dso 10 mm 136 pp oblatio - welcome - oblate...

Revue de Vie OblateReview of Oblate LifeRevista de Vida Oblata

Missionarii OMI IX - 2020/1

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20/1

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atiThe mission is not limited to the proclamation of the Gospel and to

the building of Christian communities; it also includes recognition of others and the values they bear, it includes collaboration with everyone for the good of mankind. (…) The mission thus embraces the whole world, promotes unity and the good of all, and guides the ushering in of the Kingdom in both its temporal and eschatological phases. (Marcello Zago, The First Letter to the Oblates, December 1986)

La mission ne se limite pas à l’annonce et à la constitution de communautés chrétiennes. Elle est aussi reconnaissance des autres et de leurs valeurs, elle est collaboration avec tous pour le bien de l’homme. (…) Ainsi la mission s’ouvre au monde entier, favorise l’unité, le bien de tous, conduit à la réalisation du Règne dans sa phase temporelle et eschatologique (Marcello Zago, Première lettre aux Oblats, décembre 1986).

La misión no se limita al anuncio y a la constitución de comunidades cristianas. Es también reconocimiento de los demás y de sus valores, es colaboración con todos por el bien del hombre. (…) Así la misión se abre al mundo entero, favorece la unidad y el bien de todos, lleva a la realización del Reino en su fase temporal y escatológica. (Marcello Zago, Primera carta a los Oblatos, diciembre 1986)

Les Oblats en dialogue avec l’islamThe Oblates in dialogue with IslamLos Oblatos en diálogo con el islam

• El carisma oblato al encuentro del Islam• Living with the Muslims in the Southern Philippines• Evangelization among Majority Muslim Society

in Kampung Laut – Indonesia• Le dialogue avec l’Islam au Sénégal• OMI in Poland and interreligious dialogue with Islam • Sáhara: “Nuestro sacristán musulmán” • Mary, a Place of Encounter between Christians

and Muslims

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Comité de Rédaction / Editing Committee / Comité de RedacciónFabio Ciardi, Dir. / Ed.: Bernard Keradec, Jean-Baptiste Malenge, Frank Santucci, Francis Efrem Zabala, Paweł Zając.

Associés / Partners / Asociados:Association des Instituts oblats d’Enseignement Supérieur / Association of Oblate Institutes of Higher Learning / Asociación de Institutos Oblatos de Enseñanza Superior: Université St. Paul / Saint Paul University, Ottawa - Notre Dame University, Cotabato - Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio - Institut St-Eugène de Mazenod, Kinshasa - St. Joseph’s Theological Institute, Cedara - Institute of Missiology, Card. Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw.

Scolasticats oblats / Oblate Scholasticate / Escolasticados oblatos: Scolasticato Internazi-onale, Roma - Philosophat “Yves Plumey”, Yaoundé, Cameroun - Scolasticat, Fianarantsoa, Madagascar - Scolasticat st. Eugène de Mazenod, Kintambo, Rép. Dém. Du Congo - Oblate Scholasticate, Kandy, Sri Lanka - Scholasticate, Poonamallee, India - House of Study, Pune, India - Scholasticate, Quezon City, Philippines - Wisma de Mazenod, Yogyakarta, Indone-sia - St. Mary’s Scholasticate, Mulgrave, Australia - Oblate Scholasticate, Obra, Poland - Scolasticato OMI, Frascati, Italia.

Direttore responsabile: Fabio CiardiEditore: Casa Generalizia della Congregazione dei Missionari Oblati di Maria ImmacolataSede: Roma - Via Aurelia n. 290Redazione: Via Aurelia n. 290 - 00165 Roma, Italia

e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.omiworld.org/oblatioStampa: tipografia Arti Grafiche La Moderna

Via Enrico Fermi, 13/17 - 00012 Guidonia (Roma)Registrazione: Tribunale di Roma n. 99/2012 del 16/04/2012Finito di stampare nel mese di maggio 2020

Publiée 3 fois par an sous la direction des Études et Recherches Oblates – Centre des Missionnaires Oblats de Marie Immaculée ayant son siège à la Maison générale à Rome – la revue Oblatio prend le relais de « Vie Oblate Life » et « Documentation OMI ». Adressée à toute la Famille Mazenodienne, elle concerne la vie de communauté et la mission des Oblats, leur spiritualité et leur histoire, afin d’en faire progresser l’identité, l’unité dans la communion, la connaissance du présent et l’espérance pour l’avenir.

Oblatio is published 3 times a year under the direction of the office of Oblate Studies and Research, of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate at the General House in Rome. It is a continuation of “Vie Oblate Life” (Ottawa, Canada) and “Documentation OMI” (Rome). Addressed to the entire Mazenodian Family, it considers Oblate community life, mission, spirituality and history, in order to foster oblate identity, communion, to understand the present, hopes for the future.

Publicada periódicamente, 3 veces al año, bajo la dirección de Estudios e Investigaciones Oblatos, centro de los Misioneros Oblatos de María Inmaculada con sede en la Casa General en Roma, Oblatio quiere ser una continuación de “Vie Oblate Life” (Ottawa, Canadá) y de “Documentación OMI” (Roma). Orientada hacia toda la Familia Mazenodiana, se ocupará de la vida y misión de la comunidad oblata, su espiritualidad e historia, a fin de mejorar su identidad, comunión, comprensión del presente, esperanza del futuro.

Sommaire / Contents / SumarioPræfatio

Ramon Maria Bernabe, omi, The Oblates in dialogue with Islam / Les Oblats en dialogue avec l’islam / Los Oblatos en diàlogo con Islam ................................................................................................. 3

HistoriaLuis Ignacio Rois Alonso, omi, El carisma oblato al encuentro

del Islam .......................................................................................... 17

Vita et MissioEliseo “Jun” Mercado, omi, Living with the Muslims in the

Southern Philippines ........................................................................ 37Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo, omi, My Personal Dialogical

Encounter with Muslims and Indigenous Peoples in Southern Mindanao ......................................................................................... 49

Antonius Widiatmoko, omi, Evangelization among Majority Muslim Society. An Irish Oblate Missioned to Indonesia Implements Contextual Theology ......................................................................... 59

Louis Diédhiou, omi, Le dialogue avec l’Islam au Sénégal ...... 87

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Wojciech Kluj, omi, OMI in Poland and Interreligious Dialogue with Islam .......................................................................................... 99

Rafael Tianero, omi, The Muslim and Christian Intermarriage in Sitangkai: Case Study Preliminaries ........................................... 107

faMilia oblataMario León Dorado, omi – Mohamed Fadel Semlali, “Nuestro

sacristán musulmán” ....................................................................... 133

DocuMentaMarcello Zago, omi, Quelle fraternité entre les fils

d’Abraham ? ..................................................................................... 141Shahrzad Houshmand Zadeh, Mary, a Place of Encounter

between Christians and Muslims ..................................................... 151

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PræfatiotHe oblates in Dialogue witH islaM

Ramon maRia BeRnaBe, omi

Iwas Provincial of the Philippine Province when Reynaldo Roda, omi, was killed in his place of mission in the island of Tabawan, Tawi-Tawi, in southern Philippines in January 2008. Rey adminis-

tered a secondary school of the Vicariate of Jolo, providing the predom-inantly Muslim community an affordable yet solid education for the young. He also supported several students throughout their studies, as they continued on to college or university. In fact, Rey’s trusted work-mates in the house and in the school were Muslims. Rey ministered as well to a handful of Catholic families.

Having spent almost 10 years in their place, Rey not only con-cerned himself with the Vicariate’s school, but he worked tirelessly also to help the public school and the community in general in their myriad social and economic needs. Rey was known to be a trustworthy receiver of donations from non-government organizations. He was transparent and efficient in handling such funds. This must have made people with evil intent to think that they could get money if they abducted Rey.

Rey was in the chapel praying in the evening when armed men for-cibly took him, planning to take him with them to their boat, and then to an undisclosed place, to be held hostage for ransom. But Rey resisted intensely to be taken alive. Faced with the commotion he was causing in the dead of night, his captors killed him as he was being dragged outside the school compound.

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The days that followed showed how immensely the community loved Rey. The students and school personnel were stunned and incon-solable in their grief at losing someone they fondly called “Tatay,” or father. The residents were in utter disbelief at the tragedy that befell their isolated but largely peaceful community.

As there was no embalmer in the island, Rey’s body had to be taken first by boat to the bigger island-capital of the province, then by heli-copter to the main island of Mindanao, where the majority of Oblates were stationed. At Rey’s funeral, his Muslim students and friends were at the front pews at the Cathedral. Along the funeral procession to the Oblate cemetery, people lined up along the road, some with banners expressing support for Rey’s mission of dialogue.

Even before Rey was buried, I was already struggling over the thought of who would replace him in the mission. The school year had not ended yet and there were so many loose ends to tie up. Of course, there was also the concern for the community’s grief that had to be addressed. I made known this dilemma to the Oblates and asked for a volunteer. Rey was the third Oblate in a span of 11 years to meet a vio-lent fate in the Vicariate of Jolo, after Bishop Benjamin de Jesus in 1997 and Benjamin Inocencio in 2000. It would take a leap of faith and an abundance of courage and generosity to take the mission on such short notice and tragic circumstances. Yet, even before Rey was laid to rest, an Oblate had already offered to move and go and continue the mis-sion in Tabawan, and another Oblate to take up the vacancy to be left! I honestly didn’t think it would be that “easy,” but maybe I was glad to be surprised by such spirit of daring from my brothers.

I share this story to highlight two things: the friendship and solidar-ity of people of another faith who have been shown friendship and soli-darity by an Oblate, and the courage and generosity of fellow Oblates to rise up to a challenge in a mission of dialogue.

Rey wasn’t the first Oblate to be loved so deeply by that Muslim community in Tabawan. The Notre Dame school there was founded in 1963 by Leopold Gregoire, omi, a French-Canadian Oblate of the Philippine Mission then. Fr. Gregoire has become a sort of a legend in the island of Tabawan for his closeness to the people and his openness to their culture. He was known as a deep spiritual leader, a “medicine man,” and even a “conjurer of spirits”! Part of the lasting impact of Fr.

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Gregoire’s life witness and work as a Catholic and Oblate missionary in a Muslim context can be seen in the fact that every August 17th each year, the whole town celebrates his birth date as a town feast called “Gregoire Day,” when people engage in festivities and charitable ac-tivities!

On the part of the Oblates, being assigned to the Vicariate of Jolo for some time in one’s missionary life is like a “badge of honor,” not only because of the risks and dangers of the mission there, but also due to the opportunities it presents to live in harmonious dialogue of life with people of another culture and faith. Such is a true enrichment of one’s person and missionary life.

At the Congregation’s 36th General Chapter in 2016, a resolution was adopted about the Oblate presence and ministry among Muslims. Part of that proposition recognized that our Congregation cannot be absent in the discourse about Islam, and that, “Oblates living in these areas are an essential resource for understanding the phenomenon in its complexity”. Four points of attention were identified: (1) Renew our awareness that evangelization is not only the explicit proclamation of the faith and the Gospel. (2) Make an inventory of our missionary settlements in the Muslim world in the Congregation: gather in a docu-ment their experiences, expertise, visions, and needs. (3) Support Ob-late communities engaged in the Muslim world with personnel. (4) Call some Oblates to train as Islamic scholars.1

This issue of the Oblatio is part of the response to that recommen-dation from the General Chapter. This initiative of Fr. Fabio Ciardi, Di-rector of the Service of Oblate Studies gathers some of those stories and insights that are the fruits of the experiences of Oblates in Islamic envi-ronments. Luis Ignacio Rois’s article is distinctly of value, as it traces the roots of our evangelizing presence among Muslims in St. Eugene de Mazenod’s experience, and draws from the wisdom of the Church over the years. Certainly, there are more Oblate stories and studies out there that cannot be contained in just one book or issue, and the writing, preserving, and dissemination of those narratives must continue.

1 Additional Recommendations, Resolutions, Authorizations, Directives and Mandates of the General Chapter, G. Islam. Acts of the 36th General Chapter (2016), Rome, p. 70.

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A preliminary inventory in 2018 revealed our Oblate presence and ministry with, and among, Muslims in these places and opportunities:

- At the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, USA, there are regular contacts and dialogue programs involving students, faculty, and staff, with members of Islamic centers, mosques, and in-stitutes.

- In Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oblates serve the tiny Catholic com-munity there.

- In Malmö, Sweden, and in Brussels, Belgium, the Catholic Church and Oblate house are located in the Muslim neighborhood. Though they do not have direct pastoral contacts with Muslims, there are casual en-counters with the Muslim population that are opportunities for a dia-logue of life.

- In Poland, our Oblate missiologists are engaged in programs that promote inter-religious dialogue, particularly at the level of higher learning and research.

- In the Philippines, almost half of the total number of Oblates in active ministry are in diverse forms of direct and indirect engagement (schools, advocacy, community development) with Muslims in the southern part of the country.

- In Western Sahara, our Oblate community lives in witness to the Catholic Christian faith while ministering to Catholics working in the area.

- In Indonesia, particularly in the greater Cilacap area, Oblates are engaged in schools, clinics, and socio-economic projects for the good of the community of majority Muslims.

- Other places of Oblate presence and ministry among Muslims are India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Senegal.

The newly established General Mission Committee has also taken up the issue of inter-religious dialogue, at the direction of the Superior General and Council. In its only two meetings so far, the second of which was held jointly with the General Service of Jus-tice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation, the Committee shared expe-riences and insights, and is moving to develop animation materi-als for the Congregation on this important topic. Significantly, the document Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, the joint statement signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-

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Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will serve as a key foundational resource of the planned animation process.

I hope that the articles in this issue will inspire interest among Ob-lates to discover or deepen the experience of dialogue or encounter with Muslims and people of other beliefs, and advance the reality of human fraternity and solidarity in our world today.

Ramon Maria Bernabe, omi

General House, Rome, [email protected]

les oblats en Dialogue aVec l’islaM

J’étais Provincial de la Province des Philippines lorsque le père Reynaldo Roda, omi, a été assassiné dans sa mission sur l’île de Ta-bawan, Tawi-Tawi, dans le Sud des Philippines, en janvier 2008. Le père dirigeait une école secondaire du Vicariat de Jolo, qui procurait aux jeunes d’une communauté en majorité musulmane une éducation accessible et pourtant solide. Il soutenait aussi plusieurs étudiants à travers leurs études, jusqu’au collège ou à l’université. De fait, ses plus fidèles collaborateurs tant à la maison qu’à l’école étaient mu-sulmans. Le père Roda desservait également une poignée de familles catholiques.

Le père Roda vivait depuis presque dix ans dans cet endroit. Non seulement il s’occupait de l’école du Vicariat, mais il travaillait sans cesse à répondre aux nombreux besoins sociaux et économiques de l’école publique et de la communauté en général. Il était connu comme un dépositaire fiable des dons provenant d’organismes non gouverne-mentaux. Sa gestion de ces fonds était transparente et efficace. Certains hommes malintentionnés ont pu penser qu’ils pourraient mettre la main sur cet argent en enlevant le père Roda.

Un soir, alors qu’il priait dans la chapelle, des hommes armés se sont emparés de lui dans le but de l’amener de force avec eux dans leur bateau, dans un endroit inconnu, le détenant en otage pour une rançon. Mais le père a résisté fortement à son enlèvement. Devant la

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commotion que cela suscitait en pleine nuit, ses ravisseurs l’ont tué en le traînant hors de l’enceinte de l’école.

Les jours suivants ont permis de voir jusqu’à quel point la com-munauté aimait le père Roda. Les étudiants ainsi que le personnel de l’école sont demeurés abasourdis et inconsolables devant la perte de celui qu’ils appelaient tendrement Tatay, père. La tragédie qui frappait cette communauté isolée essentiellement pacifique a laissé ses habitants complètement incrédules.

Comme l’île ne possédait pas d’embaumeur, on a dû transporter le corps du père Roda, par bateau, dans l’île plus grande de la capitale provinciale, puis par hélicoptère jusqu’à l’île de Mindanao où sont éta-blis la majorité des Oblats. Aux funérailles, les étudiants et les amis musulmans occupaient les premiers bancs de la cathédrale. Des gens se tenaient debout le long du chemin conduisant au cimetière, certains d’entre eux portant des bannières manifestant leur soutien à la mission de dialogue du père Roda.

Avant même la tenue des funérailles du père Roda, j’étais préoc-cupé par l’idée de lui trouver un remplaçant dans sa mission. L’année scolaire n’était pas encore terminée et il y avait plusieurs détails à ré-gler. Il fallait évidemment tenir compte aussi du deuil que vivait la com-munauté. J’ai fait part de ce dilemme aux Oblats et fait appel à un vo-lontaire. Le père Roda était le troisième en onze ans à connaître un sort violent dans le vicariat de Jolo, à la suite de Mgr Benjamin de Jesus en 1997 et du père Benjamin Inocencio en l’an 2000. Il faudrait un acte de foi et beaucoup de courage et de générosité pour assumer cette mission dans un si bref délai et des circonstances aussi tragiques. Et pourtant, avant même que le père Roda soit conduit à son dernier repos, un Oblat s’était offert pour prendre la relève dans la mission de Tabawan et un autre Oblat pour prendre la place laissée libre! Honnêtement, je ne pen-sais pas que ce serait aussi « facile », mais j’ai été agréablement surpris de découvrir une telle audace chez mes confrères.

Je raconte cette histoire pour souligner deux choses : d’abord l’amitié et la solidarité de gens d’une autre foi auxquels un Oblat a pu manifester son ’amitié et sa solidarité, puis le courage et la générosité des confrères Oblats qui ont relevé le défi d’une mission de dialogue.

Le père Roda n’était pas le premier Oblat à faire l’objet d’un amour aussi profond de la part de cette communauté musulmane de Tabawan.

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L’école Notre-Dame de l’endroit a été fondée en 1963 par le père Léo-pold Grégoire, un Oblat canadien-français en mission aux Philippines. Le père Grégoire est devenu une sorte de légende dans l’île de Ta-baawan en raison du lien étroit qu’il avait créé avec la population et de son ouverture à leur culture. On voyait en lui un chef spirituel profond, un « homme-médecine » et même un « conjureur de sorts »! L’impact qu’il a eu par son témoignage de vie et son travail missionnaire catholi-que dans ce milieu musulman se fait encore sentir dans le fait que, tous les 17 juin, la ville entière célèbre sa naissance dans une fête qui a pour nom « Jour du père Grégoire » et pendant laquelle les gens s’adonnent à des activités charitables!

Pour les Oblats, le fait d’être affectés au Vicariat de Jolo pendant quelque temps dans leur vie missionnaire est perçu comme une marque d’honneur en raison non seulement des dangers que présente cette mis-sion, mais aussi de l’occasion qu’elle offre de vivre en dialogue harmo-nieux avec un peuple d’une autre culture et d’une autre foi. C’est une occasion privilégiée d’enrichir sa vie personnelle et missionnaire.

En 2016, le 36e Chapitre général de la Congrégation adoptait une résolution portant sur la présence et le ministère des Oblats en milieu musulman. On y reconnaît que notre Congrégation ne peut être absente du discours sur l’Islam et que « les Oblats vivant dans ces régions constituent une ressource essentielle pour la compré-hension du phénomène dans sa complexité ». Quatre points attirent l’attention : 1. Se rappeler que l’évangélisation ne consiste pas uni-quement en une proclamation explicite de la foi et de l’Évangile; 2. Faire l’inventaire de nos établissements missionnaires en monde musulman, en recueillant dans un même document les expériences faites, l’expertise acquise, les perspectives et les besoins ressentis; 3. Soutenir par l’apport de personnel les communautés oblates tra-vaillant en milieu musulman; 4. Appeler quelques Oblats à se spé-cialiser en études musulmanes1.

Ce numéro de la revue Oblatio se veut une réponse à cette recom-mandation du Chapitre général. À l’initiative du père Fabio Ciardi, di-recteur du Service des études oblates, il rassemble quelques-uns des

1 Voir: Autres recommandations, résolutions, autorisations, directives et mandats du Chapitre général, G. Islam, dans Actes du 36e Chapitre général (2016), Rome, p. 77-78.

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récits qui sont le fruit du vécu des Oblats en milieu islamique et des perspectives ou visées qui en résultent. L’article du père Luis Ignacio Rois est particulièrement précieux en faisant remonter jusqu’à Eugène de Mazenod notre présence évangélisatrice parmi les musulmans et puise dans la sagesse de l’Église au cours des ans. Il y a certainement d’autres récits ou d’autres études qu’on ne peut soumettre dans un seul volume ou numéro de revue. La rédaction, la conservation et la diffu-sion de ces histoires ou récits doit se poursuive.

Dans un inventaire préliminaire fait en 2018, on découvre que notre présence auprès des musulmans s’exerce dans les endroits suivants :

– à l’École oblate de théologie de San Antonio, au Texas, on offre des programmes qui impliquent des contacts entre les étudiants, les pro-fesseurs et les membres du personnel et ceux des centres, des mosquées et des instituts islamiques;

– à Achgabat, au Turkménistan, les Oblats desservent une toute petite communauté catholique;

– à Malmö, en Suède, et à Bruxelles, en Belgique, l’Église catho-lique et la maison des Oblats sont situées dans un quartier musulman. Bien qu’ils n’aient aucun contact pastoral direct avec les musulmans, des rencontres occasionnelles avec eux offrent des possibilités de dia-logue;

– en Pologne, des Oblats spécialisés en missiologie travaillent à la promotion du dialogue entre les religions, en particulier ceux qui se consacrent aux études supérieures et à la recherche;

– aux Philippines, presque la moitié des Oblats qui exercent un ministère sont engagés de façon directe ou indirecte, dans des écoles, la défense des droits, le développement communautaire, auprès des mu-sulmans dans le Sud du pays;

– dans le Sahara occidental, la communauté oblate porte témoi-gnage de la foi chrétienne en desservant les catholiques travaillant dans la région;

– en Indonésie, en particulier dans la région de Cilacap, les Oblats travaillent dans des écoles, des cliniques et des projets d’ordre socio-économiques pour le biais d’une communauté en majorité musulmane;

– les autres endroits où les Oblats sont présents et exercent leur mi-nistère sont l’Inde, le Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, le Cameroun, le Nigeria et le Sénégal.

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Le Comité général de la mission nouvellement créé aborde aussi de la question du dialogue entre les religions, suivant ainsi la direc-tive reçue du Supérieur général et de son conseil. Ce comité n’a tenu jusqu’à ce jour que deux réunions. Au cours de la dernière qui s’est te-nue conjointement avec le Service général de justice, paix et intégrité de la création, les membres ont échangé expériences et perspectives et décidé de préparer sur cet important sujet un matériel d’animation destiné à la Congrégation. De façon significative, le « Document sur la fraternité humaine pour la paix mondiale et la coexistence com-mune » signé conjointement par le pape François et le scheik Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand iman de la mosquée al-Azhar, à Abu Dhabi, Émirats arabes unis, le 4 février 2019, servira de référence essentielle dans la préparation de ce programme d’animation.

J’espère que les articles de ce numéro de la revue Oblatio sus-citeront l’intérêt des Oblats et les amèneront à faire ou à approfondir l’expérience du dialogue ou de la rencontre avec les musulmans tout comme avec les gens d’autres croyances, et à faire ainsi progresser la fraternité et la solidarité dans le monde d’aujourd’hui.

los oblatos en DiÀlogo con islaM

Yo fui Provincial de la Provincia de las Filipinas cuando Rey-naldo Roda, omi, fue asesinado en su sitio de misión en la isla de Tabawan, Tawi-Tawi, en el sur de las Filipinas en enero, 2008. Rey administraba una escuela de enseñanza secundaria del Vicariato de Jolo, proporcionando a la comunidad musulmana una razonable, aún sólida, educación para la juventud. También respaldò varios estudian-tes en sus estudios mientras continuaban al colegio o a la universidad. De hecho, los compañeros de confianza de Rey en el hogar y en la escuela eran musulmanes. Además, Rey también atendía un puñado de familias Católicas.

Pasando casi diez años en su lugar, Rey no solamente se preocupó de la escuela del Vicariato, trabajó incansablemente también para ayu-darle a la escuela pública y a la comunidad en general con sus miríadas necesidades sociales y económicas. Rey era conocido como un des-tinatario de confianza que recibía donaciones no-gubernamental. Era

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transparente y eficiente con la administración de dichos fondos. Esto causaría que alguna gente, con malas intenciones, pensar que podrían obtener dinero si secuestraran a Rey.

Rey estaba en la capilla rezando por la tarde cuando unos hombres armados se lo llevaron a la fuerza, planeando llevárselo con ellos al barco, y entonces de allí a un lugar no revelado, detenerlo como re-hén para rescate. Sin embargo, Rey resistió intensamente el ser tomado vivo. Confrontados con el alboroto que él estaba causando a altas horas de la noche; sus captores lo mataron al arrastrarlo fuera del recinto de la escuela.

Los días siguientes se demostró cuan inmensamente amaba la comunidad a Rey. Los estudiantes y el personal de la escuela estaban anonadados e inconsolables en su pena al haber perdido a alguien que cariñosamente le llamaban “Tatay,” o padre. Los residentes estaban en completa incredulidad en la tragedia que había sucedió en su aislada, pero pacífica comunidad.

Siendo que no había un embalsamador en la isla, el cuerpo de Rey se tuvo que primero llevar por barco a la más grande isla-capital de la provincia, después por helicóptero a la isla principal de Mindanao, donde la mayoría de los Oblatos estaban situados. En el funeral de Rey, sus estudiantes musulmanes y amigos estaban en los primeros bancos en la Catedral. A lo largo de la procesión fúnebre al cementerio Oblato, la gente formaba línea a lo largo del camino con banderas expresando apoyo para la misión de diálogo de Rey.

Antes de que sepultaran a Rey, yo ya estaban luchando sobre el pensamiento de quien lo remplazaría en la misión. El año escolar no había terminado todavía y que debería de atar tantos cabos sueltos. Sin embargo, existía también la preocupación del dolor de la comunidad que debía ser atendida. Dejé saber este dilema a los Oblatos y solicité un voluntario. Rey era el tercer Oblato en un lapso de once (11) años de haber encontrado un destino violento en el Vicariato de Jolo, des-pués del Obispo Benjamín de Jesús en 1997 y Benjamín Inocencio en 2000. Se necesitaría un gran esfuerzo de fe y una abundancia de valor y generosidad para aceptar la misión con tan breve noticia y circunstan-cias trágicas. Sin embargo, antes que Rey fuera sepultado, un Oblato ya había ofrecido moverse e ir y continuar la misión en Tabawan, y otro Oblato asumir el trabajo que quedaría vacante. No pensé que iba a ser

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“fácil,” pero quizás me alegré ser sorprendido con el espíritu tan atre-vido de mis hermanos.

Comparto este relato para poner reflejos en dos cosas: la amistad y solidaridad de gente de otra fe que se les ha mostrado amistad y soli-daridad por un Oblato, y el valor y generosidad de Oblatos compañeros para asumir un desafío en una misión de diálogo.

Rey no fue el primer Oblato en ser tan profundamente amado por aquella comunidad musulmán in Tabawan. La escuela Notre Dame fue fundada in 1963 por Leopold Gregoire, omi, un canadiense francés Oblato de la Misión Filipina. Padre Gregoire ha sido como una leyenda en la isla de Tabawan por su cercanía a la gente y su franqueza a su cultura. Era conocido como un líder profundamente espiritual, un “cu-randero”, y aún un “evocador de espíritus.” Parte del impacto duradero del Padre Gregoire se ve en el testimonio de su vida y su trabajo como Católico y Misionero Oblato, en el contexto Musulmán, se puede ver en el hecho de que en cada año en el 17 de agosto, todo el pueblo celebraba su cumpleaños como una fiesta llamada “Dìa de Gregoire,” cuando la gente se involucraba en festividades y actividades de caridad.

De parte de los Oblatos, ser asignados a Vicariato de Jolo por una temporada en la vida misionera, es como un “escudo de honor,” no so-lamente por los riesgos y peligros de la misión allí, sino también debido a las oportunidades que se presentan para vivir en un diálogo de vida en harmonía con gente de otra cultura y fe. Tal es un verdadero enriqueci-miento de la persona y la vida misionera.

En el trigésimo sexto Capítulo General de la Congregación en 2016, se tomó un propósito sobre la presencia y ministerio Oblato entre musulmanes. Parte de ese propósito reconoció que nuestra Congrega-ción no puede estar ausente en la conversación tocante Islam, y que “Oblatos viviendo en esas áreas son un recurso esencial para compren-der el fenómeno en su complejidad”. Cuatro puntos de atención fueron identificados: (1) Renovar nuestro conocimiento que la evangelización no es solo la explícita proclamación de la fe y del Evangelio. (2) Hacer un inventario de nuestros establecimientos en el mundo Musulmán en la Congregación: recopilar en un documento sus experiencias, cono-cimientos, visiones, y necesidades. (3) Apoyar comunidades Oblatas

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involucradas en el mundo Musulmán con personal. (4) Invitar algunos Oblatos para formarlos como sabios Islámicos.1

Este ejemplar de Oblatio es parte de la repuesta a la recomendación de Capítulo General. Esta iniciativa del Padre Fabio Ciardi, Director del Servicio de Estudios Oblatos recopila algunos de estos relatos y percep-ciones que son los frutos de las experiencias de Oblatos en ambientes Islámicos. El artículo por Luis Ignacio Ríos es de valor distintivo al localizar las raíces de nuestra presencia evangelizadora entre musul-manes en la experiencia de San Eugenio DeMazenod, y de la Iglesia sacan sabiduría tras el paso de años. Con toda certeza, hay más relatos Oblatos y estudios que no se pueden contener solamente en un libro o ejemplar, y la escritura, la preservación y la difusión de esas narracio-nes deben continuar.

Un inventario preliminar en 2018 manifestó la presencia Oblata y el ministerio con, y entre musulmanes, en esos lugares y oportunida-des.

