THE ROAD - clonline.org

THE ROADGestures. Words. Encounters. Simply by following in Christ’s footsteps, the Pope has re-opened the road map toward peace in the Holy Land.

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L I T T E R A E C O M M U N I O N I S

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© Fraternità di Comunione e Liberazione forthe texts by Luigi Giussani and Julián Carrón

EDITORIAL Like Artisans 1

COLUMNS Letters edited by Paola Bergamini 2

CHURCH Holy Land A Crack in the Wall by Andrea Tornielli 4

Four Men Who Have Obeyed Another by Alessandro Banfi 7

The Israelis “Only God Can Give Peace” by Andrea Avveduto 8

The Palestinians “We Will Need Years to Understand that Hour” by A.A. 9

CL LIFE Australia and New Zealand Is this Spectacle Enough for You? by P. Bergamini 10

WORLD Nigeria Under Attack Who Is Boko Haram Afraid Of? by Michele Farina 15

INTERVIEW Joseph Weiler The True Battlefield by Luca Fiore 18

THE STORY “Aren’t You Ever Afraid?” 21

June 2014Vol.16 - No. 6

NIGERIA

WHO IS BOKO HARAM AFRAID OF?The largest (and the wealthiest) country inAfrica finds itself besieged by terrorists.Those most at risk are students and their families, because the real target is education.

In American Protestant Theology, LuigiGiussani traces the historyof the most meaningful theologicalexpressions and the cultural significance ofAmerican Protestantism, from its originsin seventeenth-centuryPuritanism to the 1950s.

Giussani clarifies and assesses elements ofProtestantism such as the democraticapproach to Church-State relations, “TheGreat Awakening,” Calvinism andTrinitarianism, and liberalism. His richreferences and analytical descriptionsreconstruct an overview of the developmentof a religion that has great importance in

the context of spiritual life and Americanculture. He also displays full respect for thereligious depth from which Protestantismwas born and where it can reach, andexpresses great admiration for its mostprominent thinkers and spiritual leaders,including Jonathan Edwards, HoraceBushnell, Walter Rauschenbusch, ReinholdNiebuhr, and Paul Tillich.

Further testament to Giussani’sclear-minded and comprehensiveknowledge of Christianity, AmericanProtestant Theology makes thework of a master theologian available inEnglish for the first time.

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MCGILL-QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY PRESS

LUIGI GIUSSANI

CONTENTS

THE ROADGestures. Words. Encounters. Simply by following in Christ’s footsteps,

the Pope has re-opened the road map toward peace in the Holy Land.

62014

VOL. 16

C O M M U N I O N A N D L I B E R A T I O N I N T E R N A T I O N A L M A G A Z I N E

L I T T E R A E C O M M U N I O N I S

Cover: The Pope embraceshis two friends:

Rabbi Abraham Skorka andOmar Abboud, a Muslim.

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We were not expecting this. It was a pilgrimage, born for the most part as a way to mark the 50th anniversaryof the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras and therefore the theme wouldcenter on ecumenism and dialogue with our Orthodox brothers and sisters. That deeply meaningfulre-embrace did take place, and we shall see its effects over time, but much more happened during thosethree days Pope Francis spent in the Holy Land at the end of May.

Words and gestures swept away all of the prognostications, and displaced the criticisms of those who were waitingto measure every single adjective he used, those ready to criticize and exploit any possible sign that the Pope was fa-voring one side or the other. There was not a single complaint from the Israelis for that unplanned stop at the wall whichseparates Bethlehem from the world. There were no Palestinian protests for the prayer at the Wailing Wall or for thevisit to the tomb of Theodor Herzl, father of Zionism. Instead, it was a surprise that was continually manifested inthe face of those reminders of what is most essential. “Before the mystery of God we are all poor.” Or: “It is a bondwhose origins are from on high, one which transcends our own plans and projects, and one which remains intactdespite all the difficulties which, sadly, have marked our relationship in the past.” It was a surprise that has becamewonder in front of an invitation: “Come to my house to pray for peace.”

Shimon Peres and Abu Mazen did go there on June 8th. “It will be prayer only, nothing else,” Francis had indicat-ed. In fact, there were no talks, no mediations–in short, no politics. But it is difficult to imagine that such a gesturewould not create an opening. As it is, “it’s hard to argue that Pope Francis is not the world’s best politician,” wroteTime magazine.

Naturally, it’s the Pope. He is inevitably on the international stage. Whatever he says or does is observed and ana-lyzed under a microscope. But the more we look at him, the more a question arises: what enables him to be so inci-sive? What moves him, what is his concern? And why is it that without “playing politics” he is giving history such apowerful jolt?

The answers are in his gestures and in his texts which must be read slowly, perhaps starting with the text that doesnot come from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land; it is a speech given to the Italian Bishops shortly before his trip. It isstriking to see that he starts from a question that could easily be taken for granted among cardinals and prelates, andwhich instead should never be taken for granted–not even by the Pope: “Who is Jesus Christ for me? How has he markedthe truth of my story? What does my life say of Him?”

Everything starts from here, from this awareness of Christ and of oneself, and from the witness that springs forthfrom it (“What does my history say of Him?”). Gazing at this man, observing him in front of the Wall or on the banksof the river Jordan, kneeling in front of the Holy Sepulcher or as he embraces his brothers and sisters of every faith–youcan see it. Only this moves him, nothing else: Not strategies, nor schemes.

Looking at him, we can understand a little more of what awaits us, of the work to be done, “day by day, like artisans.”It seems insignificant compared to great and complex issues like the European Union, the financial crisis, or war. Itrequires time and patience. That is why we often seek other routes: shortcuts to get quick results and crumbs of powerthat allow us to be “more concrete.” However, as the Pope reminded us at the Esplanade of the Mosques, there is onlyone road. It is a journey that is “docile to the call of God” and “open to the future that he wishes to create for us.” It islike “the pilgrimage of Abraham,” one who was not preoccupied with changing history, but did just that.

EDITORIAL

LIKE ARTISANS

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LETTERSLETTERSEdited by Paola Bergamini. E-mail: [email protected]

tening again to the words of Fr.Carrón has pushed me to embracethe path of life. It has rekindled thedesire to forge ahead because thejourney is what makes us grow inexperience. The companionship ofChrist is promised to us from thebeginning to the end and this di-minishes my fears. When I com-plain or worry, it is because I havedistanced myself from the essential.

Bitrus, Jalingo (Nigeria)

“MY SPECIAL FRIEND ESTEBAN”

Esteban is a very special friend anda faithful parishioner of our com-

munity. He could be found every dayat Mass, or at Eucharistic Adoration,or kneeling in the last pew of thechurch, but he could also be foundoutside the church, waiting for dona-tions from friends and the faithfulwho approached him with ever-in-creasing familiarity. He is what manyof us would call a “beggar.” Years ago,we found ourselves seated in the samepew listening to a chorus sing theCreole Mass. At the part that said,“Lamb of God, who takes away thesins of the world, have mercy on us,”I was deeply moved, by the intensityof the plea and by the beauty of themusic. Beside me, Esteban was weep-ing, moved as I had been. I began to

