the land that they had visited, but at the same time insinuate that Israel cannot compete with those who live there, who are stronger and better equipped. Between the lines, the speech from the explorers is constructed to manipulate the people and to lead them away from what God has promised. They speak a truth (“the land is good”) and then undermine the fact that the goal is accessible and close at hand (“Yet the people who live in the land are strong”). The result is to discourage Israel, weakening its trust in God, so that 8 the people are afraid to enter into the land of Canaan. At this point, Caleb, one of the explorers, tries to intervene, acting as a counterbalance to what was said by the others and encouraging the people to persist in their intent to enter Canaan: “Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’ Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than us’” (Num 13:30-31). Caleb finds himself alone while the other explorers are even more overt in discouraging and weakening the spirit of the people. In this conflict between diametrically opposed points of view the reliable and omniscient narrator intervenes. His interventions orient the reader, who risks getting lost in the game of opposing perspectives, and express a clear and unequivocal judgment on the words of the explorers: “So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report of the land that they had spied out, saying, ‘The land that we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are of great size. There we saw the giants, the descendants of the Anakites, the race of giants;
13.According to D. T. Olson, in their first report, the explorers were not unfair and did not express judgments. If this had been the case, the differences and contradictions between the two speeches they gave would have been even more evident: cf. D. T. Olson, Numeri, Turin, Claudiana, 2006, 93. FAKE NEWS AND THE BIBLE: WHICH WORD IS CREDIBLE?
and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them’” (Num 13:32-33). The scouts spread a false report about the land which God was giving to Israel (cf. Num 13:1-2). The narrator reports the unfounded and distorted information that they gave. The speech is hyperbolic and grotesque, full of exaggerations and contradictions. First of all, the country that they had previously described as the place where milk and honey flow had now become the land that devours its inhabitants.14 The explorers again mention the descendants of Anak, but this time they are described as belonging to the race of giants.15 The country is no longer something beautiful and good, but appears as a hostile and malicious mythological entity, like a formless wasteland, like the abyss prior to creation (cf. Gen 1:2), while the inhabitants of 9 Canaan are described as primordial monsters, demi-gods fallen to earth (cf. Gen 6:4). The explorers emphasize details and make their narrative colorful to deceive Israel and manipulate the decision. They disseminate unfounded information and tell tall tales, distorting those same words they had used earlier. In other words, the leaders of the people, under the cloak of supposed authority, provide misinformation, instilling fear and discouragement in the people. The explorers play upon fear of the unknown and prejudice toward what is different and not known. In the end they project their point of view, dictated by fear, onto the people of Canaan. Israel’s leaders feel small and think that the others see them in the same way. Unfortunately, the people are influenced by the words and the fear transmitted by the explorers and give credibility to their lies. The opinion of the majority of the leaders prevails over
14.Cf. Ibid., 94. 15.The Greek version refers to the term “giants,” while in Hebrew it is the nefilim, meaning “the fallen,” from the verb nfl, “to fall.” According to Gen 6:4, they are considered to be mythological beings probably born from the union of the sons of God with the daughters of humans, but the text is unclear. These demi-gods should have been extinct with the flood, all the more reason not to believe the words of the explorers (on nefilim see R. S. Hendel, “Of Demigods and the Deluge: Toward an Interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4,” in Journal of Biblical Literature 106 [1987] 13-26). VINCENZO ANSELMO, SJ
Caleb’s isolated voice. Thus, the only non-defeatist opinion is stifled. The people shout and cry, expressing their fear, and begin to grumble, expressing discontent and impatience against Moses and Aaron. There were already other times in the desert when Israel had complained: in Marah for the lack of potable water (cf. Ex 15:24); later, regretting the pot of meat and bread they ate in Egypt (cf. Ex 16:2, 7-8) and again because of the lack of water (cf. Ex 17:3). On this occasion, however, there is something new in the intentions of the people: “Let us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt” (Num 14:4). What could have been called “nostalgia for Egypt” now becomes a desire to return. The people of Israel reverse all that the Lord had done by freeing 10 them from slavery and call into question the authority of Moses and, ultimately, that of God. Caleb, and with him Joshua, bravely oppose this attempted “coup” and remind Israel of the name of God on which their hope is based16: “Only, do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them” (Num 14:9). The invitation not to be afraid has no effect, because the mass of the people is blinded by panic and anger and intends to stone those who want to waken them from this slumber and reason with them. The lie led to fear, and fear led to the threshold of violence, until the intervention of God puts a stop to the madness of the people. As a result, the entry into Canaan is postponed to the next generation, while Israel spends another 40 years wandering in the desert before they see the land that the Lord intends to give them (cf. Num 14:29-30).
16.Caleb and Joshua do not give in to group pressure and do not conform to the opinion chosen by the majority. In a sense they show their independence from the social psychology known as the “Asch effect,” which occurs when an erroneous belief, sustained by the majority, influences the opinion of another person who assimilates his or her own view into that of the majority. On the Asch effect, see R. Kreitner - A. Kinicki, Comportamento organizzativo, Milan, Apogeo, 2004, 402-404. FAKE NEWS AND THE BIBLE: WHICH WORD IS CREDIBLE?
At the beginning of the story, the word of God had announced that the land of Canaan would belong to Israel. This soft but reliable voice sounded faintly in the ears of the people, who preferred to listen to the rants of the explorers, full of pretentious words. Thus, fear prevailed over trust. When the contrast between the different perspectives could have made it difficult for the reader, the narrator intervened to clarify with a reliable assessment. The narrator guided the reader to discern the lies supported by the majority from the truth affirmed by only two people, Caleb and Joshua.
Conclusions Can it be said that the more persuasive and convincing a speech is, the worthier it is of credence? Are the strongest and 11 most grandiose words also the most reliable? Is an opinion that is supported by the majority automatically true? The accounts in Genesis 3 and Numbers 13-14 demonstrate how distortion of the truth poses a problem of discernment for the reader related to with which word they should form an alliance. Which word is true and leads to life? What deceived the woman were the doubts that crept in from the snake with its persuasive and captivating voice, together with the seductive promise of becoming like God. But the narrator unmasked the lies and machinations, communicating to the reader the true and reliable word of God. In the story from the Book of Numbers, the deception is based on the frustration of the people, fomenting illusions and fears and fueling concerns in the face of novelty and terror toward the stranger, who is seen as a monstrous danger. In the dynamism of the story, the attentive reader is able to recognize the play of opposing viewpoints, trusting the narrator and the promise of God. Even today these narratives can help the reader identify, among so many words that claim to be true, those that are most worthy of belief, recognizing those mechanisms that distort reality and manipulate judgment by focusing on easily aroused emotions. The Book of Proverbs affirms: “The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of VINCENZO ANSELMO, SJ
the wicked pours out evil” (Prov 15:28). In a world frantically producing news and opinions, the Bible invites us not to be overwhelmed, but to stop, think and reflect, not allowing ourselves to be carried away by the immediacy of the slogan that preys on fear or gives enticing but empty promises. In Hebrew, the word emet, “truth,” comes from the verb ’mn and it means “to be firm, stable, solid and faithful,” and therefore “to be safe, certain, true.” This confidence is placed only in God, who is faithful to the people and is the guarantor of authentic life and freedom.
12 Studying Facebook Research on the social network that has changed communication
Paul A. Soukup, SJ Even before Facebook garnered intense media and government attention in early 2018 over its dealings with Cambridge Analytica, communication researchers had already examined Mark Zuckerberg’s social network for many of the same reasons that made it attractive to that private firm. In 13 particular, they took the opportunity of using its enormous cache of data and information about individuals to learn more about communication processes, not in laboratory settings, but in the wider world.1 This data attracts communication researchers looking for examples that represent normal human interactions, most of it available without the deceptions involved in the Cambridge Analytica procedures. A review of over 400 studies published in the last 12 years2 shows how communication researchers have made use of Facebook in their studies. This social network began in 2004 as a college-based site, opening to the public in 2005. Like other similar platforms, it taps into a common human desire to connect with others. At its most basic level, social networking begins in a face-to-face setting with people all over the world having their networks of family, neighbors, coworkers, friends, and so on. Facebook and the other online social media sites simply
La Civiltà Cattolica, En. Ed. Vol. 3, no. 1, article 2, Jan. 19: 10.32009/22072446.1901.2
1.On the implications of the collection and elaboration of such data, cf. M. Kelly - P. Twomey, “Big Data and Ethical Challenges,” in Civ. Catt. English Edition, July 2018. 2.Cf. P. A. Soukup, “Changing the face of communication research,” in Communication Research Trends 37 (2018) 3-42. PAUL A. SOUKUP, SJ
provide an easier and more extensive way to link people, who can then share interests, memories, activities, news, and so forth, maintaining memory and artifacts in online storage. To give a sense of what communication researchers have discovered about Facebook, this essay will briefly review their work, focusing on theoretical communication perspectives, interpersonal communication, journalism, education, politics, business and nonprofit enterprises, ethical issues and other areas of research.
Theoretical communication perspectives Among the specific communication studies of Facebook, researchers often applied existing theoretical perspectives common in communication research, judging it not unlike 14 other media theorized over the last 75 years of media research. For example, a number of scholars looked at the rate and scale of the adoption of Facebook, using the diffusion of innovation theories first developed to describe how groups learn about new things and decide whether or not to use the innovation. Another common approach has researchers apply gender constructs to Facebook, examining how women and men differ in their use of the social networking site. Among other things, they noted that among young people, girls suffered more self-esteem issues through social comparison with others on Facebook than boys did. In their Facebook profiles teens also show a slight preference for more masculine traits, with masculinity tied to indicators of psychological well-being. Not surprisingly, communication research examines Facebook under the rubric of group communication. The researchers found that much of the existing understanding of the group processes continues to be valid regarding Facebook. Other researchers have used expectancy violation theory – the way people predict behavior based on non-verbal activities – to look at how users try to predict the reactions of others through various online cues. This ability leads to some reduction in the uncertainty that can hinder communication. Another predictable area of communication research appears in intercultural communication, based on the ways that Facebook allows contact across national and cultural borders. People differ STUDYING FACEBOOK in their application of cultural norms (privacy, self-disclosure, interests); among immigrants, heavier in-group Facebook users tend to show less motivation to adapt to a new culture. Communication researchers, like many others, often apply a number of psychological variables. These include affectivity, extroversion, well-being, emotional support, a sense of belonging, self-acceptance, social support, the need for friends and narcissism. Self-disclosure forms a key part of social networking: what will people tell others (or the world) about themselves? All communication between individuals requires certain levels of self-disclosure; Facebook makes this disclosure possible in ways that individuals can carefully regulate, though people do not always do so. Researchers have noticed that disclosure, typical in one-on-one communication, changes in Facebook as many 15 can see an individual’s postings either directly or through their Facebook friends. Researchers have also applied the theory of the third-person effect – a phenomenon in which people believe others to be more influenced by media content than they themselves are. This also holds true for Facebook with people judging that others would be subject to greater risk than themselves; this often applies to adults judging risks to children. But it may also help explain why people make errors in self-disclosure. Other communication researchers examine Facebook through the lens of the uses and gratifications theories. These theories hold that individuals make use of different media to satisfy different needs or even use the same media to satisfy different needs over time. So, for example, one could turn to the television as an information source, as an entertainment provider, or simply as background noise in the house. Similarly, researchers have asked why people use Facebook. Studies of college students indicate that different groups use Facebook for entertainment, relationship maintenance, self-expression, communication, and impression management. At the same time they use Facebook to keep track of others (that is, to monitor their social circle) and to manage social expectations. Other research has identified additional motivations, including showing and seeking affection, attention-seeking, disclosure, information sharing and gaining social influence. PAUL A. SOUKUP, SJ
Many people very carefully manage their Facebook self- presentation to gratify different needs, ranging from narcissism to social insecurity. The uses and gratifications research addresses how people use Facebook to positively manage relationships or to deal with the negative side of relationships such as jealousy and anger. All of this research indicates something not completely surprising: Facebook provides a tool that people use for a variety of different communication purposes.
Interpersonal communication Researchers have looked at the specifically personal nature of Facebook communication under the general rubric of interpersonal communication studies, whether in one-on-one 16 or small-group relationships. Drawing on Goffman’s theories of the presentation of self, with the metaphors of “backstage” and “front-stage” behaviors, researchers have compared the effectiveness of text vs. pictures in defining a person’s identity, with photos having a stronger impact. Because social relationships probably begin independently of Facebook and then move on to it, online participants cannot completely reinvent themselves, but they can emphasize different aspects of their identities: nationality, lifestyle, musical tastes, occupation and so on. Some researchers have studied family relationships and the ways in which the family dynamics change. Facebook now provides specific evidence of how different family groups act in renegotiating the relationship between parents and children. A key area of interpersonal relations research asks how people deal with relational intimacy: what does friendship mean, particularly when Facebook itself uses the metaphor of “friend”? Typical relational maintenance behaviors include social contact, seeking responses from another, relational reassurance, emotional intensity and surveillance. Some have noted that people have developed “friendship rules” for their online relationships and offer different strategies for maintaining contact with close friends, casual friends or acquaintances. STUDYING FACEBOOK
Journalism Journalism researchers have found fertile ground in Facebook as they seek to understand the present and predict the future of journalism. As with many other companies, news organizations launched Facebook pages for a number of different purposes. Some wanted to develop a different kind of relationship with their audiences, tying people more closely to their news sources. Others simply wanted to use Facebook as a different mode of reaching audiences. For some news organizations Facebook provided a substitute for declining print sales. Facebook did allow news organizations a better understanding of their audience, since the medium provides two-way interaction. In this, Facebook use offered some insight into how the news organizations struggled to maintain a balance between an online 17 and a print version of journalism. However, few studies indicate that news companies anticipated (or even adapted to) Facebook’s news feed as a substitute for journalistic enterprises.3 Some studies show that journalists individually adapted to Facebook, using it as a way of contacting sources or learning about the targets of their particular reporting or investigation. Sometimes journalists encouraged their Facebook followers to call details to their attention, using Facebook as a kind of research platform. But at the organizational level, many news organizations found it difficult to balance the competing interests of a social media site with their responsibility to the public. The incorporation of a for-profit entity like Facebook changes the way people regard the impartiality of the news itself.
Education Many educational enterprises take a purely instrumental approach to Facebook, namely, to improve communication between teachers and students or to broadcast messages
3.A news feed on a Facebook user’s page appears as soon as you log in and contains posts from friends, posts from pages you have liked, groups you belong to, plus other information and advertisements. PAUL A. SOUKUP, SJ
from the school to students. Some schools have tried online education or hybrid education where Facebook becomes part of a class process. Examination of school pages shows that Facebook does promote a different kind of contact between teacher and student, increasing teacher immediacy, which has been shown in other studies to help student learning. However, many students remain skeptical of this Facebook use, or even somewhat cynical as to why the teachers seek these kinds of out-of-class relationships. A content analysis of student postings in Facebook class pages indicates that students themselves use Facebook for formal learning, resource sharing and self-promotion. Other studies 18 show that students adjust quickly to using this new medium but not always in the ways in which the teachers intended. Facebook allows student groups to create a sense of identity, a kind of collective approach to learning, and a social support structure they need for study. For younger students teachers organize the Facebook pages whereas older students themselves create the page and determine its use. The inclusion of Facebook has also shown positive outcomes with study-abroad programs, allowing the students to manage their own stress levels when studying away from home or in a different culture. Facebook also allows students to maintain a sense of cultural identity even while they live in a culture foreign to them. Not all of the studies reported positive results in the educational setting. Some students acknowledged challenges in setting boundaries within Facebook groups, with questions about the kinds of behavior appropriate to learning versus seeking interpersonal relationships not suitable for the classroom. A more serious issue resulted from Facebook causing an increase in the digital divide. For students with access to online materials, Facebook provides beneficial educational materials. However, for the students who do not have access to online resources, Facebook simply intensifies their falling behind. STUDYING FACEBOOK
Politics Historical research shows that almost every medium – from face-to-face gatherings to newspapers to radio and television – have all served as venues for political purposes. One should not find it surprising, then, to see Facebook similarly employed. Political communication researchers have recorded Facebook’s political role in policy or electoral decisions around the world. Researchers have found international similarities on political Facebook, starting with something as elementary as an increase in visual materials on the feeds, an increase of informational materials, and the rehearsal of political party arguments in support of candidates. Some candidates create a kind of “mythic campaign image” in which they present themselves in a way that is particularly flattering and useful in garnering support. 19 Researchers have noticed how political parties frame the issues in a given election, with more personal appeals than appear in broadcast media. Some of the communication research asks how much Facebook promotes voter engagement, with groups creating specific Facebook pages focused on one issue about which they want to persuade voters. Some studies look at age bias, noting younger people more likely to use Facebook than an older population, factors that can influence how candidates are perceived within the same electorate. Several studies of United States presidential politics, particularly that of the Obama campaign, noticed that the social networking use correlated negatively with political cynicism. Studies analyzing the kinds of posts by a given candidate found that they will focus on things like voter participation or explaining a party platform. More interesting from a communication perspective are the studies focused on what they called “double- loop learning” where a local government provides information and encourages citizens to post in response. Two communicative loops appear: the government to the citizens and the citizens to each other and then back to the government. This analysis calls to mind the earlier two-step flow of information found in radio research where opinion leaders followed political news carefully on the radio and then PAUL A. SOUKUP, SJ
communicated it interpersonally to friends and neighbors, thus leading to greater influence through that second step. Political groups learned to focus their communication on the group of opinion leaders. From the “double loop” analysis, Facebook seems to have developed a similar two-step way for different individuals to learn about and influence political news, opinion or proposals. People from different cultures have used Facebook in different ways for political mobilization, with one of the more famous instances being the Arab Spring movements. However, follow-up researchers found that these social media sites did not have the effect that people initially observed or proposed. What researchers did find is that Facebook provides a good organizing 20 basis for targeted protest such as boycotting a given company, encouraging people to take greater care of the environment, or mobilizing support for student protests. On the other hand, some criticize the use of Facebook for some kinds of political activities. Noting that online political activity can degrade to “clickivism,” with people simply clicking to sign petitions or donate a small amount of money to a cause, these critics argue that Facebook actually discourages political engagement by suggesting that individuals accomplish more than they actually do. They fear that the small token actions on a Facebook page prevent people from leaving their homes and acting. Other researchers have found a contradiction between the ideology of many of the protest groups, which promote libertarian organizational values, and the leadership structures necessitated by Facebook itself. Facebook demands a centralized communication process rather than a more democratic approach. Communication researchers have also explored the kinds of material that have the greatest influence on the voting public. Those studying viral materials on Facebook have found that negative emotion-filled postings achieved the greatest public reaction. This does not differ much from the negative television advertising that already exists in the political realm. Other scholars argue that politicians do not yet know how to use Facebook, evidenced by the relatively few people influenced by the materials provided by politicians. These STUDYING FACEBOOK researchers note that politicians continue to regard Facebook as simply another broadcast medium which they take as a central source to send out their opinion or material, thus ignoring the social aspect of Facebook and making themselves less attractive to the Facebook communities. More successful Facebook use by politicians comes when they link their followers together and mobilize them to particular activities or when they actively seek information and ideas from the online users.