En en la escuela teológica Oblata (Oblate School of Thelogy) en San Antonio, Texas, EEUU (USA), hay comunicación regular y pro-gramas de diálogo, involucrando estudiantes, facultad y personal, con miembros de centros Islàmicos, mezquitas, e institutos.

- En Ashgabat, Turkmenstan, Oblatos ministran a la pequeña co-munidad Católica allí.

- En Malmo, Suiza, y en Bruselas, Bèlgica, la Iglesia Católica y residencia Oblata están localizadas en la vecindad musulmana. Aunque no tienen contacto pastoral directamente con musulmanes, hay encuen-tros informales con la población musulmana que son oportunidades para un diálogo de vida.

- En Polonia, nuestros misiologistas están involucrados en progra-mas que promueven diálogo interreligioso, particularmente al nivel di estudios superiores e investigación.

- En las Filipinas, casi la mitad del total número de Oblatos en ministerio activo están in diversas formas de involucración directa e indirecta (escuelas, abogacía, desarrollo comunitario) con musulmanes en la parte sur del país.

1 Recomendaciones Adicionales, Resuluciones, Autorizaciones, Directivas y Mandatos del Capìtulo General, G. Islam. Hechos del Trigesimo Sexto Capìtulo Gene-ral (2016). Roma. p. 70.

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- En Sáhara Occidental nuestra comunidad Oblata vive dando tes-timonio a la fe Catòlica Cristiana, mientras atienden a los Católicos trabajando en el área.

- En Indonesia, particularmente en el área metropolitana de Cila-cap, los Oblatos están involucrados en escuelas, clínicas y proyectos socio-económicos para el bienestar de la comunidad de mayoría de mu-sulmanes.

- En otros lugares presencia y ministerio Oblato entre musulmanes son India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Nigeria, y Senegal.

El Comité de Misión General nuevamente establecido también han asumido el asunto de diálogo inter-religioso por la dirección del Supe-rior General y Consejo. En sus únicos dos reuniones, hasta ahora, en el segundo, en el cual fue conjuntamente con el Servicio General de Justicia, Paz e Integridad de Creación y compartieron experiencias y percepciones, y está proponiendo desarrollar materiales de animación para la Congregación sobre tema de importancia. Significativamente, el documento Fraternidad Humana para Paz Mundial y Viviendo Juntos, la declaración conjunta firmada por el Santo Padre Francisco y Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Gran Iman de Al-Azhar, el 4 de febrero, 2018 en Aba Dabi, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, servirán como clave de investigación fundamental para el planeado proceso de animación.

Espero que el artículo en este ejemplar inspire interés entre Oblatos para descubrir o profundizar la experiencia de diálogo o encuentro con musulmanes y gente de otras creencias y avance la realidad de fraterni-dad humana y solidaridad en nuestro mundo hoy día.

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Historiael carisMa oblato al encuentro Del islaM

Luis ignacio Rois aLonso, omi

En su tesis doctoral, D. Ángel Nuño López1, intenta identificar cuáles son las constantes del carisma oblato y cómo éstas se han manifestado en diversos contextos, particularmente en la etapa

posterior al Concilio Vaticano II. El reto que su estudio plantea para cada Oblato, es comprobar si un determinado ministerio o misión, está en continuidad o no, con la inspiración carismática y cómo se contex-tualiza el carisma en una determinada misión. El presente artículo in-tentará responder a ese reto en relación con la misión al encuentro de los creyentes del Islam.*

El Islam, su teología, legislación, espiritualidad, etc., e incluso su expansión actual, presenta una diversidad compleja de describir, ina-barcable para los límites de este artículo. Además pensando en nuestra familia oblata, el encuentro con el Islam se vive en disparidad de con-textos: los que encuentran el islam en el Sáhara (100% de la población

* El artículo fue preparado en 2018. Por tanto, en su última parte, la que habla de ciertas perspectivas de relación entre carisma oblato y mundo islámico, no recoge elementos importantes que han ocurrido en estos años; entre otras: la firma conjunta del Papa Francisco en el documento por la fraternidad y las alocuciones durante la visita a Rabat. (eL editoR)

1 A. Nuño López, El carisma esencial de los Misioneros Oblatos de María In-maculada a la luz del Concilio Vaticano II. Facultad de Teología del Norte de España, Burgos 2017.

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local musulmana y sin una comunidad cristiana estable salvo los Obla-tos), es diverso a quienes los hacen en otros lugares de África o Asia (donde los cristianos no son considerados extranjeros aunque en algu-nos lugares formen una minoría sin igualdad de derechos a los nativos musulmanes) o los que lo hacen en las ciudades europeas, americanas o en Australia.

El Capítulo General de 2016 invitaba a “revisar el estado de los lu-gares en los que nuestra Congregación tiene una implantación misione-ra en el mundo musulmán: recoger en un documento sus experiencias, conocimientos, visiones y necesidades...”2. El presente artículo quiere ofrecer una reflexión que pueda servir para materializar esa propuesta. También quisiéramos poder demostrar que nuestra misión al encuentro del Islam, está en continuidad carismática y a la vez posibilita una pro-fundización de nuestro carisma. Esos son nuestros objetivos.

Estudiaremos en primer lugar los escritos y la experiencia del Fun-dador, buscando aquellos elementos constitutivos del carisma oblato relevantes para nuestros objetivos. Posteriormente, buscaremos resumir lo más fielmente posible la evolución doctrinal de la Iglesia católica en cuanto al diálogo interreligioso y el diálogo con el Islam. Finalmen-te, esperamos conseguir identificar elementos carismáticos que no sólo justifiquen, sino sobre todo que inspiren, la misión de los Oblatos en un contexto de encuentro con los creyentes del Islam.

eL FundadoR aL encuentRo deL isLam

¿Podemos descubrir la visión misionera de san Eugenio al enviar a sus Oblatos entre los creyentes del Islam? ¿Hay alguna evolución en su pensamiento, tal como ocurrió con otros ministerios? Buscaremos responder a estas dos preguntas recorriendo los escritos de san Eugenio, examinando la experiencia de los Oblatos en Argelia y escrutando el contacto directo de Eugenio con los musulmanes en Marsella y durante su viaje a Argelia3.

2 Actas del Capítulo General 2016. OMI Roma 2017. Punto G. Islam. Puntos de atención n. 2.

3 Seguimos a Y. Beaudoin, Mg de Mazenod et les musulmans, « Vie Oblate Life », 57 (1998) 467-499.

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El caldo de cultivo

1808, el joven Eugenio está discerniendo su vocación al presbite-rado. La Señora Glandevés le escribe una carta4 hablando de un joven Capuchino destinado en Túnez. Piensa que Eugenio encajaría bien en este tipo de misión. Esta breve referencia refleja un ideal que es común para el joven Eugenio y para los grupos de fervorosos cristianos de Pro-venza de la época. La misión en un medio árabe y musulmán, evocaba el deseo de anunciar el Evangelio de Jesucristo a los “infieles”, a los que no conocían a Cristo, y así “salvar sus almas”, aún a riesgo de perder la vida. Es el espíritu que marca el discernimiento vocacional de Eugenio. Es ese mismo espíritu que hará surgir numerosas congregaciones misio-neras en la Francia post-revolucionaria. Es decir, un espíritu comparti-do que creaba una cierta “mentalidad” y alimentaba un ideal común.

La fundación de la comunidad oblata en Argelia

Por su importancia, presentamos en segundo lugar el episodio de la fundación de los Oblatos en Argelia. Los pp. Beaudoin y Lamirande han estudiado este tema legándonos un extraordinario material5. Nues-tra lectura intentará acercarse al corazón del Fundador buscando aque-llos elementos que podrían ser nucleares en su concepción misionera y que, tal vez, los Oblatos en Argelia no lograron contextualizar.

Argelia fue la primera misión que se establecía en tierra africana. Eugenio siempre vio con entusiasmo la posibilidad de enviar allí sus Oblatos. Encontramos rastros de este deseo ya en 1830, apenas unos meses después de la toma de Argel por las tropas francesas. Por cier-to que nos incomodarán las expresiones que se utilizan para justificar la intervención militar francesa como herramienta necesaria para la evangelización, aunque ciertamente eran expresiones comunes entre los eclesiásticos franceses y romanos de la época. Argelia es un sueño misionero compartido con un buen número de sus misioneros que in-cluso presionarán al fundador para tomar una decisión. Lo cierto es que

4 Rey I, p 90. Carta del 27 de setiembre de 1808. Citado en Pielorz, The Spiritual life of Bishop de Mazenod. 1782-1812, Rome 1998, p. 31.

5 Beaudoin, Mg de Mazenod…, p. 478-482; É. Lamirande, Les Oblats en Algérie. Un rêve apostolique de Mgr de Mazenod (1849-1850), « Études Oblates », 14 (1955) 154-183; Y. Beaudoin, “Algérie”, Dictionarie Historique, I, p. 32-35.

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por diversas circunstancias, entre ellas la falta de reconocimiento de la congregación ante el gobierno francés, la fundación en Argelia no se realizará hasta casi 20 años más tarde.

Durante este tiempo de espera, Eugenio busca de diversas maneras que se asigne a los Oblatos a Argelia. Deseaba esta fundación porque era un lugar donde se podía cumplir su visión misionera, trabajando para la Gloria de Dios, la utilidad de la Iglesia y la salvación de las almas. En Argelia se podía predicar el Evangelio de Jesucristo a los “infieles”, vivir el carisma en un contexto de oblación, de dar la vida, incluso llegar al martirio si fuera necesario, servir a la Iglesia y a los más abandonados, viviendo una vida de calidad evangélica (hombres apostólicos) en contraste con otros obreros del Evangelio6.

San Eugenio envía a Tempier, su “alter ego”, para preparar la nueva fundación (más tarde lo enviará en visita canónica antes de cerrar la co-munidad). Quiere que sus misioneros vayan principalmente a anunciar la salvación a los musulmanes árabes7 que son la población local. Por eso recomienda que sus Oblatos aprendan la lengua local para poder anunciar a Cristo. Si al inicio deben tolerar ciertas condiciones requeri-das por el obispo (administración de parroquias y dispersión comunita-ria), ciertamente no deben olvidar su objetivo principal. Pero tampoco deben olvidar que estamos al servicio de los obispos a condición que la vida comunitaria y una vida según el espíritu de la Regla (vida religiosa y evangélica) sean respetadas. Está convencido que sólo una congre-gación religiosa que viva apostólicamente puede afrontar con éxito la misión de “convertir” a los árabes.

La fundación de Argelia fracasará en menos de dos años. Este fra-caso será una escuela para el Fundador que sabrá aplicar lo aprendido en futuras misiones de la Congregación. Los motivos del cierre de esa comunidad sobre todo son tres: a) los condicionantes exigidos por el obispo hicieron imposible vivir según la Regla, especialmente a causa de la dispersión de los Oblatos y la imposibilidad de vivir en comuni-dad; b) las parroquias encomendadas hacían imposible realizar el fin misionero principal: la conversión de los infieles; c) finalmente, los

6 Cf. Prefacio de las CC y RR de los Misioneros Oblatos de María Inmaculada.7 “Nosotros tenemos en vista la conversión de los árabes pasando por el camino

que debemos tomar actualmente” (Carta al p. Granier del 26 de octubre de 1849, Écrits oblats, 4, p. 172).

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problemas económicos causados por uno de los Oblatos, hacía inviable la presencia en Argelia e incluso ponía en riesgo el conjunto de la Con-gregación. A estos elementos se unió la solicitud de “Propaganda Fidei” para que los Oblatos asumieran un Vicariato Apostólico en África del sur, lo que provocó la decisión final.

Eugenio encuentra personalmente el Islam

Nos parece importante para nuestro cometido revisar aquellos mo-mentos en que san Eugenio encuentra creyentes musulmanes. Sin duda lo hizo durante su infancia en el exilio. Aquí nos concentramos sobre todo en su etapa de madurez. Su diario y sus cartas serán las fuentes principales de estudio de este apartado.

Como Obispo de Marsella

La situación de Marsella como puerto estratégico del Mediterráneo facilita los encuentros del Fundador con musulmanes, los siguientes entre los más significativos.

Bautismo y confirmación de algunos musulmanes. Ya hemos visto que el corazón del fundador ardía en deseo por la conversión de los ára-bes. Escribe: “se diría que es inútil intentarlo, como si fuera más fácil convertir los chinos”8. Pensamos que su certeza nace de su propia ex-periencia de conversión. Para Eugenio, el encuentro con Cristo ha mar-cado su ser de tal manera que quiere compartir esta misma experiencia con toda la humanidad, no importa el contexto. Podemos imaginar con cuánto gozo vivió las ocasiones en que, como obispo de Marsella, bau-tizará a algunos musulmanes. Los casos de un tal Mohamed, que decía ser descendiente del profeta, y un tal Demba de Senegal, han dejado su huella documental9.

Colaborar en la caridad. El 17 de marzo de 1837, recibe una carta de Abd El-Kader, emir árabe y adversario de los franceses en Argelia. El emir ofrece dinero para colaborar en las obras de caridad hacia los más pobres de la diócesis. Eugenio hace un discernimiento sobre si es

8 « Missions de la Congrégation des Missionnaires Oblats de Marie Immaculée », n. 12, 1874, p. 431.

9 Migne, Encyclopédie théologique, T. 33, Dictionnaire des conversions, p. 942. « L’Ami de la Réligion et du Roi », (Paris), t. 120, p. 168-194.

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lícito aceptar el dinero, proveniente de un infiel y quizás con no claras motivaciones.

Propuestas para la evangelización del norte de África. El proyecto de evangelización de los árabes estaba profundamente enraizado en su corazón y busca la manera más apropiada de realizarlo. Será un firme defensor de establecer un obispado en Argelia. Al rey le dice que, de no haber sido obispo de Marsella, él mismo se hubiera encargado de esa diócesis10. Además, como obispo de la sede de Marsella, siente una llamada especial de Dios para evangelizar los árabes del Mediterráneo. El 23 de enero de 1857 propone al ministro de la Instrucción Pública la creación de un arzobispado con sede en Marsella que incluya las sedes de Ajaccio, Argel y Tánger11. ¿Estaría en su mente que Oblatos dignos pudieran ser encargados de estas sedes? Esta “estrategia” misionera está detrás de numerosas peticiones que Eugenio dirige a Propaganda Fidei para Sri Lanka, África del sur o Norte América. Para él, el mejor medio de evangelización de un área difícil, es encargar a una única congregación esa misión con un pastor de esa misma congregación: un mismo estilo de vida y misión, trabajando para la evangelización de los paganos, bajo el mando de un obispo que tiene ese mismo pensar y sentir.

El viaje a Argelia. 22 de octubre al 13 de noviembre de 1842

El motivo de esta visita es participar en las ceremonias del traslado de las reliquias de S. Agustín. Invitado como antiguo obispo de Icosia, dejará constancia de sus impresiones en su diario12. Eugenio encuentra por primera vez a los creyentes del islam en su propio contexto. No po-demos negar el tono de superioridad con el que Eugenio se acerca a los habitantes locales a los que considera infieles, incivilizados, etc. Como ya hemos comentado Eugenio es un hombre de su tiempo. Piensa que si hubiera buenos sacerdotes que aprendieran la lengua y vivieran las vir-tudes cristianas, la conversión de los árabes sería fácil. Lamenta que las autoridades no permitan e incluso fuercen la conversión con diversas acciones que podrían justificarse como “derecho de conquista”.

10 Journal Mazenod, 8 décembre 1847, Écrits oblats, 18. 11 Citado por Beaudoin, Mg de Mazenod…, nota 51.12 « Missions OMI », n. 12, 1874, p. 417-458.

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Aprecia la manera de orar de los musulmanes. Es algo que impre-siona a Eugenio y que contrasta con la actitud de los “malos cristianos” que no rezan o no asisten al culto. Es verdad que este comentario viene acompañado de otros negativos13 que podrían revelar una hipersensi-bilidad espiritual. A pesar de valorar el modo llamativo de postrarse delante de Dios dando así pública manifestación de su fe, su silencio y respeto a los lugares de culto, lamenta Eugenio la “indignidad” de sus costumbres. Tampoco doctrinalmente es capaz de superar prejuicios. Si bien dice que su manera de vivir recuerda a la de los Patriarcas de la fe, sin embargo sus “errores” y sobre todo el hecho de no reconocer a Jesucristo como salvador, hace que su religión no pueda complacer a Dios. Juzga la doctrina islámica como una desviación, incluso siente cierta repugnancia. Ciertamente la visita es demasiado corta para poder ir más allá14.

Como superior de una Congregación en expansión misionera

La experiencia de los Oblatos en otros contextos culturales dife-rentes de Francia hizo que san Eugenio evolucionara en su visión mi-sionera sin traicionar su inspiración original. Es llamativo que algunas afirmaciones de la Regla tienen un antes y un después del envío de los Oblatos a otros continentes. Por ejemplo, se pasa de no aceptar las pa-rroquias o escuelas en la Regla de 1826, a aceptarlas en lugares de mi-

13 Algunas muestras: «población perdida», «errores lamentables», «profundos errores», «superstición», «esclavos de la superstición», «el demonio había inspirado desde hace tanto tiempo el culto falso y las supersticiones de pueblos abusados», «co-razones corrompidos», «infieles»…

14 Este párrafo resume su impresión general : « Hélas! je gémissais dans le fond de mon âme de voir ces bonnes gens plongées dans de si profondes erreurs et donner si peu d’espérance de parvenir à la connaissance de la vraie religion. Si leurs tentes et leurs coutumes nous rappelaient les temps des patriarches Abraham et Ismaël, qu’ils sont dégénérés, pour les mœurs et la religion, de ces patriarches leurs pères! Je ne pus néanmoins m’empêcher de dire à monsieur Suchet, qui a des rapports d’amitié avec eux, qu’il me paraissait impossible qu’avec un peu de soin et beaucoup de précautions on ne finît par les amener à la connaissance de Dieu et à la foi de l’Église. Les prêtres n’ont pas assez de confiance en Dieu et ne comptent pas assez sur la grâce de Jésus-Christ dans toute cette Algérie; ils vous dépitent par leur découragement et le peu de zèle qu’ils montrent pour la conversion de ces peuples; on dirait que c’est inutile de la tenter, comme s’il est plus facile de convertir les Chinois! » (« Missions OMI”, n. 12, 1874, p 431.

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sión en la Instrucción para las Misiones Extranjeras. Estudiando esta evolución podremos identificar las constantes del carisma.

Esta evolución nace de la enorme capacidad de empatía de san Eugenio, empatía con sus misioneros y con los pueblos donde éstos son enviados. No será un espectador pasivo en esta aventura misionera. Se mostrará muy activo multiplicando la correspondencia, es capaz de dar consejos e incluso decir la dirección que se debe tomar, siempre bus-cando una mayor incursión misionera y la proximidad con aquellos que aún no conocen a Jesucristo o están más abandonados. No pudiendo tener un contacto directo, Eugenio va abriéndose a una nueva visión mi-sionera a través de la experiencia de sus propios misioneros. Así mismo empieza a percibir cómo se va contextualizando esa inspiración en cada territorio concreto. El carisma crece, se expande y se contextualiza en la experiencia misionera concreta de cada Oblato. El p. Santucci y d. Ángel Nuño, entre otros, han hecho un estudio detallado de esta evo-lución15, señalando aquellos elementos que cambiaron y aquellos que parecen ser las constantes esenciales del carisma. Nosotros haremos un elenco sin pretender ser exhaustivos.

En cuanto a los elementos que “cambian” retenemos los siguientes puntos:

- Se pasa de una sociedad de sacerdotes diocesanos, a una Congre-gación Misionera de Religiosos que viven en comunidad.

- Se pasa de concentrarse en los habitantes del campo de Provenza, a la presencia en cuatro continentes.

- Se pasa de la predicación de misiones parroquiales16, los santua-rios y el ministerio de los jóvenes y prisioneros, a todos los ministe-rios que la caridad pueda inventar. Algunos ministerios “prohibidos” en Francia, serán aceptados en “territorio de misión”.

- Se adaptan algunas de las prácticas de los Misioneros en Francia al nuevo contexto misionero: catecismos con ilustraciones, cantos en la lengua local, ceremonias catequéticas, la manera de predicar las misio-nes, etc.

15 F. Santucci, Eugene de Mazenod, Co-operator of Christ the Saviour, Commu-nicates his Spirit, AOSR, Rome 2004. Nuño, El carisma…

16 Incluso en la manera de predicar las misiones hay ciertas “concesiones” en los países de misión pudiéndose cambiar algunas de las ceremonias que se consideraban intocables.

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Por otra parte hay ciertas constantes en las que el Fundador insisti-rá en toda circunstancia:

- La experiencia de encuentro personal con Cristo salvador es la clave. Se insiste en renovarse en la llamada a ser santos, siguiendo a Jesucristo que nos ha redimido y colaborando con Él. Esta experiencia es la que estamos llamados a compartir con los más abandonados.

- Los Oblatos son sobre todo “hombres apostólicos”, que viven el Evangelio según la Regla. El cumplimiento de la Regla será una preocu-pación permanente en las cartas que Eugenio dirige a sus misioneros.

- La vida en comunidad es exigida y las excepciones toleradas solo temporalmente.

- La gloria de Dios, el servicio a la Iglesia, la salvación de las al-mas. Se eligen unos u otros ministerios de acuerdo con esta trilogía como criterio. Además, las necesidades de salvación de los más aban-donados, los más pobres, es el criterio de apertura a nuevas misiones y ministerios.

- La proximidad con la gente, viviendo su misma vida, hablando su misma lengua, haciendo accesible el Evangelio y los sacramentos. Hay que llevarlos a sentimientos humanos, luego cristianos y ayudarlos a que sean santos.

¿Evolución del pensamiento de san Eugenio sobre el Islam?

Nos decepcionaremos si buscamos en Eugenio de Mazenod un adelantado a su tiempo en este campo. Él piensa y siente, como piensa y siente la mayoría en la Iglesia de su tiempo, como siente y piensa el Papa. ¿Hubo alguna evolución en su pensamiento sobre el Islam? Esta posible evolución quedó truncada a causa del fracaso de la experiencia de Argelia. No podemos saber lo que hubiera pasado si sus Oblatos hubieran continuado su inmersión en el medio y se hubieran dedicado a la población local, como él deseaba, ni si él hubiera adquirido nuevas luces sobre cómo ser Oblato en ese contexto.

En Sri Lanka los Oblatos contactan con los musulmanes. Allí son una minoría, como lo son los cristianos, entre los creyentes de otras religiones. Tenemos alguna referencia de este trabajo misionero en las cartas de san Eugenio. Al final de su vida nos llama la atención, la carta dirigida a Monseñor Barnabò, Prefecto de Propaganda Fidei, el 15 de diciembre de 1860. En ella constata la labor de los Oblatos que operan

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conversiones milagrosas entre hinduistas y budistas y, como cosa verda-deramente sorprendente, incluso conversión de musulmanes17. ¿Pensa-rá ahora que la conversión de los musulmanes tal vez sigue otros pará-metros, ni más ni menos difíciles que otros contextos, pero recorriendo caminos y procesos diferentes? Con los datos a nuestra disposición no podemos aventurar una respuesta. Nos conformamos compartiendo con san Eugenio su gozo por ver que sus Oblatos habían colaborado en esas conversiones tan ardientemente deseadas por él.

Sin embargo, la evolución experimentada por san Eugenio en re-lación con otros ministerios, en otros lugares y contextos, a lo largo de su vida, sí puede ofrecernos aquellos elementos inspiradores para una misión oblata al encuentro con los creyentes del Islam. Una inspiración que se verá enriquecida en el futuro al estudiar y compartir la manera concreta en que sus hijos han contextualizado esas inspiraciones en las misiones concretas.

La evoLución deL pensamiento catóLico soBRe eL “diáLogo inteRReLigioso”

San Eugenio fue un fiel hijo de la Iglesia y siempre estuvo atento al magisterio de la Santa Sede. Ya dijimos que utiliza las mismas ex-presiones de los documentos eclesiales de su época. Por eso es impor-tante asomarnos a la evolución del pensamiento doctrinal católico en este campo, especialmente desde el Concilio Vaticano II hasta nuestros días.

Si comparamos el tono de las expresiones utilizadas por los Papas antes y ahora, sin entrar en su justificación teológica, la evolución nos parece abismal. Esta evolución es también notable en las actitudes y prácticas desarrolladas por los misioneros, los fieles y los pastores de la Iglesia. Evolución que puede quedar visualmente representada con un

17 « Votre Éminence serait étonnée et en bénirait certainement le Seigneur si je pouvais lui faire passer les relations que je reçois des missions que donnent à Ceylan nos Oblats de Marie. Les fruits en sont vraiment prodigieux. Je n’ai jamais rien vu de semblable dans le vicariat de Colombo où l’on suit un système de quiétude qui laisse croupir chacun dans son ignorance et toutes ses misères. Dans les missions des Oblats Dieu y opère des conversions éclatantes. Non seulement les chrétiens y sont renouvelés, mais bon nombre de Bouddhistes entrent dans le sein de l’Église et, chose étonnante, des Musulmans même ont ouvert les yeux à la lumière ».

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evento extraordinario en los que uno de los protagonistas fue un sucesor de san Eugenio como superior general de la congregación. En octubre de 1986, el p. Marcelo Zago aparecía en todas las televisiones del mun-do. Se celebraba el Encuentro de Oración por la Paz en Asís. Un gesto audaz convocado por san Juan Pablo II que reunió a representantes de diversas religiones del mundo para rezar por la paz. El p. Zago era uno de los organizadores principales del evento que supuso un nuevo estilo de encuentro entre religiones, de tal modo que ya nada sería igual, ni en la reflexión, ni en la práctica de los Papas en este campo.

En efecto, desde el Concilio Vaticano II, la doctrina sobre el diá-logo interreligioso se fue desarrollando. La Encíclicas y Exhortaciones Apostólicas de los Papas post-conciliares son jalones en este camino. Marcelo Zago tendrá un papel importante en la elaboración de la Encí-clica sobre la permanente validez del mandato misionero de san Juan Pablo II publicada en 1990. En ella encontramos las siguientes afirma-ciones: “el diálogo interreligioso forma parte de la dimensión evan-gelizadora de la Iglesia”, es “una de las expresiones” de la misión ad gentes (cf. Redemptoris missio, 55), así como la alusión sobre la acción del Espíritu en las religiones (cf RM 28) y en el diálogo interreligioso (cf. RM 56).También ha sido importante la labor del que actualmente se denomina el Pontificio Consejo para el Diálogo interreligioso18. Poco a poco, el término “diálogo interreligioso”, ha ido tomando carta de ciudadanía en el cuerpo doctrinal de los documentos magisteriales de obispos y conferencias episcopales.

El Papa Francisco en la Exhortación Post-Sinodal Evangelii gau-dium, dedica específicamente cinco párrafos al diálogo interreligioso (n 250-254), dos de ellos a la relación con el Islam. Este diálogo, señala, es fundamental para construir la paz y por tanto “un deber para los cristianos”. Apela a una actitud de “apertura en la verdad y el amor” y desde la vida cotidiana, aceptar al otro y servir juntos a la justicia y la paz, creando nuevas condiciones sociales. En el n 254 valorará los

18 Por su importancia señalamos algunos de los documentos elaborados por el hoy llamado Pontificio Consejo para el Diálogo interreligioso: Diálogo y misión (1984), Diálogo y anuncio (1991), La espiritualidad del diálogo interreligioso (1999), El tes-timonio cristiano en un mundo multi-religioso (2011). Junto a ellos otros documentos importantes para el tema de otros dicasterios: El cristianismo y las religiones (1996) y El Señor Jesús (2000).

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cultos y expresiones sagradas de religiones no cristianas, que acercan a una expresión comunitaria de camino hacia Dios, como cauces que el mismo Espíritu suscita. Esta “sabiduría acumulada a lo largo de los siglos” puede ayudar también a los cristianos a vivir mejor sus propias convicciones.

Han sido muchos los creyentes y también los Oblatos que, desde su experiencia misionera cotidiana, han vivido el encuentro con creyentes de otras religiones. Ha sido un largo camino el que se ha recorrido en estos dos últimos siglos. Aunque no podemos extendernos en la expli-cación detallada de este recorrido19, si quisiéramos aquí ofrecer algunas herramientas que nos ayuden a cumplir nuestros objetivos.

Encuentro de creyentes de diferentes religiones

En primer lugar queremos salir al paso de una cuestión terminoló-gica. Los documentos magisteriales hablan de “diálogo interreligioso”. Lo primero que viene a la mente cuando utilizamos la palabra “diálogo” es una actividad en la que las personas intercambian ideas o discuten sobre un determinado tema, a veces buscando llegar a un acuerdo sobre un determinado punto. Cuando pensamos en “diálogo interreligioso” espontáneamente nos parece que es algo que deben hacer los especialis-tas. Sin embargo, si estudiamos el uso de la palabra “diálogo” en el ma-gisterio pontifico, desde Pablo VI hasta nuestros días, encontraremos que a ese término se le ha ido ampliando su campo semántico.

Nosotros preferiremos la palabra “encuentro”, que por supuesto engloba el diálogo pero no se reduce a él. El encuentro se da entre cre-yentes que viven su experiencia religiosa desde diferentes tradiciones o vías. Este encuentro implica a todos y toca todas las dimensiones de la vida, tanto personales como comunitarias y no es una mera actividad programada. “Encuentro de Dios y la humanidad” es utilizado para in-tentar explicar el hecho religioso. Nos parece que el uso de este término nos ayuda a comprender mejor todo lo que el magisterio declara cuando habla de “diálogo interreligioso”.

19 Un buen estudio sobre el tema en J.J. Alemany, El diálogo interreligioso en el magisterio de la Iglesia, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid 2001.