THE ROAD TO THE EXERCISES

The invitation to participate inthe Fraternity Exercises raised

many questions in me, amongthem, “What else could I possiblyhear that I haven’t already heard?”When I told my mother that I wassetting out to go to the Exercises,she asked me, “Which road will youtake?” I answered, “The one thatpasses through Wukari.” She wasspeechless: it is the same roadwhere, just the previous week, un-known men had assassinated oneof my relatives. However, listeningto Fr. Carrón in those three daysreawakened my heart and mymind, and made me return to theorigin from which I had becomedetached, living each day in fear,thinking that nothing good couldhappen to me. The few days spenttogether with our friends from var-ious parts of Nigeria reawakened allof my humanity, giving back to methe reasons for which I should re-main attached to the essential. OnlyHis gaze can illuminate. One of thethings that I will never forget learn-ing at these Exercises is that we allfind ourselves living through diffi-culties that neither Jesus nor Fr.Giussani were spared. Hearing thiswas like a mother’s loving gaze. Lis-

look at him as a real friend, aston-ished by his “being,” by the infinitemystery of this person, so differentfrom, and yet, so similar to mine.Every Sunday, my husband, Fer-nando, and I and, later, our children,would speak with Esteban, who even-tually even learned all of our namesand birthdays. Esteban lives in a smallwooden cottage (in better shape nowthanks to the work we have done withour friends) in an outlying neighbor-hood from which he walks 30 blocksto go to the parish every day. He doesso with great physical difficulty due toa stroke suffered in the past. “Why doyou make this sacrifice?” I asked himone day. He answered, “I come to tellJesus, ‘You in me and I in You,’ and tomy mother, Mary, ‘I am your son andyou are my mother.’” This year, hecame with us to the CL family vaca-tion and at the end he was very grate-ful to us for having allowed him to“know heaven.” After a few days, hishealth deteriorated and he could nolonger walk. My husband and twoother friends of the CL communitywent to visit him; he was in terribleshape, depressed and almost want-ing to allow himself to die. We went tovisit him again with a retired nurseand a nun from the parish. I was con-cerned for his soul and so we alsobrought him to confession. From thatpoint on, a tide of events took place.Perhaps the most meaningful one,because of the grace we received, wasto host him in our home for threedays (he did not want to stay longerbecause he was concerned about ourfamily life). His human dignity wasintact. We were witnesses to a per-formance of charity, attention, andunity among our friends while wash-ing him and caring for him. In thischaritable work that has been given to

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us, we learn love, that fundamentaland explicit lesson about the conceptJesus has of life.

Carolina, Argentina

THE SILENCE OF THE PRISONERS

One year, with a small group offriends, we started the Cooper-

ativa Sociale 153 Onlus, the purposeof which is to manage the farm busi-ness within the prisons in Perugia. Itis a business that provides work op-portunities to the inmates by pro-ducing vegetables in greenhouses andin open fields. Along with the fruitand olives, we also began raising free-range chickens and added a butcher-ing facility. A month ago, we pro-posed a concert offered by the choirof the CL community to the prison-ers. The purpose was to offer some-thing beautiful to the more than 400inmates, but also to tell them who we

had become emotional during a con-cert in the jail. She also said she hadnever witnessed such silence amongthe incarcerated. They told me thatthe prisoners were thrilled especiallyduring the Neapolitan songs (request-ing an encore many times), and thatthey would like the choir to come back.This feedback tells me two things. Thefirst is that things happen–meaningthat an Event happens–where there isa wounded person. The wound is ourstrength; the desire that opens wideon our life is our best ally. Thewounded person, aware of his mis-takes, who is searching in his heart forthe hope needed to start over, moreeasily recognizes the accent of Beauty.The second is that everyone desires tosee Beauty and the Resurrection;therefore, we are called to proclaim itto the world.

Michelangelo, Italy

are and where our experience comesfrom since we have started a dialoguewith some of them around articlesfrom Traces. The day after the concert,I had some appointments at theprison. Upon entering, I was literallyassaulted with comments about theconcert by the educators, the guards,and even the administrative staff.They told me that the inmates hadbeen incredibly enthusiastic about theconcert. The staff member responsiblefor the treatment department told methat, in 40 years, it was the first time she

A WORK MEETING

While in France for a work-related conference, Iran out of breath talking to a German profes-

sor (we started from my researchposter, but then we kept talking for an-other half hour). At one point, while hewas talking about himself and his his-tory, he told me that by now he has be-come good at what he does and thingsturn out well, but this is not the fasci-nating aspect of his work. He told methat the best results are the ones that hehas achieved almost by playing around–without planning, just trying, withouthaving the slightest idea of what he would find.“These results are the most beautiful,” he said, “because,

otherwise, you already have an idea of what you are look-ing for and, without realizing it, you may force the out-

come. Instead, when you don’t knowwhich way to turn, you really want tounderstand and you have nothing;you are open to everything.” He de-scribed entire afternoons sitting at hisdesk surrounded by thousands of pa-pers. I was struck to see, in a stranger,the passion for the Mystery, for the to-tally Other. Nothing corresponds more.Who are You who vibrates in the hu-manity of a stranger, in a place so ap-

parently foreign, and who returns to surprise me again?Benedetta, Perugia (Italy)

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RESULTS ARE THOSE NOT PLANNED

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CLOSE UPTHE POPE IN THE HOLY LAND

A CRACK INTHE WALL

The embrace of Jews and Muslims. The encounter with Orthodox Christians. The RiverJordan, Bethlehem, and the Holy Sepulchre... And finally, that surprise invitation to the Israeliand Palestinian leaders: “I offer my house in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer.” The presence of Francis undermined every scheme, including politics. Thus, opening the path toward a peace that is “to be built day by day like an artisan.”

BY ANDREA TORNIELLI

“We need to be-lieve that, justas the stonebefore thetomb was cast

aside, so too every obstacle to our fullcommunion will also be removed.Every time we ask forgiveness of oneanother for our sins against otherChristians and every time we find thecourage to grant and receive such for-giveness, we experience the resurrec-tion!” It’s the end of the day on Sunday,May25th, and Pope Francis is tired. Hespeaks in a low voice, but one that isfull of joy. He allows himself to be ledby the Ecumenical PatriarchBartholomew of Constantinople, hisbrother, just like Peter might have donewith Andrew from time to time, on

the shores of the Sea of Galilee whereboth, casting their nets, were “caught”by He who would make them “fishersof men.”

What happens beneath the ancientstones of the Church of the HolySepulchre (Anastasis) in Jerusalem,where the empty tomb of Jesus ofNazareth is guarded, has no precedent:every Christian denomination in theHoly Land unites to pray in the placeof the Resurrection, unfortunately alsoknown as the place of division. Fiftyyears after the historic meeting betweenPaul VI and Patriarch Athenagorastheir successors, in the same spirit ofcourage and humility, bear witness tothe longing for unity of the followersof a God who became a child, whoteaches his disciples to serve, who low-

ers himself unto death on a cross andwho rises from the dead.

IN THREE STAGES. It is not easy to spendthree days visiting the Holy Land,speaking to people of different faiths,entering directly into the heart of oneof the most complicated political situ-ations in the Middle East, and tryingto do so without being exploited. Morethan by his words, Pope Francis suc-ceeds–by his testimony and his ges-tures–in living a profoundly religiousand spiritual pilgrimage. Indeed, in thevery same way, he is also earth-shat-tering from a geopolitical point of view.

It is a three day journey in threestages–Amman, Bethlehem and Jeru-salem–and among three religions, thatthe Pope, in accepting the invitation

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Pope Francis praying in Bethlehem, at the wall that divides Israel and Palestine.

from his brother Bartholomew, decidesto begin in Jordan, a country that isstill a symbol of coexistence amongdifferent faiths. Here Francis was wel-comed by King Abdallah II. The Poperecalls the war, the “civil strife” that hasoverwhelmed Syria for the past threeyears and the resulting humanitariancatastrophe. During an encounter witha group of refugees, at the site of thebaptism of Jesus, abandoning hisspeech he says: “Who is selling arms tothese people to make war? Behold theroot of evil! Hatred and financial greedin the manufacturing and sale of arms.”I call on you to return to “negotiations,”asking God to change “the hearts ofthe violent... and those who seek war.”Just a bit earlier, during the mass cele-brated at the Amman International

Stadium, he had recalled the role ofChristians as minority that carries outa “significant and valued” role in thefields of education and health care, andemphasized the impor-tance of religious freedomand “...the freedom tochoose the religion whichone judges to be true andto manifest one’s beliefs inpublic.” The Pope askedJordanian Muslims andChristians to abandon theirresentments and divisions.The path of peace, the Popereiterated, is strengthened if “we are allof the same stock and members of theone human family; if we never forgetthat we have the same Father inheaven.”