Businesses and nonprofit organizations Both businesses and nonprofit organizations quickly adopted Facebook to create a community of followers that could serve their public relations or advertising ends. In the first stage of their research communication scholars simply tried to log the 21 kinds of public relations or advertising uses shown on corporate Facebook sites, as well as the strategies commonly employed. Often this involved pages describing the companies and their products or services or responding to customers, particularly customer complaints. Another interesting corporate use of Facebook was how companies engaged their various stakeholders by attending to positive or negative comments and working to maintain the corporate reputation. Companies also had to deal with what researchers called the “dark side” of online posting: negative comments by employees or insiders. The other corporate Facebook use involves measuring the effectiveness of advertising. Having customers interact with a firm may well boost the profile of a company or product but it does not necessarily increase sales. Often an emotional response serves as a better predictor of the customer base’s product reactions. But other factors can play a role, too. One study of the publishing industry tried to match online posts with the sales figures of the published works. Researchers found that such marking works only with established writers rather than with new authors. Studies of the nonprofit world found that many nonprofit organizations simply use Facebook as a kind of advertising platform to promote events, that is, as a kind of a bulletin board PAUL A. SOUKUP, SJ
rather than as a way of engaging people who might take a stake in the nonprofit organization’s success. Finally a few studies examined how corporations made use of Facebook in hiring decisions. These researchers found relatively few available empirical measures and pointed out the difficulty in drawing firm conclusions.
Ethical issues Given Facebook’s difficulties in the light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the reader should be pleased to learn that communication researchers anticipated some of the legal and ethical issues involving Facebook and the practices of social media. One of the most common areas of concern has to do 22 with surveillance and privacy. By its very nature Facebook lends itself to surveillance uses, as many individuals use it to track friends and colleagues. Users voluntarily provide a great deal of information through Facebook, surrendering a measure of their own privacy.4 A number of communication researchers have compared Facebook to Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon prisons; others see Facebook as a way of controlling its participants through various kinds of social comparison. One thing apparent to many of these researchers is that Facebook has itself changed cultural ideas of privacy, reshaping the expectations of contemporary citizens into a much more public openness. Some researchers, by interviewing Facebook users, discovered that many of them do not really understand the privacy policies of Facebook or their own privacy settings. Some interesting studies tried to apply the communication privacy management theory to Facebook, a theory that has to do with how people choose to reveal information about themselves and the different groups to whom they would reveal information. Among their findings: people share information for the sake of distant friends, but they do not restrict this data; younger users do not have the same concerns about privacy as
4.They also unwillingly provide information about themselves and their contacts, even if communication researchers have not identified this issue. Cf. M. Kelly - P. Twomey, “Big Data and Ethical Challenges,” op. cit. STUDYING FACEBOOK do older users. The researchers point out that there is indeed an emerging sense of different ideas about public and private domains, again with young people showing some ambivalence about sharing information with parents and family members. Other researchers considered the idea of free speech on Facebook. Facebook itself does have policies dealing with free speech, with clear limits. The issue of speech on Facebook, at least in the United States context of First Amendment protections for free speech, has raised some interesting questions, partly because of the newness of Facebook as a medium. Who has the legal authority to censor speech on a multinational medium? What happens to protected speech in one country that violates a norm of another country? One researcher pointed out that the volume of speech on 23 Facebook does not equal the quality of such speech – in other words, one should not value quantity over quality as Facebook seems to do in its defenses of its policies. Next, because Facebook combines all manner of users, ranging from very young users to adults, from citizens of more open societies to those of more closed ones, it creates a large measure of uncertainty in terms of what kind of regulation might be appropriate. These questions face complication in the light of findings that indicate that many Facebook users treated the site as a public space, while at the same time intending only a limited audience. Another interesting legal question emerged from Facebook’s policy over “ownership” of pages and the rights of fiduciaries: after a person’s death, do the executors of the estate have access to Facebook accounts? Facebook has raised a number of ethical concerns, ranging from unintended material appearing through its auto play feature (at one point it streamed video of a murder)5 to more general questions about the use of Facebook data for research. One case, particularly interesting in the light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, had to do with researchers who collected “anonymized”
5.A function introduced by developers at Facebook sees the automatic playing of all videos present on the newsfeed, without any need to press start. This has raised protest, not least due to the extra battery usage. PAUL A. SOUKUP, SJ
data on a cohort of college students. Rather quickly, other researchers determined the identity of all of the participating individuals. The very scope of the data makes anonymous use difficult. It also raises questions for the traditional institutional review boards that examine and approve such research projects. Other researchers highlight ethical issues in the blurring of public and private areas as with, for example, healthcare professionals, whose work world demands privacy. Awareness of the ethical challenges created by social networking sites, and exemplified by Facebook, has really just begun as researchers and scholars begin to learn which questions to ask.
Conclusion 24 Facebook has become an unending resource for communication scholars. They use material available on Facebook both to test communication theories and to extend what we know about how individuals make use of different communication forms. However, relatively few of the studies take into account the opportunities provided by Facebook, that is, the things that the social networking site makes possible for its users. One of the unintended benefits of Facebook lies in its flexibility and openness: its users have developed a wide range of new opportunities for this communication medium, ranging from games to memorial pages, from mental or physical health support pages to links with world charities. As communication scholars continue their examination of Facebook, they may find it helpful to apply something like the media ecology tradition which regards Facebook as part of a larger ecosystem in which the media function. This would give a better sense of how Facebook interacts with the various communication practices of individuals and groups. To do this they need to ask more about the possibilities of Facebook, not only what its design promotes but also the things that social networking prohibits or inhibits. From this can be derived great insights into understanding the wider questions of human communication. For example, how do political communication strategies build on the STUDYING FACEBOOK interpersonal ones? Why does advertising or public relations seem to work better in a social networking environment than in a broadcast environment? Why have people so quickly joined social networking to mobile telephony? This ecology approach also suggests that communication researchers take seriously the non-communication aspects of Facebook. These include the economic structures of the social media world, the political constraints within which it works, and the substitution of Facebook for other activities, such as entertainment, gaming or even education, and its cultural implications. Communication researchers have noted a great similarity in Facebook communication across different cultures, seeing that in different contexts its use has more points in common than 25 differences. Why has this communication technology become so homogenous? Is there something in the technology itself that directs users to act only in certain ways? Do Facebook’s corporate policies or practices shape the ways in which people use the platform? Based on the current work, communication researchers should further explore the kinds of research methodologies appropriate to Facebook. Future researchers need to ask questions about the very nature of the interactions occurring on Facebook: fundamental questions about the nature of social media, the nature of social interaction, the nature of the technologies and the nature of social media companies. Urban Catholicism in China
Michel Chambon – Antonio Spadaro, SJ
The rapid transformation of Chinese Catholicism and its adaptation to the new urban environment has been brought about by a wide range of participants and not just by the clergy. This article explores the motivations, organization and influences 26 of one specific type of promotion of Chinese Catholicism: the entrepreneurial lay Catholics who have migrated from the rural countryside to the constantly growing Chinese cities. The hundreds of thousands of Catholics who left their villages after the 1980s were in search of better opportunities. Today, many of them are well-established urban dwellers, translating their Catholic commitment into a new lifestyle. What some of them have built goes beyond traditional parish life and remains largely unknown to the broader audience interested in the Church in China. While these religious organizations do share similarities with some Protestant communities, they also have specific features and dynamics that those observing the Church in China may want to consider. Therefore, this article sheds light on these migrant Catholics and their networks in order to show how they have decisively caused the Church to adjust itself to new social conditions. First, the article briefly revisits the recent social and economic changes in the People’s Republic of China to present the broader social context that has guided rural Catholics to leave their hometowns. Then it explores how networks of workers who are Catholic have gradually taken shape in large cities: their actual organizations and the motivations of their lay leaders. Finally, the article compares and contrasts
La Civiltà Cattolica, En. Ed. Vol. 3, no. 1, article 3, Jan. 19: 10.32009/22072446.1901.3 URBAN CATHOLICISM IN CHINA these networks across the country in order to highlight their similarities and differences, but also the strengths and challenges that characterize this recent evolution of Chinese urban Catholicism.
The transformation of China Since the late 1970s, the economic and political reforms of Deng Xiaoping have deeply renewed Chinese society. China has increasingly become an urban and wealthy society where the quality of life has constantly improved. Many parts of the country have no reason to envy developed nations. Although rural areas and social inequalities remain significant, huge urban hubs now host most of the population and have redefined life in China. 27 In the course of this broader evolution, almost two-thirds of the population left the countryside to take up new job opportunities available within urban areas. If these jobs were initially basic and industrial, they have since become extremely diverse, specialized and well-paid. In order to guide this rapid and radical transformation and to prevent the creation of huge slums, the Chinese state has been carefully controlling the use of space and requiring residential permits of every single citizen. In China, urban planning is closely watched by various state agencies and the use of every urban square meter is regulated. At the same time, Chinese citizens are registered from birth within a residential area, urban or rural, and have to apply for an expensive permit to permanently migrate within the country. During the 1980s and 1990s, millions of citizens got around these regulations and became a cheap labor force across the growing suburbs of Chinese cities. They worked endless hours in dreary factories to produce basic goods that flooded the rest of the world. But as the Chinese economy became more sophisticated and diversified, this transitional social situation has evolved and migrant populations are now rapidly absorbed legally into the urban life of contemporary China. The radical transformation of the country has also been driven by non-economic factors. One of the most significant MICHEL CHAMBON – ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
ones was the “one-child policy.” In the early 1980s, the central government decided to regulate so most Chinese citizens have only one child. Although the scope and the consequences of this policy are still difficult to evaluate, it has deeply shaped the actual reality of Chinese families. After decades of civil war and major disruptions (political changes, starvation), Chinese society went through a unique collective and constraining social policy that has somehow standardized the ways in which Chinese families structure themselves today. Regional, ethnic and class-based variations in kinship structure and family size have decreased. Most families have now only one or two children, carefully supported by four grandparents. Recently, the “one-child policy” has been eased 28 but most Chinese people refuse now to have more than one child. Consequently, the country is facing a rapid aging problem that will increase in the coming years.1
The emergence of new solidarities among Chinese Catholics It was during this broader socio-economic transformation in the 1980s and 1990s that many Catholics left the countryside. Like millions of others, they migrated to rapidly expanding cities and tried their luck in the new booming economy. These Catholics were usually young, single and marked by a rural piety. Their priority was to make money in order to support their relatives and survive within an increasingly competitive environment. As time passed, these post-rural Catholics found themselves, like many other migrants, better established in their new urban environment, expanding their connections and increasing their savings. By the early 2000s, many migrant Catholics had partially regularized their residential status and had married partners from their hometown. Some even opened their own businesses and hired people from their part of the countryside, sponsoring them in their transition to urban life. Clearly, these new urban Catholics were able to simultaneously remain closely connected to their “old house,” sending back substantial
1.To further explore the question, cf. S. Chen – J. Powell (eds.), Aging in China Implications to Social Policy of a Changing Economic State, New York (NY), Springer, 2012. URBAN CATHOLICISM IN CHINA financial support, while building a new life for themselves and their family and also contributing to their country. Meanwhile, Chinese cities kept evolving into gigantic and sophisticated networks where constantly improving transportation systems continue to integrate the whole country, connecting huge urban hubs with each other. It should be kept in mind that most of these migrant Catholics initially belonged to what is improperly called “the Underground Church.” Many grew up in a rural environment where the Church evolved outside the tight regulation of the state and where leaders were committed to refusing any official control.2 When migrants moved to larger cities, they soon experienced that the local Catholic Church was usually different from their own rural experience. Although it would be misleading to say 29 that all urban dioceses had similar characteristics, substantially different from the ones in the countryside, the reality of urban Catholicism was always a surprising challenge for migrating Catholics. Local customs, dialects, rituals and power balance were often different. Depending on each urban context, newcomers had to find their own way to maintain a Catholic identity andto redefine their personal relationship to their religious heritage. The intensity of their work, the uncertainty of their financial situation and the lack of urban churches caused many of them to simply stop going to church. Working almost every single day for countless hours, many decided just to pray the rosary on their own and to annually receive the sacraments while visiting their hometown during the Chinese New Year. A few tried to join local urban churches but had to face a significant cultural gap. First, they had to evaluate the positioning of local Catholic communities in terms of state control and liturgical orthodoxy in order to determine whether or not it was appropriate to join them. But they also had to deal with the fact that urban communities (both official and unofficial if both were present) were already well-organized networks, with their
2.For more background on Chinese Catholicism in the 1990s, cf. R. Madsen, China’s Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society, Berkeley (CA), University of California Press, 1998. MICHEL CHAMBON – ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
own leaders, codes and requirements, and not always willing to leave room for the newcomers. For example, it was not always easy to join a community where the implicit common language was a Chinese dialect and not Mandarin. Also, the class difference between wealthier local Catholics and poorer rural migrants prevented many from further engaging with preexisting Catholic communities. Clearly, migrant Catholics found themselves in constant need of discernment and decision. The ways in which they could keep their religious heritage alive were not self-evident. This became even more complicated with the arrival of their firstborn child. At first, many newly married migrants decided to send their child back to their hometown. 30 In the late 1990s, life in the countryside was cheaper and migrants’ children legally belonged to the rural residence of their parents. It was only there that they could get access to school. It was also more convenient for hard-working parents to rely on rural grandparents and relatives to look after their child. In this context, marked by separation and distance, the broader rural family was in charge of transmitting the Catholic tradition to the new generation. Soon enough, however, this situation became less satisfactory. The economic reality and social gap between urban and rural life kept increasing quickly. While migrants gained access to urban life, with its greater opportunities and advantages, they became more and more concerned with leaving their child behind in the countryside. The education received in a rural district was not as good as within the cities. Grandparents were often unequipped to prepare the new generation for hyper- modern and competitive China. The cultural and economic contrast between the two Chinas was becoming too important to not be addressed. Also, the potential regularization of residential status and the increasing possibilities for bribery opened new schooling opportunities to new urban migrants. Therefore, in the course of the 2000s, more and more migrant families decided to keep their child with them and to invite one or more relatives to come and help with child care. URBAN CATHOLICISM IN CHINA
It was also in this context of the 2000s that better established migrant Catholics began to reframe their Catholic affiliation within their new economic and familial reality. At first, these Catholics began to gather at private houses to recite traditional prayers. By organizing their own activities, they did not have to deal with local communities or spend hours on public transport to reach churches in the downtown area. At first, they simply recycled practices that they knew from their rural childhood without the help of any external agent (state approval, clerical supervision). But when the number of participants became too large for tiny apartments, migrant Catholics looked for other solutions. Some among those who had opened a factory offered to devote one small room of their building to prayer meetings. Catholic laborers 31 from the factory and nearby neighborhoods could benefit from this space. In these relatively private places, it was easy to maintain confidentiality without disturbing the family life of anyone as was the case in the previous situation. Others who had more substantial income decided to turn one apartment they owned into an informal but permanent chapel. In both cases, the owner was often in communication with local police or other officials, benefiting from their implicit acknowledgment and their turning a blind eye. Slowly, prayer spaces sprang up across the suburban sprawls of Chinese megacities. As long as they, to all appearances, remained impermanent and small, and no major crackdown was in the air, they could host prayer meetings. Initially, these places were rather modest with a non-permanent setting. Religious images and statues were all along a single wall that could be quickly covered by a large curtain. Seats were folding chairs moved away after each gathering. This rather simple organization allowed Catholic families to gather several evenings per week to say traditional prayers and help their children to embrace their Catholic heritage. Ritualized Catholicism, emerging from a rural background, slowly reemerged outside the familial circle. MICHEL CHAMBON – ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
Structuring new ways of being urban Catholic Strengthened by their more regular meetings, migrant Catholics began to gather money in order to invite a priest from their part of the countryside to come and administer the sacraments once a year. Although most migrant Catholics preferred to receive the sacraments while visiting their hometown during the Chinese New Year (especially baptism and marriage), having the possibility of a priest blessing a union which had already been consummated and had borne fruit or to receive forgiveness for sinful behavior was priceless. As the wealth of these new urban Catholics increased, and transportation improved, the visit of a priest was repeated more frequently. In a rapidly changing China, more priests looked 32 at these developments as opportunities for allowing innovative pastoral activities and a source of potential income. Some of them even specialized in a new type of itinerant ministry and gradually built a reputation among urban Catholic patrons. This gradual transformation also brought new opportunities for lay leaders. Better established Catholics began to compete in providing their patronage and local connections. By helping the emergence of Catholic networks, wealthier patrons asserted the collective prestige of their hometown in this emerging urban Catholicism and created new types of status within Chinese Catholicism. Catholics from Zhejiang, Fujian or Hebei became famous for their capacity to create efficient urban networks through which people could regularly meet and pray. Migrant leaders gained a reputation for piety and for efficiency, and for being able to effectively integrate Catholic practices within modern urban life. In addition to redefining their relationship to space, migrant Catholics have also revised their own temporal framework. For many years, their most important gatherings were not on Sunday morning, as in most Catholic communities, but on weekly evenings when they were able to leave their work. It is only recently that the Sunday Mass has regained a new importance because working conditions have considerably improved. Besides weekly meetings and annual visits to their hometown, migrant Catholics have also created annual events in their city of URBAN CATHOLICISM IN CHINA adoption. For instance, the new popularity of Christmas in China gave them the opportunity to annually gather fellow Catholics, colleagues and acquaintances. On behalf of their network, Catholic patrons would book a large hotel to accommodate a few thousand of their local friends and co-workers, Catholics and non-Catholics, and joyfully celebrate together the birth of Jesus over two or more days. These private but large Christmas gatherings became extremely popular at the end of the 2000s when the religious policy of the state was rather lax. Other annual moments include the youth summer camps. At first, youth camps occurred in the countryside where local parishes organized activities for kids over a week or two. Building on this experience, migrant Catholics have tried to develop their own summer camps in order to reach the growing number 33 of children who no longer return to the countryside in the summer. Yet, these urban camps face all kinds of organizational difficulties and remain rather limited. The fact is that most migrant Catholics prefer a transmission of faith through the practice of rituals. Weekly practices are, therefore, far more important than annual summer camps. Many migrant Catholics remain skeptical of Sunday school and modern catechisms that rely on a more rationalized approach toward religion. Similarly, priests associated with the migrants do not really believe in the benefits of summer camps. Although they entertain children, they do not help them in the growth of faith, they require significant resources, and they represent an important political risk. Over the last decades, migrant Catholics have instead shown a strong commitment to creating communities of practice where their children can learn rituals as they are enacted. Nevertheless, by the beginning of the 2010s, migrant Catholics have structured their networks sufficiently to be able to hire itinerant priests more permanently. Under the leadership of some financially successful patrons, migrant Catholics gather and secure permanent funding to have a priest in residence. In response to this new religious demand, some unofficial congregations from northern China now provide priests to minister to this kind of community. MICHEL CHAMBON – ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
The priest is engaged by the network and lives in the city as long as no major political or pastoral tensions occur. Every week, the priest circulates among the various chapels of the network to hear confessions and preside at Mass. As soon as the network feels confident enough with the style of the priest, he usually receives a car and electronic devices to support his ministry and encourage his stay. In some large urban networks, the priest can even negotiate the hiring of assistant priests of his own choice. Clearly, these new urban Catholic networks have gained a certain strength and constitute a significant but discreet contribution to the Church. With their mutual support and organizational skills, migrant Catholics are now able to reach 34 a significant proportion of Catholics across urban China. For example, in a southern city of 15 million inhabitants, the local diocese owned only four historical churches, all located downtown. But unofficial migrant Catholics have already opened more than 10 chapels across the outlying suburbs. In these rather small chapels situated inside factories and residential towers, around a thousand people gather every weekend while the official diocese accommodates 5,000 to 6,000 local Catholics. Yet, many migrant Catholics insist that a vast majority of their fellow believers do not bother to go to church anymore.