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En el documento Diálogo y misión20 se habla de cuatro dimensio-nes del diálogo interreligioso, nosotros utilizaremos “encuentro” allí donde lo creemos más apropiado. Se trata del Encuentro de la vida, entendido como el encuentro de personas de tradiciones religiosas me-diante el contacto personal, la relación humana más directa; Encuentro de los hechos, o sea la colaboración práctica y concreta en torno a acti-vidades de índole humanitaria, social, político-económica y ecológica que buscan la liberación y progreso de todo lo creado; el Diálogo teo-lógico, diálogo sobre la verdad religiosa de cada tradición; por último, el Encuentro de la experiencia espiritual o religiosa de los creyentes de distintas religiones.

En diferentes documentos se han señalado las actitudes básicas que hay que cultivar para que se produzca un verdadero encuentro y que podemos resumir así: Caminar juntos para encontrar la verdad más ple-na (honestidad y humildad; ni sincretismo ni fundamentalismo); Testi-monio y Anuncio mutuo (ni proselitismo ni omisión; acogida y escucha del otro); compartir la experiencia religiosa dejándonos enriquecer por el otro para crecer en nuestra propia identidad (ni complejo de supe-rioridad, ni complejo de inferioridad, ni simulación por conveniencia); construir juntos un mundo más justo, en paz y en armonía con la crea-ción (como creaturas entre otras creaturas y sin una “doble intención proselitista”);

encuentRo de Los cReyentes cRistianos con cReyentes deL isLam

El encuentro de creyentes cristianos con los del islam ha sido histó-ricamente convulso, de encuentros y desencuentros. La Iglesia ha con-templado nacer el Islam pensando que era una desviación, entre otras, de la doctrina cristiana. Más tarde ha padecido su expansión rápida e inesperada, expansión en la que la dominación militar jugó un papel im-portante. Siglos de encuentros y desencuentros han provocado posturas diferentes. Desde la perspectiva cristiana, esas posturas quedan sinteti-zadas en nuestro imaginario colectivo por las cruzadas, por una parte,

20 Pontificio Consejo para el diálogo inter-religioso y la Congregación para la evangelización de los pueblos, La actitud de la Iglesia católica para con los seguidores de otras religiones. Reflexiones y orientaciones sobre el diálogo y la misión, Roma 1991. Aquí nos interesan sobre todo los n 28-35.

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y san Francisco en su encuentro con el Sultán egipcio, por otra. No faltaron figuras que buscaban el encuentro con los creyentes del Islam desde el diálogo o la no violencia (Francisco, Ramón Llul, las Órde-nes religiosas que redimían cautivos…). Tampoco faltaron figuras que respondieron con violencia a la violenta confrontación con creyentes musulmanes. Al inicio del pasado siglo XX contemplamos un florecer de iniciativas de encuentro con el Islam desde el profundo respeto y el descubrimiento mutuo (Charles de Foucauld, Louis Massignon, Expe-riencias de algunos Movimientos eclesiales…)

Los “místicos” de las dos tradiciones religiosas han abierto otras posibilidades. El estudio de sus experiencias ha posibilitado el encuen-tro con nueva profundidad. También los mártires cristianos en tierra del Islam son luces de inspiración para muchos porque ellos han sabido dar testimonio de entrega de su vida imitando a Jesucristo, sin dejar por ello de amar a los creyentes del Islam21.

Tenemos que esperar al Concilio Vaticano II para encontrar una declaración conciliar en que se acojan positivamente algunos elementos de la religión islámica22. El Pontificio Consejo para el Diálogo Inte-rreligioso, ha elaborado numerosos documentos que han inspirado el encuentro entre creyentes. Además, en numerosas ocasiones se han pro-movido eventos junto a autoridades islámicas reconocidas, con algunas declaraciones comunes. Las Conferencias episcopales de ciertos países y regiones contextualizan este magisterio. La labor de varias institucio-nes, entre las que destacamos el PISAI (Pontificio Instituto de Estudios Árabe-Islámicos) y sus periódicas publicaciones y cursos, han ayudado a desbrozar el camino. Esta evolución se muestra muy viva y dinámica en nuestros días. También se observan esfuerzos de instituciones y uni-versidades desde la ladera islámica.

Siempre es difícil saber hasta qué punto todo esto influye en los creyentes de ambas tradiciones. Ciertamente la vida cotidiana es el lu-gar donde se desarrolla el auténtico encuentro. Lamentablemente se siguen dando situaciones de violencia entre los que incluimos nuevos fenómenos terroristas. Esto ha impactado en la sociedad global y fue

21 Mártires cristianos en tierras del Islam los ha habido en todas las épocas hasta nuestros días. El Papa Francisco ha aprobado y se celebrará próximamente, la Beatifi-cación del grupo de mártires de Argelia.

22 Nostra aetate, 3.

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uno de los motivos que provocaron la reflexión en el Capítulo general de 2016. No podemos cerrar los ojos a esta realidad, sabiendo que mu-chos realizan este encuentro exponiendo su vida y su fe, algunos hasta el extremo de perderla violentamente. Por otra parte constatamos que el encuentro de creyentes ha provocado algunas “conversiones”, en el sentido de “cambio” de confesión, fenómeno que vale la pena estudiar con profundidad. En otros casos, ese encuentro provoca una profundi-zación en la propia tradición religiosa.

El Papa Benedicto XVI, en un discurso en la Universidad de Ratis-bona, el 12 de septiembre de 2006, puso en evidencia el conflictivo en-cuentro entre creyentes cristianos y musulmanes. Algunas instituciones importantes del mundo islámico intentaron en varias ocasiones elaborar una respuesta a lo dicho por el Papa, trabajo que desembocó en la que se conoce como la declaración “Una palabra en común entre nosotros y vosotros”23. Esta declaración concluye: “Así, en la obediencia al Sagra-do Corán, como musulmanes, invitamos a los cristianos a encontrarse con nosotros sobre la base de lo que nos es común, que es también lo que hay de más esencial en nuestra fe y práctica: dos mandamientos de amor”. Creemos importante resaltar este documento y sobre todo llamar la atención para acoger lo que desde la vertiente islámica puedan aportar al encuentro entre creyentes.

Quisiéramos concluir este apartado reseñando lo que el Papa Fran-cisco dice en su “programa pastoral” para la Iglesia de nuestro tiempo, la Exhortación Apostólica Evangelii gaudium. Para él, la “relación con los creyentes del Islam” es especialmente importante en nuestros días. En el n 252 hace una valoración positiva de varios elementos de la práctica religiosa islámica, incluyendo su veneración por Jesús y María. En el n 253 pide una adecuada formación de los posibles interlocutores en el diálogo para que ocurra un enriquecimiento mutuo. Así mismo pide, por parte cristiana acogida y afecto a los emigrantes islámicos y reciprocidad hacia los cristianos respetando su libertad de culto en aquellos países que se declaran islámicos. En ambos números late la tensión generada por los que Francisco califica de “fundamentalismos violentos”.

23 Una palabra común entre vosotros y nosotros., 13 de octubre de 2013. Firmada por 138 autoridades del mundo musulmán. https://www.acommonword.com/wp-con-tent/uploads/2018/05/ACW-Spanish-Translation-Intro.pdf

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encuentRo deL caRisma oBLato con eL isLam: pistas de enRiquecimiento mutuo

Un verdadero encuentro entre creyentes cristianos e islámicos pue-de producir una profundización de la propia vivencia religiosa. Esto mismo lo afirmamos en relación con nuestro carisma. Más aún, según al Papa Francisco “la salida misionera es el paradigma de toda obra de la Iglesia”24. ¿Podría ser la experiencia de “salida al encuentro con el Islam” un paradigma para la misión y la vida oblata de nuestros días? Creemos que sí, entre otras experiencias, por eso es urgente compartir nuestros descubrimientos en este campo. Es importante para la misión, pero es también importante para el carisma. Desbrozamos a continua-ción un pequeño camino que pueda servir como guía para compartir nuestro aprendizaje en este ámbito.

El carisma al encuentro del Islam

Desde la perspectiva de nuestro carisma, presentamos aquellas constantes que nos parecen pueden enriquecer el encuentro con creyen-tes del Islam.

- La experiencia religiosa de encuentro (y conversión) con Cristo salvador. Destacamos esta dimensión, aunque somos conscientes de los problemas que a su vez plantea nuestro enunciado en el universo de la fe islámica. Sin embargo, un encuentro sincero y verdadero desde nuestro carisma no puede pasar por alto lo que impregna nuestra expe-riencia religiosa y la de san Eugenio. Cada uno se encuentra con el otro desde su identidad más profunda, que en nuestro caso es el encuentro personal con Cristo salvador. Esta experiencia ilumina e interroga el conocimiento que se tiene de Jesús desde la perspectiva islámica.

- La vida comunitaria Una vida de cercanía e intensa caridad, en una comunidad inserta, puede hablar al mundo islámico de aquellos va-lores evangélicos que pueden iluminar y sintonizar con el sentimiento de pertenencia a la comunidad de los creyentes del Islam (Umma). En la práctica será un elemento elocuente y el lugar ordinario de encuentro.

- Predicación como Vida evangélica. San Eugenio insiste en que la auténtica predicación es la que se hace desde el testimonio de vida,

24 Evangelii gaudium, n. 15.

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viviendo las virtudes apostólicas (Prefacio). En este sentido, hombres que viven los votos religiosos (o los consejos evangélicos en el caso de los laicos) son un signo y testimonio elocuente y apreciado por el islam. Deberíamos vivir de tal manera que los creyentes musulmanes pudieran ver o leer en nosotros el estilo de vida de Jesús25.

- Cerca de los pobres, El trabajo por la Justicia la Paz y el cuidado de la Creación, desde una vida sencilla y entregada, sintiéndonos parte del pueblo al que somos enviados y contribuyendo con la sociedad para conseguir mayor justicia, paz y armonía con lo creado. Aquí se abren muchas posibilidades de encuentro “coloreado” con nuestro carisma y que en algunos contextos han provocado que musulmanes se sientan parte de la familia oblata.

- María. Por primera vez nombro a la Madre de Jesús en este artí-culo y lo hago con una firme convicción: si hay un “estilo mariano26“ de vivir el Evangelio y lo encarnamos desde nuestro carisma, esto no dejará indiferente al creyente islámico que conoce a María y la recono-ce como la virgen Madre de Jesús, el Mesías, e incluso la visita en sus santuarios.

- Místicos y mártires: Oblación. Hemos evocado la importancia de los místicos y de los mártires. Dos dimensiones que en nuestro carisma se condensan en el término oblación. En efecto, nuestra oblación es lo que más nos define. Unirse (o mejor dejarse unir) a Cristo crucificado de tal forma que veamos el mundo desde sus ojos (místico) y viviendo cada minuto de nuestra vida en permanente oblación y comunión con-por-en Cristo y con-por-en los hermanos (mártir). Además podríamos hablar también de dar la vida por otro, en este caso por los musulmanes, que conecta con san Eugenio y su idea de sustitución (reparación) de las órdenes religiosas en la época postrevolucionaria de Francia y también con sensibilidades contemporáneas de cristianos embarcados en el en-cuentro con creyentes islámicos27.

25 «En quienes dicen: “nosotros somos cristianos”, encontrarás a los más próximo en amor, para quienes creen, y eso es porque entre ellos hay sacerdotes y monjes y no se enorgullecen» (Corán, sura 5,85).

26 «Hay un estilo mariano de actividad evangelizadora en la Iglesia» (Evangelii gaudium, n. 288).

27 Badaliya es el término árabe que Louis Massignon utiliza.

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El Islam al encuentro del carisma

El Islam vivido por los creyentes que encontramos, tiene elemen-tos que nos ayudarán a vivir con mayor hondura nuestra vida cristia-na y nuestro carisma. Escapa de nuestra intención exponer todos esos elementos,28 pero con cierto temor recogemos algunos que pudieran ser más inspiradores para vivir nuestro carisma.

- La experiencia religiosa de Dios: trascendencia y unicidad ra-dical. “No hay más Dios que Allah y Mohamed es su enviado”, es la shahāda, la profesión de fe islámica. Esta confesión de radical unidad y unicidad de Dios nos reta y provoca para que tengamos que profun-dizar en nuestra imagen cristiana de Dios Trinidad. Por otra parte, un Dios trascendente tal como se confiesa en el Islam, nos reta también a profundizar en lo que significa creer en la Encarnación, Muerte y Resu-rrección de Jesús y en la acción de Dios en la historia.

- La fidelidad al Libro, el Corán nos recuerda la veneración que debemos a las Escrituras santas. San Eugenio insistirá sobre el estudio y meditación de la Palabra. También en leer y vivir la Regla que podría recordar la veneración por las tradiciones trasmitidas por los discípulos del profeta para la comunidad musulmana. En definitiva nos cuestiona sobre nuestra calidad de vida evangélica. En este contexto cabe hablar de la yihad29 como esfuerzo por vivir las exigencias de nuestra vocación con coherencia.

- La vida diaria pautada por la oración. El pueblo musulmán es un pueblo orante y en medio de ellos somos comunidades orantes. Las llamadas públicas a la oración pautan el ritmo vital y social. Las postra-ciones (cuerpo que ora), los silencios, las fiestas, los tiempos de ayuno y otras prácticas piadosas (como la recitación de los bellos nombres de Dios, las jaculatorias, etc.…) pueden enriquecer nuestras tradiciones de familia si, orando de una forma más inculturada, nos abrimos a nuevas dimensiones de encuentro con lo sagrado. También es llamativa la ma-nera de aceptar lo que acontece como “voluntad de Dios”, en el sentido que Dios tiene la última clave y el sustento de todo lo que existe. El

28 La “Revista Islamochristiana” del PISAI puede iniciarnos en este aprendizaje debido para conocer mejor el Islam.

29 Las otras más comunes: lucha por construir una sociedad musulmana, y lucha violenta (guerra) para defender o expandir el Islam.

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nombre de Dios se hace muy presente en las expresiones cotidianas que pueden mantener vivo el fuego de la presencia de Dios en cada instante, tal como deseaba san Eugenio.

- La hospitalidad. Creemos que la hospitalidad que exige el Islam es el concepto que más se aproxima al de la caridad cristiana ya que en el Islam la hospitalidad se practica incluso con quien no es musulmán (no es así en la limosna cultual). La hospitalidad puede ser ese otro nombre de la caridad que como Oblatos estamos llamados a encarnar.

- La moral, el comportamiento ético. Si bien en algunos valores morales podemos entrar en conflicto, también es verdad que podemos encontrar inspiración en el comportamiento ético de los musulmanes. Entre otros posibles ejemplos, la manera de comprender los préstamos y las finanzas de la comunidad islámica, incluidas las actividades ban-carias, puede inspirarnos y tal vez acercarnos más al espíritu de Jesús.

- Peregrinos. Uno de los pilares de la práctica islámica es la pe-regrinación a los lugares santos. Los Oblatos hemos sido llamados a animar y custodiar algunos santuarios30, especialmente santuarios ma-rianos. Peregrinar nos recuerda nuestra dimensión humana como itine-rantes en esta vida, buscando con otros la verdad plena, cada uno desde su tradición, pero caminando juntos como humanidad hacia una pleni-tud que nos trasciende. Nuestras CC y RR dicen que somos peregrinos caminando en fe, esperanza y caridad31“.

- Jesús, María y los profetas, venerados en el Islam. Su visión pue-de ayudarnos a conocer desde otra perspectiva las grandes figuras que inspiran nuestra fe. Ciertas tradiciones islámicas nos acercan a la ma-nera histórica de vivir de nuestros patriarcas, profetas y las primeras generaciones de cristianos. En algunas ocasiones nos ayudarán en la comprensión de los textos bíblicos.

- Los místicos musulmanes pueden inspirar nuestra oración y ha-cernos descubrir, desde la ladera islámica, esos aspectos de encuentro con el Misterio de Dios que son menos considerados tal vez en nuestra tradición. Además, los místicos de uno y otro lado utilizan un lenguaje similar que pueden darnos palabras para nuestros encuentros comunes

30 Tendríamos que estar atentos a los musulmanes que peregrinan a santuarios cristianos o visitan nuestras iglesias. Algo que no debería improvisarse sino prepararse seriamente.

31 C 31.

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y nuestro encuentro con Dios. Algunos cristianos han tenido un encuen-tro profundo con el Islam a través de confraternidades, sobre todo con “tariqas sufíes”, de las que también podemos encontrar alguna inspi-ración. Queremos destacar también que la espiritualidad del desierto, el respeto por lo creado, la vida sencilla y esencial que impregna los textos venerados en el Islam, pueden enriquecer nuestras tradiciones de familia oblata.

concLusión

Vivir el carisma en un contexto de encuentro con los creyentes del Islam es una gracia y una oportunidad. Somos colaboradores con Cristo en su Misión y su Oblación, allá donde el mandato misionero y las ne-cesidades de la Iglesia y de los más abandonados nos colocan. Podemos decir que en el encuentro con el Islam convergen muchas de nuestras “constantes” carismáticas. En los diversos lugares donde los Oblatos han vivido su vida en este contexto han escrito una página bella de evangelización. También hoy que este encuentro se realiza en casi todas las regiones geográficas y no siempre de manera armoniosa, no en vano contamos con algunos Oblatos cuya vida ha sido arrebatada violenta-mente en este contexto. Hemos recogido ampliamente la experiencia del Fundador al encuentro con el islam. Después de 200 años de histo-ria de la Congregación ha llegado el momento de compartir, tal como nos pidió el capítulo general de 2016, nuestro aprendizaje misionero al encuentro de los creyentes del Islam. En este artículo hemos expresado nuestra doble convicción: que la misión de encuentro con el mundo islámico está plenamente integrada en nuestro carisma misionero y que el Islam puede enriquecer nuestra percepción del carisma ayudándonos a descubrir nuevas perspectivas del mismo.

Luis Ignacio Rois Alonso, omi

Misión OMI del Sá[email protected]

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Vita et MissioliVing witH MusliMs in tHe soutHern PHiliPPines

eLiseo “Jun” meRcado, omi

The narratives of the OMI Mission in the Philippines are inti-mately tied to the history of “Modern” Cotabato Empire Prov-ince and the Sulu Archipelago post World War II. There are

three mission narratives that continue to shape the OMI Mission in the Southern Philippines. The first is the OMI Work and Witness among the Moro peoples, in Cotabato but primarily in Sulu. The second is the pastoral work towards building the “special” Local Church in Cotabato (the Church of migrants/settlers from the Visayas and Luzon); and the third is the work among the Indigenous peoples, particularly with the Tedurays and Lambagians in Upi, the Dulangan Manobos in the Kula-man Mountains, and the Aromanen & Mt. Apo Manabos of Carmen, Matalam, Magpet and Kidapawan.

The Oblates accepted the Mission at the invitation of the then Bishop of Zamboanga, Most Rev. Luis del Rosario, SJ, in 1939. Little known to the pioneer missionaries, Bishop del Rosario entrusted two regions inhabited by the Moro Peoples of the Philippines – the “Em-pire” Provinces of Cotabato and Sulu. Both provinces were known as “homelands” of the Moro peoples inthe Philippines. Despite the pres-ence of a Christian Mission in big town centers in the Cotabato Empire, the majority population at that time were Muslims. Sulu, particularly Jolo, was the center of the famous Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo. And Cotabato Empire Province was the seats of the two great Sultan-ates: the Sultanate of Maguindanao (sometimes known as Sultanate sa Ilud) and the Sultanate of Buayan or Sultanate sa Raya.

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With the many stories of killings and banditry, and Moro rebellion, the Oblate mission (even decades before Vatican II) became centers of social services, friendship including education. Oblate pioneers, as Fr. George Dion, omi, put it: “right from the beginning, we began working with the Moros. I dressed like a Moro, I talked like a Moro. I learned Tausug (local language), I wrote a dictionary and grammar exercises”. That was it! The OMI missionaries in Sulu consciously intended to have a friendly relationship with the Muslims. They never had an illu-sion of converting them, but relating to them and working with them, with the hope that someday they would see and appreciate our “riches and wealth”.

This spirit was the driving force for Fr. Gerard Mongeau (OMI Su-perior) in the mission in Cotabato and Fr. George Dion – the dynamo in the mission in the Archipelago of Sulu. The Oblates established schools (the Notre Dame School systems in both Cotabato and the Archipelago of Sulu); opened clinics; established printing presses (Cotabato and Jolo) that published the Mindanao Cross and Sulu Star; and initiated credit unions and cooperatives aiming at development of the Moros. The work and ministry could be described as less proclamation of the Word and more what was then known as “corporal works of mercy” that speak eloquently of the Good News.

The pioneering Oblates took to heart the evangelical imperatives of food to the hungry; drink to the thirsty; clothing to the naked; shelter to the homeless; comforting the sick & prisoners (Matthew 25: 35-36). The building of schools, housing projects, livelihood programs, and the ministry of justice and peace, were the concrete translations of the im-peratives of the following of Jesus Christ. They came to share “what they have; to be kind and charitable to neighbors; and simply to become friends and neighbors to the Moros” (Fr. Dion’s Adventures in Mission-ary Life: 1996).

While the early Oblate pioneers had become friends with the Moro leaders in both Cotabato and Sulu, the mission was not bed of roses. Even then, the Missionaries faced the problem of banditry and Moro rebellion. Many places in the mission areas were “jittery” as bandits came right into towns. And rebels nurtured an anti-Christian animus in the early 50’s associated to Kamlon Rebellion. Then this same ani-mus surfaced yet again in the Moro Rebellion in the early 1970’s; and

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again with the rise of the extremist groups from the late 1990’s to the present.

The Oblate mission in the Sulu Archipelago, then and now, is a continuing historic and sometimes “bloody” saga of attempts to live and work among the Moros in the Philippines. The Bishop of Jolo, Most Rev. Benjamin de Jesus, omi, was murdered in broad daylight at the Plaza fronting the Cathedral of Jolo on February 4, 1997. Three years later, another Oblate, Fr. Benjamin Inocencio, omi, was also murdered at the back of the Cathedral on December 28, 2000. And, on Janaury 15, 2008, a group of “terrorists” landed in the remote island of Tabawan (South Ubian, Province of Tawi Tawi) with intent to kidnap Fr. Jesus Reynaldo Roda, omi. He refused to go with them, and they dragged him away and he was brutally shot and hacked nto death.

The latest terrorists’ attack against the Christian presence was the twin bombing of the Jolo Cathedral during a Sunday Mass, killing over 20 and wounding 100 churchgoers on January 27, 2019.

The Oblates, even in times of danger, threats, and difficulties, nev-er lost hope. In fact, they hold on to their belief that the Notre Dame School system, as well as the media apostolate (local newspapers and radio stations), and partnership for the care of the earth, work for justice and human rights would be the platforms for the future collaboration and partnership in building a friendly relationship between Muslims and Christians. Education would bring about not only peace but also development to the people.

As we re-visit the life and work of the missionaries through the years in the Southern Philippines, the mission takes many and differ-ent shapes and forms. Some established schools. Others built clinics. Still others published newspapers. One early missionary (Fr. Raymond Lacasse, omi) as early as 1960 put his work and presence among the Moro as simply “maguuyum sadja”, a Tausug expression that means “keep smiling”. It had been his motto in his long years as missionary in the archipelago, particularly in Cagayan de Sulu – right in the middle of the Sulu Sea. He kept smiling, and kept repeating it to everyone he met, especially the children.

In many ways, the early missionaries to the Southern Philippines, from 1939 to the present, have provided one real platform for work and ministry to the Muslims. No doubt the school system or the Notre

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Dame System is a blessing to both Cotabato and Sulu – the mission territories entrusted to the Oblates. Access to quality education, both basic and higher education, continues to produce Muslim leaders both in government and the private sector. The “corporal works of mercy” are the concrete actions that accompany the living of the Word. Thus, through these actions, the Missionaries become witnesses as followers of Jesus.

Then came the Moro Rebellion in the early 1970’s and the declara-tion of Martial Law in the Philippines in September, 1972, as a response to the rebellion. All-out war ensued between the Moro Front (the Moro National Liberation Front) and the Philippine Government troops that included Christian paramilitary. It was the darkest period in the relations between government (perceived as Christian) and the Muslim Front, and consequently between Christians and Muslims as well. There was a massive flow of refugees/evacuees, due to many battles fought both in the countryside as well as in the urban areas, that included the burning of the town of Jolo in 1974.

Ambushes along the main roads were common, too. Arbitrary arrests and detentions of suspected rebels or those sympathetic to re-bellion; military “zoning” (military encirclements of a community where all the males were lined up in the public square and houses were searched and ransacked, usually at night); disappearances of peoples and “salvagings” (people killed or liquidated and later their bodies were dumped into the river) were common occurrences during the height of the Moro rebellion from 1972-1976. These injustices and outright vio-lations of peoples’ basic rights led to the formation of the first Christian-Muslim Leaders Association of the Philippines. It was the first partner-ship between Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim leaders in defense of the citizens’ human rights and the struggle for justice. Prominent personali-ties in this struggle were Bishop Antonino Nepomuceno, omi, with fel-low Oblates of kindred spirit (Frs. Primo Hagad, Beato Tariman, Eliseo Mercado), Episcopal Bishop Manguramas, some UCCP Pastors, and Sheik Omar Bajunaid of the Rasheeda Islamic School in Lugay Lugay. This group conducted a capacity for building dialogue and monitoring human rights violations for Priests, Imams and Pastors. They were the pioneers of the Interreligious dialogue, both at the national and local

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levels, that involved the Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims for Human Rights and Justice.

They constituted the first version of “quick response” team to assist Muslim individuals and communities that were constantly harassed and repressed. The military wantonly violated their rights during military operations both in urban areas as well as in the remote areas.

It was a prophetic ministry for human rights and justice during the Martial law years that witnessed to collaborative work and understand-ing between Muslims and Christians. They worked together to preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice, and moral values, along Vati-can II’s Declaration on the relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra aetate, 3) “…On behalf of mankind, let them make common cause of safeguarding and fostering social justice, moral val-ues, peace and freedom”.

The association was there to protect people’s civil rights and civil liberties against the constant assaults of the fascist army of the Dicta-tor Marcos. In times of war and calamities, Bishops Nepomuceno and Manguramas and Sheik Bajunaid and their companion priests, pastors, nuns and lay leaders were in the forefront to give relief, assistance, freedom and moral support to the victims. They were able to forge Mus-lim-Christian solidarity that witnessed to the common tradition of trust, friendship, and hospitality amid the legacies of suspicion, anger and hatred. The Social Action Center in Cotabato under Bishop Antonino Nepomuceno, omi, during the Martial Law years, became the power-ful symbol of Muslim and Christian solidarity for justice, freedom and brotherhood.

The above cited work and ministry constituted yet another OMI tradition (albeit a minority witnessing of the Oblate Community) that shapes the Muslim and Christian relationship in Southern Philippines.

There is, yet another path personified by Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, omi, (Sulu), Frs. Michael Guckian and Jun Mercado in Maguindanao, particularly in Dulawan & Dinaig, and Ruben Gomez both in Nuling and Tamontaka. This was gentle, jovial friendship to all, but most es-pecially to the poor and the vulnerable sectors of Moro society. Their passionate commitment to the poor and dialogue of life led them to venture into a humble and non-threatening friendship with the Muslims in the Vicariate of Sulu and the Arcdiocese of Cotabato. This path is

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now enshrined in the universally accepted dialogue of life that trans-lates into everyday life, characterized by friendly relationships between and among neighbors. It is a path that continues, in daily living, to break down the walls (both visible and invisible) that separate Muslims and Christians.

This path it is actually a dialogue of life, enshrined both in the Vati-can Documents, particularly Dialogue and Proclamation and FABC’s Triple Dialogues: Muslims and Christians living as neighbors born out of the joyful and humble work of proclaiming God’s unconditional love and his inclusive kingdom that recognizes and respects the dignity and spiritual treasures of neighbors.

Another concrete path is the advocacy and work for peace that the Oblates have established in promoting good relationships between Christians and Muslims. This path has led to the development of peace education and peace advocacy at Notre Dame University (NDU). It is the first institution of higher learning that has integrated peace educa-tion in its curriculum where both Muslim and Christian students are re-quired to take peace studies. The University’s peace advocacy has led to mediation and conflict resolution efforts of the citizens and civil society composed of Muslims and Christians in the Southern Philippines.

Following the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the Philippine Government and the Moro National Liberation Front, Peace Education became one of the flagship programs of President Fidel Ramos. Funds were appropriated for NDU to train people and build capacity for all the Mindanao Universities, with the hope that these Universities would in turn establish their own Peace Centers.

The government Mindanao State University (MSU), the Western Mindanao State University, the Jesuit run Ateneo de Davao University, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University are a few examples of Institu-tions of Higher Learning that grant degrees on Peace and Development Studies. These institutions also conduct a non-degree peace education workshop for high school and elementary teachers both in the public and private schools. The aim of these institutions is to integrate in the formal school system, particularly in Mindanao, the culture of peace.

In many ways the advocacy and work for peace is symbolized by the NDU Peace Center that helped in the forging of the initial ceasefire agreement between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic

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Liberation Front (MILF). NDU was also tasked to form the religious leaders, both Muslims and Christian, and civil society, to monitor and supervise the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and rebel fronts. From 1997 to the days immediately prior the “all out war” policy of President Estrada, the religious leaders and professionals under the leadership of NDU Peace Center monitored and supervised the ceasefire agreement between the government and the rebel front.

It also facilitated the birth of the still functioning Coordinated Com-mittee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) that continues to monitor and supervise the existing ceasefire agreement between the Philippine Government and the MILF.

Beginning with the 2000 all-out war policy of President Estrada, another Oblate, Fr. Roberto Layson, got involved in giving sanctuary to refugees. With the Church-led organization like Tabang Mindanaw (Mindanao Assistance), he has been in the forefront of rebuilding peo-ple’s lives ravaged by a never-ending war.

These traditions show concrete Muslim-Christian collaboration on the ground that indicates the heart of dialogue and peace building. Like politics, peace building is local. They are rooted in “being” with the people, especially the poor and the vulnerable sectors of society. It is a “rootedness” that is shaped and fashioned by a shared living, sympathy and solidarity. This becomes the wellspring of active participation in all human endeavors, economic, political and cultural, always in favor of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized. Oftentimes, this kind of witnessing is clearer and more eloquent than any signing of an agree-ment.