Sunday, May 25th is the day in Beth-lehem and the embrace of the Chris-tian communities of Palestine and Is-rael. Many were not able to come and

meet the Pope due to thelimited number of permitsthat were made available.Before arriving in MangerSquare where the mass wasto be held, Francis madehis entourage stop the“pope mobile” beside thehigh cement dividing wallput up by the Israelis as ameans of defense but

which causes a lot of suffering and re-sentment for the Palestinian Christianand Arab population by cutting fami-lies and communities in half. The Popesays nothing about it at all. Instead, »

“Every time wefind the courage

to grant andreceive such

forgiveness, weexperience theresurrection!”

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he stops for a few minutes to pray insilence, first with his hand and thenwith his forehead resting against thewall. It was an unexpected and pow-erful gesture.

THE SURPRISE. The homily of the massis dedicated to the God who became alittle child, to the God who was bornin a precarious situation, in need ofeverything, in need of being wel-comed, in need of protection. It is anoccasion for a moving meditation onchildren who are to be welcomed rightfrom the moment they are in thewomb of their mother, children whoare dying of hunger, children who areenslaved and exploited, and those childrefugees who drown in the “deathboats” in the Mediterranean Sea.

At the end of the celebration, thereis a surprise announcement: Francisinvites the presidents of Palestine andIsrael, Abu Mazen andShimon Peres, to come tothe Vatican to pray forpeace. He is not acting asa political leader with aroad map in mind toawaken a stagnant peaceprocess. He genuinely be-lieves in the power of pra-yer. He knows that peaceis a gift to be implored and“crafted”, day by day, in the lives ofeach one of us. Bergoglio would haveliked for that encounter to have takenplace there, in the Holy Land but itwas not possible. So he calls them toRome. The purpose of the encounteris prayer, it is not a summit. It is aninitiative more akin to the interna-tional day of fasting for Syria than anysort of peace conference.

Before leaving the “State of Pales-tine”, Francis meets with the childrenfrom the refugee camp in Dheisheh.He listens as they speak to him aboutthe “occupation”, wishing “to tell theworld” about the sufferings of theirpeople. He says to them: “Don’t everallow the past to determine your lives.”

And almost in a prayer, he adds: “Butyou must understand this: violencecannot be overcome by violence. Vio-lence is overcome by peace!”

On Sunday afternoon Francis arrivesin Israel, where he is welcomed byPresident Peres and Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu. He reiterates thecondemnation of anti-Semitism andintolerance, citing the six million Jewswho were murdered by the Nazis and

expressing his sympathyfor the victims of the anti-Semitic attacks in Brussels.

“Never again!” The daycomes to a close at theHoly Sepulchre, with acommunal prayer amongChristians, where the Poperepeats his willingness tofind a form for exercisingthe Primacy of Peter as “a

service of love and of communion ac-knowledged by all.”

Monday, May 26 is dedicated to Is-rael. After the encounter with the GranMuftì at the Esplanade of the Mosquesand a visit to the Wailing Wall, Francismakes another gesture that was noton the schedule. He prays silently infront of the memorial stone dedicatedto the victims of terrorism. Anotherwall where he says: “Never again!”

“WHO ARE YOU?” The most movingmoment of the day, however, is thevisit to Yad Vashem, the memorial tothe Shoah. “Who are you, o man?What have you become? Lord... Saveus from this horror,” he affirms in a

low voice in front of the perennialflame that commemorates the abyssof evil that was the Holocaust, show-ing “shame” for man who has madehimself a “god” and “sacrificed [yourbrothers and sisters] to yourself.”What is most striking, even morethan his words, are his gestures. TheBishop of Rome, greeting some ofthe survivors presented to him, kissedeach one’s hand. Once again, heshows himself to be a shepherd ca-pable of bearing witness to the ten-derness of a God who, out of love,gave himself up to death, showing hispeople the way of humility and serv-ice. Francis is a believer who trustsand who allows himself to be led andwho is capable of sharing in the situ-ations and sufferings of anyone. Hisgestures also made inroads in Israel.The successor of Peter came to theHoly Land only to bear witness to theGospel. And his presence made animpact on the reality of the region ina way that no political-diplomaticstrategy could have had, so much sothat Christopher J. Hale of Time mag-azine wrote: “It’s hard to argue thatPope Francis is not the world’s bestpolitician after his trip this past week-end to the Holy Land.”

The final moment on his pilgrimage,before departing, is the mass in theUpper Room: “here the Church wasborn, and she was born to go forth.From here she set out, with the brokenbread in her hands, the wounds ofChrist before her eyes, and the Spiritof love in her heart.”

THE POPE IN THE HOLY LANDCLOSE UP

The Pope knowsthat peace is a

gift to beimplored and

“crafted”, day byday, in the lives

of each one of us.

The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

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They represent the Israeliand Palestinian States, andthe Roman and EasternChurches. The ground forthis encounter is a garden

with St. Peter’s Cupola in the back-ground. The city is Rome. It is an early

summer evening, bathed in the lightof sunset. The man in white, who in-vited them all to his home, was thefirst among the successors of Peter totake the name of Francis, the pauperfrom Assisi.

The encounter with Shimon Peres,

Abu Mazen and Bartholomew I, Pa-triarch of Constantinople, shouldhave taken place during the Pope’svisit to the Holy Land. That attemptfailed because it was not possible tofind a place for the meeting in themartyrized and divided Middle East.So Pope Francis, as he recounts whileon the return plane trip, proposed onthe spur of the moment, to meet athis place, on the banks of the Tiber.Finally, the moment of the historicencounter has arrived.

The words of the Koran and thesweet, deep notes of the klezmérmusic, the Psalms and the Gospel re-sounded at the prayer meeting. It wasa simple gathering where all of the il-lustrious participants traveled to-gether in an ordinary van from CasaSanta Marta, the Pope’s residence,through the Vatican City, to the gar-dens behind the imposing SaintPeter’s Basilica, where the ceremonytook place.

The encounter took place in threeparts, followed by a conclusion.Prayers and music, then the officialaddresses. Pope Francis underscoredthat, “Peacemaking calls for courage,much more so than warfare. It callsfor the courage to say yes to en-counter and no to conflict: yes to di-alogue and no to violence; yes tonegotiations and no to hostilities; yesto respect for agreements and no toacts of provocation; yes to sincerityand no to duplicity. All of this takescourage; it takes strength and tenacity.History teaches that our own »

Praying at the Holy Sepulchre with Bartholomew I.

Shimon Peres, Abu Mazen, Pope Francis, and Bartholomew I plant an olive tree in the Vatican Gardens on June, 8th.

Four Men who HaveObeyed AnotherThe meeting at the Saint Peter Gardens in Rome was not a diplomatic one, yet it has the strength of a radical gesture,in which are found the Pope’s nature and our need.

BY ALESSANDRO BANFI

THE PRAYER AT THE VATICAN

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powers do not suffice. More thanonce we have been on the verge ofpeace, but the evil one, employing avariety of means, has succeeded inblocking it. That is why we are here,because we know and we believe thatwe need the help of God. We do notrenounce our responsibilities, but wedo call upon God in an act of supremeresponsibility before our consciencesand before our peoples. We have hearda summons, and we must respond. Itis the summons to break the spiral of

hatred and violence, and to break it byone word alone: the word “brother”.But to be able to utter this word wehave to lift our eyes to heaven and ac-knowledge one another as children ofone Father.”

AN END TO THE CRIES. The Israeli Pres-ident, Shimon Peres, said, amongother things: “Two peoples–Israelisand Palestinians–still are aching forpeace. The tears of mothers over theirchildren are still etched in our hearts.