Challenges and variations The growth and semi-institutionalization of new Catholic networks do not, however, exist without internal and external tensions. On the external side, the multiplication of unofficial urban networks with the establishment of a specialized clergy has raised political concerns here and there. During some moments of a more restrictive implementation of local religious policy in the early 2010s, migrant networks had to reduce the frequency of their gatherings, and priests had to be more discreet or even leave for a while. On the internal side, the concomitant strengthening of Catholic employers and the exercise of priestly ministry created tensions within the networks. For example, in 2013, URBAN CATHOLICISM IN CHINA when one Catholic employer was able to create a large chapel 10 times larger than any other unofficial chapels in his megacity, the priest involved was ambivalent in his response. The extremely well-furnished new chapel was a major development within the network. Supported by several patrons, it attracted a large number of migrant Catholics. Soon, it became the implicit center of the network, giving new status to the patrons behind it. Not surprisingly, the size of the place caused the local police to request an official registration. Catholic leaders went to the local official bishop in order to have his support in this administrative process. This was a formality since the bishop had already done that for several other unofficial chapels. As expected, the local bishop gave his approval and blessing. 35 However, the priest involved argued against registering the site and even suggested its closure. In his eyes, such a large chapel would continue to attract too much attention and create trouble. According to him, it was better to relate to smaller but more numerous places that he and his assistants would regularly visit. In this context, patrons agreed to close the large chapel and preferred to avoid an open conflict between them and with the priest involved. What was left unsaid was that this chapel gave too much weight to some patrons and indirectly reduced the pastoral leadership of the priest. Again, the rapid appearance and disappearance of this large chapel indicated how internal tensions between the clergy and lay patronage often shape the concrete expansion or contraction of Chinese Catholic networks. Before concluding, it is important to note that the ways in which migrant Catholics structure their urban religious life greatly vary from place to place. In cities where an unofficial Church exists, migrant Catholics have been more inclined to connect to it and to eventually join in their activities. However, the socio-cultural gap between local and migrant Catholics has often pushed newcomers to organize their own independent activities. In places without an unofficial Church, migrants have usually been willing to approach the official Church and to regularly MICHEL CHAMBON – ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
benefit from their sacraments. Still, the socio-cultural gap, the distance of travel and the demanding work hours of the migrants have brought them to again generate their own network in the suburbs. This reveals that the existence of alternative networks among migrant Catholics is first and foremost related to the socio-cultural gap between them and their host Church. Besides the specificities of each urban ecclesial background that influence how migrants generate their own religious life, the local political context has also deeply impacted their capacity to create new ways of being urban Catholics. In certain cities where the pressure of the police is strong, migrants had to choose between joining the umbrella of local communities (official and unofficial) that are usually 36 more connected with local officials or keeping their meetings very small and discreet. Where local control is less intense, migrant Catholics have been more inclined to develop their own activities independently of the preexisting official and unofficial Churches. Clearly, political forces are only one factor among several explaining how internal differences occur within Chinese Catholicism. Finally, one must note that multiple networks of migrant Catholics can coexist within a single megacity. These networks usually emerge along lines of ethnic and regional origins. Migrant Catholics co-opt compatriots coming from the same region or sector of activity. The strength and autonomy of their network then depends on the number of participants and on the presence of wealthier and well-connected patrons. Still, various networks operating in one megacity can overlap and collaborate, especially when it comes to hiring a priest or to dealing with local authorities.
Migrant Catholics and their networking skills In conclusion, migrant Catholics have brought about a rapid transition of Chinese Catholicism into urban China. Although there are no official statistics about their presence, although they remain in the shadow of most reports, they still actively participate in the current transformation of the Church in China. URBAN CATHOLICISM IN CHINA
Their main strength lies in the mutual support they find among migrant Catholics in transmitting the Catholic heritage to the next generation. Yet, the fact that these networks grow along ethnic, regional and corporatist lines limits their ability to attract non-Christians. Most of the time, their new converts are people who have married a migrant Catholic. Evangelization ad extra is not the priority of most migrants even though their large Christmas parties demonstrate a real awareness of this problem. Nonetheless, migrant Catholics and their networking skills are making an important contribution by enacting effective solidarities between poorer and richer Catholics, between more successful patrons and young inexperienced migrants, and between urban Catholics and rural communities. Their Catholic 37 faith becomes an important source of trust and support outside of their own family. In fact, the socio-economic transformations that migrant Catholics have been through equip them with skills and resources that allow them to stand as active leaders of the Church in 21st-century China. In many ways, these Catholic networks could be compared to the Protestant Wenzhou model. Migrants from Wenzhou have also created important Christian networks across China and beyond. In a similar way, they operate under the leadership of Protestant patrons, they encourage mutual support, and they do not fit into the traditional binary opposition between official and unofficial Churches.3 Yet, these Wenzhou Churches are far more oriented toward sustaining their commercial enterprises and converting non- Christian co-workers. Unlike Catholic patrons, they do not focus so much on their members’ children. Finally, one must acknowledge how Catholic priests serving within new urban Catholic networks find themselves
3.For an introduction to the Wenzhou Protestant communities, cf. T. Meynard – M. Chambon, “Ways for the Aggiornamento of the Chinese Catholic Church,” in La Civiltà Cattolica; for more information, cf. N. Cao, “Boss Christians: The Business of Religion in the ‘Wenzhou Model’ of Christian Revival,” in The China Journal, 59: 63–87; B. Fulton 2015: China’s Urban Christians: A Light That Cannot Be Hidden, Eugene (OR), Pickwick Publications, 2015. MICHEL CHAMBON – ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
in a contractual position. Bishops play almost no role in their appointment process. While migrant Catholics enable new types of pastoral ministry and contribute substantial funding, they also challenge the effective leadership and responsibilities of the Catholic clergy. In many ways, priests are implicitly limited to the dispensing of the sacraments and have to constantly negotiate their pastoral function. Nonetheless, the creative, flexible and transregional networks that migrant Catholics produce offer a precious complement to traditional parishes and dioceses of the Church in China. Their ways of navigating across large cities help the Church to develop new forms of presence within urban China, providing new opportunities to lay people and ordained ministers. 38 A ‘Protocol’ for the Good Spiritual Battle Chapter Five of Gaudete et Exsultate
Diego Fares, SJ
At the heart of the apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (GE) are the Beatitudes, a veritable “program of holiness.”1 It is interesting to note how Francis, in speaking of holiness, uses the word “protocol,” which indicates a procedure, a series of steps and actions to complete. Francis re-reads the 39 lives of the saints in the light of this practical key at the close of the chapter on the Beatitudes: “The powerful witness of the saints is revealed in their lives, shaped by the Beatitudes 2 and the criterion of the final judgement. Jesus’ words are few and straightforward, yet practical and valid for everyone, for Christianity is meant above all to be put into practice. It can also be an object of study and reflection, but only to help us to better live the Gospel in our daily lives” (GE 109). With this in mind we can draw up a protocol consisting of four aids for the spiritual battle. The first aid is the certainty of victory in spiritual conflict. This certainty must animate the life of the Christian which is to be lived out in joy. We can see the importance the pope gives to the need “to rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives” (GE 158). We do this, he says, because “Jesus himself celebrates our victories” (GE 159).
La Civiltà Cattolica, En. Ed. Vol. 3, no. 1, article 4, Jan. 19: 10.32009/22072446.1901.4
1.Cfr. D. Fares - M. Irigoy, Il programma della felicità. Ripensare le Beatitudini con Papa Francesco, Milan, Ancora, 2016. For a general introduction to GE, cf. A. Spadaro, “Gaudete et Exsultate. Radici, struttura e significato della Esortazione apostolica di papa Francesco,” in Civ. Catt. 2018 II 107-123. 2.The official English translation uses the word “criterion” rather than “protocol.” DIEGO FARES, SJ
The second aid is an invitation to think wisely, to avoid falling into the traps of pragmatic reasoning: “We do not insist on viewing life only by means of empirical criteria.” In combatting evil, it is not helpful to think that the evil one is merely a myth, or a representation, a symbol or an idea, because this causes us to “lower our guard” and he takes advantage of this to be destructive. The intention of the Lord is explicit, because in the Our Father he teaches us to ask the Father: “Deliver us from evil.” The third aid seeks to give order to our dreams and desires, to focus them on the beauty of surrendering ourselves entirely: “Those who renounce the ideal of giving themselves generously to the Lord will never hold out” (GE 163). This attitude responds to the Lord’s desire that we “be saints and not settle for a bland 40 and mediocre existence” (GE 1). The fourth aid proposes a criterion to verify our mission. The pope uses the Jesuit maxim: Non coerceri a maximo, 3 contineri tamen a minimo, divinum est. He proposes it as a criterion to be used every day as an examination of conscience on our apostolate, particularly our attitude before the greater and the lesser things. “It involves striving untrammeled for all that is great, better and more beautiful, while at the same time being concerned for the little things, for each day’s responsibilities and commitments” (GE 169). The Lord’s
3.Cf. J. M. Bergoglio, Nel cuore di ogni padre. Alle radici della mia spiritualità, Milan, Rizzoli, 2014, 29. Fr. Miguel Ángel Fiorito, a spiritual teacher of Bergoglio, in the Boletín de Espiritualidad, in which this reflection of Bergoglio was first published, had added his own comment in a note, affirming that the maxim “can be translated in this way: ‘not being constrained by that which is too grand, being restrained in that which is small, this is divine!’ For a long time, the belief that this motto was carved on Saint Ignatius’ tombstone in Rome was common, because it was spoken of as his eulogy. Later, it was discovered that it was part of a Baroque eulogy written in 1650 to celebrate the first centenary of the Society of Jesus. We can also translate it this way: “without retreating before that which is higher, bending down to gather that which appears to be small in the service of God”; or, “looking at what is far away, being concerned with that which is close.” This motto may be applied to religious discipline (cf. M. A. Fiorito, “La opción personal de S. Ignacio,” in Ciencia y Fe 12 [1956] 43f) and is useful for distinguishing Ignatian spirituality as dialectic (in the sense used by Gaston Fessard) (cf. M. A. Fiorito, “Teoría y práctica de G. Fessard,” in Ciencia y Fe 13 [1957] 350f)” (Ibid., 282). A ‘PROTOCOL’ FOR THE GOOD SPIRITUAL BATTLE attitude that we can give witness to in this sense is that of Jesus who “clears a way to seeing two faces, that of the Father [always greater] and that of our brother [especially in the least among us]” (GE 61; cf. 144).
The word ‘protocol’ Now we will take a brief moment and reflect on the word “protocol.”4 It is a polysemous term that, given the context, can mean something merely formal, like the rules of behavior in a ceremony, or something that has vital importance, like procedures to be followed in case of being taken hostage or in a catastrophe, where coordination, speed and precision are required for saving the maximum possible number of lives. In a dramatic context in which the normal answers seem 41 to be inadequate, a protocol lays out precise rules that, in light of the clear, principal objective, aid making decisions designed to strengthen the team, not to thwart it. Often the pope has defined the Church as a “field hospital.”5 Protocols are standard in medical treatments. We can understand, therefore, why the use of this term does not sound strange. The pope used it in his meeting with the Argentine young people in Rio de Janeiro in 2013: “What should we do, Father? Read the Beatitudes. That will do you good. If you want to know what you really need to do, read Matthew chapter 25, that is, the protocol by which we will be judged. With these two, you have your plan of action: the Beatitudes and Matthew 25. You don’t need to read anything else.”6 The pontiff had already used the term the month before, in a homily at Santa Marta. On that occasion, however, he used the
4.The word comes from the Greek prōtos “first” and kola “glue.” This term was used to describe first page of a papyrus roll, composed by the juxtaposition of different pages, by the manner in which they were glued together. 5.The first time the pope used this expression was in A. Spadaro, “Intervista a Papa Francesco,” in Civ. Catt. 2013 III 449-477. 6.Francis, Meeting with the Argentine youth in the cathedral of San Sebastián, Rio de Janeiro, July 25, 2013. Cf. D. Fares - M. Irigoy, Il programma della felicità..., op. cit. DIEGO FARES, SJ
term to show that we cannot limit God’s action by a protocol.7 After the meeting in Rio, Francis used this term every time he made reference to the final judgment. In our opinion, this means: the one thing for which it is worth making protocols is mercy. This, in as much as it is inexhaustibly creative, avoids any risk that a protocol become merely formal; on the contrary, in making it more concrete, it gives it a dynamic quality. The “criterion of final judgment”8 by which we will be judged is a special protocol: “Mercy is at the heart of the ‘protocol’ with 9 which Jesus says we will be judged.” In Gaudete et Exsultate, the pope defines it to be “the great protocol,” the “one clear criterion” (GE 95). It is meaningful that the term “protocol” resounds in our ears sine glossa, urging us to concretely live out 42 the Gospel.
Rejoice each time the Lord wins in our lives “Rejoice each time the Lord wins in our lives” is like the refrain of a victory hymn in which the spirit of the protocol for the successful spiritual battle resounds. There is a question that must be asked: rejoice when the Lord wins “what”? The answer is this: in every step forward that we, his disciples, make in proclaiming the Gospel. He himself rejoices in our victories when, resisting the temptations and the opposition of the evil one, we progress in announcing the Gospel. The “festive joy” sets the tone of the battle; the “each time” gives rhythm to the daily routine; and the “proclaiming the Gospel” is the foundational content that allows us to rejoice in time, even if we have not achieved the definitive victory. The union of these elements makes the Christian fight “very beautiful,” as the pope says.
7.“‘When the Lord comes, he does not always do so in the same way. There is not a protocol for God’s action in our lives,’ ‘it does not exist.’ One time ‘he does it in one way, and in another time, in another way,’ but he does so always” (Francis, Homily at Santa Marta, June 28, 2013). 8.Ibid., June 9, 2014; cf. Id., General audience, August 6, 2014; Id., Incontro con la società civile, Quito, July 7, 2015. 9.Id., Speech to the winners of the Ratzinger Prize 2016, November 26, 2016. A ‘PROTOCOL’ FOR THE GOOD SPIRITUAL BATTLE
In following the protocol of spiritual battle in the struggle for holiness, this first, definitive step (“each time”) is clearly apostolic and engages the whole person and every person.10 It is not merely about rejoicing over our own victory; rather, we are called to rejoice each time the Lord wins in the lives of others, too: “Fraternal love increases our capacity for joy, since it makes us capable of rejoicing in the good of others: ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice’ (Rom 12:15). ‘We rejoice when we are weak and you are strong’ (2 Cor 13:9). On the other hand, when we ‘focus primarily on our own needs, we condemn ourselves to a joyless existence’ (AL 110)” (GE 128). Moreover, given that the Gospel is announced more by deeds than by words, and given that it can be announced even by those who “do not follow in our company” (Lk 9:49), in these 43 victories of Jesus, those who give him joy and who make it so that he rejoices “in the Holy Spirit” (Lk 10:21) belong to every people, culture and religion. This battle does not have a beauty that can be contemplated “from outside,” as a spectator. In this case, something similar occurs to what happens between players in a soccer match when a goal is scored, or an attempt by the opposing team is blocked: they reciprocally congratulate each other and celebrate. The spectator does not fully understand these constant congratulations, but the players do. For them, these are an integral part of the struggle: celebrating every goal binds them together as a team; it makes them all participants in what one of them has done; it provides a positive result while waiting for the hoped-for victory; it is something beautiful in which they all share, from which to set out for the next goal; and it provides something that is not unimportant in battle, a foretaste of the defeat of the adversary. This is important because the main temptation into which the evil one leads us is a “defeatist attitude.” It is the primary temptation because, “‘if we start without confidence, we have already lost half the battle and we bury our talents... Christian triumph is always a cross, yet a cross which is at the same
10.Cf. Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, No.14. DIEGO FARES, SJ
time a victorious banner, borne with aggressive tenderness against the assaults of evil’ (EG 85)” (GE 163). In the course of Spiritual Exercises he preached to the Jesuits in 1978, Bergoglio defined this defeatist spirit, giving it a new connotation. In it, he saw a particular form of vainglory, or spiritual worldliness. Bergoglio said: “Among us Jesuits, although it can appear paradoxical, the most common vainglory is a defeatist attitude. And it is vainglory because we prefer to be generals of defeated armies over being simple soldiers in a huge battalion that, despite being decimated, continues to fight. How often do we yearn for over-ambitious plans, typical of defeated generals! In these cases, individually, we disavow our glorious history as Jesuits, glorious because it is full of sacrifices, hope and daily struggles.”11 44 The enemy sows defeatism: “Faced with a competitive faith, the Enemy, disguised as an angel of light, will sow the seeds of pessimism. No one can engage in a battle without having sure confidence in victory. Anyone who throws himself into battle without confidence has already half-lost before even beginning to fight. Christian triumph is always a cross, but a cross that is a victorious standard. It is among the humble that we learn to make this aggressive faith our own… The defeatist spirit tempts us in order to make us take up battles we will lose. This spirit is deprived of the aggressive tenderness that shines forth in a young child making the sign of the cross, or of the depth of an elderly woman who recites her prayers: behold, the faith, behold the vaccine against a 12 defeatist spirit (1 Jn 4:4; 5:4-5).” Rejoicing in every victory of the Gospel – each time the Word is made flesh in concrete human history – puts into action the principle according to which “unity [victory] is preferable to conflict” (GE 88).