All these ministries and works among the Muslims in the South-ern Philippines are recognized nationally and in the local communities. The premier Jesuit institution, the Ateneo de Manila University, cited the works of the Oblates as persons for others in the persons of Bishop Gerard Mongeau, Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, Fr. Eliseo Mercado, Fr. Roberto Leyson, and H.E. Orlando Quevedo. The US Embassy & the Aquino Foundation gave plaques of recognition to three Oblates for their work in the Muslim areas: Fr. Eliseo Mercado, Fr. Roberto Lays-on, and Fr. Eduardo Vasquez. Three Presidents of the Republic gave Fr. Eliseo Mercado Presidential Citations for his work among the Muslims:

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President Corazon Aquino cited Fr. Mercado for his public service in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 1988, President Fidel Ramos gave him Presidential Citation for his Peacemaking work and advocacy in 1997; and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with the EDSA Foundation, gave him the Freedom Citation for his work in clean and honest elections in the ARMM in 2002. And in the year 2000, Fr, Mercado was also recognized “Bayani ng Bagong Milenyo” (Hero of the New Millenium) by the Eugenio Lopez Foudation and ABS-CBN).

Muslim-Christian collaboration in the Southern Philippines is not something abstract. It is a human activity that involves a total life expe-rience. It takes place in the individual as well as in communal lives, as peoples and neighbors of differing faiths live out their faith and convic-tion according to their respective living traditions. No doubt, the partner-ship and collaboration depend upon a bridging leadership that enhances mutual trust and understanding. It demands respect for the identity as well as the integrity of the other. It rests on the conviction that God, who is all merciful and compassionate, desires to draw all peoples and the whole of creation into a relationship of love and peace.

This type of friendly partnership should enhance a new culture that enables and empowers people to draw from each other’s traditions and common resources to help face today’s threats to global survival, and to work together toward peace with justice and the integrity of crea-tion. The Oblate Philippine Province’s life and work among the Moros are “trailblazers” as exemplified in the five concrete traditions on the ground from the very beginning of the mission in 1939 to the present. The Oblates spare no effort to live and work together towards recon-ciling conflicts, eradicating bigotry and prejudices, and empowering grassroots level communities to act upon their own choices in self-de-velopment towards a more just and participatory society.

There are no simple formulas for enhancing collaboration and part-nership. Every situation demands a serious study and reflection on the many and varied factors at play. Some of these are historical, social, or doctrinal. But whatever the factors and their magnitude, it is, in the final analysis, everyone’s duty to seek a better community where peoples of differing faiths and traditions live in love, justice and peace. The Oblates, as a leading religious congregation in Mindanao, has the obli-gation to emphasize that which unites the differing cultures and faiths

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of the people and to make a determined effort to set aside that which would divide them. This can only happen if there is full understanding of what the other believes and the knowledge that they are committed to the principle of respect and recognition of the beliefs and feelings of every community and person.

The dreams and aspirations of ordinary people are now to “reach the stars”. Their dreams and desires are simple and easily doable. They dream to have farms of their own; home lots for their families; technical assistance in tilling the soil, and assistance in marketing their products for fair prices. For the fisher folks, they dream to have fishing boats of their own; protection and conservation of their fishing grounds; and markets for their catch. For the youth, they desire to have easy access to quality and free education that is now the program of the government. They want these quality schools and colleges accessible to them.

In the Southern Philippines, and in the newly established Bang-samoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the citi-zens are all too familiar with what self-centered men and women have torn down. Their lives and works point to a thirst for power and greed that continue to divide peoples between the haves and the have nots, the powerful and the powerless, the landed and the landless, and between the privileged and the deprived, as well as the divides along ethnicity and religion. Often, people in power manipulate the powers of the state for their own personal interests, greed, and ambition, using the natural social fault lines like ethnicity and religions by cloaking their real self-interests under the guise of religious and ethnic values and beliefs.

At times, this culture of “separatism” is handed over from one gen-eration to another with a myth that this land is exclusively theirs, and other claimants are the enemies. Yes, for quite sometime now, evil men and women have continued to dominate over the land making the com-mon folks prisoners of a culture of separatism or extremism of what-ever form and shape.

Is there a way out for people caught in this tragic human drama? Often, they find themselves locked in “a room with no exit”. Has educa-tion not shown the way, or broken the barriers that separate and divide peoples along faith and ethnic lines? Has education and living together not made them bigger or larger or broader than the usual parochialism or provincialism of their origin and culture?

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People tend to build walls, like President Donald Trump’s fixation of building a wall between the US and Mexico, or Israel’s Netanyahu building a wall separating the West Bank from Israel?

Today, we need no walls that separate the Moros, Indigenous peo-ples, children of settlers from the other inhabitants of Mindanao in par-ticular, or from the whole Philippines in general. The shaping of the BARMM lies not only on the peoples and leaders of the BARMM. The future of the BARMM is, rightly or wrongly, intimately tied to the rest of Mindanao, and the whole Philippines, both by trade & commerce, cultures & religions, and ethnicity and blood, and peace and prosper-ity.

BARMM, hopefully, opens a new future - a future for all that her-alds not only the collapse of borders and old prejudices but also pros-perity and peace for the region known as the poorest, least reached by basic social services; the poorest literacy & numeracy rates; the region most feared for kidnapping and conflicts.

In concrete terms, and more than ever, the Oblates urgently need to steadily school themselves to prefer trust to suspicion; prefer friendship to familiar confrontation; and above all, to prefer love and service to the usual hatred and bigotry. This demands a shedding of the old as well as dying to the usual or familiar stereo-typing that shaped biases and bigotry And, is this not the meaning of the saying: “the old gives way to the new and death leads to life?”

It is precisely in this reality of a continuing search for peace that the examples of two persons of faith become models. The first is the former UN Secretary General, the late Egyptian Boutros Boutros Ghali, in his message to the 2nd International Forum on the Culture of Peace, 26 November 1995. He said: “Peace is the basis for the realization of all the finest aspirations of life itself.” The second is St. Pope John Paul II, a man known to harness both the religious leaders and traditions to promote peace and dialogue among religions. During his visit to the Great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, May 6, 2001, he said: “It is my ardent hope that Muslim and Christian religious leaders and teachers will present our two great religious communities as communities in re-spectful dialogue, never more as communities in conflict”. It is crucial for the young to be taught the ways of respect and understanding, so that they will not be led to misuse religion itself to promote or justify

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hatred and violence. Violence destroys the image of the Creator in his creatures and should never be considered as the fruit of religious con-viction.”

“Better mutual understanding will surely lead to a more objective and comprehensive knowledge of each other’s religious beliefs at the practical level, to a new way of presenting our two religions not in op-position, as happened too often in the past, but in partnership for the good of the human family.”

Again, in his departure address (8 May 2001 – Damascus), he ap-pealed to all the peoples and to their political leaders “to recognize that confrontation has failed and will always fail. Only a just peace can bring the conditions needed for the economic, cultural and social devel-opment to which the people of the region have a right.”

In Southern Mindanao, the Oblates need, more than ever, to wit-ness to the prophetic commitment to peace building, and to continue to believe and assert that PEACE is the essential premise for human fellowship and development. This belief and assertion need always to be nurtured with care and protected from assaults and degradation by violent and evil men and women spawned by radical fundamentalism or religious extremism.

There is no ready-made culture of peace for Mindanao, or any-where else for that matter. There are no easy “quick-fixes” to the com-plex difficulties and problems of religious extremism. But the Oblates, as in the past, can again weave a new “mat” where PEACE and friend-ship can take root, grow and flourish. But to be able to weave that new mat, there is the need to teach them to speak the language of peace and friendship and reject the language of war!

Sources

1. Adre, Estrella. Chance Does Not Exist. Notre Dame Press, Cotabato City, 1990.

2. Boyd, Joseph. Silver Jubilee of the OMI in the Philippines. No-tre Dame Press, Cotabato City, 1965.

3. Mercado, Eliseo. Evangelizing the Poor in the Philippines. No-tre Dame Press, Cotabato City, 1989.

4. Mercado, Eliseo. Southern Philippines Question. NDU Occa-sional Book Series. Notre Dame Press, Cotabato City, 1999.

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5. Mongeau, Gerard. Notre Dame Banner. Notre Dame Press, Cotabato City, 1983.

6. Santiago, Lina (editor). Concode, Vols. 1,2,3 & 4. A.I.A Inc. Press., Malabon, 1983.

Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, omiPhilippines

[email protected]

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My Personal Dialogical encounter witH MusliMs anD inDigenous PeoPles in soutHern

MinDanao

oRLando B. caRdinaL quevedo, omi

This paper does not intend to present a theological perspective on Inter-Religious Dialogue (IRD). It intends simply to present my personal dialogical encounter with Muslims and Indigenous Peo-

ples in Southern Mindanao, Philippines, particularly in the Archdiocese of Cotabato.

pRe-note: Basic concepts

Solidarity comes to my mind when I speak of IRD for Peace. Soli-darity is the reason for IRD. We engage in IRD in order to build unity of mind and heart among different religious faiths and philosophical beliefs towards our common objective of peace.

From a Catholic perspective, solidarity is the firm determination to work together for the common good of all. It is both a moral virtue and a social principle (See Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church [CSDC], no. 193; cf. John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, no. 38).

As a moral virtue solidarity calls us to respect the common human dignity of all because we are created unto the image of God. Solidarity urges us to recognize the unity and interdependence of humankind based on our common origin and common destiny, salvation in the Kingdom of God (Cf. CSDC, nos. 192-193). We are all brothers and sisters in the human family. Unlike Cain who killed his own brother (see the story of Cain and Abel, Gen. 4), we are our brother’s keeper.

From the beginning of time, the members of the human family have been diverse from one another. Though brothers, Cain and Abel were individuals who had different viewpoints, different ways of thinking, different values. The tower of Babel (cf. Gen. 11:1-9), built to satisfy

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human pride, brought these diversities even further. We began to speak different languages, and with language came diverse cultures and cus-toms, including religious beliefs.

As a social principle solidarity calls us to common action towards common interests, towards truth, justice and peace in a pluralistic com-munity. It calls for participation. It promotes respect for human dignity and understanding of human diversity (Cf. CSDC, no. 194).

Dialogue is a harmonious, respectful conversation between indi-viduals or groups in order to resolve issues or gain consensus on a plan of action. Apropos are the words of the Jewish philosopher of Dialogue, Martin Buber (Unfortunately I cannot now remember the actual work of Buber from which the quotes come. I re-read his book, I and Thou, but could not find them). He describes dialogue as an encounter of friendship.

“When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.”

“Dialogic is not to be identified with love. But love without dia-logic, without real outgoing to the other, reaching out to the other, the love remaining with itself – this is called Lucifer.”

Inter-Religious Dialogue is the dialogical encounter between in-dividuals or groups from different religious beliefs to address common concerns.

Some attempts have been made to differentiate IRD and Interfaith dialogue. IRD is said to refer to relations among members of differ-ent religions, e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism. Interfaith dialogue would be among the Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. On the other hand, ecumenism refers to relations among Christians.

For this presentation I use IRD and Interfaith dialogue interchange-ably.

pastoRaL context oF diaLogicaL encounteR

May I first describe the present pastoral context of IRD in the Arch-diocese of Cotabato.

From a wider perspective my experience of dialogical encoun-ter with Islam illustrates a vision of the Church in Asia. Asia is the cradle of ancient major religions in the world, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and others. The church in Asia aspires to be a

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Church of Dialogue. Pope John Paul II acknowledged that dialogue “is the characteristic mode of the Church’s life in Asia” (Ecclesia in Asia, 1999, no. 3).

While Christianity in Asia is a small minority of about 2%, the Philippines stands out with 85% Catholic majority. Islam is the second largest religious denomination in the Philippines, with about 10.7 mil-lion Muslims or about 6.7% of the total population.

The Archdiocese of Cotabato is on the island of Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The Archdiocese has a population of more than 1.2 million people, 47% of whom is Catholic and 37% Muslim (mostly Sunnis). But the province of Maguindanao where the Cathe-dral of the Archdiocese is located is 67% Muslim. The province be-longs to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). It is underdeveloped and economically depressed with 60% poverty incidence. Maguindanao is the fourth poorest province in the country.

BARMM is the arena of intermittent armed conflict between “Moros” (a name derived from the Moors that had conquered and oc-cupied southern Spain) and the Philippine Government, since the late 1960’s. The “Bangsamoro” (Moro nation) rebellion was at first a war for total secession or independence from the country but later on the Moro rebels fought for greater political and financial autonomy. The two mainstream revolutionary forces, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led the rebellion.

It is truly tragic that a wave of religious extremism and terrorism by ISIS-affiliated organizations, particularly the Maute Group, the Abu Sayaff Group, and one of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, has entered the arena of conflict.

There are other challenges to dialogical encounter for peace.Rising secularism and ideologies challenge treasured religious be-

liefs. Mutual historic biases, prejudices, and mistrust among Christians and Muslims remain.

Yet over-all there is at the grassroots great respect for cultural and religious diversities, mind-sets, values, customs, traditions, practices, language, arts, etc.

Such is the pastoral context of IRD in Southern Mindanao

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thRee LeveLs oF diaLogicaL encounteR.

In the classic Catholic understanding there are three levels of dia-logical encounter:

Dialogue of Daily Life

In the Archdiocese of Cotabato Muslims, Christians and Indigenous Peoples encounter one another and become friends in the market, at work, in schools, or they simply live harmoniously as neighbors. They respect one another as persons. They respect one another’s cultures and beliefs. There is mutual respect for freedom of religion and worship. The ringing of bells by Catholic churches and the calls to prayer by masjids are taken for granted and do not bother the general population.

A good example of dialogue of life would be in our Catholic schools in the Provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, South Cota-bato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. Though owned by different religious congregations or by the Archdiocese of Cotabato or by its two suffragan dioceses of Kidapawan and Marbel, Catholic schools bear the same name, Notre Dame, and have the same school song, Notre Dame our Mother.

Many of our Notre Dame schools have a great majority of Muslim students. In a dialogue of daily life Christians and Muslims as well as Indigenous Peoples study together, recreate together, pray together and sometimes even fall in love with one another.

Dialogue of Religious Experience

Students in all our Notre Dame schools have an annual spiritual retreat. Islamic teachers facilitate the spiritual renewal of Muslim stu-dents.

Non-Catholic Christians have sessions on moral and spiritual values. Priests, Religious Sisters and Lay People guide the Catholic students.

But there are sessions when they all come together and share with one another what their faith means to them, how they pray, their re-spective beliefs in the prophet Muhammad or in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or in various spirits. When I was at Notre Dame University, Cotabato City, from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s, I usually sat

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with the students at the common sessions to elaborate on the forms of Christian prayer that the Catholic students shared.

Here I note the continuing impact of Notre Dame education on students from different religious faiths. Our students enjoy an environ-ment of religious faith. They develop respect and understanding for one another’s faith, religious practices, forms of prayer, religious customs. Muslims have their own Islamic teachers who teach them the Qur’an and their own religious practices. Hence, Notre Dame students experi-ence a religious upbringing in accord with their respective faiths.

Dialogue of Theological Exchange

Such dialogue has taken place in the Bishops-Ulama Conference in Mindanao. One time Muslim ulama assigned one of their members to speak of Maryam in the Qur’an. I was assigned to speak of Mary in the New Testament. Many of the Protestant Pastors and Catholic Bishops were astounded by the fact that the Qur’an had a special section for Maryam and that the Qur’an explicitly states the unique greatness of Mary for giving birth to Jesus while remaining a virgin. We discovered that Maryam would be a convergent point for Muslim and Christian dialogue.

At another time, we dialogued on the story of creation as portrayed in the Qur’an and in the Old Testament. A Muslim aleem presented the Qur’anic creation story. I elaborated on the Genesis story. Again we found commonalities that could help us use the light of our respec-tive faiths for common action on ecology, global warming and climate change.

When religious leaders and teachers share with one another their respective doctrinal and moral beliefs they discover common-alities as well as differences. They respect the differences and avoid proselytism.

Dialogue of Action

About five years ago I organized and convened a group of Muslim, Protestant, Catholic leaders, and leaders of Indigenous Peoples. They were well known peace advocates. My objective was for us to brain-

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storm on how we could help the peace process between the MILF and the government. We called ourselves “Friends of Peace” (FOP).

We gathered to reflect on the main issues of peace. We then shared our thoughts with the leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate, urging them to approve the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). I served as the point man of FOP between the leaders of the MILF and the Presidential Office of the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Some of our FOP members had been chosen to help write the BOL. They now serve as members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority. As such they are members of the Bangsamoro Parliament that was cre-ated upon the approval of the BOL.

It is through dialogue of action that Christians, Muslims and Indig-enous Peoples come together to reflect, share and act on common social issues of concern, for instance, environmental destruction, floods and mass displacement of people, criminality, peace and security. Together they take common action for the common good.

diaLogue oF action FoR peace

It is in the Dialogue of Action where I find my urgent Mission, a Mission to help search for a just and lasting peace and establish it.

Decades of armed conflict have resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, civilians and armed combatants. Armed conflict has caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Christian and Muslim families, rising poverty incidence, and increasing distrust and prejudice among Christians and Muslims.

Twenty-two years ago the Bishops-Business Conference (BBC) in Manila invited me to give my views on the problem of peace in Southern Mindanao. I wrote and delivered a paper on the root-causes of Moro rebellion. I identified three historic injustices: injustice to Moro identity; injustice to Moro sovereignty and territory; injustice to Moro integral human development.

The decades of Moro rebellion were meant to address these three historic injustices. Subsequently published and frequently quoted, the three root causes of the armed conflict became, it would seem, the key issues in the peace negotiations between Moro rebels and the govern-ment. Leading negotiators and peace advocates continue to speak of the “historic injustices” to the Bangsamoro.

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Decades of peace negotiations have resulted in the approval of the BOL by the Philippine legislature. Signed by the President, the law is a promise of a just and lasting peace in Southern Mindanao. The people living in the region have ratified it through a general referendum. The region has been given the name the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Meanwhile deep-rooted distrust, biases and prejudices on both sides simmer under the surface. Many non-Muslims believe that the new Bangsamoro government will fail to root out corruption and the power of the political clans.

The Archdiocese has a pastoral program of IRD to help reduce bi-ases and prejudices among Catholics. Dialogue of life in our Catholic schools greatly helps.

the genesis and deveLopment oF my invoLvement in iRd

My involvement IRD began when I was a Professor at Notre Dame University in the late 1960’s and later as the University President in the early 1970’s. I often sat down with my Muslim students and listen to them speak about their aspirations. I learned from them about what they think of other people.

The experience continued when I was assigned as Pastor in the predominantly Muslim city of Jolo, Sulu in the late 1970s. I had a radio program with a leading Muslim ustadz on ways and practices of prayer, on the Blessed Virgin Mary, fasting and abstinence, pilgrimages and feastdays. Muslims and Christians in Jolo also had a common celebra-tion of the Catholic fiesta of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. I remember Mus-lim and Christian students singing enthusiastically with hands joined that beautiful song, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me” (composed by Jill Jackson Miller, dec.)

Finally, as Archbishop of Cotabato from 1998 to 2018, I became involved in the peace process between the MILF and the Philippine government. I have already noted the apparent impact of my paper on “historic injustices” to the Bangsamoro.

In the peace negotiations I preferred to stay “behind the curtains,” keep a “low profile,” and away from public view. Occasionally peace negotiators asked my opinion on certain crucial issues. Frequently they asked for prayers during critical moments of the peace negotiations.

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Of great significance is the fact that many Bangsamoro rebels had been educated in our Notre Dame schools. Some of their top leaders were my university students.

With the passage of the BOL, I was somewhat startled by tarpaulin signs with my picture along the national highway in Cotabato City say-ing, “Thank you, Archbishop Quevedo.” There went my low profile.

RequiRements oF diaLogicaL encounteR

From my personal experience let me draw out the fundamental at-titudes of mind and heart required for dialogical encounter.

It is in the very process of interreligious encounter that such at-titudes are learned and imbibed. The process of moving from hostility, mistrust, and suspicion to harmony involves:

− listening with the ears and with the heart;− having an open mind and heart;− recognizing the common origin of all humanity, despite diversi-

ties;− recognizing the universality of human dignity and human

rights;− acknowledging individual, social, cultural, religious differenc-

es;− building communities that are diverse but united;− mutual respecting and understanding;− trusting and loving;− building communion among peoples;− being aware of our common journey to God’s kingdom;− being aware of the mysterious activity of God, of the Holy Spir-

it, in our world of great diversity.

agenda FoR soLidaRity FoR peace thRough iRd

Finally, I would like to enumerate what I believe are the major agenda for the dialogical encounter between Muslims and Christians in the Philippines:

1. to eliminate or at least to significantly reduce mutual biases and prejudices;

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2. to discover and bring out the convergences of the two religions in order to respond together to burning issues of justice, peace, and development;

3. to bring the praxis of various levels of dialogical encounter down to the grassroots;

4. to defend vigorously fundamental Human Rights that are under siege by radical fundamentalism, violent extremism, and terror-ism;

5. to address the humanitarian crisis of massive displacement of peoples, its political and economic causes and its implications on poverty and underdevelopment;

6. to explore viable solutions to the “new slavery” of migrant workers, since hundreds of thousands of Filipino Muslims and Christian seek employment in the Middle East;

7. to dialogue on the status and treatment of women as understood by different religions and provide positive approaches towards gender sensitivity and equality;

8. to assist in the search for moral and juridical norms for eco-nomic globalization that often results in marginalization;

9. to address effectively the ambivalent values of cultural globali-zation, the gradual and subtle penetration of secularism as a glo-bal culture into our rural societies;

10. to join the rising chorus of voices seriously concerned about the ecological challenge of global warming and climate change.

concLusion

It is my belief that it is truly part of God’s mission to engage in Inter-Religious Dialogue towards solidarity for peace and harmony.

Mission does not only consist in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus and the Reign of God. It is also to witness to Gospel and Kingdom val-ues such as justice, peace, understanding, respect for human dignity and fundamental human rights. It is to proclaim the social gospel by one’s word and work.

In the spirit of the meetings for prayer held in Assisi, the Church con-tinues to invite believers of other religions to dialogue and encour-age everyone everywhere effective witness to those values shared

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by the entire human family (CSDC, no. 537; I have been greatly privileged to attend two World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, on the invitation first by Pope Benedict XVI and second, together with Chairman Ebrahim Murad of the MILF, by Pope Francis).

And as the song says, “Let peace begin with me,” ultimately a just and lasting definitive peace is only possible if peace is in the heart and from the heart. That is my conviction.

Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo, omi

Arhbishop Emeritus of [email protected]

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eVangelization aMong Majority MusliM society. an irisH oblate MissioneD to inDonesia

iMPleMents contextual tHeology

antonius Widiatmoko, omi

The FABC documents have revealed the importance of attaining a contextual missiology that might connect the Church as the minority to the non-Christian society as the majority for most of

the times. This idea is based on the belief that the Church is a society that embarks on a pilgrimage with all Asian people toward the Kingdom of God. The main determiner in the pilgrimage is the personality of the Jesus Christ, who becomes the source, the model and the objective. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, has been actively serving the other reli-gions and their followers. The strong association with Christ has called the Church to not only to be united with Christ and His people, but also to continue His mission in the world. Jesus has called the Church not only for individual salvation but also for cooperation with believers of the other religions for the sake of the world’s salvation. The Church is present in order to proclaim Christ because He is the Saviour and the meeting point of all humankind and also the answer to questions about the meaning of life.1

The awareness of this missionary aspect of the Church in Asia is reflected in words such as society, participation, ministry, social action and political involvement, dialogue, developmentand liberation, forma-tion and also lay people empowerment. All of these words become the realization of the presence of the Kingdom of God and its values. The mission to proclaim and deliver the values of the Kingdom is achieved through dialogue, especially through the dialogue of life, in order to respond to the problems in daily life under the spirit of brotherhood, instead of converting people to be Catholic Church members. The main

1 James Thoppil, Towards an Asian Ecclesiology (Shilong: Oriens Publications, 2005), 187-188.

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priority within the dialogue is the conversion of the heart toward God, the Kingdom of God, and its values.2

the impLementation oF a contextuaL mission in indonesia

One of the forms in the Church’s mission for inheriting the values of the Kingdom of God in Indonesia takes place in Kampung Laut. This mission has special contextual characteristics because it departs from the concrete situation of society, especially in relation to the efforts of environmental redemption. Protecting and maintaining the environment is the concrete form of a new evangelization that is creative, the evan-gelization in which the values of the Kingdom of God are proclaimed and delivered until humankind experiences the presence of the saving God in the integral environment.

Two aspects will be discussed in relation to the efforts of contex-tual mission implementation in Kampung Laut. The first aspect is the evangelization methodology that has been chosen, while the second as-pect is the evangelization implementation.

evangeLization methodoLogy in kampung Laut

The methodology that has been implemented in the evangelization process of Kampung Laut, especially in relation to the efforts of envi-ronmental redemption, has practical-pragmatic characteristics, with a bottom-up, inclusive and participatory approach. This methodology is similar to the methodology that has been reflected by the Asian Bishops with regards to evangelization in Asia, and has also been written up in the FABC documents.

Since the beginning (1973), Romo Carolus, omi, has been living in the middle of Kampung Laut society, in which a majority of the people are Moslem3. As a missionary, he responded quickly to the needs and

2 Jacob Kavunkal, The ABBA Experience of Jesus – Model and Motive for Mis-sion in Asia (Indore: Satprakashan, 1995), 85.

3 The original name of Romo Carolus is Fr. Charles Patrick Burrows, omi. Irish Oblat has been assigned as missionary in the Regency of Cilacap since 1970s and the local people have been familiar with the name Romo Carolus. According to Javanese language, the title “Romo” symbolizes a high respect from the children to the father and also a warm/intimate affective relationship from the father to the children. Un-der the similar idea, the title “Romo” has been adopted into the Javanese culture of

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the concerns of the society at that time. He asked about the expectations of the people who lived in the society and, departing from the expecta-tions, he helped the society who suffered from famine and malaria, built the access road, constructed a dam, opened a new rice field, invited the society to keep poultry and goats as well as their cattle, facilitated the establishment of Public Health Centres and the establishment of the Islamic schools in Kampung Laut.

The language that he has used within the process of evangelization in Kampung Laut is presence, guidance and dedication. He does not show himself as a superior for the tribe, the race, and the religion in the Kampung Laut society. The Catholic Church has been present, greet-ing the society and acting as fellow society members for the people in Kampung Laut society who suffer from numerous difficulties. Through Romo Carolus, the Catholic Church is present as the mediator and the facilitator for all programs that have been implemented by the people in the society, starting from the planning into the implementation, the monitoring and evaluation and also the utilization.

With this bottom-up approach, the presence of the Catholic Church is not considered as a threat for the Kampung Laut society, a major-ity of the people who are Moslem. The invitation by Romo Carolus to save the environment from damage and to protect the integrity of the environment has been welcomed by the society. With this response, the process of evangelization, namely the process of delivering the values of the Kingdom of God especially in relation to ecological conversion, has been proceeding well and is conducive.

The success of the evangelization process in Kampung Laut has been shown by the results of the study, which claims that the society

Catholicism as the equivalence for the title “Father.” Therefore, the name Romo Car-olus will be the reference for the original name Father Charles Burrows throughout the writings. Born in Dublin on 08 April 1943, ordained in Piltown on 21 December 1969, First Obedience to the Province of Australia and posted in Sefton NSW as Par-ish Assistant. In 1973 he was sent to the Mission in Indonesia to the Parish of Cilacap and has been there since then as Parish Priest. He actively responded to the needs of the poor people in the outstations and villages and began many works in education and infrastructure of outlying areas. (Cf. https://www.oblates.com.au/new-page; ‘The Nazarene’ - the life and work of Fr Charlie Burrows, omi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97wrbW3PWx8; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYtkTcVJzkY; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCafvWlCmII)

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here starts to be more aware of the importance of protecting nature and recovering the environment from damage. The society members be-came more susceptible to the environment: they started using manure and compost for the rice fields that have been opened through the mud channel (72.67%) and utilizing the golden snail as the food for their cattle (74.67%). At the same time, the society members started to have a higher sense of responsibility toward their surrounding environment: they started maintaining the existing mud channel (97.00%), they man-aged the rice fields that have been opened through the mud channel well (98.67%), they maintained the water installation (85.00%), they considered the future generation in benefitting from the natural resourc-es (99.25%), they are committed to bring justice in the middle of the society (72.19%) and they are committed to preserve the integrity of the creation as well (83.04%). Furthermore, the society members are more willing to cooperate with each other, especially in the rice harvest period (97.67%).

the impLementation oF evangeLization in kampung Laut

The situation in the Kampung Laut society might be considered as representing the situation in Asia, with the three prominent realities, namely religious pluralism, cultural pluralism, and poverty. In Kam-pung Laut, most of the people are Moslem (94.09%) while the number of Catholic people is only 3.95%. Despite this fact, the presence of the Church in Kampung Laut has been welcomed; in fact, the people in the Kampung Laut society argue that the efforts that have been pursued by the Catholic Church through Romo Carolus is not a form of Christiani-zation. From the aspect of culture, the Kampung Laut society consists of multiple tribes. Those native to the society are Javanese people, while the visitors are mostly Sundanese people. Then, from the aspect of oc-cupation, the occupation that has absorbed most of the labours is fishing (62.28%). The opening of new rice fields as the result of the mud chan-nelling activities that have been pursued by Romo Carolus has driven to changes in the lifestyle and the culture of fishermen into the lifestyle and the culture of farmers. The visitors in the Kampung Laut, in gener-al, become the party who introduce the lifestyle of farming to the native people of Kampung Laut (who used to be the fishermen). The situation of poverty in Kampung Laut that was found by Romo Carolus at the

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beginning of his presence (1973) becomes his motivation to implement the Society Empowerment Program in Kampung Laut. In the context of Kampung Laut, Romo Carolus carries out his mission of proclaiming and delivering the values of the Kingdom of God, with several domains of attention that display the reflection of the Asian Bishops with regards to how the Church can carry out her evangelization mission in Asia.