We must put an end to the cries, to theviolence, to the conflict. We all needpeace. Peace between equals. Your in-vitation to us to join you in this mo-mentous ceremony to call for peace,here in the Vatican garden, in the pres-ence of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, andDruze leaders, graciously reflects yourvision of the aspiration we all share:Peace. On this moving occasion,brimming with hope and full of faith,let us all raise with you, Your Holiness,a call for peace between religions, be-

»

“H e is a model of humility and holiness. An authentic re-ligious leader.” Ammon Ramon, an Israeli Jew and a

researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, hasstudied at length the trips of the popes to the Holy Land andhe has no doubt: “It was a success from all points of view.”

Could anyone have imagined it?Never, not at all. In the days running up to his trip, I had writtenabout all of my perplexities surrounding his visit in the news-papers: the attacks on the price tag [the extremist Jews; NRP(National Religious Party], discontent on the matter of theUpper Room. I was worried about all of thepoints that could have ruined the trip. Insteadhe surprised me. He surprised everyone.

In what way?I say this as a practising Jew: the meeting withBartholomew was fundamental. As an histo-rian and academic of Christianity I repeat: thecloseness between the two was somethingthat was completely unforeseeable. It wasanything but a political event. We are used toprotocols and form. Instead we witnessed anencounter between two friends who werehelping one another.

How did the Jewish community react?The visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, and to MonteHerzl were the two key points, at least in the eyes of the Israelipublic. The tribute paid at the tomb of the father of Zionism re-deems the encounter that he had with Pius X in Rome. WhenHerzl asked for the Pope’s “blessing,” 110 years ago, the refusalwas clear: “The Jews have not recognized our Lord, thereforewe cannot recognize the Jewish people.” Today relations are de-cidedly changed. At the Holocaust Museum he did not go intothe historic details and the position of the Catholic Church buthe showed that he understood the universal message of theShoah. He showed himself to be truly intelligent.

For years there have been discussions about whetheror not to leave the management of the Upper Room tothe Church. Is it a political or a religious question?It is a very, very complicated issue. We are always in the Middle

East, politics and religion have always gone hand in hand. Todivide them up is unthinkable. Underneath the Upper Roomthere is a place that some who are a part of Hebrew traditionidentify as the tomb of David, and it would be unacceptable toallow the celebration of the Eucharist above a place of Jewishworship. We know that it is highly likely that King David is notburied there, but the government is often threatened by thesesmall extremist groups. Above all when the issues in questiondo not touch upon national interests.

What is the main obstacle to peace today?The two sides are not ready to make peace.It’s simply because they do not trust one an-other. Allow me to go back five years, to Bene-dict XVI’s pilgrimage. At the time there was aphrase that he said that has remained in myheart. He said that according to the Jewishlanguage, the word “security”-batah–derivesfrom the word “trust” and he was not only re-ferring to the absence of a threat, but also tothe feeling of calmness and confidence. Thepoint today is exactly the same as it was then:mutual trust is absent. We have much to learnfrom the trust that Francis and Bartolomewdisplayed!

Francis invited Abu Mazen and ShimonPeres to the Vatican for a meeting to pray: do you thinkit was a prophetic gesture or a gamble?On this point my answer will disappoint you, I was not con-vinced. He should have invited the prime minister BenjaminNetanyahu, who has all of the power–if he wants–to put an endto the conflict. Peres in two weeks’ time will no longer be pres-ident of the State of Israel, and I believe there is little hope,from a practical point of view, that this meeting can really havean impact.

Ramon stops, and thinks for a moment. Perhaps not even heis convinced by his answer. Then he continues: “But, in the end,who knows. Even praying for peace will be useful. Becauseonly divine intervention could bring peace to this desperateland.”

Andrea Avveduto

“Prayer Will be Useful. Only God Can Give Peace” The Israelis

Embracing Israelipresident Shimon Peres.

8 No 6 2014


The Palestinians

tween nations, betweencommunities, and be-tween fellow men andwomen. Let true peace be-come our legacy soon andswiftly.”

And at the end, AbuMazen said: “We ask You,O Lord, for peace in theHoly Land, Palestine, andJerusalem together with its people. Wecall on you to make Palestine andJerusalem in particular a secure land

for all believers, and aplace for prayer and wor-ship for the followers ofthe three monotheistic re-ligions Judaism, Christi-anity, Islam, and for allthose wishing to visit it asit is stated in the HolyQuran. O Lord, You arethe peace and peace em-

anates from You. O God of Glory andMajesty grant us security and safety,and alleviate the suffering of my peo-

ple in hometown and Diaspora.” It was neither a political meeting,

nor a diplomatic dialogue, yet whatpolitical and diplomatic conse-quences from a simple and radicalgesture of prayer! All of the Pope’snature can be found in the essential-ity of his initiative. Their last act wasthe planting of an olive tree. Thefour men each took a shovel andworked the earth; with humility,obeying Another. The earthabounds in gratitude.

“W hen I greeted him before he left, I did not ask himanything, because everything he had said during

his visit he had said above all to me.” Monsignor WilliamShomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem [second in authorityfor the Latin Church in the Holy Land] closely followedFrancis’ pilgrimage. Struck “more by his gestures than byhis words,” the Palestinian priest from Beit Jala, a smalldistrict north of Bethlehem, spoke about the pope’s “extra-ordinary” visit, destined to mark the history of the MotherChurch in Jerusalem.

Excellency, what were the early reac-tions to the journey? The Pope did more than was foreseen in theofficial schedule. He said more through hisgestures than any number of speeches couldhave ever said, and without ever being criti-cized. If we think about the context in whichwe live, this is incredible. He inspired admira-tion in Christians and Jews, in the Palestiniansand the Israelis. It is too early to make a fullassessment right now, but without a doubt weare dealing with a perfectly successful trip.

Among the “unscheduled events” therewas a gesture that drew more attentionthan any other: the prayer in front of thedividing wall...In passing, the Pope saw the symbol of evil, hatred and divi-sion, and he wanted to stop to exorcise these tensions thatare generated every day. His gesture was not polemical; hewas not hostile to the Israelis or partial to the Palestinians.Everyone can interpret it as they wish, but he wanted to prayfor peace. He was unassailable. How can you attack or criti-cize he who prays for peace?

At the Holy Sepulchre we witnessed a momentousgesture. Are Catholics and Orthodox increasinglycloser on the path toward unity?The psychological wall of these years has finally fallen. It fellbecause two brothers, Peter and Andrew, were togetheragain through their successors. They bore witness to extraor-dinary friendship and reciprocal esteem. This is why it was

moving. Bartholomew supported Francis as he descendedthe entrance steps. At the Sepulchre they entered togetherand together they prayed before the empty tomb of Christ.With great humility the Pope let the Patriarch enter first. Itwill take years to understand what took place in an hour.

What did they pray for in the shrine of the Resurrection?They asked for forgiveness for the divisions and they prayedfor the grace of unity. When the Pope kissed Bartholomew’shand, once they were outside, we were moved. This gesturedoes not, as many wrote, call into question the primacy of

the Petrine ministry. True leadership is notonly authority, but, above all, service. EvenJesus washed the feet of the apostles, buthe did not stop being Jesus. It is all part ofa language that politicians do not know. Itis a language of gestures, even sponta-neous ones. Francis has “perfected” JohnPaul II’s style. In that moment, when he[Francis] bows and kisses the hands of thepeople, he is saying: “I bow before Christ,whom I see in you.”

The Pope has continued to speakabout peace. He is not the first andhe won’t be the last. Why should thegovernments–deaf for all these years–

listen to the Bishop of Rome?There is an element that we cannot fully understand. ThePope came here in the name of the Lord, as the vicar ofChrist, to pray for peace. This is why “he spoke with author-ity,” as Christ did, and did not enter into the dynamics of theconflict but remained above them. It happened at a historicmoment, when peace negotiations are at a standstill. hedemonstrated a greatness that is entirely uncommon. Butthe answer to this prayer [for peace] can only come fromabove, when one least expects it, as it did for Abraham, whocould not have children. Unexpectedly, when he had lost allhope, God gave him the gift of paternity through Isaac. ThusFrancis, inviting Abu Mazen and Shimon Peres to the Vatican,told everyone: “Now that you have lost all hope, let us prayto the Lord. Only He can give you–and us–true peace.”