Do not insist on regarding life only through empirical criteria A second aid consists in a simple invitation to think clearly: “Do not insist on regarding life only through empirical
11.J.M. Bergoglio, Nel cuore di ogni padre…, op. cit., 112f. 12.Ibid., 129. A ‘PROTOCOL’ FOR THE GOOD SPIRITUAL BATTLE criteria, without a supernatural perspective.” With a discreet use of the word “no”13 that avoids those confrontations and abstract discussions where talk about evil remains stagnant, Pope Francis makes room for discernment as the right way to concretely think about and fight the evil one: “The only way is through discernment, which calls for something more than intelligence or common sense. It is a gift which we must implore” (GE 166). This is a way in which we can understand the request the Lord makes us ask in the Our Father, “deliver us from evil,” as an aid that does not come from outside, so to speak, but from within us. Every time we ask the Father to “deliver us from evil,” we ask him, “Teach us to discern,” to recognize it, interpret it, reject it and conquer it (cf. GE 173). The real problem of the destructive force of evil goes beyond 45 our empirical criteria and imposes itself harshly. When our reason tries to reflect on evil, it can immediately feel that not only is there something in it that repels the light of intelligence when it seeks to “read inside,” but also, in some way, that same something is able to attack the light, so that it is damaged when it is repelled. Only that which is lovable and loved can be taken in profoundly, intus legere. Love is the vital element of profound knowledge. And given that you cannot love evil, it is unknowable in its essence. Evil is one of those realities that “can only be thought about enough to go in the opposite direction, to repel it without entering into dialogue with it.”14 For this reason, the pope suggests using the criteria of Sacred Scripture, in which the evil one is present from the opening pages of Genesis until the final pages of the Book of Revelation, and focusing our faith – a supernatural criterion – on the teachings of Jesus, which lead us ask the Father to free us from the evil
13.“We are not dealing merely with a battle against the world and a worldly mentality… Nor can this battle be reduced to the struggle against our human weaknesses… It is also a constant struggle against the devil, the prince of evil (GE 159). We will not admit the existence of the devil if we insist on regarding life by empirical standards alone” (GE 160). “Yet this should not lead us to an oversimplification” (Ibid.). 14.Anonymous, Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism (1980), New York, Penguin Group, ebook Kindle, pos. 8408-8412. DIEGO FARES, SJ
one. Not only from evil in general and in an abstract manner, but from the evil one, an expression that “indicates a personal being who assails us” (GE 160). This conviction of faith, based on the Gospel, “enables us to understand how evil can at times have so much destructive force” (Ibid.). The destructive power of the evil one works in the first place against the proclamation of the Gospel and, therefore, directs itself in a particular way against our way of thinking, seeking – with its tricks, its lies and its fallacies – to keep us from reasoning well, to keep us from discerning. For this reason, “our talk about ‘the mystery of Satan,’ has to be modeled entirely and exclusively on the sources of revelation,”15 as Fr. Miguel Ángel Fiorito said, taking up the declaration of Romano Guardini: 46 “Only Revelation clearly states who Satan is.”16 We note this in order to draw attention to the biblical citations the pope chooses in speaking about the evil one. The first, Luke 10:18, offers the fundamental key for the combat because the joy of the Lord is our strength. Without taking anything away from other points of view, the pope exhorts all to go out and announce the Gospel with joy. Going out again to preach is the primary challenge the Church faces today and it brings into focus the primary temptation of the devil as “opposition to this joyous proclamation of the Gospel” and of this joy of holiness. In this we see the importance of the passage from Luke in which the Lord glimpses the defeat of the evil one – “I saw Satan fall from the sky like lightening” – at the hands of the 72 disciples who return joyously after first going out to evangelize. The Lord rejoices and blesses the Father who reveals himself to the little ones. Insisting on using more than empirical criteria puts into action the principle according to which reality is superior to the idea as abstract concept, which seeks to define reality in
15.In fact “sometimes it seems that one of the evils of Satan – who seeks ‘whom to devour’ (1 Pt 5:8) – is that of enveloping in a cloud the large part of the theological truths about it” (M.A. Fiorito, Buscar y hallar la voluntad de Dios, Buenos Aires, Paulinas, 2000, 282f). 16.R. Guardini, Il potere. Tentativo di orientamento, Brescia, Morcelliana, 1963, 20. A ‘PROTOCOL’ FOR THE GOOD SPIRITUAL BATTLE order to possess it and manipulate it. Discernment, on the other hand, is a way of thinking and deciding that places itself at the service of reality, seeking to find the best way to receive and put into practice the good and reject the bad. Discernment is “a means of spiritual combat for helping us to follow the Lord more faithfully” (GE 169).
Do not cease dreaming of surrendering yourselves more fully to the Lord The third help is formulated in this way: “Do not cease to dream of surrendering yourselves more fully to the Lord.” It focuses our dreams and desires on our self-giving, in which we can be protagonists and in which it is always possible to experience beauty. We are speaking of dreaming to offer, not 47 dreaming of possessing. Speaking of being protagonists means speaking of combat 17 (agōn), a battle which takes place in the interior life of the human heart and which is won by the one who has “the last word,” the one that tips the scales on one side and brings us to act, making us put into action what we have determined to be the best thing to do.18 Not recognizing or understanding properly this “last word” – which is a dream, a desire – leads us to choose by following the voice of some passion that imposes its own particular good upon reason, or following directly the voice of the evil one, who is the father of lies. Being protagonists implies discerning one’s own mission.19 It is an invitation the pope makes to all, but in a particular way to the young people. He encourages them to always be, not to remain merely spectators, not to stand at the window and watch life pass by, not to be couch potatoes. Contrary to
17.The term agōn in ancient Greek means “contest,” “challenge,” “dispute.” In drama it refers to a formal debate between two characters, with the chorus acting as judge. The prōtos agōnistēs, “protagonist,” is the first to speak; the deuteros agōnistēs speaks second. The character who speaks second always wins the agōn, given that his is the last word. 18.Cf. M. A. Fiorito, Buscar y hallar la voluntad de Dios, op. cit. 19.Cf. also D. Fares, “‘Io sono una missione’: verso il Sinodo dei giovani,” in Civ. Catt. 2018 I 417-431. DIEGO FARES, SJ
those who want to hide young people in a corner, in a life without hope, a life as consumers, the pope urges them to take risks, even at the cost of making mistakes. Here, it could be of help to consider a difficulty that young people experience: that of “understanding the term discernment, which is not in their lexicon, even if the need 20 to which it refers is felt.” In the Instrumentum Laboris (IL) of the Synod of Bishops on young people, the testimony of one young man was significant. He stated: “Today, like thousands of other young people, both believers and non-believers, I have to make choices, especially regarding my future career. However, I am undecided, lost and worried. … I feel as if I am facing a wall, when I seek a deep meaning for my life. I 48 think I need some discernment in the face of this emptiness” (IL 106). Between the insight “I have to make a choice” and the intuition that discernment is the correct way to face that which is lived as a “wall” and as “emptiness,” young people find it difficult to make their own a word which does not enter into their vocabulary. This difficulty, expressed so innocently, is already in itself a contribution of young people. In fact, strong reactions against discernment come from those who believe they know perfectly well what it is about and who believe that they do not have much need to discern. Moreover, some even claim that it is a kind of affront to the clarity of doctrinal and moral formulas. In the pre-Synod encounter, responding to a question about those things that disturb and make one feel a void, the pope affirmed: “We all have need of discernment. This is why the word is in the title of the Synod, isn’t it so? And when there is this void, this unease, one must discern.”21 At the center of the chapter on spiritual combat, the pope asks a key question: “How can we know if something comes from the Holy Spirit or if it stems from the spirit of the world or
20.Instrumentum Laboris of the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, May 8, 2018, No. 107. 21.Francis, Speech at the pre-synod meeting with the young people, March 19, 2018, in w2.vatican.va. A ‘PROTOCOL’ FOR THE GOOD SPIRITUAL BATTLE the spirit of the devil?” He responds: “The only way is through discernment” (GE 166), which is a gift and must be requested from the Holy Spirit. In discernment, reinforced by self-giving, the principle that affirms time is superior to space becomes real.
Do not be scared by big things, but focus on the smaller ones The fourth aid offers a criterion to be used to verify the mission, focusing on the tension between the great and the small. The Jesuit maxim Non coerceri a maximo, contineri tamen a minimo, divinum est, has been given many translations and explanations, as we said at the beginning. The pope here chooses this one: “Do not be scared by greater things, but rather focus on the smaller ones” (cf. GE 169). He develops this thought, inviting us to examine whether we have placed limits 49 on greatness, on the better and the more beautiful, and at the same time if we are focused on the smaller things, on today’s task. This discernment helps to make the dreams of which we spoke earlier find “the concrete means that the Lord provides in his mysterious and loving plan, to make us move beyond mere good intentions” (Ibid.). The pope proposes to all, but especially to the young, this test, taken faithfully every day: “All of us, but especially the young, are immersed in a culture of zapping (channel surfing). We can navigate simultaneously on two or more screens and interact at the same time with two or three virtual scenarios. Without the wisdom of discernment, we can easily become like puppets, prey to every passing trend” (GE 167). In one of his lessons, Bergoglio connected this image of a puppet with another equally suggestive one, that of a kite. He warned against two temptations: that of killing the greater desires of youth, “transforming them into a kind of kite without a sky” or, on the contrary, not to translate the same dreams into “a small shop of daily fidelity [that] transforms into a flashy show crowded with marionettes and shadow puppets,” making us like “a kite in a big sky, but without a string: inevitably we will be lost in the obscurity of wasted effort.”22
22.J.M. Bergoglio, Il desiderio allarga il cuore, Bologna, EMI, 2014, 130f. DIEGO FARES, SJ
The parable of the woman who goes to the market We conclude with the “example of the woman who goes to the market.” If this is read in a moralistic sense, the steps of the woman can appear to be banal. But if we read it keeping in mind the criterion of good spiritual combat, this helps keep it fixed in our minds. Francis tells this story: “a woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbor and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts. But she says in her heart: ‘No, I will not speak badly of anyone.’ This is a step forward in holiness. Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love. That is another sacrifice that brings holiness. Later she experiences some anxiety, but recalling the love of the Virgin 50 Mary, she takes her rosary and prays with faith. Yet another path of holiness. Later still, she goes out onto the street, encounters a poor person and stops to say a kind word to him. One more step” (GE 16). Reading this simple example, we can train ourselves to “rejoice” in the Lord’s victories in each of these encounters of the woman. They are four small victories in the life of a Christian woman who is a part of the legion of “the saints next door.” Four steps ahead, four times she went out, in which, thanks to listening – to her knowing how to listen to her child with patience and love and of her own feeling, heard by the Virgin in her distress – this woman goes from resisting gossip to cultivating a spiritual conversation. We can see in this example, alongside the unspoken joy present in every step, recourse to the Word to resist temptation (“Do not speak evil of one another” James 4:11), the “offering which makes holy” and the attention to the detail of taking time to speak lovingly with the poor man. The confident prayer to the Virgin connects the example to the final image of the exhortation, the icon of Blessed Mary the listener: “Mary our Mother does not need a flood of words. She does not need us to tell her what is happening in our lives. All we need do is whisper, time and time again: ‘Hail Mary...’” (GE 176). The entire example treats of listening, which is the first step in discernment and, therefore, of holiness. “We A ‘PROTOCOL’ FOR THE GOOD SPIRITUAL BATTLE must remember that prayerful discernment must be born of a readiness to listen: to the Lord and to others, and to reality itself, which always challenges us in new ways” (GE 172). Promoting the desire for holiness (cf. GE 177) implies proposing anew “the call to holiness” (GE 2), with the awareness that no call resounds well if there is not an ear disposed to listen, nor is there an ear that listens well if the call of Jesus Christ does not resound in all of its glorious splendor and without interference. The “protocol” helps us to fight well against these obstacles to the proclamation of the Gospel.
51 A Church that ‘spends time with the future’ The Synod of Bishops on young people, faith and vocational discernment
Antonio Spadaro, SJ
A rainy day in Krakow… On July 30, 2016, rain was falling in Krakow as the World Youth Day was taking place. The pope, as he often does on his travels, met with a group of 28 Jesuits at the archbishop’s 52 residence. He concluded the conversation, saying: “Today the Church needs to grow in its ability to discern spiritually.”1 Two months later, on October 6, 2016, he announced that in Rome, October 3-28, 2018, the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops would be held on the theme “young people, faith and vocational discernment.” It is important to note that the Instrumentum Laboris (IL) opens by speaking of discernment. This document, on which the synod discussions were based, states: “We recognize a way of life, a style, a fundamental attitude and also a working method; it is a path to walk together, whereby we look at the social and cultural dynamics we are steeped in, through the eyes of the disciple.” Discernment “provides guidance and suggestions for the mission that are not ready-made, but are the fruit of a journey that enables us to follow the Spirit” (IL 2). For Francis, these two themes of young people and discernment always come together: the one illuminates the other. We need to know this in order to understand the significance of the choice of theme for the meeting of bishops.
La Civiltà Cattolica, En. Ed. Vol. 3, no. 1, article 5, Jan. 19: 10.32009/22072446.1901.5
1.Francis, “Oggi la Chiesa ha bisogno di crescere nel discernimento. Un incontro privato con alcuni gesuiti polacchi,” in Civ. Catt. 2016 III 345-349. A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’
Who are the young people? 2 In a book-length interview called God is Young, Francis was keen to note that “youth does not exist. When we speak of youth, we often refer unwittingly to the myths of youth. I like to think that youth does not exist, and instead we should talk in its place of the young people.”3 The young people cannot be categorized as a separate caste. Certainly, we can say with St. Paul VI that the age of youth “should not be considered the age of free passions, unavoidable failure, insuperable crises, decadent pessimism, harmful egoism; being young is a grace, it is a blessing.”4 And it is a grace and a blessing given to all, for all of us are or have been young. Speaking of young people, then, means speaking of being human. 53 Beyond all other considerations, the Church sees in them the instincts for happiness and fullness of those who are open to life. In their Letter to Young People consigned at the concluding Mass, the synod fathers recognize the concerns of young people, but they also know that the world and the Church “urgently need [their] enthusiasm.” St. Paul VI had said it: “In the dissatisfaction that torments you, in your criticism of society… a ray of light shines” (December 2, 1970).5 The Church needs this intuition and all its repercussions. When he announced the Synod, this is what Francis wrote to the young people: “The Church wishes to listen to your voice, your sensitivities and your faith; even your doubts and your criticism.”6 And speaking about young people means speaking about promises: every young person has something prophetic. The Synod was called to gather and interpret this prophecy.
2.Id., Dio è giovane. Una conversazione con Thomas Leoncini, Milan, Piemme, 2018. 3.Ibid., 15 4.Paul VI, Speech for the Beatification of Nunzio Sulprizio, December 1, 1963. 5.Id., Homily at the Mass for young people of Australia, Sydney, December 2, 1970. 6.Id., “Letter to the young people on the occasion of the presentation of the Preparatory Document of the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,” January 13, 2017. ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
The synod process From the very choice of the theme of the synod, the Church promoted and experienced a complex and enriching journey. The first step was the publication of the Preparatory Document on January 13, 2017. As well as containing an important questionnaire for the episcopal conferences, the synods of the oriental Catholic Churches and for other ecclesial bodies, it also had something new: the desire to listen to the voices of young people through an internet site, with a specific questionnaire about their expectations and their lives. An international meeting held April 5-9, 2017, was attended by those responsible for pastoral work with youth around the world. At this meeting the synod pathway was set out. 54 An international seminar on the condition of young people took place September 11-15, 2017, with many experts and young people present. Then, during his catechesis on October 4, 2017, Pope Francis announced that “The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops has organized a pre- Synodal meeting to take place on March 19-24, 2018, to which all young people from around the world are invited: young Catholics, young Christians from other denominations or other religions and young non-believers.” This meeting saw the presence of some 315 young people, representing the five continents. An effort was made to engage as much as possible the young people of the entire world. By using the social networks, those who could not be physically present at the pre-synod gathering were united with those who met in Rome. All were invited to participate in the collective story and to make their voices heard. This event responded to the desire expressed by the pope during the prayer vigil in preparation for the 32nd World Youth Day, April 8, 2017. Francis spoke on that occasion about how “in the Synod, the entire Church wants to listen to young people: to what they are thinking, to what they want, to what they criticize and to what they are sorry for.” Next the Instrumentum Laboris was published. It gathered the indications of the pastors and ecclesial institutions, the synthesis of the responses to the online questionnaire, and the outcome of the pre-synod meeting. A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’
During the summer of 2018, again to prepare the synod, about 70,000 young people set off as pilgrims from almost 200 Italian dioceses, rediscovering the ancient pilgrim ways in their lands of origin to converge on Rome, August 11-12. The pope met them in Circo Massimo and again in St. Peter’s Square, conferring on them a missionary mandate, blessing the gifts they will bring to the World Youth Day of Panama in January 2019: the Crucifix of St. Damian and the Madonna of Loreto. It is worth recalling that around the world many similar initiatives were organized around the synod theme.
The presence of young people Finally, 267 synod fathers came to Rome to participate in the Synod. For the first time, moreover, following the provisional 55 agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, two bishops were present from mainland China for two weeks: Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai, of Chengde, in the Hebei province, and Bishop John Baptist Yang Xiaoting, the bishop of Yan’an, in the Shaanxi province. This was a historical presence that would bring fruits to the assembly in terms of joy at recovered ecclesial communion. Thirty-six young people, ages 18-29, participated as auditors at the synod. One thing emerged clearly from the working sessions and the entire synod process that began in January 2017: we must avoid speaking of the Church “and” the young people, for the young are not an “object” as they might be considered for marketing purposes. To organize a synod on young people without involving young people would be senseless. In his opening talk, the Holy Father immediately noted how you could “already feel the strength of their presence that emanates a positivity and enthusiasm.” Francis thanked the young people for “having wagered that it is worth the effort to feel part of the Church or to enter into dialogue with her.”