An Inculturative Mission

One of the most decisive moments that the Church is present as an incultured community in Kampung Laut is appreciation toward the lo-cal wisdom. A number of concerns and difficulties that Romo Carolus has encountered with regards to the conditions in the Kampung Laut society do not make him take his own decisions. Since the beginning, Romo Carolus has always asked about what the society needs. He has always invited the people in the Kampung Laut society to have discus-sions and to make decisions together.

The way Romo Carolus has treated the people in the Kampung Laut society as the subjects of their own self-construction and self-de-velopment has made the people of Kampung Laut society feel being loved and appreciated. This feeling is more apparent when they see the presence of Romo Carolus. who does not only share his rhetoric but also takes actions in the field and works together with the society. The appreciative actions by Romo Carolus toward the local wisdom has made the people of Kampung Laut society accept him very well.

The idea of a mud-channel (water gate) construction in the banks toavoid the dangers of flood during the rainy season and of decreasing the dangers of sedimentation in Segara Anakan, the idea of mud-pump procurement for improving the entrance process of the mud into the swamp area and the like, have come from the local wisdom of Kam-pung Laut society. The construction of the mud-channel (water gate) is a new innovation and breakthrough that has been based on the lo-cal wisdom; as a result, the local people in the society have willingly helped the construction process by pursuing mutual cooperation and sharing their piece of land for the irrigation channel construction. This program has been considered relevant, efficient and effective, and, at the same time, this program has also resulted in positive impacts. This program has been considered relevant because it is able to meet the

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needs of the famers and the farmers themselves have enjoyed the ben-efit of this program; consequently, the demand for the opening of new rice fields has been increasing. Then, this program has been consid-ered efficient because, in terms of economic calculation, it incurs much lower cost with more results rather than the use of water pumps. Next, this program has been considered effective because, in terms of social calculation, it does not create any social conflict or turmoil; instead, this program is able to strengthen the social capital. Last but not least, this program has resulted in positive impacts, because it is able to drive a significant increase on the demand of opening new rice fields. Since the beginning of 2014 until 2017 there are already 650 hectares of new rice field that have been opened.4

This record is highly valuable for the success of the evangeliza-tion process. if the Church wants her presence to be accepted by so-ciety, appreciating the local wisdom will be the absolute requirement for acceptance. Dealing with the situations in asociety that does not have equal educational levels, social, economic and alike from one to another, the Church should always pay high respect to wherever she has been stationed. Most of the times, local wisdom results in something unexpected. By learning from the experiences of daily life, sometimes local society is able to find the best solutions for their own development (compare Laudato si’, 146). In this situation, the Church is present as an entity that listens to, completes and strengthens the good aspects that the society already had.

Every culture provides us with the possibilities of new approaches to humanity, but, at the same time, opens a new way to understand the Gospel and its richness. If the Gospel meets the culture, then both will be able to uncover what has been under possession from each other.5 This is the reason why it is important to interpret the Gospel in terms of spiritual richness. The faith that has been encouraged by the Spirit of Truth has traditionally had apostolic explanations but also contextually cultural explanations.

The transition of the profession within the society from fisherman to farmer is not easy. This transition takes a long time and process.

4 Mark Pillsworth, Penilaian Dampak Lingkungan – Faktor Lingkungan dan In-tervensi Teknik Kampung Laut (Cilacap: without year, 2015), 55.

5 Thoppil, Towards an Asian Ecclesiology, 205.

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The Church accompanies the long process by providing guidance and training programs in the domain of farming, cattle, funding and market-ing for the harvest, and the cattle products. All of the efforts that the Church has pursued are contemplated by Romo Carolus as the efforts of proclaiming the values of the Kingdom of God, and the society has accepted these values well.

Romo Carolus has proclaimed the values of the Kingdom of the God in the middle of a society in which a majority of the people are Moslem. He has seen the needs of the local people and he has striven to accommodate these needs, so that the prosperity of the society might be improved. The improvement of the prosperity has made the Kampung Laut society live a proper life as mankind, the image of God. The fulfil-ment of the basic needs (food, clothes and settlement) has encouraged the society to preserve the environment, since the awareness of crea-tion’s integrity is highly important for their own survival.

Dialogical Mission

Through dialogue, the Church is called to invite all people to de-liver the values of the Kingdom of God into the concrete realities of daily life. Dialogue is performed under a communal manner in order to develop justice, to fight for the truth, to afford peace, and to preserve creation’s integrity. Dialogue takes place when both parties within the dialogue put themselves as partners with mutual respect toward each other. Therefore, the most appropriate approach that might be imple-mented in a dialogue is the inclusive and participatory approach.6

In the context of Kampung Laut, the dialogical Church is apparent in her friendly presence in the middle of the Kampung Laut society. Living the spirit of dialogue, Romo Carolus has benefitted the inclu-sive and participatory approach to the Kampung Laut society, in which majority of the people are Moslem. He makes space for the society to promote the local wisdom, to develop potential, to develop creation, to control their living environment and to settle their own problems independently, and, in the same time, Romo Carolus also takes part in facilitating the society to define their own future.

6 Kavunkal, The ABBA Experience of Jesus – Model and Motive for Mission in Asia (Indore: Satprakashan, 1995), 86.

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During the three years of his presence in Cilacap, Romo Carolus has successfully constructed 40 settlement units for the poor. The over-all construction is not solely based on the foreign donors but, instead is more based on the needs of the society here. The society here has been very enthusiastic in facilitating the construction of their neigh-bourhoods settlements, so that all of them will have a proper place for living.7

Through the inclusive and participatory approach, the Kampung Laut society perceives that they have been involved in and been treated as the subject of the program. The impact of this perception is that a significant level of trust from the society toward Romo Carolus has grown. Consequently, the proclamation on the values of the Kingdom of God, especially in relation to the improvement of the life quality of the society and the environmental preservation, might be accepted by the society.

The close relationship between Romo Carolus and the Kampung Laut society takes place due to the dialogue that has been pursued with-out any tendency and hidden agenda. Most of the people in the Kam-pung Laut society (98.68%) believe that what the Catholic Church has pursued through Romo Carolus is solely for their own good and not for the act of Christianization. Taufick Hidayatulloh, the Chief of the Forum of Religious People in Communion, asserts that:

Romo Carolus, although he is a priest, is not stuck in the pure role of a missionary for a certain religion; instead, I know him more as a messenger of peace, communality and humanity. […] I believe that he does not have any intention to gain some kind of achievement in every work and ministry that he has been pursuing. Despite that, he has won the Maarif Award that has been so prestigious, and many people who know him admit that his works are works that have been worth disseminating.8

7 Anjar Anastasia et al., Mafia Irlandia di Kampung Laut – Jejak-jejak Romo Carolus OMI Memperjuangkan Kemanusiaan (Jakarta: Gramedia, 2012), 72.

8 Taufick Hidayatulloh, “Pembawa Pesan Perdamaian, Kebersamaan, dan Kema-nusiaan,” Anastasia et al., Mafia Irlandia di Kampung Laut – Jejak-jejak Romo Carolus OMI Memperjuangkan Kemanusiaan, xix.

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Romo Carolus has been so close and friendly to the Kampung Laut society that he has even been named as Kiai9 Carolus, a title that has been awarded due to the close association and the high level of trust. This title has been awarded as the evidence for the presence of the dia-logue with the Moslem people in the Kampung Laut society. The dia-logue itself resembles the manifestation for the awareness of the Church toward her missionary and evangelizing duty to proclaim the values of the Kingdom of God, which invite conversion and create discipleship. These values have been implemented in the life and the cooperation between the Church and the non-Christian people.

In relation to the responsibility of the Church in improving the prosperity of the society, Romo Carolus is aware that the Church is committed to cater to the poor. The Church fights with the poor people in order to break the burden of their poverty. The awareness of poverty alleviation does not entail poverty in terms of human values (pursuing a homey, thrifty and simple life) or poverty in terms of human potential (dullness and absence of necessarily-possessed life skills) but also pov-erty in terms of access to resource materials for a proper life. Therefore, the church should pursue cooperation with several parties in order to liberate the society from poverty.

Liberating Mission

The liberating mission of the Church is closely associated to the efforts of developing human dignity. All aspects that cause mankind to live an improper life, like suffering from illness, dullness, poverty, environmental damage and the like, should be overcome. In the context of Kampung Laut society, the environmental damage is closely associ-ated to the situations of poverty. The situations of poverty sometimes force people to survive up to the point where they do not account for the natural preservation when they benefit the natural resources. Therefore, facilitating the society to pursue awareness to the point that they live their ecological conversion (namely preserving the integrity of the envi-

9 For Javanese people, Kiai or Kyai is an address that has been given to “the elder or the highly respected” people or items. In addition to Kiai, another addressee known as Nyai might be given to the female people. In the same time, the addressee Kiai or Kyai might refer to a Moslem cleris or a figure (source: id.wikipedia.org > wiki > Kiai).

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ronment). Living the ecological conversion is highly important because it is in this ecological conversion that mankind’s dignity as the likeness of God has been highly appreciated.

Through Romo Carolus, the Church has liberated the people in the Kampung Laut society from the conditions that cause them to live al-ienation, poverty and dullness. A long time ago, the people of Kampung Laut society lived over the Segara Anakan area. When they had diffi-culties in looking for fish because the Segara Anakan Lagoon had been shallower due to the sedimentation, the people of Kampung Laut soci-ety suffered from the dangers of famine. Then, Romo Carolus came to the society and both Romo Carolus and the people in the society opened the ground access so that the people of Kampung Laut society might be connected to the other districts easily. Nowadays, the economic activi-ties have become better and these activities are more improved due to the opening of the new rice fields from the assistance of the water gates that channel the mud to the swamp.

The aid provided by Romo Carolus is not taken for granted; instead, the aid provided by Romo Carolus takes the form of labour-intensive projects for the construction of road access and a bridge in Sawan-gan. Romo Carolus has considered that the aid will be in vain if it is provided for free. However, if the aid is provided in the form of labour-intensive projects, then the society in which the project will be implemented shall have highway access and this road access shall improve the economic activities of the society, even in the long-term. At the same time, Romo Carolus has also found the local potential. Sawangan has the potential to yield farming products such as cassa-va, corn and the like. Due to the absence of road access and bridges, this area has been isolated, and consequently the crops have been difficult to sell outside the region. It is through the labour-intensive project that Sawangan now has had road access and a bridge. The construction of both the road access and the bridge has also led to the economic life of the local society.10

In relation to the environmental issues, Romo Carolus has mani-fested what Pope Francis formulated as crying out in the voice of the poor by delivering fundraising proposals to the donor institutions. In

10 Anastasia et al., Mafia Irlandia…, 81.

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order to liberate the people of Kampung Laut society from the inhu-mane life situations at that time, Romo Carolus involved many people of good will in order to help him, without having to consider the differ-ences on their tribe, race and religion. In the same time, Romo Carolus also facilitated the establishment of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah in Kampung Laut as an effort of eradicating the existing dullness in the society. Romo Carolus said:

I don’t think that different faith and religion is an obstacle for us to help and to cooperate with each other. Harmony is an important thing in struggling for the sake of many people who need our help-ing hand.11

On the other hand, Romo Carolus has motivated the people of Kampung Laut society to pursue the improvement of their life. The rea-son is that these people are the subject of the development itself in the very first place: “All people in the society should be able to empower their own life. We don’t need to wait for others to help or to ease our own life.”

Most of the people in the Kampung Laut society (92.11%) view that all works that have been carried out by Romo Carolus are parts of society empowerment activities which most of the results might be benefitted by the society instead of the Social Foundation of Bringing About the Good Hope. Toward the sincerity of Romo Carolus within the improvement of the life quality, which becomes the sign for the val-ues of the Kingdom of God’s presence, most of the people in the Kam-pung Laut society (98.68%) argue that the works carried out by Romo Carolus in the middle of the society is not an effort of Christianization.

What Romo Carolus has carried out altogether with the people of the Kampung Laut society is a concrete form of the Church’s awareness toward the importance of building Basic Human Community in order to respond to the urgent needs that might not be met independently. The main objective of developing the Basic Human Community is to uphold the human dignity in such a way that the Church becomes a credibly prophetic sign with regards to the Kingdom of God. The pres-ence of such society is the effort by the Church in order that the Basic

11 Ibid., 2.

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Christian Community might mingle with the society of disciples from other religions.12

What happens in the Basic Human Communities is a veritable sym-biosis of religions. Each religion, challenged by other religion’s unique approach to the liberationist aspiration of the poor … dis-covers and renames itself in its specificity in responses to the other approaches.13

Christian Basic Community is part of effective manner for foster-ing the inter-parish and inter-diocesan fellowship and participation as the true power for the proclamation of the Gospel. This Basic Christian Community is the steadfast departure point for building a new commu-nity as the spark for the civilization of love (Ecclesia in Asia 25).

Kingdom-Centred Mission

In Kampung Laut, the Church is called to be the servant of the Kingdom of God by pursuing cooperation with people from different religions in order to manifest the vision of the Kingdom of God namely peace, justice, public prosperity, truth and the like. Evangelization in Kampung Laut, in the very first place, is to deliver these values of the Kingdom of God instead of baptizing people and converting them into members of the Church.14

Just like Jesus, who proclaimed the Kingdom of God through His words and His deeds, the Church, as a community that centres on the Kingdom of God, should proclaim those values not only through words but also through concrete actions, by helping the people of Kampung Laut society. Toward the people in any occasion, Romo Carolus has assertively stated his motivation in carrying out these works, namely to deliver the Kingdom of God in the world, as having been stated by Taufick Hidayatulloh, the Chief of the Forum of Religious People in Communion Branch of the Regency of Cilacap:

12 Peter Phan, Ecclesia in Asia: Challenges for Asian Christianity (Brisbane Aus-tralian Catholic University McAuley Campus Library, 2002), 19.

13 Aloysius Pieris, Fire & Water: Basic Issues in Asian Buddhism and Christian-ity (Maryknoll: OrbisBooks, 1996), 161.

14 Peter Phan, “Cultures, Religions and Power: Proclaiming Christ in the United States Today,” Theological Studies 65 (2004), 732.

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The prophetic duty of any religious leader is actually not to develop the greatness of a certain religion but, instead, to deliver the King-dom of God, namely a life that is full of sincere dedication, com-munality, peace and justice in the real-life context within the world. This is what Romo Carolus has delivered to us in the forum.15

In the context of Kampung Laut, the works of evangelization for manifesting the Kingdom of God are apparent in the involvement with-in the efforts of improving the environmental condition. The improve-ment on the environmental conditions of Kampung Laut is initiated by changing the general view: “from disaster into blessing.” Through the jargon, Romo Carolus has invited the people of Kampung Laut soci-ety to view what they have generally considered as disasters/problems into blessings. For example, the mud has become a blessing, because the mud has helped in the opening of the new rice fields. In the same time, the golden snail pest has become a blessing as well, since this pest might benefit as high-protein food for the cattle.

Through this new point of view, the people of Kampung Laut are invited to appreciate what they have in their surrounding environment. This kind of appreciation is a fundamental attitude that has been neces-sary for getting involved in the efforts of proclaiming the values of the Kingdom of God and of living the aspects of ecological conversion, namely sensitivity, responsibility and cooperation in preserving the in-tegrity of creation. The values of the Kingdom of God that have been introduced by Romo Carolus are not rejected by the people of Kampung Laut society because the proclamation of these values has made use of a very humanistic approach in which the people of the society are invited into a dialogue about the necessary actions that should be taken in Kam-pung Laut. The people consider that what Romo Carolus has carried out through his foundation is very helpful for the people in the society so that they can live by benefitting from the existing resources, including the mud from Cimeneng River, for opening the new rice fields as the living source for the people.

15 Taufick Hidayatulloh, “Pembawa Pesan Perdamaian, Kebersamaan, dan Ke-manusiaan” in Anastasia et al., Mafia Irlandia…, xix.

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Harmonious Relational Mission

The presence of Romo Carolus that has been well accepted by the Kampung Laut society is the most significant sign for the presence of a harmonious relationship between the Church and the society. The har-monious relationship between the Church and the society is apparent in the involvement of the Social Foundation of Bringing About the Good Hope when the society has discussions about how to deal with the life problems in a spirit of fraternity. When problems in the communal life have been found, the Social Foundation of Bringing About the Good Hope, as the extension of Romo Carolus’ helping hands, will facilitate the meeting of the society members in order to discuss and make deci-sions on certain matters such as: rice, crops, goats, ducks, cattle feed and the like. All aspects are discussed under the mutual discussion by paying high respect in an attitude of mutual appreciation.

The society’s acceptance of Romo Carolus is the fruit of personal encounter that has been forged by time. The Kampung Laut society has been familiar with Romo Carolus since 1973. The more they know Romo Carolus, the more they are sure that all actions that Romo Caro-lus has taken are intended toward their own goodness. They believe that Romo Carolus has never kept any ingenuine or insincere inten-tion. When a charge of Christianization was put forward, Romo Caro-lus responded to the charge in a unique way: “I myself am not still too Catholic. My being Catholic is 20%. Therefore, I do not have enough courage to convert other people to be Catholic.” Almost all people in the Kampung Laut society (98.68%) argue that the efforts that Romo Carolus has pursued in Kampung Laut are not a movement of Chris-tianization. In relation to the finding, Romo Carolus himself states that love does not mean to convert other people to be Christian or Catholic but, instead, to take concrete actions:

Those trucks are more Catholic because they proclaim the concrete love of God. You and I have just received His love and yet we have not proclaimed it. Therefore, in my opinion, those trucks are more Catholic than you or me.16

16 Anastasia et al., Mafia Irlandia…, 91.

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This harmony with his fellows becomes the basis for promoting the importance of establishing a harmonious relationship with the sur-rounding environment. The efforts that Romo Carolus has pursued in order to overcome the environmental problems in the Kampung Laut have been welcomed enthusiastically, especially since these efforts come from the initiatives and the proposals of the society members themselves, with the follow up by Romo Carolus. The awareness of the society members that “earth is our common home” has encouraged the Kampung Laut society to preserve nature by: not cutting down the mangroves (93.33%), using compost/manure (72.67%) and turning the golden snail into feed for the ducks (74.67%).

The presence of the Church as a community of harmony is also apparent from her capacity to involve many parties in cooperatively building a better environment in Kampung Laut, and among these par-ties are: Regional Government, Rotary, Main Hall of Watershed, Peo-ple Credit Banks, universities, Misereor, and other donor instituions. Thanks to the relationship that has been well maintained, the Catholic Church, through Romo Carolus, has been able to maintain the trust of a lot of the parties and has implemented society empowerment programs continuously for more than 40 years.

The presence of Romo Carolus in the Kampung Laut society has brought about significant changes in this society, from a society which used to live in hopelessness due to the famine and illness (malaria and eye-related disease) into a society that now lives a more prosperous life. Romo Carolus, along with the society members, has opened the access road so that Kampung Laut has not been isolated any more. The more widely opened access has brought positive impacts to the economic and educational activities in the region. The involvement of Romo Carolus in the joys and the sorrows of the Kampung Laut society for such a very long time has confirmed the presence of a harmonious relationship. Such harmonious relationship has been created because Romo Carolus always develops good communication with the society; consequently, the presence of any conflict might be avoided.

a note on the eco-pastoRaL initiative in kampung Laut

Basically, the efforts that have been pursued by Romo Carolus for saving the environment in Kampung Laut are a form of Society Em-

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powerment in which the most decisive factor of the society develop-ment entailed is the society itself. Society is the subject of the devel-opment that should be involved in every level of development, from the planning to the implementation, the monitoring and evaluation and. eventually. until the sharing benefit. Therefore, in order to guarantee the success of the eco-pastoral initiative, the society should be positioned as the subject in the very first place.

The efforts that have been pursued by Romo Carolus to put the society as the subject has been inspired by the ideas of Catholic Action that took place in the history of the Catholic Church.17 In this Catholic Action, the lay people, under the guidance of the hierarchy, took part both in church life and the society’s life, such as: being involved in so-cial actions for the labourers and the poor, being involved in the Chris-tian Family Movement, being involved in the Young Catholic Students, and being involved in the Young Catholic Workers to defend the public welfare and social justice. What makes Catholic Action interesting is the method, “to see, to judge and to act,” that was introduced by Joseph Cardijn, a Catholic priest, in the beginning of the 20th Century.18 By im-plementing this method, the faithful people are invited to see the reality and the problems that have been taking place in the world and to judge the reality and the problems from the perspective of their faith. Then, the faithful people are invited to act as a response toward the reality and the problems. The faithful people are invited to be more capable in taking action, since they are the subjects that provide a positive con-tribution for the manifestation of greater goodness.19 Starting from the

17 Catholic Action is a participatory action of lay people under the guidance of a hierarchy (Pope Pius XI, 1927). The Catholic Action was pioneered by a Catholic priest named Joseph Cardijn who established an association for the factory labours in Belgium after the end of the World War I. The movement expanded and became widely spread throughout Europe; in the same time, the movement had greater acknowledge-ment with regards to what had been emphasized since the Second Vatican Council II (1962-1965), namely the responsibility of the lay people in the life of a society for the sake of creating public welfare.

18 Sandra Yocum Mize, “North America,” eds. James J. Buckley, The Blackwell Companion to Catholicism (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007), 199-200.

19 Al. Andang L. Binawan, “(Eco) Habitus, Hari-hari Gereja Bertumbuh Terus” in V. Indra Sanjaya and F. Purwanti (editor), Mozaik Gereja Katolik Indonesia 50 Tahun Pasca Konsili Vtikan II (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2013), 41.

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movement among the industrial labourers (young workers on average), this movement of awareness/empowerment finally entered the schools, the campuses, the hospitals and the socio-politic-related domains in the European and American Continents.20

The idea of Catholic Action became stronger when it gained ap-proval from the Second Vatican Council with Schema 13 of Catholic Theology about the involvement of the Church in the modern world, which had been formulated in the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes). The Church would like to wel-come the presence of the Kingdom of God by taking participation in the creation of a better world through the domains of empowerment such as: parish, school, health, culture and politics (GS 45, 72).21

The consequence of putting society as the subject of development is the implementation of an inclusive and participatory approach through the bottom-up method. Appreciating the local wisdom is one of the stra-tegic alternatives that guarantees the success of eco-pastoral initiatives, because through the appreciation of local wisdom, the society perceives being loved and appreciated. Since the beginning of his encounter with the Kampung Laut society, Romo Carolus has benefitted the local wis-dom in each implementation of a society empowerment program. The appreciative actions by Romo Carolus for the local wisdom resulted in the high level of the society’s participation.

I am happy that Romo Carolus always listens to the ideas of the peo-ple here. For example, in the mud-channel construction, we deliver our intention to Romo. If the embankment in the Cimeneng River is not by-passed, then our village might be sunk during the rainy sea-son; but, if the embankment is by-passed, then the water from the river might be directed toward the swamp so that the houses of the people here will be saved.22

20 Emmanuel Perrier, “Europe,” eds. James J. Buckley, The Blackwell Compan-ion to Catholicism, 152.

21 Richard P. McBrien, The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism (HarperCollin e-books, 2008), 196-198.

22 Mr. Gunantoro, the Society Figure of Bugel Village, an interview with the re-searcher, September 9th, 2017.

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The labour for the overall construction of an access road in Kam-pung Laut has come from the local people here. Romo has never in-volved any labour from outside the region. All of the labourers are from our region here.23

In addition to society’s participation, to date the efforts of environ-mental safety in Kampung Laut have also involved many other parties. This involvement is a very precious capital and should be preserved since the factor of trust holds a very significant role within the involve-ment. The trust of the society in Romo Carolus is apparent in relation to the empowerment programs which benefits have been perceived di-rectly by the society. The Kampung Laut society perceives that Romo Carolus does not benefit in any economic advantage from the programs that have been implemented, and also that the programs that have been implemented by Romo Carolus do not have anything to do with either a religious mission or Christianization. Romo Carolus has a very close and intimate relationship with the Moslem clerics in Kampung Laut, and these clerics call him Kiai Karolus.

Romo has never converted me into a Catholic. In fact, Romo always reminds me to do the prayer when the time has come. This Romo is so kind that I, who am a Moslem, was always reminded to do the prayer.24

Who said that Romo Carolus has led to the Christianization in Kam-pung Laut? I who live in Kampung Laut alone have never perceived what Christianization is from Romo. Room does not construct any church in Kampung Laut.25

The buildings of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah in Kampung Laut have been constructed by Romo. Then, these buildings are handed over to the Moslem clerics here for utilization.26

23 Mr. Moko, the Chief of Panikel Village, an interview with the researcher, Sep-tember 10th, 2017.

24 Mr. Dikin, the Chief of Cikerang Village, an interview with the researcher, September 10th, 2017.

25 Mr. Dedi, the Society Figure of Pelindukan Village, an interview with the re-searcher, September 9th, 2017.

26 Mr. Muchlisin, the Teacher of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Cikerang, an interview with the researcher, September 19th, 2017.

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The factor of trust also plays an important role in developing a wider network, so that the social capital becomes stronger and more continuous and the people empowerment program in the domain of economy, education and health might be preserved. When the network has been established, there should be agreements or norms so that the network might be well-implemented and mutually beneficial for all par-ties. In Kampung Laut, new norms have been defined in order to over-come the existing problems: division on the new rice field, division on the mud current, maintenance on the mud-channel facility, and the like. Several organizations or institutions that altogether develop Kampung Laut with the Social Foundation of Bringing About the Good Hope are namely: The Regency of Cilacap Regional Government, Rotary, Main Hall of Watershed Area, People Credit Bank, several Universities, and Misereor (NGO).

Eco-pastoral has been a form of new evangelization that involves many people from other religions and requires the Church not to place herself in a superior position toward the people from the other reli-gions. To her own mission duty, namely, to proclaim the values of the Kingdom of God, the Church should be humbly aware of her position as the servant of the Kingdom of God. The Church serves the Kingdom of God by proclaiming the values of the Kingdom of God to the world. To the people of Kampung Laut society, whose majority is Moslem, the Church acts as a facilitator or a mediator for society, so that the society might perceive the benefits of the concrete environmental preservation as the manifestation on the values of the Kingdom of God alone.

Romo Carolus is fully aware that, as a Catholic priest and a Catho-lic missionary, he has been entrusted with the duty to proclaim the val-ues of the Kingdom of God, especially to the people who have not been wll-served. “Serving the Unserved” is the motto of the Congregation of the Oblates of Mary the Immaculate of which Romo Carolus is one of the members. Kampung Laut is a place that perfectly suits the descrip-tion of the Congregation, namely serving the poor people.

Romo Carolus has never presented himself as a leader, and has never been willing to be respected as a leader. Romo Carolus argues that leadership is a decision and is more of a result from the process of character changes and internal transformation within an individu-al. This statement is in accordance to the opinion of Hani Handoko

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(2010)27, who states that leadership is not a position nor a title, but, instead, leadership is the birth of a long process of change within an individual. When an individual has found the vision and the mission of his or her life, when there has been an inner peace and firm character-building formation within the individual, when every word and every action has started to deliver influence on his or her surrounding envi-ronment, and when his or her presence has encouraged the changes in his or her organization, then it is the time that an individual has been born into a real leader. Therefore, leader is not a title nor a position that has been given from the outside but, instead, leader is something that grows and develops from the inside of an individual.

The view of Romo Carolus that the essence of a leader is to serve and not to govern has been in accordance to the opinion by Jan Hendrik (2000)28, who states that the true duty of leadership is to help and to support, especially by providing all the necessary things for carrying out the duties well, by supporting and strengthening the people and the group, by underlining the meaning of the objectives, and highlight-ing the importance of these objectives, and by developing associations. In order to run the serving leadership, a leader should be easily ap-proached, should be able to listen well, should be open to criticism, and should be willing to detach the power by cutting the social gap with the people under his or her leadership.

The charismatic, participatory, creative, and transformative leader-ship model of Romo Carolus is highly associated to the spirituality edu-cation in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate that he has had, and the big wave of Church renewal that has been designed by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Romo Carolus was ordained on December 21, 1969. He had his philosophy and theology education when the Catholic Church had been pursuing the spiritual renewal in order to attain new spirit so that the Church might respond well to the challenges of the century, and might center the Church on the personality of Christ and His Paschal mystery, that has been translated by the council as the call-ing for all people to holiness.

27 Hani Handoko, Manajemen Personalia & Sumberdaya Manusia (Yogyakarta: BPFE UGM, 2010), 297.

28 Jan Hendriks, Jemaat Vital dan Menarik: Membangun Jemaat dengan Meng-gunakan Metode Lima Faktor (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2002), 81, 90-91.

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The importance of the role of the Second Vatican Council for Church renewal has impacted the OMI Congregation spiritually. Fr. Leo Deschâtelets (The Superior General of the OMI Congregation at that time) decided to postpone the 27th General Chapter that had been scheduled to take place in 1965 and moved the meeting to 1966. The objective of the postponement was that the OMI Congregation might adopt itself to the efforts of the Church renewal in order to respond to the challenges of the time and to proclaim the Gospel in a better man-ner. This statement was delivered by Fr. Leo Deschatelets to the mem-bers of the 27th General Chapter as follows:

Our fidelity to the Oblate ideal and to Bishop de Mazenod, our fidel-ity to the Blessed Virgin and the to the Church, our fidelity to our mission of evangelizing the poor and to our religious and priestly life […] our attachment to the Church was also our constant guide. We have shown this in our efforts to move with the current created by the Council. […] A very interesting social factor, I think was the firmness, the assiduity, the perseverance with which our Congrega-tion, represented here, accomplished this act of self-transformation, of self-renewal, of return to its purest sources and of opening to a future which ought to be more healthy and more efficacious for the good of souls.29

It is in the situation of massive renewal inside the Catholic Church and the OMI Congregation as part of the Catholic Church, that Romo Carolus retrieved the spiritual provisions as the candidate of a mis-sionary priest. During his study, he optimized his self-potential, so that when the time had come he would be able to proclaim the Gospel as well as possible. He engaged himself into an “eccentric” domain, the domain that none of his friends had taken during their study period. These domains were farming, youth, bee cultivation, sheepherding and pig-herding activities, tractor operation, and, in the same time, he also pursued a number of other cooperations with the OMI Brothers. All of these domains have contributed to the development of the aspects of

29 “Circular Letter of the Superior General, Fr. Leo Deschâtelets to XXVIIth Gen-eral Chapter, March 23rd, 1996,” Pawel Zajac (Ed.), To the Ends of the Earth: Mis-sionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate 1816-2016 A Documentary Sourcebook (Roma: Oblatio Studia, 2016), 612.