(A. A.)

“We Will Need Years to Understand that Hour”

Meeting with Palestinianleader Abu Mazen.

“We do notrenounce our

responsibilities,but we do callupon God in anact of supremeresponsibility.”

No 6 2014 9


CL LIFEAT THE EDGES OF THE WORLD

IS THIS SPECTACLE E

Small, often very young CL communities scattered around Australia andNew Zealand–in Ashburton, Perth, Melbourne, and Sidney–tell us about theirunexpected visit by Fr. Julián Carrón. A journey of pure friendship, with no official program,but following what was happening. His simplicity “has reawakened our thirst.”

BY PAOLA BERGAMINI

10 No 6 2014

AustraliaUK 14/06/14 10.51 Pagina 10

E ENOUGH FOR YOU?

t the end of January, John Kinder and Fr. John O’-Connor received this email: “Julián would like tocome to Australia and New Zealand in April, for aweek, for Easter, to see you. Is it okay with you? Ifso, please get in touch directly with him.”

Fr. John from New Zealand replies immediately:“Wonderful news, Raffaella!” The news seems

almost like a miracle to him. There are so manyimportant places with an impressive presence ofCL.... yet that dear friend decided to travel to theother end of the world to visit them, a communitymade up of merely five people. Matthew andLucia live with their three children in Ashburton,while several hundred miles away are MartinA »

No 5 2014 11


and Alison from Ireland, who havebeen here a year. And finally there isFr. John, constantly travelling to thechurches of the vast parish in NorthCanterbury that the bishop assignedto him.

Fr. John calls Matthew: “Fr. Carrónis coming to see us for three days.Maybe it would be worth organizinga public meeting to present the Move-ment. What do you think?” “We havenever held one. There has never beenthe need for one. He is coming to livewith us, to accompany us.” In Perth,Australia, Kinder and his friends startto plan the agenda for the journey.

Carrón can only stay for a few days.Which cities should he visit? Is thisthe best time? There are so many de-cisions to make. Nothing is taken forgranted, nothing is formal. In the end,what prevails over everything is thedesire to simply stay together, to showhim that seed, which is still small butwell established in the life of a fewAustralian cities: about 40 people inPerth, a small group in Melbourne,some friends in Newcastle, in Sydney....Small communities, often very young,but within them is the only thing thatmakes life worth living: the encounterwith Jesus.

Everybody awaits that friend, thatcompanion, who is coming for justone reason, as Carrón said beforeleaving: “A friend feels the need to goand visit his friends, in order to share.Everything becomes more carnal.”

NEW ZEALANDTuesday, April 12th. Lucia is on herdoorstep, looking at the sky: cloudsare closing in; it is almost autumn.She has lived in Ashburton with herhusband Matthew since 2009. Thistown of twenty thousand inhabitantsis a necessary point of transit for thosetravelling to the south of the island.She is Italian, he is a New Zealander.They met in 2001 when Lucia ac-companied her parents almost bychance on their trip to New Zealand.

Through John Kinder, she got to knowMatthew, who had very recently metthe Movement. After that, it was awhirlwind of events: friendship turnedinto affection; Matthew’s decision togo to Dublin for work in order to beclose to Lucia; the friendship withMargaret and Mauro Bion-di and all the other friendsof the Irish community;the wedding in 2003... andfinally, the return to Ash-burton.

For Lucia, who had al-ways lived on the fringesof the Movement, this ex-perience was now becom-ing ever more alive and was bouncingher from one side of the world tothe other.

Her neighbor Fiona awoke her fromher thoughts, asking, “Lucia, whenare your friends coming?” A closefriendship has developed with Fiona

in these years. Fiona is not Catholic,but it does not matter. “Soon, I think.Are you coming to meet them thisevening?” “Certainly, after dinner. Herethey are.” The car is carrying Fr. Carrónwith Margaret, and Mauro, theirfriends from Dublin, who were in the

area for work and decidedto accompany Carrón. Along embrace begins theirvisit. It starts to rain, andit will continue raining forthe entire three days, up-setting all their plans. Join-ing the dinner with Fr.John are also Martin, Ali-son, Clara (from Italy but

recently moved to Christchurch forwork), a young seminarian from Viet-nam, and the parish priest. They talkabout everything; they talk about theirlives. Carrón listens and asks questions.Fr. John watches and only one thoughtcrosses his mind: “This is friendship

AT THE EDGES OF THE WORLDCL LIFE

»

“Why organizinga public CL

meeting? He iscoming to live

with us, toaccompany us.”

Fr. Carrón and the New Zealand community.Below, in Melbourne, Australia.

12 No 6 2014


in Christ–it encompasses everything.”Fiona arrives and tells her story to

Mauro: fleeing from Zimbabwe 10years earlier, the death of her husband,her four children to bring up... andthe encounter with Lucia. The parishpriest leaves and thanks Matthew forthe evening with real gratitude. “Andto think that he has always been quiteskeptical about the Movement–hethought that our spirituality was a bitstrange,” says Lucia.

The following day entails a trip towhere The Lord of the Rings was shot.These are beautiful places, if it wasn’tfor the incessant rain. Fog envelopsthe hills and an early retreat is necessary.Carrón follows them, chats, and looks,especially at the friendship betweenMartin, Matthew, and Fr. John. Hesays to them, “You have all that isnecessary to live.” While they are walk-ing, Matthew tells him about hisformer employer: “Three years ago,

when I told him I was setting up myown business, I thought he would getupset, as he is quite irascible. Instead,he asked me if I could recommendsome books on faith, ‘because yoursis clear to see.’ And I had never spokento him about the Movement.”

They meet everybody: the last daythey attend the Mass of the Lord’sSupper together. Then they take acoffee at the pub where Matthewand Fr. John meet for School ofCommunity, a place half way alongthe road between their two homes.“With Martin, instead, we do a three-way Skype connection!” Carrónlaughs. Finally, before flying to Aus-tralia, they journey to Christchurchto meet the bishop. “It was a one-hour trip in silence. This is possibleonly among friends, when there issomething greater among them,” re-lates Fr. John. Watching the car driveaway, Lucia says to Matthew, “Do

you know what Carrón said to meyesterday? ‘I came for you.’ Period.”

MELBOURNEFrancesco with two Australian friendsis waiting for them at the airport.Francesco is a mechanical engineerwho came to Melbourne on a three-year research project. He met Margaret,got married, and never left. “I washappy in Italy. I just followed the signsthat the Lord put in front of me: firsta job and then a wife.” These weresigns like Carrón’s unexpected–butdesired–visit. When he heard the newsfrom John Kinder, Francesco contactedfriends in other cities. At first theywere a bit worried: he’s only comingfor one day, what shall we do? Theydecided to meet all together, includingtheir children, in Melbourne.

They get to Francesco’s house bylate evening in time for a coffee, aslice of cake, and a bit of chatting, forbeing together.

The following day, they have an ap-pointment at the Seabrook Commu-nity Center with the friends of theCL communities from Melbourne,Newcastle, Adelaide, and Sydney. Someof these communities are made up ofas few as two people, mostly youngforeign couples, many of them inAustralia just for a temporary workperiod. Carrón talks to all those presentin the big hall. He asks questions andjokes. At around 10:00 am, they sayMorning Prayer, then the children goout to play. Fr. Julián tells them abouthimself, about the Beginning Day,about the Fraternity Exercises. Aftercoffee break, it’s time for witnessesand recounting of personal experiences.“Without the path of the personal-ization of faith that you are helpingus to travel, I would not be able tolive Christianity”–in Australia as inItaly, in a community of two peopleor a hundred. Carrón is moved bylistening to the testimonies and bylooking at each and every face. “TheMovement generates people who

AT THE EDGES OF THE WORLDCL LIFE

»

Two moments with the Perth community.