Restless and listening: an ‘empathic Church’ The dialogue of the Synod Fathers drew strength from the untamable restlessness of the youth, both inside and outside ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
the Church. Everyone can learn from this. The word “restless” resounds in the text of the Final Document (FD) eight times; with its synonyms it is one of the key words of the entire document. A clear method emerged: before interpreting or making choices there is a need to listen, there is a need to recognize reality. The members of the synod discussed the reality they live in on each of the continents. The experience and the encounter were eye-opening and moving. This, at heart, is one of the particular strengths of the Church: her voice is truly universal. And the challenge of cultural diversity leads us to discover not only our differences, but above all our shared desires. Hand in hand, young people and pastors from five continents crossed together the entire Church and the planet, with all their differences even 56 in their ways of approaching issues. They spoke of the great challenges of the world, of the present and of the future. The final document of the synod is an expression ofthe journey completed in this listening to reality, bringing to the fore the “desire for challenge” that animates the young people (cf. FD 39). The icon that accompanied the reflections was that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (cf. FD 4). It is not possible to listen to the young people unless you walk with them along the pathways of the world. During the Synod it became clear that Jesus, fearlessly, even decided to walk with his upset disciples in the wrong direction, to Emmaus. Only during that journey were their eyes opened and their hearts warmed. The bishops of the Church gathered in the Synod Aula became aware that the message of the Gospel which the Church treasures can only be transmitted if we go on the road with the young people; indeed, within the people of God they can even go before us. In proclaiming the Gospel we need a continuous anthropological, theological and pastoral elaboration (cf. FD 150). The very understanding of Revelation with the aid of the Holy Spirit develops (cf. Dei Verbum, No. 8) thanks to young people too. It is to them that John wrote his first letter, for them to “remain strong and for the word of God to remain in you” (1 John 2:14). We walk together toward the fullness of the truth, young and elderly together. A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’
As the final document states: “Sometimes the tendency to provide ready-made answers prevails, without allowing space for young people’s questions to emerge with all their newness and so to respond to that provocation. Listening in an empathic setting makes an exchange of gifts possible. It allows young people to give to the community their input, helping it to receive new sensibilities and to ask itself new questions. At the same time, it prepares the conditions for proclaiming the Gospel incisively and fruitfully, in a way that truly reaches the heart” (FD 8). This is a central passage of the document, tied to numerous others that insist on not imagining having all the “ready answers” (FD 30), in making the most of the differences of context, culture and young worlds (FD 10), and welcoming 57 and reading well the questions recognizing the signs of the Spirit (see, for example, FD 50; 59; 62; 64; 66; 70; 78; 97). Nor can you deny a “rediscovery of God and spirituality” in our secular societies (FD 14). This can bring about a “rethinking to renew the forms with which the priestly ministry ordinarily expresses itself and a check-up of its priorities” (FD 9). But it also brings a reconsidering of the commitment to education, to youth pastoral work, the formation of seminarians, as well as the “missionary vocation” of the parishes and the initiation of Christian life (cf. FD 15-20). The final document has identified three “crucial hubs” (cf. FD 21-31): the digital environment – a pervasive novelty that brings opportunities and risks; migration – read even as a paradigm of the condition of the young people of our time; and the drama of the abuse of economic, conscience and sexual power. The final document took up the reflections on “identity and relations” concerning the family, intergenerational relationships, friendship, questions tied to the body and to affectivity, the issue of sexual identity (cf. FD 32-44). The same was true of reflections on what being young means today, considering social participation, art, music, sport and then, more particularly, religious and spirituality research, deepening the meaning of the desire to be protagonists (cf. FD 45-57). The document states: “Generally, young people are ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
spontaneously open to diversity, which makes them attentive to the themes of peace, inclusion and dialogue between cultures and religions. Many experiences in much of the world show that young people know how to be pioneers of intercultural and interreligious dialogue and encounters, with a view to living together in peace” (FD 45). But the Synod also looked at the fact that “for different reasons, a significant number of young people ask nothing of the Church as they do not consider it meaningful for their existence. Some, indeed, expressly ask to be left in peace as they find its presence to be annoying and even irritating.” And it also recognizes that often such a request “is not born of uncritical and impulsive disdain, but is something that has roots 58 in serious, understandable reasons: the sexual and economic scandals, the lack of preparation of ordained ministers who do not know how to meet the interests of the young, the lack of care in the preparation of a homily and in presenting the Word of God; the passive role assigned to the young people within the Christian community; the difficulty the Church has of giving an account of its doctrinal and ethical positions to contemporary society” (FD 53). The synod process was like a great antenna that intercepted the messages and desires of the young people; it did so not with the coldness of an analyst, but with the warm eye and restless heart of a disciple. The Synod Aula saw the emergence of the “Empathic Church,” as one bishop described it. And this is reflected in the final document. The Church, then, has to be a place where all the questions are gathered; where, in the light of the Gospel, personal quest is righty encouraged. Together with the young, the pastors want to proclaim the Gospel not as an institution that always provides “a ready-made answer” – as the pontiff stated in a tweet sent during the synod – but as the Word who asks questions and inflames hearts.
While the elderly dream, the young people see the future We wish to underline here a theme that appears in paragraphs 32-36 of the final document. In a world where A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’ adults compete with the young – with their own children, if they have them! – the Synod spoke to us again of a humanity seeking fullness, a humanity that still humbly hopes in the promise of the future. The Church is a canoe, said a Samoan synodal auditor. In a canoe, he explained, the elderly help choose the direction by interpreting the stars, while the young talk with them and row with power. For Francis, the young person is a prophet, but can truly prophesize only by listening to the dreams of those who go before them on the path of life, dreams they make on the basis of a long experience of life. It was significant that during this synod an event was organized to present the book La Saggezza del Tempo (“The Wisdom of Time”)7 which the pope himself attended. It took 59 up the question of the elderly and the young and the theme of intergenerational relationships. In his opening address to the Synod, Francis stated: “Relations across generations are a terrain in which prejudice and stereotypes take root with proverbial ease, so much so that we are often oblivious to it. Young people are tempted to consider adults outdated; adults are tempted to regard young people as inexperienced, to know how they are and especially how they should be and behave. All of this can be an overwhelming obstacle to dialogue and to the encounter between generations.” This is why Francis stated that the pastors have to “pay attention, above all, to the risk of talking about young people in categories and ways of thinking that are already outmoded.” And he went on: “Despite their physical frailty, the elderly are always the memory of humankind, the roots of our society, the ‘pulse’ of our civilization. To spurn them, reject them, isolate or snub them is to yield to a worldly mentality that is devouring our homes from within. To neglect the rich experiences that each generation inherits and transmits to the next is an act of self-destruction.”
7.Francis, La saggezza del tempo, Venice, Marsilio, 2018. The volume is a collection of testimonies from the elderly of the entire world. The pontiff interacts with them, commenting or relating personal experiences. ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
The intuition of Francis starts from his meditation on the prophet Joel: “Your elderly will dream, your young people will have visions” (Joel 3:1) and they will prophesize. The accumulation of human experience throughout history is “the most precious and trustworthy treasure that generations inherit from each other.” The interruption of intergenerational relations would introduce a breakdown in history.
Accompanying and discerning The second part of the final document brings together reflections on the reading of reality as listened to and gathered in the first part of the document, which in turn reflected on the first set of interventions in the Synod Aula 60 and the feedback from the small language groups. This part is clearly dedicated to the discernment of the signs of the working of the Spirit in the young people, defined as “one of the ‘theological places’ where the Lord makes known to us some of his expectations and challenges us to build the future” (FD 64). In this part of the reflection, the age of youth emerges as an age of choices, when a person discovers that he or she “is a mission” on this earth (cf. FD 69). Here are the themes of authority, accompaniment and freedom, an “essential condition for each authentic choice of life” (FD 73). It underlines the theme of vocation, which “is neither a script already written that the human person has to simply recite, nor a theatrical improvisation without a basic structure.” Indeed, “our choices are made at the same time as God’s project of love unfolds before us” (FD 78). And so vocations are spoken of, many vocations, including marriage, consecrated life, ordained ministry and also the situation – today more and more widespread – of being single (cf. FD 84-90). The Church reaffirms its mission of “accompanying” (cf. FD 91-103) and “discerning” (cf. FD 104-113), dedicating an entire chapter to each of these two themes. It recognizes that “accompanying requires being disposed both to the Spirit of the Lord and to the person being accompanied, with all your qualities and abilities, and then having the courage to A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’ step aside with humility” (FD 101). And, on the other side, it recognizes that “discernment is one essential dimension of the style of life of Jesus” (FD 104). A short but rich and well-articulated chapter examines the many ways the word “discernment” can be used. In particular, the Synod saw it in the “sincere work of conscience, in the person’s own commitment to knowing the possible good on which basis to decide responsibly in a correct exercise of practical reason, within and in light of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus” (FD 109). These are well- considered words that make the most of the personal liberty of each person in light of their relationship with the Lord and their own ability to know the good. This is applied to various situations, and attention is given to help each and every person, 61 no one excluded. In this light, the case of homosexual persons is interesting. The Synod, recognizing that many Christian communities offer pathways of accompaniment in faith, “recommends that such journeys be enabled” where “people are helped to read their own story; to adhere freely and responsibly to their own baptismal calling; to recognize the desire to belong and contribute to community life; to discern the best ways to do this.” In this way, young people are helped “to integrate further their sexual dimension in their own personality, growing in the quality of relations and moving toward the gift of self” (FD 150).
A Synod on the Church The third part of the final document is dedicated to the mission of the Church. It begins by presenting one of the fruits matured at the Synod: this is not just about doing something “for” young people, but of living “with” them, growing together in the understanding of the Gospel and in the quest for more authentic forms by which to live it and witness to it. “Responsible participation of young people in the life of the Church is not optional. It is a requirement of baptismal life and an indispensable element for the life of every community” (FD 116). And it states that “their ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
criticism is necessary too, for often through them we can hear the voice of the Lord calling us to conversion of heart and renewal of structures” (FD 116). Also, the young people being considered are not just those who are part of the Church and actively engaged in it, “but all those who have other visions of life, follow other religions, or declare themselves outside the religious horizon” (FD 117). This important point comes straight from the second part of the synod reflections, on discernment. We recognize that God is at work all over the world, and it is the task of the Church to recognize him wherever he lets himself be found. So, the synod was not simply a thematic synod on the question of “young people.” Rather, the intuition of Francis 62 was to choose a theme that would put new dynamics into play. Obviously many episcopal conferences sent delegates who were young bishops or were working closely with young people. And so, after a month of daily meetings, something became clear: this was a synod on the Church, on its mission, on its style of accompanying and discerning (cf. FD 91-113), directly connected to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. The young people have reawakened the synodality of the Church (cf. FD 121), a “synodality for mission” (FD 118). They helped the Church rediscover it. Only they could do so. The synod fathers noted how the collegiality that unites the bishops among themselves and with the pope is articulated and enriched by the effective practice (and not just by statements of theory) of a “synodality at all levels” (FD 119) that engaged the young.8 The young, in fact, for a good two years had participated actively in the workings and reflections of the synod. This is how it should be in the
8.“Synodal dynamism” implies that the participation and co-responsibility of “all” the baptized be articulated through the specific practice of collegial authority by “some” and the presidency of “one.” This is true for the diocesan Church as much as it is for the entire Church. The participation of “all” was activated by the consultation process in preparation for the Synod. Cf. the recent document of the International Theological Commission, Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, and the new apostolic constitution Episcopalis communio, which regulated the synod we are considering. Cf. also A. Spadaro – C. Galli, “The Synodal Church,” in https://laciviltacattolica.com/the-synodal-church/. A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’ future for the processes of community discernment in the local Churches, with the involvement of “families, religious institutions, associations, movements and the young people” (FD 120). Synodality has to be incarnated into the diocesan realities, in the territory, as was often said in the Synod Aula. In this way, the Church can be a “space of dialogue and testimony to fraternity” (FD 1). Reflecting with the young people helped “put into focus the synodal form of the Church” (FD 121, our emphasis), which is “participative and co-responsible, able to valorize the richness of the variety that composes it, welcoming gratefully what the lay faithful bring, be they young people or women, male or female consecrated, groups, associations or movements” (FD 123). There was a strong appeal for a “female 63 presence in ecclesial structures at all levels, including at levels of responsibility, and female participation in the processes of ecclesial decision-making, respecting the role of ordained ministry” (FD 148). All this does not equate to a “democratization” of the Church. It would be wrong to read this ecclesial event in terms of sociological or political categories. The synod is not simply a juridical instrument for the formation of consent. What gives authority to a synod, indeed, is not a sort of delegation from below, as if it were a parliament. The pope spoke up many times to emphasize that difference. Synodality configures the Church as a People of God on its journey and as an assembly called together by the Lord. The process of walking together includes the fact of being together in assembly to celebrate the risen Lord and discern what the Spirit says to the Churches. Assemblies are privileged moments of discernment guided by the Spirit in service to evangelization.
Toward mission The synod with the young people turned out to be a synod on the Church, the faithful people of God journeying on the path of history in the world. And it indicated a clear path for its reform (cf. FD 118). It is clear that we have entered a new ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
phase in the reception of the Council and ecclesial reform, which is the missionary and synodal conversion of the entire People of God, and of all who are part of the People of God. The experience of “walking together” helps people better understand the sense of authority in a perspective of service (cf. FD 124), but also pushes the Church toward mission, clarifying its missionary impetus (cf. FD 125-127), putting her in dialogue with reality and the challenges of social life, including civil institutions (cf. FD 132). This, it is hoped, will lead to changes and concrete choices. One of which, for example, concerns the suggestion for the dioceses to “develop better coordination and integration between different areas, passing from ‘office’ work to ‘project’ focused work” (FD 141). 64 The final document then takes up the great themes that emerged in the synod’s discussion, which were already addressed in the earlier parts. This time, however, it does so within a missionary perspective: the digital environment, migrations, affectivity, economy, politics, work, ecology, formation. Here again concrete proposals were not lacking, such as that of “a time for maturing in the adult Christian life,” which foresees a prolonged detachment from normal relations and circumstances, an experience of shared fraternal life with adult educators, and a strong and meaningful apostolic proposal of life together with an offering of spirituality rooted in prayer and sacramental life (cf. FD 161). Thus the creation, in the formation of ordained ministers, of “teams of different types of educators, including women,” where different vocations interact. This would be “a small but precious form of synodality, which touches upon the mentality of the young people in their initial formation” (FD 163). The final document, overall, is not the conclusion of the synod process, but “a map to guide the next steps that the Church is called to take” (FD 3). Here we cannot give an account of all the issues, proposals and ideas, but we have at least tried to indicate the programmatic lines as an introduction to a reading of the whole text. A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’
The synod: ‘an ecclesial exercise’ Since the beginning of his pontificate, Francis has given pride of place to the “synodality” of the Church.9 In his opening address to the Synod on Young People, he clarified the nature of this assembly. It is “an ecclesial exercise in discernment,” which is “an interior attitude rooted in an act of faith. Discernment is the method and at the same time the goal we set for ourselves: it is based on the conviction that God is at work in the world, in history, in life’s events, in the people I meet and who speak to me. For this reason, we are called to listen to what the Spirit suggests to us, with methods and in paths that are often unpredictable.” Community discernment allows us to discover a call that God makes us hear in a particular historical situation. The nucleus that founds the 65 significance of the synod is the presence of Christ who, thanks to the Spirit, builds the consensus of the participants. It is interesting to note that, speaking of the centrality of the liturgy, the final document states that “the eucharistic celebration generates community life and the synodality of the Church” (FD 134). The bond between synodality and liturgy, which is spoken of in this very important paragraph, confirms that what happens in a synod, when it is celebrated with proper disposition, is connected to what happens in the eucharistic celebration: the presence of Christ through the Spirit, who unites souls in one mind (cf. Phil 2:1-5). The pope has identified some of the fundamental characteristics of the synod assembly that are for him particularly important: the first is the honest, courageous sharing that is marked by parrhesia, which consists of “speaking frankly on behalf of many young people around the world who are not present.” But the courage to speak cannot come without having lived the humility of listening to others. This real dialogue, the pope said, can even lead to changing a speech that had been prepared, and changing
9.When he presented the Instrumentum Laboris Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri stated: “Already in 2013, a few months after his election to the throne of Peter, Pope Francis shared in an interview with La Civiltà Cattolica: ‘Perhaps the time has come to change the methodology of the synod, for the current form seems static.’” Cf. A. Spadaro, “Intervista a papa Francesco,” in Civ. Catt. 2013 III 449-477. ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
one’s own opinion thanks to what has been heard from others: “Let us feel ourselves free to welcome and understand others and so change our beliefs and positions: this is a great sign of human and spiritual maturity.” Listening, together with parrhesia, is a basic attitude of the Church, which Francis says suffers a “listening deficit, especially concerning the young people, who often feel the Church does not understand them.” The synod then is the “mark of the Church that adopts a stance of listening, that lets itself be called into play by the needs of those it meets.” Besides, “a Church that does not listen shows itself to be closed to novelty, closed to the surprises of God, and cannot be believed, particularly by the young people, who will inevitably 66 move away rather than come closer.” This is why Francis ordered that after every five interventions in the plenary assemblies and in the groups, there would be a moment of silence (three minutes) “to allow each person to pay attention to the resonances that the things they had heard were raising in their hearts, to go deeper and grasp what was most striking. This attention to interiority is the key to carrying out the path of recognition, interpretation and choice.”
Open to the future Up to here we have summarized the deliberations of the synod, illustrating and explaining the main passages of the final document. Considering this text as a whole, we can say that it is the fruit generally of an ample consensus well above a numeric majority of voting members.10 And it was quite a mature text that was offered to the pope. On one side, it demonstrates frank, direct listening to the questions; on the other side, it presents an elaboration that is not always linear but that is always stimulating and able to offer space for decision- making and for letting things happen both for the people of God and also for the pontiff. And it could be considered as a basis for a subsequent apostolic exhortation.