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charismatic leadership inside Romo Carolus that have been displayed in his creative involvement in the middle of Kampung Laut society in the subsequent years. Romo Carolus states his belief that he has been called by God to build His Kingdom in the world by pursuing cooperation with many people, without having to mind their race, religion or ethnicity. He proclaims the Gospel not for baptizing people and converting them into Catholicism in the first place, but, instead, he proclaims the Gospel in order to deliver the values of the Kingdom of God in the middle of the world. He believes that the Church is the Sacrament of the Kingdom of God alone. The Church of the Kingdom of God is not a Church that abandons the given mission to proclaim Christ, because the Church is the Sacrament of the Kingdom of God and the Church is also the Sacra-ment of Christ. The Church might not be separated from Christ because, in carrying out Christ’s missions, which are no other than the Kingdom of God’s missions, the Church is present and is called. This statement is in accordance to the argument by a theologian named Jonathan Yun-Ka Tan and all of the Asian Bishops in the FABC document 2004,30 and is also in accordance to the Apostolic Appeal of Pope Paul VI Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), which states that the centre of Gospel proclamation is the Kingdom of God (EN 34), and that the Gospel proclamation is the genuine liberation that has been mobilized by justice and the love; the final objective of this genuine liberation is the redemption and the joy of mankind in God (EN 35).

The charismatic leadership of Romo Carolus in the Society Em-powerment Programs of Kampung Laut (starting from 1973) has risen from his identify as the member of OMI Congregation, as has been stated in several numbers of the OMI Constitutions as follows: “We are a missionary Congregation” (C 5) and “[…] we commit ourselves prin-cipally to evangelizing the poor” (C 1). Looking far back, the basis for what Romo Carolus has carried out in Kampung Laut has been sourced from what Saint Eugene de Mazenod, the Founder of the OMI, had done, namely the readiness to answer to the most urgent needs of the Church that have not been responded to.

30 Jonathan Yun-ka Tan, “Mission Inter Gentes: Toward a New Paradigm in the Mission Theology of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences,” FABC Papers No. 109, 2004.

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We were founded to evangelize the most abandoned […]. Our Founder felt that this was the way to respond to the urgent needs he perceived in Southern France. Historically, the Congregation spread outside of Provence to all corners of the globe, responding to needs perceived as urgent. This continues in our tradition today: “no min-istry is foreign to us, provided we never lose sight of the Congrega-tion’s primary purpose: to evangelize the most abandoned.”31

The methodology of Eugene de Mazenod in viewing the needs of the time (to see, to discern, to act) has been well preserved as hav-ing been apparent in the methodology of the 28th General Chapter that was held in 1972, just one year before Romo Carolus started to engage himself into the life of the Kampung Laut society (1973). The 1972 General Chapter strengthened Romo Carolus to take action in relation to the condition of the Kampung Laut society at that time, and these actions were: viewing the world from the place where the Oblates had been standing (to see), considering the needs of the world through the perspective of the Oblates’ missionary invocation (to discern), and re-sponding to these needs through the concrete actions of evangelization (to act).32

The 1972 General Chapter reflects on Asia as a continent that has a high level of religiosity, as having been expressed by the presence of multicultural faiths such as Hinduism, Shintoism, Islamism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Atn the same time, the 1972 General Chap-ter also reflects on Asia as a continent that has been full of poor people with the following prominent characteristics: passive, easily surren-dered, and pessimistic. These characteristics have become prominent due to the long period of colonialization by the West. Most of the Asian younger generations are interested in adopting a revolutionary ideol-ogy that offers the promise of the freedom from political, social and economic exploitation, and also from all the wounds that have been in-herited by Asian people from colonialism. Under such situation, the 28th General Chapter, held in 1972, has considered that the Church in Asia has not done much in order to facilitate the aspirations of the general

31 Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Discerning Oblate Mission: Criteria and Procedures (Rome: Oblatio Studia, 2014), 11.

32 Pawel Zajac (Ed.), To the Ends of the Earth: Missionary Oblates of Mary Im-maculate 1816-2016. A Documentary Sourcebook, 617.

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Asian public. Therefore, the Congregation has encouraged their mis-sionaries, within the cooperation with the local churches, to respond to the urgent needs of the world, especially in relation to the conditions of poverty in Asia. The basis for this action has been stated in the Docu-ment of Missionary Outlook as the results of the 28th General Chapter, namely that the world of the poor is the birthplace of the Church, and the place where Jesus Christ should be proclaimed.33

Young Romo Carolus has positively responded the invitation by the 28th General Capital. He argues that the Church should do some-thing in order to participate in alleviating the poverty in Asia or, at least, in returning the sense of justice on the rights of the Asian people that have been taken by the presence of the Western colonialization in the past.34 Therefore, when Romo Carolus saw the situations of poverty that he encountered in Kampung Laut (1973), his heart was moved to help the Kampung Laut society in order that the people in Kampung Laut might enjoy the proper human life, both materially and psychosocially. At that time, he viewed the poor as the pre-prosperous group of people who had not had / were not given, justice. The sense of being inferior, pessimistic and easily surrendered that had been lingering among the poor people was lifted by Romo Carolus through an initiative of people empowerment that put priority on the bottom-up approach, the appre-ciation of the local wisdom and the local culture, and dialogue (com-munal discussion) with the people of the Kampung Laut society, so that the people of the society were proud to be the subject of their own self-development.

Since 1973 until now, Romo Carolus has consistently and intensive-ly asserted that the three stages of Gospel proclamation that were taught by Saint Eugene de Mazenod (the Founder of the OMI Congeration), namely “Make them human, then Christians and finally Saints” might be manifested. The aspect of humanity within the people empowerment initiative has been afforded through the improvement of the social-eco-nomic status of the society and the establishment of formal education (school with certificates), informal education (character education in the families), and non-formal education (courses without certificates)

33 “Dokumen Missionary Outlook artikel 13n,” Zajac (Ed.), To the Ends of the Earth…, 623.

34 Romo Carolus, interview with the researcher, October 1st, 2018.

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for the society. These efforts by Romo Carolus have concretized his missionary view that not only brings about economic advancement for the societys but also the social, cultural and political changes that might be necessary for the fairer distribution and the establishment of frater-nity among the nations. This statement is in accordance to the statement by Pope Paul VI in his encyclic Populorum Progressio (1967), which states that “Integral development has aims to help peoples so that they could know more, do more, and have more. That is the reason why progress will always be an integral part of evangelization” (PP 6). For Romo Carolus, the Good News is fulfilled when the society is able to live a proper life, and through the proper life, the society is able to un-derstand and to live the values of the Kingdom of God that have been proclaimed by the Church.

As an OMI priest, Romo Carolus believes that life inside the unity with God means life inside the unity with mankind.35 The specific de-sire of each OMI missionary is to be a part of the world of the poor by listening, understanding, and allowing the poor to provide their feed-back to an OMI. In this regard, Romo Carolus does not only work for the Kampung Laut society but also with the Kampung Laut society in order to alleviate the conditions of their poverty (social, culture and economy).

The OMI Congregation supports the initiatives of solidarity for the poor and gives full approval for every OMI missionary who has the spe-cial charism of fully identifying themselves to the poor. The Congrega-tion helps the OMI Missionary in developing an open attitude, with full respect for the people where the OMI missionaries have been living, including the respect for the cultural values of the local society. In the places that have been occupied by non-Christian people, the evange-lization for delivering the Kingdom of God has been pursued through dialogue, appreciation of local wisdom, and plurality and also participa-tion in the struggle for the humane life of the local society.36

The way of proclaiming Gospel that Romo Carolus (and the OMI Congregation) has implemented is in accordance to the opinion by Pope Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975) that “for the Church, the first

35 Romo Carolus, an interview with the researcher, October 1st, 2018.36 Zajac (Ed.), To the Ends of the Earth…, 626.

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means of evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life, given over to God in a communion that nothing should destroy, and, at the same time, given to one’s neighbor with limitless zeal” (EN 14). Furthermore, Pope Paul VI asserts that, in addition to the collective proclamation of the Gospel, personal contact is highly important for the proclamation of the Gospel in the long term (EN 46). In relation to the appreciation toward local wisdom, Pope Paul VI asserts what Romo Carolus has done, through his statement in EN 48:

Popular religiosity manifests a thirst for God which only the simple and poor can know. It makes people capable of generosity and sacri-fice even to the point of heroism, when it is a question of manifesting belief. Above all one (missionary) must be sensitive to it, know how to perceive its interior dimensions and undeniable values, be ready to help it to overcome its risks of deviation. When it is well oriented, this popular religiosity will be more and more for multitudes of our people a true encounter with God in Jesus Christ.

In showing his leadership, Romo Carolus always affords greater creativity for the sake of proclaiming the values of the Kingdom of God to the world. This initiative is afforded by implementing periodic evaluation to the commitment of evangelization in the light of the Gos-pel and the missionary charisma of the Congregation. This evaluation is absolute and, at the same time this evaluation encourages the making of concrete and effective decisions in order to respond to the urgent needs of the poor. The Kampung Laut society has always been involved by Romo Carolus in the evaluation process. The leadership of Romo Carolus has made the society feel happy and appreciated, because their presence as the subject of the development has been admitted and sup-ported.

Romo Carolus is aware that he will not always be able to accompa-ny/serve the Kampung Laut society. Therefore, there should be a transi-tion of leadership to the young OMI missionaries, so that the ministry that has been pioneered by Romo Carolus will be continued in accord-ance with the development that has been achieved. The Document, Missionary Outlook (1972)37 states that, in order to continue the mis-sionary duties of the Congregation, the young OMI missionaries, since

37 Ibid., 627.

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the beginning of their study period, should be provided with a space for developing their personal charism by habituating themselves in con-templating the presence of God in the history of human civilizations and developing flexible, adaptive and willing-to-learn self-quality.

Jan Hendrik (2000)38 elicits several aspects in the charismatic lead-ership that should be training the young OMI missionaries namely: character (viewing their personality and being viewed by the people as a servant), style (motivating others through forums/communal dia-logue), function (using most of the time to perform activities that have direct impact on the development of the communal life; combining at-tention to the ‘aspects’ through attention to the ‘relationship’; helping people/groups of people to find their own way/solutions; supporting and strengthening; underlining the meaning of certain objectives not only by words but also by action which lights these certain objectives; fostering the spirit of association/fraternity and requirements (being able to listen well; being able to handle criticisms; being approachable; having certain capacities; and being able to decrease the use of power). In addition, the process of leadership transition or regeneration should also be implemented by means of nyantrik39 under the leadership of Romo Carolus. The intention is that the young OMI missionaries might learn from Romo Carolus so that they will be ready at any time to re-place Romo Carolus in order to continue the ministry in the Kampung Laut society.

Antonius Widiatmoko, omi Yogyakarta - Indonesia

[email protected]

38 Jan Hendriks, Jemaat Vital dan Menarik: Membangun Jemaat dengan Meng-gunakan Metode Lima Faktor, 192.

39 The term nyantrik basically refers to the activities of learning from a teacher. In the context of nyantrik, the wisdom lies in the students and not in the teacher because the students are the ones who have been looking for the teachers and not the other way around. Through nyantrik, it is expected that the students might find the long-life learning process from the teachers in order to embark on their own journey (source: patembayancitraleka.wordpress.com).

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le Dialogue aVec l’islaM au sénégal

Louis diédhiou, omi

S’il m’était permis de raconter le merveilleux témoignage du dialogue islamo chrétien dans le pays de la Téranga (terre d’accueil), je le ferais avec beaucoup d’enthousiasme. En effet

comme il est cité dans la chronique Seneweb :

Si le Sénégal est considéré comme un pays de paix, c’est en grande partie grâce à l’entente parfaite entre chrétiens et musulmans. Cité aujourd’hui parmi l’un des rares pays en Afrique, voir même au mon-de où les différentes confessions religieuses vivent en harmonie, le Sénégal doit cette particularité et cette différence au dialogue islamo chrétien. Une réalité au pays de la Téranga considéré comme modèle du genre dans le monde de plus en plus en proie à des conflits interre-ligieux. Comme illustration de l’entente entre les deux communautés religieuses, le diplôme décerné par le Pape François pour honorer le Sénégal dans ces œuvres pour la paix entre les chrétiens et les musul-mans. La distinction a été remise au ministre conseiller du Président Sall par le cardinal, Monseigneur Théodore Adrien Sarr.

Le LaBeL sénégaLais

Le terreau sénégalais du dialogue Islamo chrétien est porteur de beaucoup de fruits. Cette tradition date de la période de la colonisation selon certains. Et pour d’autres des germes et bribes peuvent se déceler depuis la période de l’islamisation et de l’évangélisation du territoire par les arabes venus du nord et des premiers comptoirs franco portu-gais au 15ème siècle. Delà sont nés les premiers convertis confrontés en famille à vivre écartelés par adoption de leur nouvelle religion. Même si nous savons nous tous que l’Église a donné plus tard des directives concernant ce dialogue, l’un des documents de base est Nostra aetate. Ce document nous fait comprendre qu’il y a la possibilité d’entrer en dialogue avec les autres religions.

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L’Église catholique ne rejette rien de ce qui est vrai et saint dans ces religions. Elle considère avec un respect sincère ces manières d’agir et de vivre, ces règles et ces doctrines qui, quoiqu’elles diffèrent sous bien des rapports de ce qu’elle-même tient et propose, cependant re-flètent souvent un rayon de la vérité qui illumine tous les hommes. Toutefois, elle annonce, et elle est tenue d’annoncer sans cesse, le Christ qui est « la voie, la vérité et la vie » (Jn 14, 6), dans lequel les hommes doivent trouver la plénitude de la vie religieuse et dans lequel Dieu s’est réconcilié toutes choses. Elle exhorte donc ses fils pour que, avec prudence et charité, par le dialogue et par la collabo-ration avec les adeptes d’autres religions, et tout en témoignant de la foi et de la vie chrétiennes, ils reconnaissent, préservent et fassent progresser les valeurs spirituelles, morales et socio-culturelles qui se trouvent en eux. (Nostra aetate, 2)

Le Sénégal n’a pas attendu pour s’y atteler. Il a une longue tradition de convenance et même de communion entre musulmans et chrétiens.

Rappelons que le Sénégal compte actuellement une population d’environ 16 millions. Selon les statistiques, le pays compte une po-pulation de 94% de musulmans et 5% de chrétiens en majorité catholi-ques. Cette majorité écrasante à première vue fait peur. La bonne nou-velle est que certaines familles sont mixtes, on y trouve des chrétiens et des musulmans. C’est donc dire que le lien de sang est plus fort que le lien de foi. C’est en cela que l’on trouve deux types de dialogue : le dialogue de vie et celui structurel et organisé.

En effet beaucoup de facteurs et de paramètres favorisent ce dialo-gue de vie et même le dialogue formel. Je cite une conférence de l’UCS (Union du clergé sénégalais) tenu lors d’une assemblée régionale des prêtres de l’Afrique de l’Ouest :

En effet plusieurs facteurs constituent ce dialogue : il s’agit du cou-sinage, des mariages mixtes, des liens de parentés, du partage d’in-térêts communs, de la tolérance ancrée dans la tradition et des gestes quotidiens de la vie des Sénégalais.

Le diaLogue stRuctuReL et FoRmeL

Parlons tout d’abord de l’Islam sénégalais, puisque c’est avec lui que se fait le dialogue. Tout le monde s’accorde pour dire que l’Islam

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sénégalais est un Islam confrérique, c’est-à-dire qu’il a pris un visage de communauté ayant chacune à sa tête un marabout. Ce qui rend son caractère tolérant à bien des égards. A quoi cela est dû ?

Nous avons souligné le lien de sang, à cela s’ajoute la pratique avec un certain syncrétisme qui caricature la possibilité d’un pourcentage de 100% d’animisme de la population sénégalaise : 94% de musulmans, 5% de chrétiens, 1% d’animistes et autres et 100% d’animiste (prati-quants de la religion traditionnelle).

Le Sénégal étant le pays de la Téranga, le sens du dialogue et de la concertation, issus de la tradition ancestrale, sont bien ancrés dans la culture du peuple.

Beaucoup de structures, de commissions et des groupes ont été constitués pour faciliter ce dialogue formel qu’on n’ose pas appeler doctrinal.

Rappelons que ce dialogue n’a pas pour objectif, ni une volonté de convertir qui que ce soit à sa propre religion. Le but préconisé est celui de la communion et de l’entente entre les deux religions. Il arrive hélas parfois que des esprits mal intentionnés veuillent en tirer profit en ayant la langue de bois. En fait ce dialogue a comme finalité de combattre le fondamentalisme et le terrorisme sources de conflits dans le monde. Ce qui doit être préservé est la paix, la concorde et l’harmonie sociale synonyme d’égalité pour tous les citoyens au sein de la nation.

Le diaLogue de vie

Le dialogue de vie s’accentue surtout au niveau de la vie sociale particulièrement au sein des familles mixtes et dans la vie au niveau des quartiers. En naissant comme sénégalais on est tributaire d’une éducation fondée sur l’harmonie des ethnies et des religions. Ceci se traduit dans la communion de vie. Nous nous côtoyons au fil des jours, et sans parler de différence de religion et d’ethnie, nous mettons au-de-vant l’appartenance au même sang, à la même famille. Cette symbiose se voit dans ce que l’on appelle le cousinage des ethnies. Il n’arrivera jamais que les membres de certaines ethnies se fassent du mal car ils se croient cousins et donc parents.

La vie concrète de chaque jour nous offre des occasions de fraterni-ser, de nouer des alliances et de vivre des moments ensemble sans tout

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de même parler de dialogue. C’est en cela que l’on célèbre des mariages mixtes, de partager des repas lors des fêtes propres à chaque religion.

Quand les fêtes chrétiennes arrivent, les musulmans sont invités à venir y prendre part et vice versa. Il y a aussi le fruit que l’Église a misé une grande partie de son évangélisation dans la pastorale sociale. Les hôpitaux et dispensaires sont les signes quotidiens du service rendu à la population, aux deux communautés. Les écoles privées catholiques classiques et professionnelles sont des laboratoires de dialogue de la so-ciété sénégalaise. Signalons en passant, que si mes sources sont sûres, l’Église catholique est le deuxième employeur au Sénégal après l’état.

La particularité oblate

Les Oblats sont arrivés au Sénégal en 1976. Il n’y a pas plus indi-qué que d’écouter un des premiers du groupe des 9 Oblats, le p. Enzo Abbatinali, nous raconter le parcors des OMI concernant le dialogue islamo-chrétien :

L’équipe des Oblats affectée au Sénégal en juillet 1976 par le Supé-rieur Général p. Fernand Jetté en accord avec le Provincial d’Italie, p. Remigio Salzillo et celui de Louang Prabang p. Walter Verzeletti, a suivi un mois de préparation à Rome durant l’été avec le p. Mau-rice Bormans, spécialiste de l’Islam. Une fois arrivés à Dakar en novembre 1976, les Oblats ont suivi par trois fois des trois jours d’information et de formation sur la culture et la religion des gens du pays avec des prêtres et des laïcs de l’Égli-se du Sénégal. Le groupe de quatre Oblats affecté au pays sérer ont suivi des cours de la langue durant les quatre mois avant de prendre en charge pastorale le grand secteur de Nguéniène Djilas. Pris par les quelques milliers de fidèles à faire grandir dans la foi, ils ont pratiqué le dialogue avec les musulmans du secteur au niveau de la vie et de la proximité.Les Oblats affectés à l’intérieur du pays, Kaffrine et Koungueul ont appris et pratiqué le wolof durant six mois dans les missions catholi-ques avec les Missionnaires du Sacré Cœur d’Issoudum. Si les Oblats affectés à Koungueul ont trouvé de nombreux catéchu-mènes de l’ethnie Kognagui à soigner et à cheminer vers le Bapte-me, les Oblats de Kaffrine par contre se sont trouvés confrontés à la réalité de l’Islam en masse. C’est alors que le P. Guglielmo Crespan

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et le p. Danilo Ceccato avec les religieuses Filles de N. D. du Sacré Cœur, ont eu l’idée d’ouvrir la branche de l’action catholique la JAC (jeunesse agricole catholique) en changeant le C Catholique en C Croyants et partir animer les nombreux jeunes du secteur. Ça été une réussite, reconnu par l’Evêque d Kaolack, comme moyen pour en-trer en dialogue avec les musulmans par le biais des jeunes agricoles. L’action pastorale commencée avec le P. Guglielmo a continué avec le p. Enrico D’Onofrio, qui lui a succédé.Un autre Oblat qui s’est lancé dans le dialogue avec l’Islam a été le p. Mimmo Arena, qui s’inspirait de l’Ouvre de Marie avec le cha-risme de l’Unité.Il faut reconnaître que, si les autres Oblats n’ont pas eu le temps de se lancer clairement dans le dialogue avec les non chrétiens, ils ont pratiqué le dialogue de la vie et de la proximité là où ils s’inves-tissaient dans la pastorale vis-à-vis de chrétiens assez nombreux en secteur urbain. Personnellement, en arrivant sur les dunes de sables des Parcelles Assainies en novembre 1982 avec p. Natalino Favero, n’ayant pas de pied à terre sur place et demeurant durant toute une année à Gué-diawaye, notre pastorale consistait dans la recherche des éventuels chrétiens qui venaient s’installer sur les Parcelles, ce qui nous a per-mis de rencontrer combien de non chrétiens, musulmans et non, qui nous demandaient qui étions nous et quelques fois certains nous de-mandaient de visiter aussi leur maison pour une prière.

Ce témoignage du père Enzo Abbatinali montre à suffisance que les OMI se sont intéressés dès leur arrivée à cet aspect de l’évangélisa-tion. Ne pouvant s’occuper que des chrétiens sur tous les plans sociaux, la mission devait prendre en compte le dialogue sous toutes ses for-mes. Evangéliser devient annonce du Kérygme et la pratique sociale : construction des écoles de brousse, érection des dispensaires, mais sur-tout création de Caritas paroissiales capables de subvenir aux besoins de la population rurale, surtout en période de soudure. Beaucoup de ces missionnaires oblats, en collaboration avec les paysans ont créé des banques de céréales pour compenser le manque qui survient souvent à l’approche de l’hivernage. Beaucoup de projets ont été initiés par ces missionnaires OMI pour chercher à développer les missions à eux

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confiées. Souvent dans ces missions, la majorité de la population est musulmane, donc aussi bénéficiaires de ces projets.

Il semble que la particularité des OMI en ce domaine vient du fait que dans la pastorale de toutes nos missions, la visite aux familles est une partie intégrante. En visitant les familles dans le cadre de la pasto-rale de proximité, on rencontre aussi des familles musulmanes qui sont aussi l’objet de notre attention. Ou dans une même maison occupée par des chrétiens, on rencontre des parents musulmans qui y habitent et qui par participent à nos rencontres et partages.

Je me rappelle que j’ai grandi dans le mouvement CV.AV (Cœurs vaillants et Ames vaillantes : mouvement d’action catholique). J’ai eu dans ce mouvement des responsables musulmans. Même dans le scou-tisme, on en trouvait.

Le secrétaire pour les rapports avec les Etats, Mgr Dominique Mamberti, déclarait le 03 octobre 2014, lors d’une réunion des nonces avec le Pape François :

Pour combattre le fondamentalisme et le terrorisme, il faut favoriser le dialogue interreligieux. La paix doit être recherchée à travers le dialogue et non pas à travers des choix unilatéraux imposés par la force.

Le Sénégal a compris et les OMI à leur tour en s’installant au Sé-négal. Rien n’est acquis d’avance. Il faut travailler à l’entente des peu-ples. Cela n’a pu se faire qu’avec des sacrifices au quotidien, dans les missions qui nous sont confiées.

L’expérience du p. Mimo Arena, omi

L’Est du Sénégal détient une majorité écrasante de musulmans. Mis à part les ethnies cognadji et bassari de religion traditionnelle, venus de la Guinée Conakry, le reste est composé de populations autochtones d’obédience musulmane. Et le p. Domenico Arena a voulu être plus concret en se penchant sur l’expérience faite à Koumpentoum. Il fai-sait état de cela dans un article paru dans ayaas.net et ayant comme ti-tre : Vie missionnaire, communion et témoignage, publié le 28/04/2020. Ecoutons-le-nous tracer ces moments et ces aspects de dialogue dans cette contrée.

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Dans une autre mission, celle de Koumpentoum, à 350 km au sud-est de Dakar, dans le diocèse de Tambacounda, le parcours de mon ex-périence de dialogue à été à peu près le même, mais dans un contexte missionnaire divers. Là-bas, où je fus curé de 1991 à 1995, la com-munauté chrétienne était minuscule. Elle comptait à peine un mil-lier de chrétiens, tous des ressortissants d’autres régions du Sénégal, perdus au milieu d’une masse musulmane et dispersés sur un rayon d’environ cinquante km. Sur ce terrain le dialogue se présentait plus difficile à actualiser surtout parce que pendant une année j’ai dû tra-vailler tout seul. Par contre, presque au début de mon apostolat dans cette mission, en février 1992, la visite de Jean Paul II avait relancé dans les esprits des sénégalais l’envie de dialogue.Pourtant, en suivant les mêmes convictions qu’avant, j’ai pu vivre des moments significatifs de dialogue. A ce propos, voilà ce qu’on écrivait dans une recherche, non encore publiée, sur la mission de Koumpentoum:C’est dans le contact avec les Imams que nous avons eu droit à d’autres agréables surprises. En effet, avec certains d’entre eux, on vit de moments de dialogue intense et on expérimente une forte soli-darité. Tout cela dans la simplicité d’une démarche de courtoisie qui consiste à leur rendre visite dans le cadre d’une tournée. Les choses se passent ainsi dans ces visites. De notre côté, nous essayons de véhiculer un message de fraternité qui nous lie en tant que croyants et être humains, mais aussi de manifester la volonté de l’Église sé-négalaise d’opérer en dialogue avec l’Islam. Surtout cette année où les responsables des deux communautés religieuses s’étaient enga-gées à prier ensemble pour la paix dans le pays troublé par la lutte d’indépendance en Casamance. De leur côté et d’une façon un peu inattendu, ils accueillent et réagissent positivement à ce message de fraternité et de paix. La même chose se réalise avec l’Imam ratib de Koumpentoum qui, dans le cadre de la journée de prière pour la paix en Casamance, accepte lui aussi de rendre visite à la commu-nauté chrétienne de Koumpentoum et avec celui de Keur Daouda. Tout cela nous a permis de faire le premier pas dans le dialogue qui a porté à une plus grande reconnaissance réciproque et à plus de so-lidarité active.Il convient d’ajouter que la visite de l’Imam ratib, voir majeur, de Koumpentoum, avait mûri à la suite d’une visite en sa mosquée, au moment de la rupture du jeûne de Ramadan, lorsque une délégation

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chrétienne lui avait présenté le message venant du Conseil Pontifical pour le dialogue.Pour moi, personnellement, les efforts de dialogue menant à un chan-gement de rapports, m’ont valu la bénédiction d’un Imam à la suite justement d’un petit geste de politesse normale. Un homme habillé en musulman, sous un soleil ardent, attendait un moyen de transport, très rare dans la région, pour parcourir une longue distance. Je passe en voiture, un peu fatigué d’une matinée passée au service des chré-tiens d’un village. Je m’arrête quand même et je le prends avec moi. Nous nous saluons, « Asalamalékoum » « Malékoum salam », et puis nous parcourons les 20 et plus km quasiment en silence jusqu’à l’en-droit où il devait descendre. Il descend, je descends pour lui rendre le bagage et le saluer. Il sort de ses poches de l’argent comme pour payer le taxi, je refuse. Sur ça, il me retient et, ouvrant ses bras vers moi, comme les musulmans du Sénégal ont l’habitude de le faire en-tre eux, il prie la du’â pour moi, en signe de bénédiction. Je pense qu’il savait que j’étais prêtre, par après j’ai découvert qu’il était un Imam.

L’émergence d’une culture de paix, signe palpable et providentiel d’un développement durable est la résultante de cette cohésion sociale issus de cette communion des peuples. Nous le redisons encore, si le Sénégal n’a pas encore connu l’éclosion d’un certain fanatisme qui en-gendre le terrorisme en son sein, c’est grâce à cette culture de paix et de cohésion sociale. Le dialogue de vie est à la portée de tous les citoyens. La vie quotidienne ici au Sénégal nous donne l’occasion de fraterniser eu égard des différences ethniques et de foi.

Mon expérience personnelle

J’ai eu beaucoup d’amis issus des familles maraboutiques (surtout de Touba : ce que l’on appelle les Mbacké Mbacké : Descendants du fondateur du Mouridisme). Avec eux, nous avons parcouru des chemins ensemble. Nous avons vécu des moments agréables. Et cela est encore à l’ordre du jour. Chaque fête de la Tabaski, je suis invité chez eux pour partager le repas de la fête du mouton. Quand c’est le tour des chrétien, mes parents partage le Ngalakh (bouilli à base de céréales, du fruit du baobab et autres ingrédients). Cette façon de communier n’est pas une

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simple formalité. C’est le fruit d’une symbiose qui se traduit dans le temps et l’espace.