No 5 2014 13


know how to stand on their owntwo feet. There is a seed here, youngand sometimes temporary, and thefruit will be seen.”

They have lunch all together, youngand old. Fr. Julián, with his fork inhand, stops and asks everyone, “So,what do you do?” He never tires. Afriend is always eager to know every-thing. And then comes the surprise: aman enters the hall with his “portable”zoo. Out come an opossum, an iguana,an owl, and even a koala. The childrencheer, and everybody poses for pictures,including Carrón. There is time for ashort assembly and then, at dusk,while a small group accompaniesJulián on a walk along the river, theothers set up a potluck dinner beforeMass. Everybody has brought some-thing, and it’s a feast. At the end, a giftis presented: a crucifix with aboriginalpaintings. After dinner, there are songs,but Carrón retires to bed. Amongfriends one can have the freedom andhumility to say: “I’m sorry; I can’t doit–I’m too jet-lagged.”

PERTHEaster Sunday. On the way home,John asks Carrón if he is happy withthe plan for those three days. He seeshim smile. “Is there something wrong?”John asks. “I’m here for you ,” Carrónreplies, “I trust you. John, follow whatis here.” It is a liberation, because allyou have to do is... That day theyhave Mass with the friends of thecommunity and then an Australian

Easter dinner: lamb with mint sauce.Monday 7:30 am. Morning Prayer

at King’s Park, watching the newlyrisen sun. This is a great spectacle.Everybody is there–families and youngpeople, mainly students whom Johnmeets in the university where heteaches. “They are here for that hungerfor meaning that they feel,” he says.They enjoy breakfast in the open air.Anna approaches Carrón,. “Hello,are you the one from the video?”Julián laughs and they startto talk. All possible for-mality dissolves.

The breakfast is followedby an assembly in theparish hall of St. Thomasthe Apostle, Claremont.Two hours of non-stopquestions. “How can wenot stop at simply the hu-man friendship?” Carrónanswers, “It’s like with the beautythat surrounds you, like the sun fromthis morning. Is it enough? If itdoesn’t recall you to something else,to the love of Jesus, you feel emptyinside. Of course, in such ‘perfect’conditions as these, you don’t missanything, but your desire can getmisty. What is it worth living for?”Steve thinks, “He has come to reawak-en our thirst, not to quench it.”

Lunch is in the same room andthen all go to look for kangaroos.At 6:00 pm, a walk on the beach,fish and chips for dinner, and thento Trish’s house to sing Australian

and CL Movement songs. Ash looksat his friends and at this new friend:“Here is our heart.”

At the assembly, the day after, aseemingly provocative question isasked: “Why do we always read thesame texts? Wouldn’t it be better toopen our horizons?” A murmuringcould be heard in the room.

Carrón thanks his interlocutor:“This is a fundamental point. I canonly start from my experience. I

understood the value ofmy studies when I metFr. Giussani. This impliesa total openness. Thereis a starting point. Weare on the same road.”

While they drink coffeeon the riverside, John ap-proaches Carrón: “Wehave booked a Viet-namese restaurant. We

need to leave shortly.” Julián looksaround: “This place is so beautiful.Why don’t we stay here to eat? Ifit’s possible.” And he carries on talk-ing to some students. You followwhat happens.... Lunch is readysoon after, then a final visit to thecathedral before departure. Johntalks about these days to his wifeSilvia, at home: “These were ab-solutely normal days. We expectedthis or that, and instead we en-countered a friend. And that’s whatMauro and Margaret were, too: dis-creet friends. A pure friendship, fullof the presence of Christ.”

“It’s like the sunfrom this

morning. If itdoesn’t recallyou to Jesus,

you feel emptyinside.”

»

14 No 6 2014


WORLDNIGERIA UNDER ATTACK

WHO IS BOKOHARAM AFRAID OF?Three hundred girls were kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. The largest (and thewealthiest) country in Africa finds itself besieged by terrorists. Those most at risk are studentsand their families, who dare to send them to school, because the real target is education.

BY MICHELE FARINA

The mothers of the femalestudents that were

kidnapped by Boko Haramterrorists in Chibok,

Nigeria, on April 14th.

Rabia Mura is 16 years old.The Boko Haram terror-ists, who kidnapped thefemale students andslaughtered the male stu-

dents, have not made her change hermind: “One day I will be a doctor in ahospital; this country needs us if it

wants to develop and heal.” Rabiastudies at the Maitama Sule second-ary school in Kano, the largest city innorthern Nigeria (with 2.5 million in-habitants), the second largest city inthe country after the immense Lagos,with 11 million inhabitants. Fourhundred girls and forty boys, Mus-

lims and Christians, study side byside, one desk next to the other, chal-lenging Boko Haram and its prohibi-tion on going to school.

This is not to be taken so readily forgranted after the incident when morethan 300 girls from Chibok, betweenthe ages of 16 and 18, were seized »

No 6 2014 15

NIGERIAuk 14/06/14 10.59 Pagina 15

in mid-April, the night before theirexams. Since then, security measureshave been increased in many schoolsacross the country. But this does notmake any less heroic the intentions ofstudents such as Rabia and the familieswho, despite everything, continue tosend their children to school everymorning wherever they can.

It has been about a year now sincethe establishment of a state of emer-gency in the northeast of Nigeria–thecities in those areas have been milita-rized. Yet not one of them can consideritself safe. Even the large centers likeKano continue to deal with fear: oneSunday in mid-May, a kamikaze det-onated a car packed with explosivesin the Christian district of Sabon Gari,amidst restaurants and bars on GoldCoast Street.

SCARS. Restaurants, schools, places ofworship: everywhere, one can see thescars left by the group of Muslim ex-tremists who advocated the creationof an Islamic state regu-lated by a rigid interpre-tation of Sharia law(which is already the prin-cipal law in 12 states inthe north). “Female chil-dren have to marry at 12,not go to school,” ruledAbubakar Shekau, theleader of the group,thereby justifying the mass kidnappingin Chibok. Even the parents and teach-ers of Rabia and her classmates expe-rienced a pang in their hearts, like mil-lions of people in the whole worldwho joined the “Bring Back Our Girls”campaign. Even Rabia knows terror.In just one day in Kano, in 2012, the“Nigerian Taliban” killed 185 people.An unforgettable tragedy. The head-master of Maitama Sule Academy,Martin Felix, 46, speaks about hisdaughter who is seven years old: “Eventoday when she hears a loud noise shecalls out to me in terror: ‘Papa, thebombs.’”

The cathedral to Our Lady of Fatimain Kano is surrounded by barbed wire;the faithful must pass through a metaldetector to enter. Churches besieged;churches that flourish: the Catholicsin Africa have grown by 21% between2005 and 2010. The ordinations ofpriests have increased by 16%. Nigeria,Ghana, and the Democratic Republicof Congo have the highest number of

faithful. In Nigeria, themost inhabited countryon the continent, Chris-tians number more than70 million, about half ofthe population. The ma-jority live in the south:in the Catholic churchof Christ the King in La-gos, Mass is celebrated

every Sunday for a total of 10 millionpeople, and on Saturday there are bap-tisms of 100 children at a time.

Churches that flourish; churchesthat burn. According to the data fromthe Nigerian Episcopal Conference, atleast 700 churches were attacked in2007. In the village of Wada Chakawa,in the state of Adamawa, following yetanother raid in January, a survivor toldjournalists: “They slaughtered mybrother as they would a goat. Theyburned all of our houses. We have nochoice but to leave the village.” Besidethat desperate man, there was awoman who had been rendered

speechless. Together with her loss ofspeech, she had lost almost everythingin the massacre at the church: her hus-band and son. She was left with apromise of life in her womb, a childto be brought up–but where?