10.We note that, together with the text, the placet and the non placet votes on each paragraph were published. A CHURCH THAT ‘SPENDS TIME WITH THE FUTURE’
Anyhow, thinking of organizing a synod process on young people means thinking in the present and being open to the future. The Church that accompanies young people asks them – in the “Letter of the synod fathers to the young people” – to become in turn “fellow travelers of the weakest, the poorest and the most injured in life.” The appeal that Francis raised in his opening speech to the Synod was for a commitment to “spend time with the future,” connecting himself directly to St. John XXIII. And so he indicated the task of the Synod, which we repeat here at the end of our reflections: “to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that will 67 enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands, and inspire in young people – all young people, none excluded – a vision of the future filled with the joy of the Gospel.” Preparing the Meeting of Bishops on the Protection of Minors
Federico Lombardi, SJ
The meeting and the start of its preparations Faced with widespread and growing discomfort following new reports and revelations of very serious cases of sexual abuse involving members of the clergy, on September 12, 68 2018, at the end of one of the meetings of the Council of Cardinals – at the time the so-called C9 – it was announced that the Holy Father had decided to call a meeting in the Vatican for February 21-24, 2019. The meeting would be a broad approach to the theme “The Protection of Minors in the Church.” On November 23, 2018, the meeting was effectively convoked, and the Press Office of the Holy See gave the first details about the committee appointed by the pope to organize it, and about the people invited to participate. The committee is composed of four people: Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and Member of the Council of Cardinals; Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, founder and president of the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Fr. Zollner was indicated as the “reference person” for the committee. The press release adds that the preparation will involve two women who have important tasks within the Roman Curia: Dr. Gabriella Gambino and Dr. Linda Ghisoni, both undersecretaries of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, each being responsible respectively for
La Civiltà Cattolica, En. Ed. Vol. 3, no. 1, article 6, Jan. 19: 10.32009/22072446.1901.6 PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS the section for Life and for the section for the Laity. Naturally, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors will be involved, as will some victims of abuse by the clergy. As for the participants, on the list are the heads of the Oriental Churches, some prefects of the Roman Curia (Doctrine of the Faith; Oriental Churches; Bishops; Evangelization of Peoples; Clergy; Consecrated Life; Catholic Education; and Laity, Family and Life), the presidents of the episcopal conferences, and representatives of the Unions of Superiors General (male and female). So there will be around 200 participants. The pope has announced his intention to attend the meeting. This is certainly a first meeting of its kind, yet it is also clearly part of the process of synodality that Pope Francis is keen to have at the heart of his plan to reform the Church. Faced with a problem 69 that shows itself more and more present and serious in different geographical areas of the world and of the Catholic Church, the pope has ordered the highest representatives of the different ecclesial communities to give a united response at the universal level. The entire Church must choose to live in solidarity, above all with the victims, with their families and with the ecclesial communities wounded by the scandals. As the pope has written, “If one member suffers, all the members suffer together”1 ( Cor 12:26), and the commitment to protect minors has to be taken on clearly and effectively by the entire community, starting with those in the highest positions of responsibility. The participants invited to the meeting are called in their responsibility for the pilgrim people of God as a whole, and not just as representatives or as those in charge of clergy or religious men and women. So they are well aware that they need the assistance and collaboration of experts – laymen and laywomen – to bring the essential contribution of the different communities that they represent into the dynamics of the encounter. Three days is a very short period of time. Yet it would have been difficult to call together so many people from every part of the world at such short notice for a longer period of time. This lets us see the sense of urgency and the serious nature of the issue as well as the intensity of the necessary preparations. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
The organizers foresee a consultation – as is typical of the “synodal” method – with a questionnaire for participants and the collection of information and documentation to establish a common starting point, as well as materials and proposals to share and make available for further study and any future necessary initiatives. Obviously, the personal preparation of the participants will determine the effectiveness of the meeting: they will need not only to study the general documentation and specific situations of their countries, but also become involved in the seriousness and depth of the problem, including an awareness of the lived experience of victims of sexual abuse and those who are directly in contact with them. 70 As the meeting develops, the following elements will come together: penitential prayer, to establish in sincere conversion, as an unavoidable reference point, true awareness of the suffering and damage suffered by the victims; reflection on the real situation, seen directly and unambiguously and with sufficient information about what has been done and what has not yet been done to face up to it; exchange in working groups and in moments of shared reflection on the actual tasks that need to be adopted and on the ways to verify they have been put into place and are efficacious; the sharing of best practices already put into action for the reform of relations within the Church and for the spread of a true culture of protection of minors in the Church and in society.
The issue emerges: the case of the United States To contribute to the preparation and bring into clearer focus the motives and aims of the meeting, as also the expectations that can be reasonably nurtured, it is worth quickly looking back at the recent history of the issue of sexual abuse in the Church, the different phases it has been through, and the ways the recent popes have responded.1
1.A systematic collection of the main interventions by the popes and the documents about this theme are found on www.vatican.va (from the homepage follow the indications on the bottom right of the page to “Abuse of Minors: the Church’s Response”). Most of the documents and interventions cited in this PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS
The first widely reported crisis occurred in the United States in 2002. The spread of the phenomenon of sexual abuse by the clergy in the previous decades and the absolutely insufficient line taken to manage it by ecclesial authorities came to light dramatically and sensationally following a famous investigation by The Boston Globe, which was the basis for the major film Spotlight (2015). In this emergency, Pope John Paul II called the American cardinals to Rome in April 2002. In December that year, he accepted the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law from the governance of the Archdiocese of Boston. The big lessons of that crisis were clear, but they were only understood and accepted with difficulty. The phenomenon of clergy abuse was serious and long lasting; thus the selection and formation of candidates to priesthood and the ongoing formation 71 of the clergy needed careful and rigorous renewal. The way the ecclesial authorities generally faced this phenomenon was indefensible: neglecting the depth of suffering of the victims and placing first the defense of the institution, hiding the truth to avoid the scandals, and living under the illusion of being able to resolve the problem by moving those guilty to a new place. The role the media played, however aggressive it often was, forced the Church to respond to the previously largely hidden and undervalued demands of transparency. The gravity of the crimes and the need to reestablish justice for the victims required a new configuration of the relationship and collaboration with civil authorities. Consequently, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) decisively took a wide range of measures. In particular, in the fields of discipline of the clergy, of training ecclesiastical personnel, and in areas under the control of the Church, these measures would prove efficacious in reducing the scale of the phenomenon of abuse and to combat it. They are a valuable set of experiences and valid lessons for other countries. article are easily available here. The theme of sexual abuse has been recently addressed in Italian by a special edition of the “Accenti” series under the title Abusi (www.laciviltacattolica.it/accenti) while in English a special volume of the “Perspectives” series is due out under the title Safeguarding the Young and Vulnerable (www.laciviltacattolica.com). FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
Nevertheless, the victims continued to come forward and the clamorous cases taken to court kept multiplying, as did the inquiries and studies of the past, both concerning abuse itself and the management of the issue. This continued to disturb the life of the Church in the United States during the entire pontificate of Benedict XVI and continues today, with grave consequences for the image and the credibility of the Church and for the economic situation of various dioceses and religious provinces and their activities. This shows, among other things, that any in-depth renewal must take into consideration the past – John Paul II spoke about the “purification of memory” – which is a high price to pay but it cannot be avoided. 72 Searing echoes came, as is known, in June 2018 with the case of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The former Archbishop of Washington was accused of sexually abusing a minor, an allegation that was found “credible and substantiated” by the review board of the Archdiocese of New York, and of molesting seminarians, and the pope removed him from the College of Cardinals. Then came the publication on August 14, 2018, of the Report of the Grand Jury of Pennsylvania on the question of abuse in the Catholic Church during the last 70 years in six dioceses, which lists 300 priest-perpetrators and more than 1,000 victims. The recent assembly of the USCCB, in mid-November, took place in a climate of tension and under great pressure by public opinion. The Holy See asked it not to take any decisions on the matter before the February meeting, to guarantee the coherence of the orientations of the different episcopacies.
The renewal of canonical norms, the Maciel case and the Irish case Meanwhile, thanks to the commitment of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later elected Pope Benedict XVI, to act on the cases of abuse of minors by members of the clergy, the Holy See faced the problem from the point of view of canonical norms. These were updated and renewed in terms of the measures to take, the procedures to follow and who was in charge (the competency came under the responsibility of the PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) so as to avoid the cases being dispersed among different dicasteries hindering their coherence and efficacy of application.2 A very important reference document here was the Motu Proprio Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela (SST) of 2001, which inserted the crime of sexual abuse of minors by a cleric among the “most grave delicts.” Handling these cases comes under the responsibility of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Then, in light of experience, Benedict XVI brought further changes, both in substance and in procedure, which have been confirmed and systematized with a series of new “Norms on the Most Grave Delicts,” which were sent to the bishops by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the 73 Faith by a letter of May 21, 2010 (among the developments, suffice it to note the insertion of child pornography among the “most grave delicts”). These “new norms” are a document of paramount importance. During the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the crisis of the coming to light of the problem of sexual abuse by members of the clergy spread into new areas of the life of the Church. A first clamorous and very serious case emerged and Benedict XVI rose to the challenge. It was that of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Marcial Maciel, a Mexican, who in 2005 was recognized as guilty after an investigation carried out at the initiative of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by then-Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Promotor of Justice. Then, in 2009, by disposition of the pope, came a systematic apostolic visitation of the entire religious congregation founded by Maciel. Guided by a pontifical commissar, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, it led to a profound revision of the constitutions of the Legionaries of Christ.
2.Cf. J. I. Arrieta, “L’influsso del cardinal Ratzinger nella revisione del sistema penale canonico,” in Civ. Catt. 2010 IV 430-440. For further info on the theme, we recommend two volumes by C. Papale: Formulario commentato del processo penale canonico (2013) and Il processo penale canonico (2007), Rome, Urbaniana University Press. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
This episode of exceptional gravity contributed to bringing to light a problem present in other religious and community realities, where a leader’s strong charismatic personality ends up leading to forms of exercise of authority that involve various dimensions of abuse: abuse of power, abuse of manipulation and violation of liberty of conscience, and also sexual abuse. In this thread, we also see the case for example the “Sodality of Christian Life,” founded by Luis Fernando Figari in Peru, which exploded in 2011, and the Priestly Union that arose around Fernando Karadima. This had most serious consequences for the entire Church in Chile, and we will come back to it later. During the pontificate of Benedict XVI the crisis struck the Church successively in different countries, including Germany 74 and Ireland. In Germany, where Guidelines had already been in place on the matter since 2002, the issue rose clamorously to the fore with the case of Canisius College, run by the Jesuits. In 2010 the rector himself invited former students and families to denounce any cases of abuse that had ever happened. The episcopal conference reacted quickly renewing the Guidelines and collaborating actively with the authorities in the country to face the issue of abuse of minors, which was seen to have spread not only in the Catholic Church, but also in many other spheres of society. In traditionally Catholic Ireland, two deeply disturbing reports were published in 2009. They came out of the inquiries by commissions nominated by civil authorities: the Ryan Report about abuse – not just sexual abuse – in schools, which were mostly managed by Catholic institutions; and the Murphy Report, which looked at abuse over 30 years by members of the clergy of the archdiocese of Dublin. The pope convoked the Irish bishops to Rome, published a wide- ranging Pastoral Letter addressed to all the Catholics of the country (March 19, 2010) – this was his broadest and most complete pastoral document on the issue – and set up an apostolic visitation of the dioceses and seminaries of all Ireland, which lasted from November 2010 to March 2012 and would give important indications for renewal. PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS
The personal commitment of Benedict XVI in this dramatic issue is seen by his repeated encounters with victims during apostolic journeys to various countries (the United States, Great Britain, Malta, Australia, Germany).
The Circular Letter on the ‘Guidelines’ In May 2011 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent an important circular letter to all the episcopal conferences with the aim of “assisting conferences in developing Guidelines for dealing with cases of sexual abuses of minors perpetrated by clerics” in light of the “new norms” established by the pope in 2010. Each conference was asked to prepare Guidelines or to revise those already existing; indications were given for preparing these documents to 75 ensure all the essential points were covered; the request was made that these texts reach the Congregation within one year to allow for any observations to be made. The aim of the Guidelines should have been naturally above all that of protecting minors, but also ensuring a shared direction in this area by the bishops of each individual conference. To help the episcopal conferences and the religious congregations understand the different aspects of the issue and face them in their own countries by developing Guidelines and other adequate instruments, in February 2012 an international symposium was organized. It took place at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was encouraged by the Holy See – in particular the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith and for Bishops – and had as its title “Toward Healing and Renewal.” Many experts and above all the representatives of 110 episcopal conferences and superiors general of 35 religious institutes took part. The symposium was coordinated by Fr. Hans Zollner.3
3.The Acts were edited by C. Scicluna - H. Zollner - D. Ayotte and published in several languages: in English Toward Healing and Renewal: The 2012 Gregorian Symposium on Sexual Abuse of Minors, Mahwah, Paulist Press International, 2012; in Italian Verso la Guarigione e il Rinnovamento, Rome - Bologna, Pont. Univ. Gregoriana - EDB, 2012. For a synthetic report of the congress cf. H. Zollner, “‘Verso la guarigione e il rinnovamento.’ Un Simposio alla Gregoriana sugli abusi sessuali,” in Civ. Catt. 2012 I 574-584. For further understanding from a psychological and cultural perspective, cf. two articles: G. Cucci - H. Zollner, FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
At the same time, the Centre for Child Protection (CCP) was founded by the Institute for Psychology at the Gregorian. Its specific aim was the formation of personnel specialized in the prevention of sexual abuse for the protection of minors. For several years now the center has organized courses that lead to a diploma, and more recently a Licentiate in Safeguarding. The center has also developed a long-distance e-learning program, especially for the regions of the Church – for example, in Africa, Asia and Latin America – that have fewer resources or personnel able to be formed in this sphere, collaborating with local institutions to perfect programs suitable for the very different cultural needs. As far as the preparation of Guidelines is concerned, many 76 episcopal conferences did not respect the deadline; however, over time, almost all have prepared them and sent them to the Congregation and received observations. These texts are all different in configuration and breadth of interest. We have to note that the Congregation strictly requested just the “treatment of cases of sexual abuse of minors by clerics,” that is, essentially, how to act in cases where crimes have taken place, how to react to an emergency, and how to dedicate greater attention to the selection and formation of the clergy. However, experience and reflection have led many conferences to widen the vision and formulate or reformulate Guidelines that are broader and encompass more things, making clear the dynamics of abuse and its nature of corrupting relations of authority and power in the community, the personality traits of abusers, the signs of risk, and so on. In this way, as well as indicating how to proceed when faced with cases of abuse that have taken place, they establish the bases for a veritable action of prevention. This is done through the formation and collaboration of different components of the community and the radical overcoming of a stance of closure, hiding and self-defense by the ecclesial institution. The Guidelines
“Osservazioni psicologiche sul problema della pedofilia,” Civ. Catt. 2010 II 211- 222; and “Contrastare la cultura pedofila,” Civ. Catt. 2010 II 317-329. PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS then have become the document needed for the conversion and renewal of the ecclesial community starting with the dramatic experience of abuse.4
The pontificate of Pope Francis Pope Francis continued decisively on the path set out by his predecessor. He became involved personally, meeting victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, starting with a long and moving meeting with several victims that took place – for the first time – in the Vatican at his own home, at Casa Santa Marta, on July 7, 2014. That meeting was followed by many more during his travels and again at Santa Marta, privately.5 An important step taken by Pope Francis was the constitution, announced December 2013, of a new Pontifical Commission 77 for the Protection of Minors, with Cardinal Sean O’Malley as its president. Its aim is not to treat individual cases of abuse, but to study and propose ways and solutions that are appropriate for an efficacious protection of minors at different levels of the life of the Church.6 The Commission has not had an easy journey, as is seen by the resignations of two of its members who had been chosen to represent the victims of abuse. It has had to clarify its functions in relation to the competencies of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and develop its demanding work schedule without having significant resources available. Results, however,
4.Examples of Guidelines of this type are those of the Episcopal Conference of Switzerland from 2014 (3rd edition), the Canadian Episcopal Conference, etc. The Italian Episcopal Conference, after a first concise formulation of the Guidelines in 2014, is now making another much more wide-ranging one, moving the attention to the themes of prevention and formation. A document of a different type, which is nevertheless precious, is the booklet prepared and distributed by the French Bishops Conference: Lutter contre la pédophilie. Repères pour éducateurs, Paris, Bayard - Mame - Cerf, 2017 (updated edition). Cf. also H. Zollner, Protecting Children in the Church in Civ. Catt. English Edition, April 2017 5.The pope gave a very significant homily during the Mass celebrated with the participation of victims, July 7, 2014. Also helpful is the text of a preface the pope wrote for a book by an abuse victim: D. Pittet, La perdono, padre (I forgive you, father), Milan, Piemme, 2017. 6.Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley gave a wide-reaching talk to the Consistory of February 12, 2015. It was the pope who chose the theme for that meeting (cf. text in the section of the Vatican website indicated in note 1). FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
have not been lacking. Three examples speak clearly: its “model” has been used for the Guidelines of the episcopal conferences and includes the wider vision we have mentioned above7; its contribution to the important courses of formation for newly appointed bishops that take place each year in Rome; and its proposal for a Day of Prayer for victims of abuse. From the point of view of canonical norms and procedures in this matter, Pope Francis has published two documents. The Motu Proprio As a Loving Mother of June 4, 2016, is a significant step for facing the particularly complex problem – continually raised in public discussion, especially in the United States – of the accountability of ecclesiastical authorities, that is, of the procedures to put into place for bishops accused not of crimes 78 of abuse on minors (these are in fact already the concern of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, following previous mandate of the Holy Father), but of seriously inadequate behavior concerning cases of abuse (for example, hiding it).8 Another juridical document by Pope Francis is the Rescript of November 3, 2014, that institutes, within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a body to examine appeals made by clergy for judgments in matters of “most grave delicts.” This college, which is presided over by Archbishop Scicluna, has been carrying out its functions regularly for some time. But Francis has perfectly understood that collaboration and co-responsibility of the Church in society on the themes of protecting minors must go well beyond the “internal” questions of its institutions, to stretch beyond confessional barriers to the
7.http://www.tuteladeiminori.va/content/tuteladeiminori/en/resources_ section/pcpm-guidelines-template_page.html 8.“The diocesan bishop … can be legitimately removed from this office if he has through negligence committed or through omission facilitated acts that have caused grave harm to others, either to physical persons or to the community as a whole. The harm may be physical, moral, spiritual or patrimonial” (art. 1). The document specifies the competencies in the procedure, depending on the specific cases, in the different dicasteries – Congregation for Bishops, Oriental Churches, Evangelization of Peoples, Consecrated Life – and reserves the final decision to the pope, in line with the universal law of the Church. The multiple competencies show how difficult it can be to set out and develop quickly and with the same criteria the procedures foreseen. PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS widest horizons, to promote protection in the world of today with all its problems, among which are those that come from the new digital culture. An example of this commitment was the international congress “Child Dignity in the Digital World,” which took place at the Pontifical Gregorian University (October 4-6, 2017) with the collaboration of the CCP mentioned above, the great international network WePROTECT and “Telefono Azzurro” (the Italian children’s telephone helpline). The congress concluded with the “Declaration of Rome on the Dignity of Minors in the Digital World” and received the strong support from Pope Francis who gave a very important talk to the participants on the theme (October 6, 2017).9
The cases of Australia and Chile 79 During the pontificate of Pope Francis, the biggest crises have struck the Church in Australia and the Church in Chile. In Australia, in society generally, and particularly in the Catholic Church and her institutions, the question of sexual abuse of minors has been intensively debated for years. But only in May 2018 was an archbishop, Philip Wilson, condemned by a civil tribunal for covering up abuse in the 1970s. Since 2012 a Royal Commission has carried out an in-depth inquiry (at the highest possible level) across the country, with many hearings, for which the highest authorities of the Church were called, including Cardinal George Pell, who returned to Australia from Rome for this reason, as well as to defend himself from other accusations. The final Report was published in 2017 and was shocking for the gravity and quantity of the cases and situations of abuse encountered, particularly in Catholic communities and institutions. The Report contains a number of recommendations for the Church. Many of these are worthy of consideration
9.Cf. H. Zollner – K.A. Fuchs, “La dignità dei minori nel mondo digitale. Un congresso internazionale alla Gregoriana,” in Civ. Catt. 2017 IV 333-338. Following this congress, the Child Dignity Alliance was formed to promote study groups and international initiatives, including the meeting of leaders of different religions on the protection of minors that took place in Abu Dhabi, November 19-20, 2018. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
but others have been judged unacceptable by the bishops, in particular one that questions the seal of the secret of the sacrament of confession. Perhaps in no other case has the Catholic Church with its structure and laws been so systematically subjected to the criticism of civil authorities in a democratic country. Not only are the individuals guilty of crimes, but the Church as a whole is called to give an account of itself and its norms; and not only before public opinion, but also before the authorities that represent the state. We need to be aware that the case of Australia most probably will not remain isolated, as many similar situations (like that of the USA) now form an ongoing trend. However, the situation that has most profoundly and directly 80 involved Pope Francis is the one in Chile. The central figure in the crisis is the priest Fernando Karadima. For decades he was seen as a charismatic and authoritative spiritual leader, and an exceptional formator of priests, some of whom were elevated to the episcopacy. He was accused of abuse. But his victims were not believed for a long time. Finally, in 2011, he was recognized as definitively guilty by the Holy See following a regular canonical process. Due to the role he and his followers had taken, there are deep-seated divisions in the Church, and the tensions are focused on the figure of the bishop of Osorno, Juan Barros. Even the visit of Pope Francis to Chile at the beginning of 2018 did not overcome the problems. The pope recognized that he had made mistakes and undervalued the problem, and this in itself is unheard of and admirable. He then took on the situation directly with great determination and a series of initiatives: a new investigation entrusted to Archbishop Scicluna, personal meetings with different victims who had made accusations against Karadima, and convoking the entire Chilean episcopacy to Rome for a meeting that would conclude clamorously with all the bishops offering their resignations to the pope. Pope Francis would later accept some of these resignations, where the bishops were most compromised, and would laicize two elderly bishops, Francisco José Cox and Marco Antonio Ordenes, who PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS were guilty of abuse. In the month of September, Fernando Karadima was dismissed from the clerical state by the pope: in his case the connection between the abuse of power, abuse of conscience and sexual abuse was particularly evident, and the consequences were very serious for the Church in the whole country. This was the context of two most recent pastoral documents by Pope Francis on the theme, which are closely connected and very powerful: the “Letter to the People of God on Pilgrimage in Chile” of May 31, 2018, and the “Letter to the People of God” of August 20, 2018, published just before his journey to Ireland, another country deeply marked by the drama of sexual abuse on minors where the pope would meet several victims and address the theme again during the 81 World Meeting of Families.10 By now, Pope Francis no longer speaks simply of “sexual abuse” but of “abuses of sex, power and conscience.” He reads the entire question of sexual abuse in a wider systematic context of relations that exist within the ecclesial community and their corruption, when authority is lived as power and not as service. The ecclesial vision that guides Francis is the one we all recognize by now: the pilgrim people of God guided by the Spirit; a “synodal” journey, where all the faithful are co-responsible and every form of clericalism needs to be fought decisively. Overcoming the crisis brought to light strikingly by the phenomenon of abuse becomes then a crucial test of the true reform of the Church, which should not be superficial but reach deeply to renew and purify relations and behavior according to the Gospel.