Si, en plus, chacun y implique la communauté à laquelle il appartient pour donner ensemble un témoignage communautaire, le dialogue devient un mouvement capable de transformer positivement les re-lations entre les groupes de croyants. Et là, les deux communautés peuvent s’enrichir mutuellement des valeurs qu’elles véhiculent. Par exemple, moi, et je crois aussi les chrétiens du Sénégal, j’ai beau-coup admiré le sens du sacré, du respect du divin ainsi que de l’auto-rité, du zèle pour la cause religieuse, de l’esprit de solidarité, de la sobriété dont la communauté islamique en général est porteuse. (Do-menico Arena dans son article cité).

Etant né et grandi à Dakar et ayant côtoyé durant toute ma crois-sance des amis et copains musulmans, j’ai un regard qui transcende les différences. En grandissant avec eux j’ai vécu avec des personnes que Dieu m’a donné et non des individus avec une appartenance à une reli-gion ou à une ethnie quelconque. Si j’ai bonne mémoire nous ne nous sommes jamais arrêtés sur nos différences d’ethnies et de religion. A l’école privée catholique où nous étions inscrits, tout le monde faisait la prière du notre père et un ave Maria avant le début des classes. Per-sonne ne s’est jamais lamenter de ce particularisme. Il nous arrivé nous catholiques, de nous rendre à leurs écoles coraniques sans qu’il y ait une crainte de prosélytisme. Nous vivions dans l’innocence totale. Si cela a dû se faire, c’est parce que la société sénégalaise n’a érigé aucune barrière différentielle entre les peuples que composent la nation. Il n’y a aucun syncrétisme, ni mélange de croyance qui se vivent de la part des adeptes des deux religions. Le respect est de rigueur. La provocation n’a pas droit de cité. Il est arrivé quelques fois des incompréhensions et même des brouilles (pour preuve l’histoire de l’inauguration de la chapelle de Tivaouane, la capitale de la Tidjania au Sénégal).

Comme nous dit Nostra aetate, 3, les musulmans croient aussi en un Dieu Unique :

L’Église regarde aussi avec estime les musulmans, qui adorent le Dieu unique, vivant et subsistant, miséricordieux et tout-puissant, créateur du ciel et de la terre, qui a parlé aux hommes. Ils cherchent à se soumettre de toute leur âme aux décrets de Dieu, même s’ils

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sont cachés, comme s’est soumis à Dieu Abraham, auquel la foi is-lamique se réfère volontiers. Bien qu’ils ne reconnaissent pas Jésus comme Dieu, ils le vénèrent comme prophète ; ils honorent sa Mère virginale, Marie, et parfois même l’invoquent avec piété. De plus, ils attendent le jour du jugement, où Dieu rétribuera tous les hom-mes après les avoir ressuscités. Aussi ont-ils en estime la vie morale et rendent-ils un culte à Dieu, surtout par la prière, l’aumône et le jeûne. »

concLusion

Si l’on s’en tenait seulement au dialogue doctrinal, le Sénégal ne serait pas à ce niveau de communion et de fraternité entre chrétiens et musulmans.

L’expansion des OMI aujourd’hui permet de cerner plus de ter-rain.....

Depuis leur arrivée en 1976, jusqu’à nos jours, les OMI ont gagné du terrain. Le nombre de leur mission s’est multiplié par 5. Le nombre des Oblats, jadis 9 au départ en 1976, a atteint la soixantaine et cela avec la présence d’Oblats sénégalais et autres. À leur arrivée au dé-but, ils œuvraient uniquement au Sénégal, principalement au Nord du pays. Actuellement leur expansion les a menés jusqu’au sud du pays. Ils ont même passé la frontière pour aller poser leurs valises en terre Guinéenne. C’est vrai que ce sont des territoires moins islamisés que le Nord. Mais la présence de l’Islam est toujours significative et même en progression. Les mêmes méthodes pastorales prévalent. Le dialogue est toujours d’actualité. Sans ce dernier l’action sociale serait quelque part amoindrie, car dans certains endroits, les musulmans restent toujours majoritaires. La présence des Oblats autochtones accentue le dialogue de vie parce ces derniers sont nés dans cette ambiance de communion et de fraternité.

Nous sommes tout de même conscients à ne pas dormir sur nos lauriers. Comme le dit l’apôtre Pierre : « Soyez sobres, veillez ! Votre adversaire, le diable, comme un lion rugissant, rôde, cherchant qui dé-vorer.» (1 Pierre 5, 8)

Cette entente et cette cohésion sociale et religieuse, n’est pas la fierté de tous. Des tentations se manifestent de temps à autre pour ré-clamer l’état islamique au Sénégal. Certaines brebis galeuses se tor-

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turent les manèges pour dire que la majorité doit servir pour établir certaines lois issues de la loi islamique. Si l’école privée catholique et les œuvres sociales n’avaient pas apporté sa pierre d’achoppement dans la construction d’un Sénégal nouveau, nous serons peut-être pris aujourd’hui dans le bourbier du terrorisme comme le sont aujourd’hui beaucoup de pays de la zone du Sahel.

Les Oblats, fils de Saint Eugène de Mazenod, ont incarné le charis-me de leur fondateur, en ayant une pastorale de proximité : être proches du peuple pour mieux les connaître. Et avec eux nous avons cheminé ensemble, toute ethnie et religion confondus vers la terre promise d’un Dieu qui a tant aimé le monde qu’il a donné son Fils unique, pour que le monde soit sauvé.

Même si, au cours des siècles, de nombreuses dissensions et inimi-tiés se sont manifestées entre les chrétiens et les musulmans, le saint Concile les exhorte tous à oublier le passé et à s’efforcer sincèrement à la compréhension mutuelle, ainsi qu’à protéger et à promouvoir en-semble, pour tous les hommes, la justice sociale, les valeurs morales, la paix et la liberté (Nostra aetate, 3).

Les Oblats du Sénégal ont pris à cœur cet appel de l’Église uni-verselle pour aller à la rencontre de nos frères musulmans du Sénégal, pour qu’ensemble nous promouvions pour notre pays la justice sociale, les valeurs morales, la paix et la liberté, gage d’un développent harmo-nieux et durable. Le Sénégal, pays laïc dans sa constitution, cherche dans sa marche vers l’émergence à garantir cet équilibre.

Louis Diédhiou, omi

Dakar, [email protected]

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oMi in PolanD anD interreligious Dialogue witH islaM

WoJciech kLuJ, omi

Poland is a country where the vast majority of the population is Catholic (more than 90 %). Even those who do not define them-selves as believers generally consider themselves the heirs of

Catholic heritage (at least culturally).In Poland there are two officially registered Muslim religious asso-

ciations. The first one is the Muzułmański Związek Religijny w Rzeczyp-ospolitej Polskiej (Muslim Religious Union in the Republic of Poland), officially recognized in 1925. Currently it counts about 6,000 members. It associates mainly Tatars, i.e. Muslims present in Poland since the beginning of the sixteenth century.

In the seventies and eighties of the twentieth century, a new group of Muslims began to come to Poland. They were mainly students from Arab countries and, to a lesser extent, immigrants. Most of them re-turned to their countries after graduation. Only some remained in Po-land. This group, officially registered in 2004 and today with approxi-mately 25,000 members, forms Liga Muzułmańska w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Muslim League in the Republic of Poland).

day oF isLam in the cathoLic chuRch in poLand

In the Church in Poland for twenty years already there has been an interesting initiative. It is called the day of Islam in the Catholic Church in Poland. It was introduced as the initiative of the Joint Council of Catholics and Muslims and approved by the Polish Episcopal Confer-ence. Since 2001, it has been celebrated on January 26, which is after the week of prayer for Christian unity. In Poland, before this week we celebrate the day of Judaism, and after it - the day of Islam.

The annual organization of this event on behalf of the Polish Episcopal Conference is entrusted to the Committee for Dialogue with Non-Christian Religions together with the Joint Council of Catholics and Muslims.

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Two oblates, fathers Jarosław Różański and Wojciech Kluj belong to this committee. These central celebrations usually take place in War-saw, but not always. Since 2004, they have also been held regularly regional activities in Lublin and Kraków, and occasionally also in Ol-sztyn, Opole and Poznań. Father Marcin Wrzos, omi, is also involved in organizing these events in Poznań.

Basically, the central celebration consists of speeches - a dou-ble voice on a previously selected topic, which most often coincides with the theme of the message written at the end of Ramadan by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Then follow the read-ings from the Holy Books of both religions. Later, the Muslim prayer – “dua” and Christians pray “Our Father”. The meeting ends with a sign of peace and agapa. In addition to Polish Muslims, they are most often attended by representatives of embassies of Muslim countries accredited in Poland.

maJoR seminaRy in oBRa

The course on Religions is taught in our Oblate Major Seminary in Obra. Usually, two hours are devoted to Islam and one to interreligious dialogue.

In 1998 in the seminary the conference “Redemption and inter-religious dialogue” was organized. In addition to guests from Polish universities, Father Willi Henkel came from the General House for this event. During this conference, Father Henkel spoke in general about the proclamation of Jesus Christ and interreligious dialogue. The general talk on the dialogue about God with Muslims was delivered by prof. E. Sakowicz. Missionary from Cameroon, Fr. Krzysztof Zielenda talked about the meeting of religions in the Garoua diocese in Cameroon. Fr. Jarosław Różański talked about the meeting of religions in Polish real-ity in the center “Aduna” in Poznań. Fr. Wojciech Kluj talked about the possibility of joint prayer of followers of different religions.

“misyJne dRogi”, “misyJne.pL” and coLLaBoRation With musLims in Poznań

Our Polish bi-monthly magazine “Misyjne Drogi” (Ways of Mis-sions) and the portal run by our province: “misyjne.pl” belong currently

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to the best popular sources on Islam in Poland. It is important because there are more and more publications showing only difficulties in rela-tions with Islam, or even showing Islam as a religion of terrorists. It turns out that information from missionaries (not only from our prov-ince) is very important in this perspective. Of course, we are aware of dangers, but missionaries also give many positive examples of good relations between Christians and Muslims.

Calendars of three religions are issued in Katowice and Poznań. In Poznań, Fr. Marcin Wrzos is involved in it. This calendar contains basic information about the major Christian (various denominations), Muslim and Judaic holidays.

Recently also meetings with the local imams in Poznań and War-saw have resulted, among others, in a joint appeal to the government to allow more faithful participation in services during the coronavirus epidemic.

ConferenCes at the Cardinal stefan Wyszyński University in WaRsaW

Fathers Jarosław Różański, omi, and Wojciech Kluj, omi, as lectur-ers in missiology at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in War-saw, organized or co-organized many conferences related to issues of interreligious relations. I will not mention here all the authors and titles of the papers, but to show this work it is worth at least recalling some titles and names.

As part of the series of conferences “... in world religions”, on No-vember 29, 2013, the conference “Priesthood in world religions” took place, during which Dr. Anna Bylińska-Naderi spoke about the “Struc-ture of Shi’ite clergy” and Dr. Aldona Piwko “Clergy in Islam Sun-ni.” During the conference “Places of prayer and holy places in world religions” on December 17, 2014, A. Bylińska-Naderi gave a speech “Shia’s places of prayer and holy places in Iran” and A. Piwko “Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Holy places of Muslim prayer.” On December 9, 2015, the conference “Prayer in world religions” took place, during which A. Bylińska-Naderi gave a lecture “Prayers of Iranian Shiites” and A. Piwko “The meaning and forms of Muslim prayer.” On Decem-ber 7, 2016, during the conference “Sacrifice in world religions” A. Bylińska-Naderi spoke about the “Sacrifice of Iranian Shiites”, and on

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December 13, 2017, at the conference “Time in world religions,” she delivered the paper “Shiite concept of time.”

Various issues related to Islam were also raised during the confer-ences “Holy Books as a platform for dialogue” (04-10-2006), “Dia-logue between cultures and religions. Lebanon - experience of the past and modern changes” (21-10-2008), “John Paul II in Morocco” (25-02-2010), “God spoke through the Prophets” (18-03-2010), “Heroes of Peace” (06-05-2010), and “Christians and Muslims in the Middle East and Nigeria” (10-12-2014).

On January 26, 2015, the conference “Fifteenth Islamic Day in the Catholic Church in Poland” was organized. During this conference, among others the following papers were delivered: Artur Konopacki, Muslims in Poland - recent events. Legal status and xenophobic events; Bogusław R. Zagórski, Khilafat - ISIS - Muslim State?; Agata Nalborc-zyk, Muslim reactions to the so-called “Islamic State”; Adam Wąs SVD, 15 years of Islamic Day in the Catholic Church in Poland. In the teach-ing service of the Second Vatican Council; Mufti Tomasz Miśkiewicz, Reception Day of Islam in the Catholic Church in Poland among Mus-lims; Mariola Kozubek and a representative of Muslims from Silesia, Experiences and results of the Islamic Day celebrations in Katowice.

On May 15, 2015, the theological debate “Abraham and the Messi-ah” took place, which was attended by Asaad Abo Gulal, Iraqi ambassa-dor in Poland; prof. Saleh Mahdi Al-Hakim, director of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue at Najaf; prof. Ahmed Joodi Hasnawi, deputy director of the Institute of Interreligious Dialogue in Najaf and from our university fathers W. Kluj, omi, and J. Różański, omi.

During the conference “Muslim Extremism - a new challenge for dialogue” on October 30, 2015 (on the 50th anniversary of “Nostra aetate”) there were following presentations: Fr. W. Kluj, omi, Mus-lim extremism in the Philippines and Indonesia; Fr. Waldemar Cisło, Muslim extremism and contemporary migrations from Syria and Iraq; Prof. Błażej Grygo, Islamic State in the area of Kurdistan. Prospects for dialogue between Kurds and extremists; Fr. J. Różański, omi, Boko Haram and persecution of Christians in the area of Lake Chad; Prof. Aldona Piwko, Major terrorist organizations founded on the founda-tions of radical Islam; Prof. Jan Bury, Political and international con-ditions of Muslim extremism in the era of global war on terror; Dr.

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Rafał Wiśniewski, Microscope, magnifier, telescope: a multitude of perspectives, a multitude of narratives about Muslims in the media; Prof. Eugeniusz Sakowicz, Is Islam a Religion of Terrorists? “An-swer” of Saint John Paul II.

On October 21, 2016, at the international symposium “Contem-porary forms of persecution of Christians”, a well-known specialist in Islam, prof. Samir Khalil talked about the possibilities of dialogue be-tween Christianity and Islam.

On February 24, 2017, the international conference “Religious Plu-rality and Religious Identity” was organized. Among various topics, issues related to Islam raised among others Prof. Frans Wijsen from Nijmegen, who presented topic Religious Identity in the post-Cold War era: Islamic Revivalism and Christian Mission and Fr. Useni Aboreng from Nigeria, who spoke on Nigerian perspective on religious plurality and Identity.

Another big international conference was organized on Octo-ber 26, 2018. It was on “Interreligious Cooperation. Examples from the World and from Poland.” The following papers were presented at this conference: Archbishop Chryzostom II Synetos (Zakyntos, Greece), Initiatives for interreligious cooperation in the context of the refugee problem in Greece; Fadi Hindi (Achrafieh Beirut-Le-banon), Les initiatives de paix au Lebanon: Tout ce qui est fait au niveau du dialogue interreligieux et de la société civile; Prof. Aliou-ne Dème (Univeristé Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal), Pourquoi l’islam au Sénégal est ouvert au dialogue?; Dr. Jean Claude Angoula CSSP (Center Saint Augustin de Dakar), Les principaux domai-nes de coopération entre chrétiens et musulmans au Sénégal; Prof. Mouhamed Fall (Univeristé Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal), Le Mouridisme dans le dialogue islamo- Chrétien au Sénégal; Ousma-ne Sow (Univeristé Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal), Exemples de coopération et de souci du bien commun des musulmans et des chrétiens au Sénégal – partie 1. Mohamet Traore (Univeristé Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal), Exemples de coopération et de souci du bien commun des musulmans et des chrétiens au Sénégal – partie 2; Prof. Agata S. Nalborczyk (University of Warsaw), The Chris-tian-Muslim dialogue in Poland; Prof. Ryszard Vorbrich (Univerity in Poznan), Cross-border and transcultural character of the ethno-

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religious group of Polish-Lithuanian Tatars; Prof. Razwan Masih (PUU, Roma), Initiatives for interreligious dialogue in Pakistan; Fr Aboreng Useni James, Cooperation not confrontation: a panacea for ensuring religious harmony in Nigeria; Prof. Jacek Pawlik (Univer-sity in Olsztyn), Cooperation of Christians and Muslims in Togo; Prof. J. Różański, omi (UKSW), D’une confrontation à un dialogue difficile: l’islam et le christianisme au Nord-Cameroun.

In a more secular environment of scientists associated with Afri-can issues, on December 7, 2018, we organized the conference “Bi-lad as-Sudan. Native cultures and Islam.” During this conference prof. Bara Ndiaye and prof. Cheikhouna Lo (Ngabou/Touba Senegal), gave a speech Islam, traditions locales et culture en Sénégambie du XIX siè-cle à nos jours. L’exemple de la Mouridiya, prof. Ryszard Vorbrich, Cathedral and mosque on one permanent island Multiculturalism of the Island of St. Ludwik, Prof. Agnieszka Madys from Katowice, Tradi-tional Tuaresque Culture and Islam, Prof. Jacek Łapott from Szczecin Dogons versus Fulbe - a small war in a big country and prof. Krzysztof Rak from Cracow, Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, the first person convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes against the world cultural heritage.

On January 24, 2019, we had the opportunity to host Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald MAfr (today a cardinal), who in 2002-2006 was the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He also chaired the Vatican’s Committee for Religious Relations with Islam and was also the nuncio in Egypt and delegate of the Holy See to the Arab League in the years 2006-2012. Also present was Fr. Diego Sarrio Cu-carella MAfr, rector of the Pontifical Institute of Arabistic and Islamo-logical Studies (PISAI) in Rome.

In more Polish scientific community, on January 25, 2019, we or-ganized the conference “The Catholic Church in dialogue with religions. From competition to cooperation.” Professors from Polish theological centers in Warsaw, Lublin, Opole and Olsztyn participated in it. Fr. J. Różański OMI talked about the case of the Boko Haram organization in the Lake Chad region.

On March 28, 2019, the international conference “Creator - man - creation in Islam and Christianity” took place, dedicated to ecological issues in various religions. Participated in it prof. Mehmet Ozalp from

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Charles Sturt University and editor of “Australian Journal of Islamic Studies”, prof. Zafer Ayvaz, Dr. Phil. Muhammed M. Akdag from Ger-many, prof. Mustafa Kasim Erol from United Kingdom, and Dr. Isaac Gold from Islamic Society of Midwest, from Chicago.

Wojciech Kluj, omi

Warsaw, [email protected]

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tHe MusliM anD cHristian interMarriage in sitangkai: case stuDy PreliMinaries

RaFaeL tianeRo, omi

In one of the Oblate gatherings many years ago in Jolo during the time of the late Bishop Ben de Jesus, omi, the small-talk during mealtime revolved around the issue of the prominent Muslim politi-

cal dynasties of the South Mindanao and Sulu, Tawi Tawi provinces. It was seen that most of the patriarchs who led the clans were generally married to Filipinas who were Christian – those ethnic Filipinos who did not belong to the Islamized peoples of the Southern Philippines.1

These prominent families come from the dominant Magindanao and Maranao in South-Central Mindanao and the Tausug in Sulu, Tawi Tawi. The resulting familial contracts from the original intermarriage of the patriarchs continue to influence the succeeding generation by either the sons and daughters marrying other Christians in their inevitable higher studies in Manila or other big city centers but with a caveat: the ascription into Islam; nominal or otherwise, for the generations to come. Whatever their practice of Islam may be, the issue was about how these leaders were able to pacify, in a certain sense, the warring clans in their domains and assimilate their constituents into the larger body politic in the Christian dominated government with the minority Christian settlers who were trying to eke out a living in these same

1 Must be made that before the 15th c. the islands comprising what is now named after King Philip II of Spain were a loose aggrupation of different, independent, Aus-tronesian ethnicities who traded and made war with each other and who sailed the seas in sleek fastcraft called karakoa navigating by the stars at night and sensing wind directions by day. (See: Wolters, O. W. 1982. History, Culture, and Religion in South-east Asian Perspective. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies). They spoke a common language-matrix that allowed them to communicate with each other and which Pigafetta observed during Magellan’s ill-fated voyage in these shores (Pigafetta, Antonio. 1906. Magellan’s Voyage Around the World. Vol. II. Cleveland, Arthur H. Clark Company).

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areas especially in Sulu and Tawi Tawi. This same power dynamic is operational today despite the newly created Bangsa Moro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

This article will focus on the intermarriage of the “dominated”2 ethnic groups: the Samal and the Bisaya. The italicized words in the title of this paper explains the fact that both peoples belong by common agreement – better still, by “folk-language” to the Muslim and Chris-tian aggrupation. As will be apparent later on in this paper, the muslim and christian ascription is exactly that… a sound-byte that however surprisingly reveals intimations to the call of the most sublime mean-ing of the human condition: the choice to dialogue-of-life. But that is to jump the gun.

My informants are the families of the said mixed marriages. There are around a hundred or so couples who belong to this group. Because this is a case study, I will pick randomly from among them and proceed from there. One limitation I see is the lockdown regulation in all our areas hindering my otherwise free hand to travel and do the work3.

in seaRch oF a FRameWoRk

Theories and studies regarding culture encounter and the clash of cultures have been topics of serious debate among anthropologists and social scientists since the time European expansionism waned in the late 1800’s. Terms like, assimilation, integration, syncretism, hy-bridization, and more recently, inculturation and localization have been proposed to explain the phenomenon of the clash of different worlds.4 What is common in all these terminologies is the fact that the object of study was the way western sensibilities impact local societies/com-

2 See: Kiefer, Thomas M. 1972. The Tausug Polity and the Sultanate of Sulu: A Segmentary State in the Southern Philippines. Sulu Studies I, pp. 19-64.

3 The occasion that prompted this project was the idea of Fabio Ciardi to dedicate an issue of “Oblatio” to the Oblate work in Dialogue with Islam/Inter-Religious Dia-logue. Ramon Bernabe, our Assistant General encouraged me to do the write up of our experience living/ministering as a minority in these outer fringes of the world. I hope to be able to do justice to the confreres who have shed blood, sweat and tears since 1939 to get us to this day.

4 Tianero, Rafael. 2002. Violence and Christianity Among Manobo Converts. Co-tabato City. Notre Dame Press.

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munities of subjugated countries. This is not the place to discuss the problematic since it lies outside the scope of this article. What this pa-per purports to look into is the clash – it still is between supposedly different cultures however non-disparate5 their ethnic underpinnings may appear to be; between the samal and bisaya peoples who are also supposedly separated by the great religious divide of Islam and Christi-anity. There are no western/middle-eastern sensibilities being addressed here: just purely between two local ethnicities who now find themselves ‘converted’ to foreign, non-indigenous religious ideologies. While the above-mentioned terms may not fulfill the requirement for a framework for this study to work on, it is helpful to keep them all in the background as the new terminology for this discourse derives from the accumula-tive theoretical experience of the past. Oblate Missiologist Fr. Fernando Velazquez writes:

The concept of “interculturality” is a new term and it has come forth as a theme of study only in the last decades… while acknowledging diversity and differences, it stresses at the same time encounter and reciprocity, reciprocation and lived experiences… this moves us be-yond, is a risk, yet an unfolding reality.6

While the term does not strictly come from the anthropological dis-cipline the concept explained above captures the reality in the ground. Reality that is a representation of the rituals of daily life participated in and observed by the Oblate working on the same ground. This at-titude in culture study is aptly called “judicious loafing” by one of the erstwhile professors at the Jesuit Ateneo de Manila who did Graduate

5 Alzina, F. I. 1668. The Muñoz Text of Alcina’s History of the Bisayan Islands. Trans. Prelim., Lutz, P.S. Chicago. The Priest notices and describes the tools of every-day 17th c. life in Samar island. These tools were still being used by the Dulangan of Kulaman Valley during the 90’s highlighting the insight of Casiño that there existed a mutual, positive, reciprocal continuum of trade and commerce between lowland and highland tribes in pre-modern times. He overlooked the fact that the Samal must have engaged in this enterprise as they were the conduit-cum-transport for the goods. See: Casiño, Eric. 2000. Mindanao Statecraft and Ecology. Cotabato City. Notre Dame Uni-versity Press.

6 Velasquez, Fernando. 2020. Towards Inter-Cultural Communities: A Utopia or A Creative Tension? Unpublished Doctoral-Candidate Dissertation. Rome. Gregorian University. Itals mine.

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work at Cornell but did extensive fieldwork here in these islands during Bishop McSorley’s time.7

sitangkai-vis-taWi taWi/suLu/isLands mindanao and Beyond

Locale

When one looks at the geological map of the Southern islands of the Philippines, Sitangkai will most certainly not have shown up as it is a minuscule, ca. 8-hectare barren piece of sandy coral outcropping used as burial grounds of the Samal peoples in the past and present; except that it is the last, main trading outpost to Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond. It is the main seaway border and main backdoor gateway to Sabah and Borneo. The tidal flats that extend towards Borneo and the sea currents that slosh through the channels that crisscross the coral flatlands make this area thrive with algae, seaweeds/agar, crabs, lobsters, sea cucumbers and other sea plants and sea creatures you find in tropical seas as well as the fish that feed on them. From the material-culture perspective, the area should have been perfect. It lacks a most vital resource: water. Sibutu, on the other hand, the fairly large island 7 km West of Sitangkai with plenty of fresh ground water, should have been the trading center. But a very deep channel with unusually strong undertow during the rush of the tides separate it from Sitangkai and made it impossible and dangerous for non-motorized sea crafts of the past to cross. So even without fresh water Sitangkai has become the fluid 23-25,000 population; booming, border-less, non-formal, economy that it is today.

The name of the place is the give-away. Sitangkai. There are dif-fering versions of the origin of the name but definitely it is Chinese.8 The family of the ‘owner’ of where the Oblate convent and chapel now stands (tidal flatland, North-eastern most edge of the burial grounds) and who have now emigrated to Sabah and Cotabato City claim that their grandfather by the name of Tan-Hai arrived in Jolo around 1907. Being Chinese, always in search of business opportunities, he then pro-

7 Prof. Wilfredo Arce, Phd., who passed away a couple of years ago and who among others wrote about the “Social Organization of the Muslim Peoples of Sulu.” In Sulu’s People and Their Art., Frank Lynch ed., Ateneo de Manila University Press, I.P.C. Papers, No. 3:1-25.

8 See: Kiefer, op. cit.

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ceeded to settle and hawk some goods to sell among the stilt houses that dotted the area East of the traditional cemetery. Another version claims that the name comes from the place in China: Shanghai. In point of fact, Chinese merchants indeed stayed and intermarried with the locals in the last century. Whatever the case, the place was ideally suited as a con-venient resting point and transfer crossing before the sailing for Sabah to the West or conversely to the islands of Tawi Tawi, then to Sulu, Basilan and Mindanao to the North and East. It takes a mere two hours by a 40-hp. motor launch to get to Semporna, Sabah today. Without this modern conveyance, a Samal sailor could get there in a day and half the night riding the winds in the past.

Sitangkai is classified as a first class municipality according to the Philippine Local Government Code. It is divided into 9 Barang-gays. It has two public high schools and 5 elementary schools. It has a Municipal Police Force and a Marine Contingent to keep the peace. It receives around US $ 4.6 million per annum Internal Revenue Allot-ment from the national government – a large amount considering the veritable plastic garbage dump that the place has become today. There is just one main canal, cemented on both sides, using corals as piling support, about 4m wide and about a kilometer long that serves as the commercial district with stores tightly packed on either sides. Small, motorized, non-outrigger canoes sell all kinds of goods from fish to vegetables and fruit and take the place of the gondola of Venice. You go around town floating in these “bancas” called tiririt locally during high tide otherwise you walk the wooden planks that connect houses and establishments with each other. The buildings and houses, mostly on stilts, stand directly on seawater and latrine flush directly into it too. The economy is dominated by the Tausug who have come here to settle beginning in the late 70’s and who have taken over local politics. They represent around 20% of the population. The rest are the Samal peoples, the indigenous inhabitants of coastal Sabah, and the Sulu/Tawi Tawi archipelago – as the place, already mentioned was/is “burial grounds” to honor the ancestors.9

9 There is no particular reason why Sitangkai was chosen to be the burial ground except for its soft and sandy soil. The other islands are really compacted limestone it took masons 3 weeks to dig a 5-foot deep septic tank using powerful jackhammers at the back of the convent in Sibutu.

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And the Bisaya, less than one percent of the total population. These are the christianized settlers of Mindanao who have consequently moved south to make a living and farm the vast tidal flatlands with agar or to hire themselves out as helps in the stores in town. The sea areas they farm are either rented, borrowed or mortgaged from Samals or Tausugs. Informants tell me that a few have come here in the 1970’s: the first teachers when the schools started. But not anymore. The ones who are presently residents are those mentioned above.

However, one unique feature of the fluid population of Sitangkai are the 50+ “pondohan.” These are villages/communities of from around 15 to 100+ households, connected to each other by planks or bamboo and built of houses on stilts standing on the coral tidal flatlands. These pondohans dot the seas all the way to the borders of Borneo. These are the residences or “seastead” to take care of the agar livelihood/farms. What is noticeable is the lack of fresh water in these communities. The people are dependent on the rains.

Samal-Badjao Confusion?

Almost 60 years have passed since the first anthropological and scientific studies were conducted among the peoples of these southern islands. The Notre Dame of Jolo College spearheaded this project. Frs. Arong, Rixhon, and a host of lay doctoral students from participating Universities in the Philippines and abroad formed part of this exercise. However, the Sulu Studies Program ended with the war in Jolo in 1974 and the succeeding Islamic separatist rebellion. It was too dangerous to continue. The people from the Summer Institute of Linguistics, a U.S. Protestant entity which promoted the translation of the Bible into local languages had to withdraw as well. Formal studies about Sulu cultures stopped.