Of the more than 4,000 BokoHaram victims from 2009 to the pres-ent, about a quarter are Christian. Thisis a particularly high percentage, bear-ing in mind that in the north the Mus-lims are in the majority. In the threestates most affected–Borno, Yobe, andAdamawa–the Muslims make upmore than 80%of the population.However, there are entire villages thatare predominantly Christian and thereare many other that are “mixed” (orthey were, before they were knockedto the ground by terrorists). The ma-jority of the female students kid-napped in Chibok, Borno, were bornin Christian families. In a video,Shekau said scornfully, “Given that youcare so much about their freedom, wethought we would free them for you.How? By converting them to Islam.”

The exodus of Christians from thehell of Boko Haram does not attractmany followers on Twitter. If Chibokhas, sadly, become famous in theworld, very few have ever heard men-tion of the small town of Gashua onthe border between Nigeria and Niger.There are only a few letters differencein the names, but an abyss of difference

BOKO HARAMNIGERIA

“Not a night passedwithout someonethrowing the headof a dead animal

over the wall:‘Infidel, leave!’”

Here, an image from the video showing the girls who were kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam;

right, students from a school in Abuja ask for their releaseh.

16 No 6 2014

»


in reality. In the past three years, theCatholic minority has almost entirelydisappeared–either by being killed orfleeing. Of the 3,000 souls, less than200 have remained. Father John Bak-eni, 38, told the British daily newspa-per, the Daily Telegraph, his difficultexperience in the parish of SaintJoseph: “Not a night passed withoutsomeone throwing the head of a deadanimal over the wall as a warning sign.Often they came and knocked: ‘Infidel,leave or we will kill you.’”

A FUTILE TEST.It might seem like a littlething compared to the atrocities com-mitted by Boko Haram, but the storyof Fr. Bakeni provides a picture of avery difficult situation which is abreeding ground for violence. The au-thors of those warnings are youngboys from the almajiri, the localmadrasse (Koranic schools), forced tobeg on the streets for two years. Thereason for this forced vagrancy is tofortify their souls and make the littleones learn what it is like to be poor. Afutile test in a land where 80% of thepeople live on less than one dollar aday and which results in turning thesebaby beggars into easy prey for BokoHaram recruiters. Nevertheless, Fr.Bakeni is very careful not to point thefinger at Islam: “It is true, Christiansare being targeted. But the Muslimsare also victims of extremism.” But it

is not just that. Nigeria is one of themost corrupt countries in the world.The regions in the north do not enjoythe fruits of the oil boom in whichthe south is awash. The primary econ-omy on the continent produces lesselectricity than the uninhabited NorthDakota or, to compare it to a countrywith the same population, Bangladesh(which is increasingly more Muslimbut, oddly enough, hasemphasized female educa-tion more than the devas-tated Pakistan from whichit separated more than 50years ago).

Concerning the topic ofschool: education is cer-tainly not one of the pri-orities of the governmentof president Goodluck Jonathan.There are about 4.5 million femaleschool-age children who do not re-ceive a proper education. BokoHaram is not the main responsiblefor this, even if it does everything tobe blamed. Maiduguri, the capitalof Borno, is home to the FutureProwess Islamic Foundation move-ment, born in 2002, which offers ed-ucation and free breakfast to 110 or-phans who have lost one or both oftheir parents at the hands of the ex-tremists. Among these are the chil-dren of Habiba, 26, and Abdullahi, amechanic. Or those of Aisha and Mo-

hammed, who was a policeman. Alsoin Maiduguri, after the incident inChibok, the headmistress of the Gov-ernment Girls College, Hauwa MusaGwoma, gathered together the morethan 2,000 students to explain thatthe security measures had been in-creased. Zainab Abdu-jiibr, 18, toldChristina Lamb of the Sunday Times:“I want to be a surgeon. We are afraid,but we are determined. We know thatto educate a man means to educate aperson; to educate a woman meansto educate a nation.”

SAFE PLACE. Sometimes the secret liesin such cliché phrases. Thus, thebishop Charles Hammawa, speakingon the telephone from Jalingo, ex-plains in a calm voice that “the Chris-tians of Nigeria will not abandon thepath of hope.” He adds, “We mustdo everything we can to ensure thatthe boys and girls continue to attendschool. Collaboration betweenChristians and Muslims on this point

is crucial. The incidentof the female studentsin Chibok risks puttinga stop to this but thegovernment must reas-sure the families thatthe schools are a safeplace.” The problem isnot just Boko Haram.As the female poet and

teacher Lola Shoneyin tells us, thereare states, such as Zamfara, whereonly 5% of girls between ages 5 and16 know how to read and write.Zamfara was the first of the north-ern states to reintroduce Sharia law.For eight years, it was led by gover-nor Ahmed Yerima who, once he be-came a senator, replaced his fourthwife (herself a teenager) with a 13-year-old Egyptian. The ceremonytook place at the central mosque inAbuja. There were many senatorsamong those invited and there wasno international protest. Bring backthat girl...

BOKO HARAMNIGERIA

e ;

.

“Here, to educatea man means to

educate a person;to educate a

woman means toeducate a nation.”

No 6 2014 17


18 No 6 2014

INTERVIEW

He is one of the greatest juristsin the world, and among thosewho know Europe best. Weasked him to compare himselfwith the interpretation ofmodernity as presented by Fr.Julián Carrón in the previousissue’s “Page One” section ofTraces. Here are his answers.

BY LUCA FIORE

In 2010, he defended Italy, pro bono,before the European Court of HumanRights against those asking for theremoval of crucifixes from schools.He did so wearing his kippah. He is

Joseph H. H. Weiler: Law professor atNYU, born in South Africa in 1951, and currently President of theEuropean University Institute in Florence His knowledge of Europeantreaties is equal to his knowledge of the Torah, and this says it all. ProfessorWeiler read Fr. Julián Carrón’s presentation of the CL document issuedin light of the European elections. Furthermore, he participated in apanel discussion, on May 15th, at the Cultural Center in Milan. The priestfrom Spain and the Jew from New York are separated by more than a ge-ographical ocean, and yet the consonance of their thought runs deep andbeyond all expectations. »

PAGE ONE

EUROPE 2014IS A NEW BEGINNING

POSSIBLE?Notes from Fr. Julián Carrón’s Speech at the Presentation of the CL flyer.

Milan, April 9, 2014

No 5 2014 13

JOSEPH H.H. WEILER,63 years old, Jewish,

President of the EuropeanUniversity Institute in Florence,

Professor at NYU School of Law

PAGE ONE

EUROPE 2014IS A NEW BEGINNING

POSSIBLE?Notes from Fr. Julián Carrón’s Speech at the Presentation of the CL flyer.

Milan, April 9, 2014

No 5 2014 13

THE TRUEBATTLEFIELD

WEILERuk3 14/06/14 11.06 Pagina 18

JOSEPH WEILERINTERVIEW

No 6 2014 19

Person, work, progress, freedom: these are all wordsthat are continually losing their original meaning.Why is that?It is a difficult question, because sometimes the “orig-inal meaning” is unclear and in some cases it has anunpleasant meaning. Think about the concept of “per-son” that did not include slaves. Even in the Bible,women were not considered as subjects in the Sinairevelation. Believers don’t have to base the value oftheir Weltanschauung on any “original meaning,” buton a concept of the world inwhich the person is humbleand understands the limits ofthe human condition–a theo-centric, not an anthropocen-tric, conception. It is in thissense that the concepts of per-son, work, and freedom be-come different.

Joseph Ratzinger said thatthe Enlightenment attemptto mold society by separatingit from the idea of God hasfailed. Do you agree?Pope Ratzinger’s thought ismuch more refined. In anycase, the failure is the result ofincorrect, at times even arro-gant interpretations of the En-lightenment. We do not needto be equally arrogant. Reli-gious pepole do not have amonopoly on the idea of goodsociety. We have a differentconcept–that of holiness, onethat values a difficult quest, al-most always imperfect and destined to fail. Let us al-ways remember the words of the prophet Micah: “Youhave been told, O man, what is good, and what theLord requires of you: only to do right and to lovegoodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Walkhumbly, that is the key.