Expectations and outlooks? The February 2019 meeting does not start from nothing. But it is certainly an unprecedented event that seeks to give
10.Ample comments on the “Letter to the People of God” and on the previous “Letter to the People of God on pilgrimage in Chile” have been published in La Civiltà Cattolica. Cf. D. Fares, “Francesco e lo scandalo degli abusi in Cile. Le lettere ai vescovi e al santo Popolo fedele di Dio,” in Civ. Catt. 2018 III 155-166; J. Hanvey, “Sradicare la cultura dell’abuse,” ibid. 2018 IV 271-278. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
a strong impetus for new urgent steps forward. As has been seen, the lessons and experiences acquired so far are many, but there are also many unresolved issues. Let us seek to summarize the main ones. If in some countries much has been done, drastically reducing the number of cases of abuse and setting out efficacious programs of prevention and formation, we need to recognize that in many other countries, little, if anything, has been done. The causes of this are many, but the need to act decisively in these cases is enormous. The episcopal conferences, the bishops and the religious superiors must feel themselves responsible and know that they must give an account of this responsibility before God, the Church and society. 82 In many cases the problem has not yet been perceived in its gravity, nor the depth of suffering it causes. There is a need to become aware, not only theoretically but also in terms of experience and emotion, of the human and spiritual damage that is unleashed on the victims. This will stir us to action and to overcome laziness, fear and resistance, which are all dangerous. Sometimes, there is the illusion that this problem is mainly “Western” or “American” or “Anglophone.” With unbelievable naïveté people think that this is only a marginal problem in their own country. In reality, to the careful eye, its presence cannot be missed; it is sometimes latent but always capable of exploding dramatically in the future. There is a need to look reality in the face. In this, more information will be of great help. A reflection on the figure of the priest remains crucial, as too the care and choice of vocations and initial and ongoing priestly formation, with a view to service and not to power, so as to foster that renewal of ecclesial relations which has to be at the heart of any reform worthy of the name. The new Ratio Fundamentalis on priestly formation leads in this direction, but it needs to be put into action.11
11.Cf. H. Zollner, The Spiritual Wounds of Sexual Abuse, in Civ. Catt. English edition, January 2018 PREPARING THE MEETING OF BISHOPS ON THE PROTECTION OF MINORS
What must be opposed decisively is the tendency to protect yourself and the institution of the Church by fleeing difficult, uncomfortable situations, minimizing or even hiding the truth. All forms of lying are to be completely rejected. We need to learn to communicate clearly and transparently both within and beyond the ecclesial community in order to rebuild trust and credibility.12 Relations and collaboration with civil authorities are to be developed and cultivated in the perspective of truth and justice. Naturally, the laws and authority of public institutions vary greatly in different countries, and this must be taken into consideration, for example in drawing up Guidelines. But the Church has to show herself committed to the cause of protection of minors and vulnerable persons in all of society and to do her 83 part with realism and humility. In some regions of the world or in areas of great poverty, exploitation, migration and so on, the problem is recognized but within a wider framework of violence and exploitation of minors that is so serious and generalized that it does not seem right to treat sexual abuse differently to other aspects: it is the entire condition of minors that needs healing. There is a need, then, to see sexual abuse as an important – not isolated – aspect of the tragic problem of “throwaway culture,” which hurts the small and weak. There are also regions where the prevailing culture inhibits and makes it very difficult to speak about sexuality and sexual behavior. This is true in many African and Asian countries. But this does not mean that the problem does not exist. The approach, though, must be somewhat different from what we
12.An example of the will to recognize the truth, even about the past, and to communicate it transparently, notwithstanding any possible reactions and instrumentalization, is seen in the different reports made by independent experts engaged by the episcopal conferences. Recently, much noise was made about the inquiry made in Germany about the 70 years since the Second World War, which was presented publically in Fulda in September by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the episcopal conference, and by Bishop Stephan Ackermann, who is the reference person for the theme. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, SJ
may be used to or that can be useful for other cultures.13 The factor of cultural differences in the Church and how to address the problems in such a way as to have shared orientations, with approaches adapted to the different situations, is certainly one of the great challenges of the meeting of bishops: listening and reciprocal respect will be of paramount importance. This too is synodality. The Churches that are poorest in terms of resources and skills need effective help from the stronger ones and from the Holy See. The protection of minors is an important field for cooperation among the Churches, for the exchange of experiences and best practices, and for economic resources to put them in place. 84 From the point of view of the service of the Holy See to the episcopal conferences, the dioceses, the religious congregations and so on, the encounter will be a privileged occasion to listen to the problems and needs, to reflect on the adequacy of current canonical norms in substance and procedure, to clarify competency and make clear the work of the different dicasteries and ecclesial bodies. In conclusion, speaking of sexual abuse by members of the clergy is painful and unpleasant. Sometimes, even in Church circles, one hears that it is time to change the subject, that it is not right to give too much weight to this theme, for it is becoming oppressive and overblown. But that would be the wrong road to take. If the problem is not fully confronted in all its aspects, the Church will continue to find itself facing one crisis after another, her credibility and that of all priests will remain seriously wounded, but above all, what will suffer will be the substance of her mission to proclaim the gospel and her educational work for children and young people, which for centuries has been one of the most beautiful and precious aspects of her service for humanity.
13.Sometimes, in situations where the Church is in the minority or is weak compared to society, there is a fear that bringing to light any scandal in the community or ecclesial setting can leave the Church open to deadly attacks in the hostile context. The Current Situation in Nicaragua
Antonio Spadaro, SJ
The current situation in Nicaragua sparks a lot of concern. Many ask themselves how it is that President Daniel Ortega, who in the 1970s fought to bring down the Somoza dynasty, now tries to establish his own dynasty and is repressing the popular protest that would like to keep him from doing so. Anger is 85 expressed in the same neighborhoods, in the same cities, and with the same strategies of roadblocks and urban barricades that Ortega had used in those times. President Ortega has governed Nicaragua for 22 years. Under his first mandate he governed from 1979 to 1990, and from 2007 up until now in accord with another three consecutive mandates. He has decided to remain in power until the conclusion of the last mandate for which he was elected, that is, until 2021. Some even fear that after that date he will want to do all in his power to prolong his time in office or to pass the presidency on to his wife, Rosario Murillo. Ortega has been able, “democratically,” to maintain the presidency for a long time. And, according to many, this has happened because he has concentrated more and more upon himself the executive, judicial, legislative and military powers, eliminating political opposition.
Violent repression According to a report issued on July 5, 2018, by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), since April 18, the initial date of the protests, the government of Nicaragua has unleashed a repressive campaign
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in three stages. In the first, it violently dispersed the civil protest marches. In a second stage, it conducted a “clean- up operation” which forcefully put an end to the barricades and roadblocks that had multiplied throughout much of the national territory where the population had turned to protest and to protect itself. In a third stage, the current one, it is persecuting anyone who had participated in the protests or is perceived as being in opposition. Beginning last September, the president has occupied the squares of the capital with protesters who support him, protected by the police and by the so-called turbas sandinistas, paramilitary bands that the government defines as “volunteer police.” Moreover, he has blocked or repressed any manifestation 86 of opposition, continuing to keep it aggressively in his sights. According to the OHCHR, violations of human rights committed by the government in this period include the use of excessive force on the part of the police, which has at times led to extra-judicial executions, forced disappearances, access to medical care being hindered, arbitrary or illegal imprisonment on a vast scale, frequent mistreatment and cases of torture and sexual abuse in detention centers, violations of the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, not to mention the criminalization of directors of organizations of civil society, those who defend human rights, journalists and protesters considered to be opposed to the government. According to the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights, the toll of this governmental repression at the end of September 2018 amounted to 512 persons murdered, 4,062 wounded, 1,428 imprisoned at the hands of the paramilitary forces – of whom 125 have emerged and claimed “having been brutally tortured” – 1,303 missing, who may have been imprisoned “in an illegal manner.”
The protest The information collected in the report of the OHCHR furnishes clear indications that armed groups, loyal to the government, including those known as forzas de choque or turbas, have acted with the consent of high-level government authorities and the national police, often in a coordinated and cooperative way. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN NICARAGUA
Two different accounts of the events that have been occurring in Nicaragua since last April are being spread: that of the government and that of impartial observers. The latter assert that everything began with a popular, peaceful protest, which, at least at the beginning, was “self-convoked”; then it extended through social networks and grew because of the increasing unease of the population following governmental repression. At the start, most of the protesters were university students. Farmers then joined them and now it is supported by almost all sectors of the Nicaraguan population and concerns most of the territory of the nation. Step by step as the repression increased, the protests and the demands advanced by the opposition grew. If in the beginning more and more massive marches took place against the changes 87 in social services imposed by the government, soon these gave way to road blocks, with the demand of bringing to light the principal acts of violence that had taken place in the first two months, punishing those responsible, compensating the families of the victims, not to mention realizing the necessary reforms to the electoral system and having early elections. Instead of waiting for 2021, as in accord with the law, the people demanded that they take place in 2019. The protest became generalized, spreading to nearly the whole country, and has continued until today. Trying to resolve the initial protest, Ortega himself invited the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference (NEC) to undertake a mediating role and to promote dialogue. To fulfill this task, the NEC called on various personalities and institutions representative of civic society, inviting them to form a Civic Alliance, and therefore a representative group of citizens for dialogue with the government. Students, farmers, private businesses, other organizations of civic society, together with the rector of the Jesuit University and other prominent people, such as Carlos Tünnermann, a key figure in the Sandinista revolution and in Daniel Ortega’s first government, took part in this Alliance. However, members of opposition political parties were purposely excluded, on the grounds that they were ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
not representative and because it facilitated dialogue. As the popular protests became embittered, the agenda of the dialogue changed, focusing on two principal themes: justice and democratization. For its part, Ortega’s government initially participated in the panels presided over by the NEC. But the process made little progress because the government did not show any preparedness to negotiate, and in the meantime they stepped up the repression. By last July, these two steps of the government brought about the suspension of the peace talks. Up until today, it has not been possible to create the conditions to resume them, because the government has systematically rejected the reports of the OHCHR and of the Organization of American 88 States (OAS) which have exposed the facts and denounced the violations of human rights. It did not ease up on the repression, putting an end to the mediation of the NEC. The regime, moreover, offered a version of the facts with which it has tried to delegitimize the opposition and justify its own reaction, on the grounds of a terrorist attack and violent coup against a legally constituted government. At first, it attributed this alleged coup d’état to organized crime, then to the leaders of the United States. On the basis of this version, the NEC itself was openly accused by the president of being “coup supporters” for having supported the agenda of the national dialogue, including among other subjects for negotiation, early elections. These elections had become necessary and were recommended by the OAS as a democratic method for resolving the crisis. They demanded that the elections take place in 2019 instead of 2021, thus determining that the Nicaraguan people would decide the future of the country with their votes. After the criticisms and verbal assaults of President Ortega against the NEC, physical attacks followed against some bishops, priests, staff of the Central American University and defenders of human rights, committed by fanatical supporters of the government’s position. The Nicaraguan government not only did not accept the report of the OHCHR, which we quoted above, but after its publication it considered the OHCHR mission concluded. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN NICARAGUA
On September 2, before leaving, the head of the delegation, Guillermo Fernández Maldonado, released an interview with the online journal Confidencial, in which, after having expressed his worries about the difficult position of the victims of the repression, who have the right to the truth, justice and compensation, he revealed his opinion on the two opposing versions of events, declaring categorically that no indications of an attempted coup were found. There had only been a civil demonstration, an escalation provoked above all by the actions of the State and its institutions. He ended by saying: “If it was a civil demonstration, as we found it to have been, it is much more evident that the international standard for the management of demonstrations was not applied. You do not send persons with the weapons of war to suppress a social protest. Even 89 when there are situations which become violent, you apply a progressive use of force, which is a last resort, and moreover you use trained personnel, duly identified, and this did not happen in Nicaragua.”1 In a report titled, “Instilling terror: from lethal force to persecution in Nicaragua,” Amnesty International came to the same conclusion as the UN: “The government’s version, claiming the ‘terroristic coup’ nature of the protest was disseminated for the sake of justifying the acts of violence. Moreover, President Ortega began publicly to contest the data and calculations furnished by international organizations with regard to the crisis.”2
Administration of justice and the will of the people In the same report, Amnesty International specifies: “In the period to which the current report refers, the reluctance of families to report to the judicial authorities would have been even stronger than in the first weeks of the protest. Many of them did not even formally announce the death of their relative and much less report it to the police, out of fear or mistrust
1.C. F. Chamorro, “Ningún indicio de golpe, sino una protesta cívica,” in https://confidencial.com.ni/ningun-indicio-de-golpe-sino-una-protesta-civica. 2.“Nicaragua: Nuevo Informe de Amnistía International sobre la represión de Ortega (Parte III),” October 18, 2018, in http://redlatinasinfronteras.over- blog.es/2018/10/nicaraguanuevo-informe-de-amnistia-internacional-iii.html. ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
of the authorities. The jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court affirms that the investigation of possible extrajudicial executions ought to be ‘official, timely, serious, impartial, and effective’. … However, Amnesty International collected information which would indicate that, in all the cases of possible extrajudicial executions documented in this report, the Nicaraguan authorities did not initiate, or perform exhaustively and diligently, the necessary official investigations to guarantee the access of families to the truth and justice.”3 There is no doubt that, after the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution, the popularity of Ortega was very high. One may also recognize that in the elections with which he returned to the presidency, in 2007, he was able to count on a majority of 90 support. But the results of the last election by which he kept himself in power have already been strongly disputed. Various investigations undertaken this year by the CID- Gallup, the same international agency that had arrived at results widely disseminated by the media and favorable to the government, reveal a decline in the popularity of Ortega and the change in the will of the people. According to the news service of Radio la Primerísima, CID- Gallup presented a national poll, undertaken in Nicaragua last January, in which 56 percent of citizens held that Ortega led the government well. Eighty-one percent of those interviewed believed, moreover, that he would do what is best for the country, and a high percentage was convinced that the country was on the right path.4 But research, again by the CID-Gallup, undertaken between September 6 and 18, and disseminated by the television program Esta Noche, reveals that the percentage of people who demand that President Daniel Ortega and Vice-President Rosario Murillo step down has moved from 57 percent last May to 61 percent; 60 percent of the citizens interviewed held that elections ought to be held in 2019.5
3.Ibid. 4.Cf.http://www.radiolaprimerisima.com/noticias/notascortas/20821/ encuesta-de-cidgallup-asegura-que-la-mayoria-esta-descontenta-con-ortega/ 5.Cf. M. Salazar, “Cid Gallup: 61 por ciento exige renuncia de Ortega Murillo,” in https://confidencial.com.ni/cid-gallup-61-exige-renuncia-de-ortegamurillo. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN NICARAGUA
In different ways, but along these same lines, public figures have spoken out who in the past were very close to Ortega but now demand an end to the repression and accept early elections: Among them were the poet Ernesto Cardenal, the writer Sergio Ramírez, the composer Carlos Mejía Godoy, the poet and novelist Gioconda Belli and, among leading exponents of the Sandinista Revolution, the ex-guerrilla soldiers Dora María Téllez and Mónica Baltodano, Luis Carrión and even the brother of the current president, the revolutionary leader Humberto Ortega.