Fr. Carrón affirms that the road to regain the foun-dations of Christian society is neither through a con-fessional state nor through a Europe based on Chris-tian laws but through a life which is a Witness to thevalue of a Christian life. What do you think?These are lapidary words, a fundamental teaching; God,I imagine, smiled with satisfaction while listening tothem.

In the face of the debate about the “new rights,” we arewitnessing a strange mix of fascination and aversion.Why is this? What is at the source of these new peti-tions?The problem does not lie with the quest for new rights,some good and others questionable, but with a culturein which the belief in duty and personal responsibilityhas been lost. There is much to be gained be reexaminingthe notion of virtue shared by Aristotle, Thomas ofAquinas, and Maimonides. However, if you allow me, it

seems to me that this questionis tied to a way of thinking thatis unable to free itself from thedictatorship of politics. Surelypolitics are very important andshould not be neglected, but letus not allow them to colonizeour soul.

In what sense?To give in to the logic that seesthe rights as the battlegroundand gaining one more right orobjecting to one more right isthe war to be fought. Instead, thereal battleground concerns hu-man and personal responsibilitytoward the other person; to giveand not to have. Read Chapter18 of Leviticus: Set aside the rit-ual aspects (fundamental to mebut not to you) ; concentrate onmoral normativity. You will seea society founded on justice, sol-idarity, and social justice. Somodern. Yet you will also noticesomething interesting: they are

all contemporary values, but they are based on responsi-bility and duty and not on rights. Does this not make usthink? Our contribution to contemporary thought cannotbe limited to obtaining one more or one less right.

Fr. Carrón says that we cannot be misled to believethat the desire to succeed, at the root of those in favoror against the “new rights,” can be satisfied at the leg-islative level. It is necessary, he says, citing Msgr. Gius-sani, to deepen the nature of the subject. What doesthis means for you?That we would be truly impoverished if we thoughtthat all our normative values must be enshrined in law.It is an infantilizing concept of society and its humansubjects. »

“The problem does not liewith the quest for newrights, some good andothers questionable, but with a culture in whichthe belief in duty andpersonal responsibilityhas been lost.Our contribution tocontemporary thoughtcannot be limited toobtaining one more orone less right.”


Is there a need to go deeper into the nature of thesubject?I’m modest; I would be happy if we abandoned thatinfantilism and became full moral agents.

What do you mean?That, although they are important, man made lawmust return to being only a modestcomponent of what guides our ac-tions and our human relationships.

Cesare Pavese said, “What manseeks in pleasures is an infinite,and nobody would ever give up onthe hope to attain this infinity.”Yet experience tells us that desiredozes off. What reawakens in youthe desire for this infinite?Personally, I do not think of myselfas search for the infinite: daily lifeis a sufficient challenge. To spend asingle day without any deception,without any embarrassment beforeGod, is more important to me thanall the imaginable infinites. Sadly, Ihave had very few days like this. What is my desire?Let us make an exchange: you give me 20 days of mylife without embarrassment before of God and I letyou have the infinite. For me, it would be a good deal....

Even your desire to please God is incomplete, infinite.Am I wrong? Perhaps we are saying something notso different. What helps you to retain the desire toavoid embarrassment in front of God?Oh, well, you truly get it. But the way things are doneis very important. I like Saul’s road a lot: he went in

search of his father’s lost asses, and just happenedupon the monarchy... But notice: He was in search ofthose beasts, not in search of becoming king!

Can politics alone defend religious liberty?As regards the external elements of religious freedom,which are very important, the answer is yes. The in-

ternal element, however, dependson the human conscience, espe-cially the interiorization of our hu-man sovereignty to say no to God.God created us as moral agentswith the ability to reject Him. Onlythis interiorization guarantees atrue religious freedom. A childdoesn’t know that he can say yes orno to his parents. The parents awaitthe moment in which their childrenrebel against them; after that mo-ment their moral choices are nolonger based on external authoritybut on a truly autonomous will.That is the true condition for reli-gious freedom.

How can Europe become a free meeting space forthose searching for truth?Europe already offers this possibility. That encounterwill take place when the believers stop being embar-rassed by their creed and when more people stop de-luding themselves, as Fr Carrón suggests, that the waywould be to return to a confessional state or to a Eu-rope based on Christian laws. The problem with Eu-ropean believers is that they are not yet used to beinga minority and to having to defend their creed dailythrough personal witnessing.

JOSEPH WEILERINTERVIEW

»

20 No 6 2014

“Daily life is asufficient challenge.

To spend a single day withoutany embarrassmentbefore God, is more

important to me than all the

imaginable infinites.”


THE STORY

onica watches as numbers slowly scroll on the screen in the reception area of the doctor’s office. Whenher number appears, she approaches the desk and the nurse asks her; “Is this visit for you? Good, fill outthis form.” Monica starts writing, but after a few moments, she stops and asks; “Excuse me, on the formthere are only two spaces to list children; I have five. Where should I list all of them?” The nurse looksat the forms; “It’s rare to find families that are so large. There is some space on the side where you can

write them in. I see that your two older children are the same age as mine. Is your oldest working or still in school?”“He is studying at the University.” “Then he likes to study? That’s wonderful. My son struggled a lot in school.” “How so?”“He is dyslexic. There have been many difficulties, many struggles. I have always tried in any way possible to help

him to grow. He is a strong man now, determined, but I am always afraid.”“I don’t understand... why?”“Because he is not perfect; his difficulties remain. I’m of the notion that an individual person does not count

in this society: one needs to surrender to this fact. When I look at him, I’m afraid that sooner or later, some-thing will crush him.”

MONICA RECALLS THAT CHAPTER IN ONE OF FR. GIUSSANI’S BOOKS: Jesus’gaze, was filled with tenderness toward everyman that He encountered. It was that same gaze that “seized” her so many years ago. In a matter of seconds, theimages of encounters and events that transformed that gaze into flesh run through her mind. “Ma’am,” she tellsthe nurse, “you must keep fighting. We love our children precisely because they are unique, with all of their diffi-culties, and all of their mistakes. This is the only certainty we can convey to them. Even though the common men-tality, as you said, would claim the contrary. I’m certain...”

The nurse interrupts her; “Aren’t you afraid? You seems so sure....” The nurse pauses, and then suddenly; “PerhapsI understand: you are a follower of Pope Francis. He is the only one these days who is so certain and fearless.”

Monica smiles. “You are right, I am certain because I have found people like Pope Francis. They show me that liv-ing, fighting, and dying are worthwhile because each one of us has an immense value; we are loved for who we are.”

Behind her, someone huffs and whispers; “How much longer?!” The nurse does not seem to notice. She says: “Allright. Tell me then, if at the end of the visit, the doctor were to tell you that you have a tumor, wouldn’t you be afraid?Wouldn’t your certainty crumble?”

Monica thinks about her sick friends, about their faces. She responds, “I would be crazy with fear. Even then how-ever, my certainty would remain, because I have seen that even with a tumor, one can feel loved and certain of a goodthat is greater than pain and fear.”

The nurse’s eyes are moist. She reaches out and firmly grasps Monica’s hand: “Having met you is the best thingthat could have happened to me today.” Monica replies: “I feel the same way. Thank you so much!” The nurse comesaround the desk and they hug. “You need to go now, it’s your turn. Second floor, examination room number 50.”

ONCE THE EXAM IS OVER, as Monica is heading for the exit, she hears someone calling to her. “Ma’am, wait a moment.”She turns to see the nurse on duty. “Did I forget something?” “No, no, do not worry. I just need to give you this” asthe nurse hands her a note. Monica opens it while in the elevator; “I am the nurse who spoke with you today. I’ma non-believer, but I will pray to God for you, that the results of the tests are negative. The world needs people likeyou. Thank you. Come back and visit.” Monica will return.

“AREN’T YOU EVER AFRAID?”

M

21 No 6 2014

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