Resolutions of the international organizations In the face of this grave situation, not only the organizations for human rights of the OAS and the UN, but also other 91 international political organizations have spoken out about the crisis in Nicaragua on various occasions. For example, on May 31, 2018, the European Parliament approved a resolution that, among other things, “invites the Nicaraguan authorities to cease from all acts of violence against the people who exercise their right to free expression and the right to assemble; it invites, moreover, the protestors and the civic organizations which organize the protests to abstain from the use of violence in the exercise of their rights; it exhorts the Nicaraguan authorities to release all those who were arbitrarily detained, to compensate all the families involved and to furnish guarantees that no punitive action will be undertaken in their regard; it exhorts the state authorities to abstain from releasing public declarations aimed at stigmatizing the protestors, defenders of human rights and journalists, and also to abstain from using the government’s organs of communication to conduct public campaigns which might encourage violence.” Moreover, “it exhorts the Nicaraguan authorities to guarantee all of the actors, including the opposition forces, journalists and human rights activists, environmentalists and civil society, a space sufficient to act freely, respecting international law, in such a way as to create the conditions necessary so that all the opposing parties may discuss the situation in Nicaragua and protect human rights in the country; it emphasizes that the full participation ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
of the opposition, the impartiality of judges, and an end to some being above the law, and the plurality of news sources are essential factors for renewing democratic order in the country.” The same European Parliament “denounces the illegal actions undertaken in violation of the judicial system, which have brought constitutional modifications by which presidential term limits were removed, thus permitting the continuation of the presidency of Daniel Ortega, in clear violation of the right to democratic elections; it highlights the necessity for strong democratic institutions, for the freedom of assembly and political pluralism; it asks, to this end, for an electoral reform which permits the carrying out of fair, transparent and credible elections, respecting the international norms, as a solution to the 92 political crisis.”6 On June 5, the General Assembly of the OAS, with the consent of Ortega, sent an appeal to the government of Nicaragua and to other actors in the public sector that they demonstrate commitment and participate constructively in peace negotiations to achieve clear results, confronting the fundamental challenges of the country, including the reinforcement of democratic institutions and the conducting of free, fair and timely elections, to be held in an atmosphere free from the fear of intimidation, threats and violence. On June 18, the Permanent Council of this same regional organization again expressed its firm condemnation and its grave concern over all the acts of violence, repression, violations and abuses of human rights, including those committed by the police, paramilitary groups and others acting against the Nicaraguan people. At the same time it condemned the attacks against the clergy, intimidation of Catholic bishops who participate in the national Dialogue, and the acts of violence at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, the office of Caritas, and with regard to other peaceful protesters. It exhorted the government of Nicaragua to collaborate in the effective realization of the interventions
6.“European Parliament resolution of 31 May 2018 on the situation in Nicaragua,” in http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP// TEXT+TA+P8-TA-2018-0238+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN NICARAGUA necessary to reinforce democratic institutions in the country through the adoption of the recommendations of the Electoral Observation Mission of the OAS and to support an electoral calendar agreed upon together in the context of the process of national dialogue. On August 2, 2018, this same organization decided to create a “Working group for Nicaragua” with the task of contributing to the search for peaceful and lasting solutions for the situation in the country. On September 5, 2018, in a session of the UN Security Council, the head of the cabinet of the Secretary General of the OAS declared that the solutions for Nicaragua look to establishing peace, truth, justice and democracy, and he added that there will not be any true solution for Nicaragua if not 93 through free, fair, democratic and transparent elections, according to Inter-American standards. He ended by remembering what the General Secretary of the OSA, for whom early elections are fundamental, has said is the optimal solution for the democratic crisis in the country.7 Pope Francis, for his part, on various occasions has expressed his concern for Nicaragua. For example, during the Angelus prayer of Sunday, June 3, 2018, he affirmed: “I join my brother bishops of Nicaragua in expressing sorrow for the grave violence, with deaths and injuries, carried out by armed groups to repress social protests. I pray for the victims and for their families. The Church is always in favor of dialogue, but this requires a concrete commitment to respect liberty and, above all, life. I pray that all violence may cease and that conditions be secured so that dialogue may be resumed as soon as possible.”8
Conclusion It is unacceptable that neither the growing cry of the Nicaraguan people, nor the requests of the close comrades of Ortega, nor the recommendations of organizations for
7.https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/09/1018442 8.Francis, Angelus, June 3, 2018, in w2.vatican.va. ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ
human rights, nor the resolutions of the European Parliament, of the OSA, of the UN, nor the exhortations of Pope Francis have induced the President of Nicaragua to put an end to the repression, to dismantle the paramilitary forces, to take up dialogue again, to permit early presidential elections, and to bring an end to the mass exodus of Nicaraguans. It is urgent and necessary to continue listening to the cries of so many Nicaraguan victims and to increase our support for and international solidarity with this Central American people in favor of truth, justice, respect for human rights, and of the will of the people.
94 Music against the Mad Cry of War: Mary Gauthier and Michele Gazich
Claudio Zonta, SJ
War songs The album Rifles & Rosary Beads is Louisiana folk singer Mary Gauthier’s latest album. The singer-songwriter has had a complex life, marked by suffering and pain after her parents abandoned her as a child. A life of many excesses followed, 95 before she found her salvation and identity through music. Rifles & Rosary Beads was composed with veterans of the war in Iraq. Its civil and social themes evoke the roots of folk and blues music. The album came about through an intense collaboration with Songwriting with Soldiers, an association that helps veterans combat post-traumatic stress disorder and reintegrate into society and into their family context by the writing of songs, which serves as a sort of psychoanalytic confession. Through song, in fact, they can manifest their discomfort, articulate complex and painful stories, and facilitate a resonance that makes all-important human connections. As the singer herself states: “Every song on this album is a laceration in the heart and soul of a veteran (or of their partner).” An important artistic contribution was made to this project by the violinist and singer-songwriter Michele Gazich, a versatile musician with profound musical experience.1 The notes of his violin are impregnated with echoes that reflect his family’s roots. These characteristics are also present in his own
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1.Cf. C. Zonta, “Michele Gazich e ‘La via del sale’. Itinerari umani che conducono alla speranza,” in Civ. Catt. 2016 IV 301-304. CLAUDIO ZONTA, SJ
album Una storia di mare e di sangue (A Story of Sea and Blood), songs which lead us through the streets of Istanbul, to the shores of the island of Zadar, to Hamburg, and to New York, giving the album the feel of traveling on an existential journey.
Stories of women Rifles & Rosary Beads is an album with an acrid and sparse vocabulary, with radical metaphors that are as rough to the touch as rock edges, but also full of mercy and humanity. The album cover reflects this, depicting two outstretched arms, the right hand clasping a rifle, while the left, half-open, is holding out a rosary. The arms emerge from a dark backdrop. They are illuminated 96 by a glow and the cross of the rosary as if to indicate the power of light coming from the desire to love, contrasted with the darkness of hatred, which is represented by the rifle and the pitch-dark background. The song “Brothers” is an all-female composition, written with Meghan Counihan and Britney Pfad, both of whom are Iraq war veterans. The song tells the story of a female U.S. soldier who was sent to the war zone while she was still breastfeeding, immediately after giving birth to a child: Wa r ripped my baby from my breast / Now my name and rank cover my chest / Twenty-three hours I flew and wept / Twenty-three hours I never slept / Wiped my face, changed my soaking bra / Told my body not to feel at all. This song illustrates the scarce legislative protection the military affords women. As the words of the two veterans testify, female soldiers must adapt to a totally male universe; for example, the boots they wear are shaped for men’s feet, with consequent bleeding and blisters. Another reflection on the issue of the condition of U.S. female soldiers is present in the song “Iraq,” which deals with Military Sexual Trauma (MST). This song reveals the extent to which women suffer sexual assault or harassment during training, acts which are as brutal as the war itself. As the singer puts it, after having listened to the many stories of female soldiers: Soldiers bartered and traded / That’s the way our world MUSIC AGAINST THE MAD CRY OF WAR
worked / Trading favors for favors / The sand and the dirt / What I wouldn’t give them / They’d try to take / When I refused them / They made me pay. The semantic framework of the lyrics of this song is predominantly mercantile: “to barter, to trade, to work, to exchange, to take, to pay.” It shows how women become objects and commodities of exchange. The dynamic created is totally inhuman and brutal, focused exclusively on the woman’s body. The final part of the refrain is emblematic: But my enemy wasn’t Iraq, where the song makes a long pause after the word “enemy” creating suspense, reflecting the effort to admit – And it was so hard to see ‘til it attacked – that the enemy this time does not come from the outside, but from soldiers who live next door, who give their lives for the same flag. 97
Rifles and rosaries: the contradiction The song – Rifles & Rosary Beads – that gives the title to the album uses as the opening words of the first stanza: Rifles & Rosary Beads / You hold on to what you need. These are two contrasting and counterpoised images: the rifle and the rosary, which, because of their intrinsic symbolic meaning, should not be placed next to each other; however, we see how war subverts all the rules and these two objects are held at the same time by the soldier. War confuses and transforms military existence into a dramatic folly, which cannot be humanly endured, except with the help of Vicodin and morphine: soldiers must be drugged to be able to endure what they see in war: Whistling sunset bombs / I couldn’t trust the sky. War subverts every element. For example, a sunset, a poetic scenario par excellence where everything is reconciled and rests, is wounded by the whistling of the bombs that tear to shreds its beauty. The infinite sky, which evokes trust and a reliance on the mystery of the inscrutable, becomes the place without meaning. The sky and the earth, at the end of the second stanza, become A blackness that has no sound. War, therefore, annihilates both creation and creature: “Darkness came over the whole earth” (Mark 15:33), and everything is muted, silence reigns. Nothing is heard because there is only Bombed out schools and homes / Kids in the streets alone. CLAUDIO ZONTA, SJ
This shows the non-sense of warfare: the places intended for education and human growth – school and home – are torn apart, blasted, with the consequence that children remain on the streets, prey to hatred and violence. The extreme annihilation described in the last stanza refers to the soldier himself, through a mirror’s symbolic meaning: Mirrors frighten me / I don’t recognize what I see / A stranger with blood on his hands / Brother, I’m not that man. It is the annihilation of one’s own humanity: the soldier sees himself as a stranger, his hands soiled with blood. This verse brings to mind the famous passages of the Book of Genesis where God asks Cain about his brother: “Where is Abel your brother? … What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from 98 the ground!” (Gen. 4:9-10). The song is not just a complete abandonment of the human being into the abyss of contaminating evil; in fact, in the last verse of the stanza there is a dim, faint but important glimmer of hope, indicated by the lapidary expression: Brother, I’m not that man. It is a last, extreme expression of awareness: the protagonist turns to a “you” – perhaps the listener – called “brother,” highlighting how humanity has not been extinguished entirely by the shedding of blood. The words I’m not that man expresses the last act of willpower, an attempt to recognize one’s own identity, a last cry of a humanity that does not want to succumb to the unstoppable momentum of evil. The music that accompanies Mary Gauthier’s punctuating and spelled out lyrics is a guitar arpeggio accompanied by sparse long notes on Michele Gazich’s violin and the constant presence of the piano. If, in fact, the text is violent and relentless, the music and the lyrics are extremely calm, as if to soften the pain of the text or to make a prayer of these anguish-laden verses. It seems that the music wants to resume the sense of the last verse I’m not that man, to repeat it, musically, throughout the song.
The madness of deportation A subtle existential line links the album Rifles & Rosary Beads with the latest album by Michele Gazich. Titled Temuto come grido, atteso come canto (“Feared as a cry, expected as a song”) it is MUSIC AGAINST THE MAD CRY OF WAR
an album of intense humanity and spirituality. As we read in the introduction to the CD: “I wrote this album in October 2017. That month I lived on San Servolo, an island facing Venice, hosted by Waterlines, an international artist and writers-in- residence project. San Servolo was a psychiatric hospital from 1725 to 1978.” Michele Gazich consulted the archive of the former psychiatric hospital in the mornings. In the afternoons and at nights he wrote the songs for the album. The singer-songwriter focuses in particular on the stories of Jewish patients who were later taken away to concentration camps. Having carefully studied their medical records, he notes how their descriptions contain almost nothing clinical, but seem to contain the mad ravings of the doctor in charge of the hospital. It was on the 99 patients that this doctor vented his prejudices: “The medical records soon become a pretext for anti-Semitic satire,” Michele Gazich comments, showing above all the deprivation of dignity and lack of consideration shown toward the patients interned in the facility. On October 11, 1944, the Jewish patients were taken away from San Servolo’s psychiatric hospital and deported to German extermination camps. Each song seeks to go beyond a narration, beyond a retelling of their story, to establish an encounter with the patients. As Michele Gazich says: “I looked at their faces, I reread their stories in the medical records in an attempt to give them something back, which will never be enough, but to give them back their voice. Their stories are unknown: my mission is to make it known. We need each other, we need to find these women and these men who were ‘taken away’ from here.” The musician, therefore, was directly inspired by archival documents, some of which accompany the CD. Instead of using the photographs of the people described, he has chosen to use woodcuts, inspired and created by Alice Falchetti, in a style akin to German expressionism, to depict the patients.
A new Homer The album opens with a lyrical narrative, an almost epic text, titled L’isola (The Island). The urgency of the story, the CLAUDIO ZONTA, SJ
complexity of the narrative, the pain of those who have made this journey and who have subsequently told it with song are introduced – as in a real epic poem – in this opening passage. With “Island” Michele Gazich becomes like Homer who sings of the experience of this physical and inner journey, summoning the listener’s attention with a direct address: Friends, I will speak to you about the island.2 And so begins this long and complex journey of pity and sorrow. The listener hears vibrating, poignant, endless notes produced by his violin. It feels almost like a wave that continues to break on the shores of the island, while Michele’s voice, in a sung recitation, begins the story of this journey: Nobody arrives here alone / Neither harbor nor safe dock / You Island will never be 3 100 home / You Island will never be home. As in the song “Still on the ride” by Mary Gauthier, the stanzas are full of lexical elements that express absence and a sense of negation, like the pronoun “nobody,” the adverb “not,” and the conjunction “nor.” Even the adverbs “only” and “never” continue to build the sense of deprivation, of lack of life, of fear. San Servolo becomes a place of damnation, a shore laden with hatred, because Attentive men do not come here / They do not come here guided by the wind.4 This island becomes the symbol of existential isolation, of compulsion, of an uprooting from one’s own land and affections: If someone comes here they have been forced / Nobody will ever take me away / You, Island will never be 5 home. Michele Gazich sings with an insistence on the adverb “never,” which seems to be the unifying element of the first three verses of the song. They express the drama of non-return, the impossibility of an emotional and relational life, the tragic nature of an existence now destined to end within a psychiatric hospital, and which will become a gateway to the concentration camp
2.Amici vi parlerò dell’isola. 3.Qui nessuno ci arriva da solo / Né porto né approdo sicuro / Isola che mai sarai casa / Isola che mai sarai casa. 4.Non giungono qui gli uomini attenti / Non giungono qui guidati dal vento. 5.Se arriva qualcuno lo portano a forza / Mai nessuno che mi porti via / Isola che mai sarai casa. MUSIC AGAINST THE MAD CRY OF WAR of the San Sabba rice mill, the destination of this inhuman journey. The sound of the violin, with a melody of prolonged and vibrant notes, introduces, intersperses and concludes the piece, transporting and delivering the sweetness and beauty of these lives that have not been able to blossom, to those who are willing to listen.
Fearful as a cry, expected as a song The song San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian) is perhaps the dramatic peak of the album. Here the text is sparse, the words balanced and sung with difficulty, accompanied by a dark and vibrant electric piano. The violin grows silent. Michele Gazich presents the song with these words: “The man of medical record number 1943/186 became for me an embodiment of 101 St. Sebastian. His torment: 26 electroshocks. His mouth in the photograph on his file is disturbingly similar to St. Sebastian’s mouth as depicted by the painter Mantegna.” The notes of the archive state: “1944/June 12: electroshock was used 26 times, and then Cardiazol and 12 injections of sulfur, but his mental state didn’t change… October 11: he was taken away by order of the German military command.” This Saint Sebastian is legato al letto (tied to bed), with la bocca aperta al grido (mouth open to cry). It is precisely by contemplating this abyss that the singer does not abandon his story to despair but delivers it to song, poetry and art, which once again become the bearer of infinite mercy through the verse that gives the title to the whole album: Temuto come grido / Atteso come canto (Fearful as a cry, expected as a song). In this bold passage, the voice also elevates, rises and is urgent; it does not sink into the acceptance of evil but steers the path towards an expectation that, although it lasted many years, can now be expressed through song and beauty. Expectation is a stance that leans toward fulfillment, to the coming of a perhaps unexpected act or encounter. This expectation is dissolved by a musician whose roots, as we stated above, are far away and who carries on his shoulders the meaning of many family migrations. In his song and in the strings of his violin, lost and forgotten stories live on, CLAUDIO ZONTA, SJ
waiting to be brought to light through an act of profound humanity and compassion. It is a dynamic that is not “cheap,” but becomes, to cite Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words in The Cost of Discipleship, grace “at a high price, because it costs man the price of life; it is grace, because precisely in this way it gives him life.” Being immersed in San Servolo Island meant experiencing the humility and fragility of knowing the faces and lives of those who never had a voice and whose breath was tragically taken away. These songs represent a desire to restore the memory of existence, the dignity and the warmth of affections to the many psychiatric hospital prisoners. Therefore, the decision 102 was made to tell their stories humbly in the form of song, and not to represent their faces preserved by the photographs attached to their medical records, but to entrust them to the symbolism of woodcuts.
Songs of madness and mercy The two albums Rifles & Rosary Beads and Temuto come grido, atteso come canto represent the faces of the countless victims of an evil that rages on in the lives of ordinary people. The pain that issues forth from wars continues to reap victims. The war for American veterans does not end when they return home, since the wounds of the heart are open and 6 continue to bleed, even if The enemy has fled, has lost, is beat. In the same way, the psychiatric hospital becomes the place where affection is absent and is the antechamber of the concentration camps where Jewish patients tragically end their journey. On the one hand, the subtle force of these songs lead the American veterans to let their own lives reemerge so as to not fall into the abyss of despair; and, on the other, they permit the memorial articulation of the dramatic, inhumane events that occurred at the San Servolo psychiatric hospital.
6.The line is from F. De Gregori, in “Generale.” Original: Il nemico è scappato, è vinto, è battuto. MUSIC AGAINST THE MAD CRY OF WAR
With Rifles & Rosary Beads, Mary Gauthier returns the desire for life to former soldiers, to safeguard and protect relationships and affection; meanwhile, with the album Temuto come grido, atteso come canto, Michele Gazich brings to memory these stories drenched in evil and horror, giving 7 a drop of splendor of humanity, of truth to the humble people of this earth.
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7.The line is from F. De Andrè - I. Fossati, in “Smisurata preghiera,” orig: Una goccia di splendore di umanità, di verità.