Among the names that stand out in those early years is that of H. Arlo Nimmo, an American anthropologist and poet who did fieldwork among the Badjao for two years which made him end up learning to speak the language.10 This led him to correctly infer that the Badjao was part of the Samal people. The previous romantic notions about the Bad-

10 Nimmo, H. Arlo. 1969. Reflections on Bajau History. Philippine Studies Vol. 16, p.32-59.

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jao being the sea gypsies that came from Johore to inhabit the Southern islands was proven to be untrue. But he fell short of saying that this peo-ple are indigenous to these islands and have always been since time im-memorial. The confusion of terms between who is Sama and and who is Badjao is an outsider construct.11 Local Sama identify the Badjao as Sama-di-Laut (Sama of the deep) who speak the exact same language except for the singsong intonations of the latter. And Nimmo is incor-rect in contending that the Badjao have been inhabitants of dry lands in the ‘forgotten past’ and have abandoned them to live on boats even if presently the wall of separation between the two groups does exist.

My contention is that the Sama (Badjao included) lived on land and used the seas and tidal flatlands as valuable resources for survival and trade. While it is true that panggi (cassava flatcake) is the eve-ryday source of carbohydrates/staple, the fact is that one of the main indigenous expressions of ritual offerings is the “pag – Umboh Palay Baha-o” (offering to the ancestors/God for new rice [grains]; around August).12 The meaning becomes obvious. Like the other tribal peoples of the Mindanao lowland and highlands, the rice harvest is solemnly ritualized as the cereal is deemed extremely important. They must also have cultivated it. And because they have learned seacraft well in the millennia of adaptation to their environment, their vast sailing grounds extended from coastal Borneo (in fact further South towards islands South-east Asia) to Palawan, the Sulu archipelago including Basilan to the Southern Mindanao coasts to the Davao gulf. Who knows the limit, reach and extent of their sailing? The tourist island of “Samal” off Dav-ao City, for example, is one clue. Another is the fairly large enclave of Samal speakers in the Boulevard area of the same city. Moreover, along the islands of these sea routes, the inhabitants speak Manubal, Sibaud, Pangutaran, Yakan, Bangingi, etc., Sama languages all; including those in the isles towards Palawan to the North.

So what about the Badjao beggars in the megacities and big town-ships of the Philippines today? They have left the boats – many of them did. They won’t go back to the South islands. Is Nimmo’s fear of more

11 The people identify themselves as Samal. The language is called Sama. But the latter is used by non Samal to refer to the people as well.

12 Bottignolo, Bruno. 1995. Celebrations with the Sun. Manila. Ateneo de Manila University Press.

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than half a century ago that what we now call ‘globalization’ would wipe out the nomadic way of life in the seas thirty years thence com-ing true? Once, a few years ago I went out for some errands with Bro. Noel Garcia in Kidapawan City. We were mugged by Badjao beggars. I didn’t know Sinama then but I figured the good Brother was telling them to go home to Tawi Tawi to live decent lives--in their own lan-guage. Their eyes bulged and mouth agape at hearing a fair-skinned, well-dressed young doctor speak in their own tongue! But why, indeed, don’t they go home?

“… talaw ta Tablig, Father,” was the calculated answer of one informant. This was a long while after I asked him the question. Afraid of the Tabligs!13 What a simple yet profound answer so full of anthro-pological meaning. This was the same reason why the Cordillera indig-enous peoples of North Luzon resisted for so many years the conver-sion efforts of the Belgian Fathers in the 18th c. The same reason why the Recollects met so much resistance among the Northern Mindanao tribes in the 19th: the “supreme law of custom.”14 The Sama-Badjao, but exclusively now, the present day Badjao in the streets did not care about converting to Islam way back in the 16th c. They still do not. They can not. The traditions are too strong. They can not belong nor go back to their home. Zingarri of the Southern Hemisphere.

Faith Praxis and OMI Ministry 15

There is one, large, main mosque in Sitangkai at the back of the Municipio and 10 other smaller ones at different locations in town. So you wake up at dawn at the cacophony of the Muezzin’s call to prayer. Normally the mosques (masgid in the local language) are not so well-

13 From Urdu Tablighi Jamaat a society of Islamic preachers, a missionary move-ment exhorting muslims to return to the practice of the faith during the lifetime of the Prophet particularly in matters of ritual, dress and personal behavior (cf. Fr. Jun Mer-cado, omi). In the context of this paper, it is refusal to embrace Islam.

14 Tianero, op. cit., the forays of Garvan in the early 1900’s along Northern Mind-anao convinced him of this fact. See: Garvan, John. 1931. The Manobos of Mindanao. Washington: United States Government Printing Office.

15 Fr. Jose Ante, omi, printed a magazine-like history of the Jolo Vicariate in cel-ebration of its 25th year of erection and traced the initial missionary thrusts of the early Oblates.

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attended on Fridays. But quite a number of local residents especially those who own the businesses have done the Hajj. The Tausug Mayor (who has married a local) is the conduit for the organized annual pil-grimages that costs around U.S.$ 4,800.00 per head. The general pop-ulation are not so observant either; i.e. no fasting, no 5-times a day prayer, people drink alcohol, some eat pork (these last two not openly) but the end of Ramadhan is celebrated with great fanfare. Everybody attends masgid on hari-raya and large amounts of money are spent for food on this feastday. During private family celebrations, or in grate-fulness for being healed of an illness, for example, the Imam is called and performs the Duwa-a, a form of thanksgiving ritual reminiscent of indigenous representations of ancestor reverence/worship. The other important celebration is Tay-ti, the day the ancestors/dead are remem-bered. This is done during the day when the moon is full in the month of April at the onset of the highest tide.16 Everyone troops to the burial grounds with the Imam who then says prayers over a jug of freshwater which he then proceeds to sprinkle over the burial mound asking the dead to finally go in peace as the water symbolizes new life in heaven. Otherwise, the dead will always come back to bother the living. The foregoing is decidedly a peculiarly Sama ritual action for the ancestors condoned by local Imams. The use of freshwater – not seawater; a most vital resource, has entered the sanctuary of the sacred. Not so unlike the rituals for the newly harvested rice grains.

On the other hand, the Christian practice is not quite so different. There are a little less than a hundred or so Catholic families scattered over the pondohan. Around 30 Christians work in town and you would see 4 to 8 of them come to Church on Sundays as it is not a free day. There is the one chapel in Sitangkai with an adjacent convent. The chapel(6x20m), built by the Engineer Oblate, Fr. Dennis Alviar in the 90’s sits on a concrete water tank. The other smaller chapel is at the pondohan called Halu-Sugbu, also with a concrete water tank beside it. The convent sits on top of this tank. There are 17 Catholic families there and almost all go to Church during the alternate Sunday sched-ules. Most of the other Christians are assimilated and have taken on

16 There is a material, cultural explanation for this. The tidal flatlands are so vast it is arduous to literally hike the sharp, coral rocks to shore during the very low tides.

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the practices of the local populace. But they claim to be christian and are considered to be so by their muslim neighbors. They do not attend mosque, however.

The Oblates have taken up residence in Sitangkai beginning with Fr. Romy Saniel in 1995. Previous to that, the Priest assigned in Sibutu,17 aside from serving as the Director of the Notre Dame School, used to come to cover and say the pre-scheduled Sunday masses for the christians who worked at the stores and the laborers in the several large bodegas for agar. The few baptisms, marriages and fiesta celebrations form a small part of the ministry of the Oblate assigned to the place. Because the schools are all located in town a dormitory for the children of the people from the pondohan was built beside the convent also by Fr. Saniel and consequently enlarged by Fr, Celoi Andamon. There are now 46 pupils/student from kindergarten to high school that stay in the dorm. These are Sama, Tausug, mixed, Catholic children. So the dorm has become a kind of a clearing and half-way house for the families of the people in the pondohan.

Aside from the Oblates mentioned, Frs. Howard Tatel and Raul Veneracion served as full-time Pastors of Sitangkai. The raison-de-etre of the ministry since the beginning has always been to serve the poor-est of the poor: the landless agar-farmer, mortgaged, internal-refugee, minority, or laborer christian in a Muslim-dominated domain. And then persist to extend a hand of friendship to the latter.

Romance in the seas oR coLLision oF tWo WoRLds?

This ethnographic section of this paper takes up the narrative of the informants in a discourse that represents two apparently different world views that actually interpenetrate at the tribal or ethnic-sensibilities level; best explained with the “interculturality” framework and further supported by note 5 above. For purposes of brevity, I have randomly chosen four sets of respondents from among the target study group careful, albeit, to take note of what might be otherwise overlooked or repeated in the interviews. I did not need an interpreter as I could speak

17 Notre Dame of Sibutu opened in the 60’s. Only three Oblate Brothers served as Directors there: Bros. Gonie Bongao, Noel Garcia and Rusel Ricabar. Only Bro. Noel became fluent in Sama.

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sinama relatively well now. The archaic and old Sama words, however, I had to get cross-referenced. The words that follow are ipsisima verba except that I had to make adjustments to avoid wrong grammar.

Couple 1: The couple were married in 2001. The man is Sitangkai-

born whose grandfather on his father’s side came from Jolo and who married a local girl. He is now 46 years old. He works as a handyman cum mason who specializes in making concrete hollow blocks. The woman is 35 years old and helps out in the livelihood aspect tending the family’s small sari-sari store(sells assorted stuff) aside from doing housework and taking care of the youngest child, a boy almost 2 years old. They have 4 children. The eldest is 15 and is in Grade 9. The sec-ond is in Grade 6 and the only girl among the brood is 4 years old.

Wife: I was 17 years old when I came to Sitangkai to help my sister whose husband was working as the master baker in one of the baker-ies in town. She was pregnant and was also helping out in the bakery doing small and light things like packing and stacking and I did my share of work there too since we were lodging at the owner’s house for free. I had a boyfriend back in my hometown in Ipil(Zamboanga del Sur) that I wasn’t really serious with. A few young men were trying to court me here and my husband was one of them. He was a cousin of the owner and used to also help in the bakery to be near me – I realized only too late. Because I did not want to be bothered by the other boys who were pestering me, I playfully told my husband that, alright we are “it.” True enough, they left me alone but very soon and to my horror the owner of the bakery together with the Baranggay Officials came to my elder sister and brother in law to ask for my hand in marriage! Of course I did not want to get married at that time but I feared for the lives of my sister and brother in law: they would never be able to leave Sitangkai unless I agreed. My family, like other Christian families was biased against the muklo(the derogatory word for mus-lims). The dowry being offered was P.10,000.00 and a whole set of gold trinkets(around P.120,000.00 today). My family did not accept it. And so I did do it thinking that after the marriage I would escape back to my hometown after my pregnant sister and brother in law would already have also gone to have the delivery of their unborn child in Ipil. My husband was going to go with me to meet my other

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siblings/rest of the family and I figured that he would not survive the ordeal adjusting to staying with christians and would give up and go home back here. I decided to make him have a rough time.Back in Ipil, he instead became the darling of the family as he was so good and did all the backbreaking work that farmers do and more. I remember the first time we went to the river to wash clothes. He went behind some bushes to pee and the next thing we knew was he was screaming, running back to us terrified and said he saw “saitan” there. This was the first time he saw a carabao! When he went with my elder brother to harvest camote(sweet potatoes), he was told to go ahead to the field. When my brother got there he wondered why my husband was frantically looking for something and clearing the leaves of the branches of the trees until he asked him what was going on. My husband replied with another question, “where are the sweet potatoes? They are not hanging on these branches!”So I came back with him. After the birth of our first child my mother told me that I better join my husband and become a muslim so that our child won’t get confused about life. She said that if I did not go to any church then I did not have any God; as I wasn’t going to the Catholic one in deference to my husband who was after all a son of an Imam. My husband did not ask me to become a muslim. My mother did. Husband: I was a carefree young man. I only got to 2nd year high school. I hanged around with friends to drink and have fun and gam-ble. I raised fighting cocks and had some money because of this. I saw her working at my cousins’s bakery and I was lovestruck. I went there everyday to see her and be near her to pursue her. I didn’t care for Sama girls very much because when you get married to them and you have some altercation or fight, her family gets involved and takes her back as is our custom. And also because christian girls al-ways take care of you and help out in the livelihood of the family. I told my cousin and asked permission from him that I wanted to marry the girl. He told me that if she agrees then it is a go. We were already friends and we just also recently agreed that we were boy-friend-girlfriend. We were communicating in Bisaya as I was fluent with it having many cockfighting friends who were Bisaya. I used to hang around and drink with them since they just sing and play the guitar when drunk so unlike my own people who get drunk and

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look for a fight. I drank to be happy and you do that with the Bisaya people.When we got married, I knew I had to win her over and decided I would do anything to do that – including putting up with any indig-nity she might have planned for me. In Ipil, the first time I saw the family I knew they were testing me. They first taunted me as “muk-lo” but this did not register because I had no idea what it meant in the Mindanao context as I was from the far south islands with no bad experience with the Bisaya. I fetched containers of freshwater from the spring to the house, worked around the farm; work that I was not used to do but quickly got the hang of. And then the “stupid” surprises of farm life. I thought sweet potatoes hung from trees like mangoes as I see them at our markets so smooth and clean, vibrant with differing colors of violet, red, orange white and even blue. And they drank . . . which was fine with me. Since I brought a fair amount of money going there, I became the impromptu financier. We used to go down to town to the karaoke joints and they were surprised that I sang and played the guitar as well. I think this new family loved me then and accepted me. The rest is history. My wife and I try to find ways to support our children especially their education. That is what worries me now. I keep on reminding them to be serious in their studies…I asked the eldest son how it is with him at school. He says that peo-ple indeed ask him if his mother is a Christian and when he answers in the affirmative and adds that she is balik-Islam(return to Islam), they nod their heads. The second boy was coming home one time from school and passed by the store owned by a Christian woman. The woman’s son who was around 6-7 years old called out to him taunting, “bisaya!” mimicking the Tausug pejorative term against non-muslim people. The couple’s son was surprised at this since he sees himself as a muslim. He told the boy that he was not bisaya. He does not yet realize that he is a bridge between two different worlds. Worlds that he would someday cross.

The most unimaginable thing with this couple, however, was when the youngest boy got seriously sick a couple of months ago. The visit to both the clinic and traditional healer proved useless, I saw the young boy was dying. Both parents, especially the man, were so desperate they came to me and told me to do “anything please, Father, to save our

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child…” I told the man I could not do anything except maybe baptize him. He told me to go ahead. The child is now a healthy, bubbly, talka-tive little boy who has already learned to walk and loves to jump into the sea.

Couple 2: This couple was married in 1992. The man is from Si-tangkai. His father was a Chinaman who married a Sama girl. He is now 48 years old. He is an agar farmer and is also a seasoned carpenter. He was in 3rd year Political Studies in the big State University in Zam-boanga when he quit to marry his wife. The woman is from Talusan, Sibugay Province. This is an island due South of the Zamboanga penin-sula. She is 47 years old. She helps out in the fairly vast seaweed farm. They have 7 children; 5 boys and 2 girls. The 3 elder boys are seamen; two of whom are married. The younger four siblings are still at school and live with their parents.

Wife: I was 17 years old and on my second year college doing Com-merce in Zamboanga City. It was vacation, around April and I was at home in Talusan. My father, recently widowed, was the vice-mayor of our town. I have an elder brother who already finished school and who had this very close friend and classmate in college who was a muslim and who was the captain of one of the ships that plied our island route. This friend had a store beside our house and I used to help out in the sorting out of goods whenever the ship docked at our pier. The captain’s younger brother came in with the ship one day and stayed to sort of man the store during that summer. I had no ink-ling that the handsome young man liked me. We were both being left in the store at times and on one of those occasions he embraced me and kissed me. That started it.We kept our relationship secret as I knew our family had this bias against muslims. Besides, how were we able to act otherwise since being two of the youngest in the neighboring two houses, we were the ones who did the cooking, washing, cleaning, etc., My father also warned me not to get too close with the captain’s brother as there were always many prying eyes that watched us – him being the vice mayor and all and the rest of the muslim taboo stuff it would not look good for his political career. But I also divined that he was going to get married again and so I decided to elope with my man. And also because I already was pregnant.

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The captain arranged things for us. I was going to board the ship the moment the gangplank was going to be removed. My clothes were already on board with my man. Everything was set. The ship sails at around 8 at night and I was in my pajamas to avoid suspicion and went to the pier. Sure enough, I got there when the gangplank was being pulled up and jumped and caught the hand of my man. Except that someone in the pier caught my other arm and held me hanging over the water. The ship was already moving and I was hanging there like that with everybody shouting and waving like it was in the mov-ies. My man had to let go as he was in a physically awkward position and for fear of my getting hurt. I landed back on shore with all the drama and hype accorded a politician’s daughter.At home, my father confronted me with two choices. Was I staying home or continue studying? I said, “continue studying.” So after two days I sailed to Zambaoanga for it was already enrollment time in June. Of course I went straight to the arms of my love.Husband: It was the summer of my third year at college in Zam-boanga City when I asked my elder brother who was the captain of ML Magnolia to let me spend it tending his store in Talusan to al-low me to earn some pocket money for the next school year. When I got there, I saw our neighbor’s house packed with security people as it was owned by my brother’s classmate in college and very close friend who was at that time the vice mayor of that seaport town. He had just recently survived an assignation attempt where one of his security details got killed. And the sole witness to the crime was this beautiful daughter of his whom I have never met before and whom I could see out of the corner of my eyes whenever I glanced at the direction of their house. I used to watch her like that, peeping-like to avoid the scrutiny of the other people but I was already in love from that first sight. And then I was pleasantly surprised that she used to come to help out in my brother’s store as our families were close!I had a girlfriend back in Sitangkai and one in Zamboanga, both of whom were of my own people but I never thought of marrying any of them. At this point in time I could not also think about my stud-ies and my future because I was too emotionally involved with the vice-mayor’s daughter. “… suratan ako si Celine…” (Celine was my destiny, in English). One time, when we had some lovers’ spat, I got so depressed I ran off to the hills beyond town and stayed there to cool myself off in the house of a Tausug who lived there. I almost got

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mugged by the riffraff in town when I finally came back and sorted things out with her. I told my brother about my plan to marry her and he could not persuade me to think or do otherwise.When she got back to Zamboanga three days after the drama at the pier, I knew she was the one for me. There wouldn’t have been that horrifying incident in the first place and it could’ve been much sim-pler if the purser of my brother’s ship did not get drunk in one of the joints in town that evening which consequently delayed sailing as errand boys were sent to look for him alerting the whole sleepy town and the consequent discovery by the vice mayor’s security guards that Celine was missing. Somebody saw her in pajamas going into the direction of the pier.It did not end there. Her people, my brother said, were sent out look-ing for me to eliminate me and get her back. So after another ordeal of an escape, my brother was able to smuggle us into one of the ships that sailed for these parts of the country. And so here we are now. But after a while, her family was able to accept our union especially at the birth of the grandchildren.

During our conversations, the man told me that he never forced his wife to convert to Islam. She agreed and added that she wanted to simply be united with him and if becoming a muslim was one way to do it she would do it. And that is why she did it. But as an afterthought she said that one gets assimilated here anyway as there are very few Chris-tians. The man continued the line of thought and told me that his older brother, the ship’s captain had also married a Christian woman and be-cause they reside in Zamboanga the children are all baptized Catholics. In fact, he said, most of his cousins and relatives in other parts of the country have become Christians too. His own children, however, he allows to choose wherever they like to belong even if as small children they went through the ritual of being “baptized” in the Islamic manner.

Couple 3: Couple no 3 got married in 2011. The man is 35 years old and is an agar farmer as well as the most skilled sea-cucumber pick-er he could sell P.3,000.00 worth of this exotic delicacy in a night of diving. He owns one of the fastest crafts in the many pondohans and is reputedly a very good sailor who could go sail even at night. He did not even finish Grade 1. His family comes from Manubal, in Siasi near

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Jolo and started to live in Halu-Sugbu when he was five. The wife is 25 years old and comes from Bislig, Surigao del Norte. She finished Grade 5. Her family transferred here in 2010. They have four children; the eldest, a boy in Grade 3 and the rest are girls the youngest of whom is 4 years old.

Wife: I was 16 years old and just arrived here a month before. We were then staying with our relative who was the Lay Liturgical Lead-er of Halu-Sugbu. I only finished Grade 5 as I really did not want to go to school. I used to work as a salesgirl in one of the stores there in Bislig when I met with some personal difficulty. I was glad to have come over to escape the past. My husband came to the house of my uncle to pay me a visit and to really find out if I did not resist his plan to marry me. He already told his family of his own plan to do so but they told him that since I was not Samal like them parental arrange-ments would not work he should go and court me himself. I told him about my recent struggle and difficulty and expected that after revealing to him my dire situation, he would back out. But he did not. And since I sensed that he was a good man deep down I agreed. I also knew that he was married before to one of his kind in Manubal but that they were already separated and that he was really single. I also told him that I would marry him as long as he allows me to remain Christian. My uncle, after all was the Kaabag of the place. He agreed and so we were married by the Imam. His family gave a dowry of P. 25,000.00 but my mother would not accept it. Husband: I was married before in the traditional way by parental ar-rangement. The girl, who was older than me by a couple of years, was from Pandami, a nearby island from our place in Manubal off Siasi island. I spent a year with her until I couldn’t take it anymore as she was very lazy and useless in the house. I would come home from work hungry and tired to find nothing cooked I had to keep on doing it myself. I had to leave her even if that meant forfeiting the sizeable dowry and prestige articles that my family shelled out to hers when we wed.I came back to Halu-Sugbu in 2009 a year before my present wife came here and when I saw her when her family arrived “kasanangan pikilan” was what I felt in my longing to marry her(peaceful, won-derful, life-giving thoughts would be a proximate translation). And so I asked my family to intercede for me. But since she was Bisaya I

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know I had to first ask her myself. She told me about her troubles and difficulty and particular condition to try to repel my advances but to no avail. My family prepared P.25,000.00 for dowry but her mother refused to accept it. And so we were married by the Imam. Part of our agreement was my allowing her to practice her faith and I saw nothing wrong with it.

I noticed that the man did not go to the mosque that much on Fri-days while his wife is very active at Church and she brings the children along. I asked him about his practice of his faith and he told me that he is too busy to work for the family he ends up having no time for mosque. Fasting during Ramadhan was also out of the question as he was forever at work even if he says he tries to celebrate hari-raya. This does not bother him as he thinks that feeding the family and taking care of the children’s needs are more important than attending mosque. The children all underwent the Islamic rite akin to baptism as well as baptism into the Catholic Faith by the Oblate Priest during each Fiesta Mass in Halu-Sugbu, May 21st. All four are baptized. They both agree that they would let the children decide which will be their way when they grow up.

Couple 4: This couple got married in 1998. The man was born in Pangutaran, an island off Jolo in 1976. His family put up residence in the islet of Sikulan, off the South-east of Sitangkai when he was 10. He didn’t finish Grade 1. While fishing with his father and a cousin when he was 13, their small motorized banca run out of gas resulting in their consequent 4-month ordeal of trying to return home that began in Sura-baya where they were first rescued by ocean going ships. The woman is from Balong-Balong, Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur. She finished Grade 6. She came to the pondohan of Sirap in late 1997. Her elder sister got married to the ‘chieftain’ of the place, her husband’s uncle, whose fam-ily were refugees in Pitogo at the time of the 1974 rebellion in Jolo and who succeedingly returned to these islands shortly after. They have 4 children; 1 boy and 3 girls who are all at school in Pitogo being looked after by a trusted caretaker and the eldest daughter who is in Grade 12 who ‘mothers’ her siblings.

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Wife: I was 17 when I came here to Sirap to be with my elder sister who already lived here. There was nothing going for me back home as I didn’t want to continue school and I just was working keeping house – I literally did it to extremes that my father used to scold me that I had bad manners since I followed around with a mop any visi-tor who came to our house for a visit. They stepped on my shining floors with dirty feet, that’s why! In exasperation he would tell me to go find a husband for myself among the muslims who will then beat me up and expunge all of my pretty teeth because I had an answer for everything.True enough I got here and noticed this young, fair-skinned, silent, good looking young man who I came to know just came back from Sabah two weeks before and who was carrying around with him slung on his shoulders an ominous-looking M-14 sub-machine gun. He was the nephew of my elder sister’s husband and I noticed that he was also always working and never loafed around except to watch for some time the tv programs in the evenings. I had a crush on him but didn’t let it show. Yes, I had a boyfriend back home but he was far from my mind. I was also ambitious enough to see that early that I could make a life here in these vast, fertile tidal lands.His uncle and his father came to ask for my hand from my mother who was here to visit my sister as well as to accompany me in com-ing to this place. But before this, he came to see me and told me, “I love you, do you also love me?” I told him, “I don’t know.” What a curt but sweet courtship. We were communicating in Tagalog then. They offered P. 25,000.00 dowry but my mother returned half of it for us new couple to start with and demanded a new house for us to live in. I was then brought by my prospective in-laws to town to buy for me all sorts of things my mother cautioned me to act with pru-dence. For my part, I really did not feel any special emotion towards my husband until the moment he held my hand while we were sit-ting down being married by the Imam in front of us. Goose bumps were running down my back and I knew I truly loved the man. This was it. Husband: My family first lived in Sikulan after we left Pangutaran when I was about 10. My grandfather; my dad’s father was born in Pangutaran and his mother came from Luuk, in Jolo. This grandfa-ther from Pangutaran was the son of a Chinese emigrant who mar-ried a local. After my mother’s death in Sikulan, we took up resi-

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dence here in Sirap to stay closer to my uncle and avoid the previous place which was being slowly taken over by Tausugs from Jolo. I was around 19 at that time and started to work with agar farming. But I had this itch to go see places and so I went to Malaysia when I was 21. I almost got married there to a bugis, a local girl, who was much older than me who I did not really like. I told my friend who acted as a go-between to marry her instead and they did get married. Lucky for me I could escape without having to face fines and the like from ditching marriage arrangements. I came back here without knowing that a clan-war was going on against Tausugs from Andolingan. That was why my wife saw me carrying the gun. It was not for show. There was a war and we al-ready had fierce, running gunbattles three times before she and her mother arrived. We were on constant alert status. I then used to go to my uncle’s house to watch tv to sort of relax a little bit before going out again for night-watch duty. I saw her there and noticed that she used to surreptitiously glance at me too. I liked her. I did not think about her tribe or what. I just knew I liked her very much. When I recalled my father telling me to settle down and get married after I got back from Sabah two weeks earlier, it was her that I was going to marry. I went to court her and ask for her assent. That is how to do it with the Bisaya girls.

The couple then lived for a while in Tongehat, a community across the island of Sibutu where a fair population of Bisaya agar-farmers re-side. The man recalls that it was there that he wanted to have his wife become a muslim and join the mosque to the consternation and pain of the latter. She was crying all this time and seriously thought of going away. Her father in law noticed it and called them both to task. He told them that however close people are with each other, no one really goes ultimately together in life; that the road is different for each one and that this is the truth. You can not hide from the truth. And this was the reason why the husband didn’t insist.

One time, back now in Sirap, they had some argument. The wife had some important errand to do in town and since nobody was in their house, she took along with her to Sitangkai her bamboo piggy-bank for fear it might get stolen if left behind. The man, coming back from work saw the wife gone with the money and feared the worst. He thought she was gone and so went to the dormitory in town where the children

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at that time stayed as it was a school day to check on them. She found the wife at the dorm to his great relief and tears running freely, told her that he came to see the children to say goodbye for a while as he was going to Tinambak to have himself prayed over and get healing from the Imam there as he knew he was going to lose his mind at the loss of his beloved wife.

They both tell me that nowadays their worry is for the children. They are far away but they have to do this for their future. The eldest girl is asking for a laptop as this is needed for research stuff and all. She goes to a private high school run by the sisters and she goes to mass regularly because of the schedule at school but she prefers to be muslim nonetheless. They say they allow their children whatever they choose later on.

diRections and consideRations

Obervations

Only a handful from among the target study group would have a Bisaya man married to a Sama woman. This is understandable as the locus is a majority Sama population and the locality, like most of the different ethnic aggrupations in the Philippines, is intensively patriar-chal even if residence may also be uxorilocal. Added to that fact is the Islamic ascription that prohibits marriage outside of the faith. But the man who does get married to the Sama woman has remained Christian. The dowry stipulation is still required: he has to give dowry without exception notwithstanding the absence of family financial support. The Bisaya has been exposed enough, for 500 years to be exact, to the ideol-ogy regarding Christian marriage: one man to one woman equal in dig-nity and worth. Giving dowry is frowned upon as “buying” or “selling” a woman. This foregoing is seen in the marriages mentioned above – the refusal to accept dowry. The man who ran off with the vice-mayor’s daughter would have to have faced several stiff fines in the succeeding adjudication, besides the dowry requirement, except that he could not have also dared to do so even if he were given the chance due to the latter’s political stature in the newer western dispensation. The power-dynamic is not indigenous anymore. The aggreived was vice mayor of a Christian seaport town. This the first insight.

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The second regards residence. People sail, travel, reside, transfer without restrictions along the sea routes from Malaysia to Mindanao, Palawan, big cities, inland townships, etc., A practice that comes from the first millennium, I dare to suggest and long before either Sharif Ma-khdum and Fernando Magallanes18 arrived in these shores to plant the crescent and the cross. The ease and fluidity of movement intimates an almost nomadic mode of existence. . . Badjao-like. A search for the bet-ter fishing grounds. For the fatter lobsters and crabs and more succulent sea-cucumbers. For the more fertile grounds to plant cassava or rice or mangoes. To search and find the sweetest durian fruits. And mangosteen. The seas are gateways and not barriers of separation. From the ecologi-cal, material-culture perspective, we have pushed the right button. The in-habitants intercoursed with all sorts of other people including the Chinese immigrants to gain advantage over the elements, over the whole of reality really. The same reason why the Bisaya have come into these sea domains and gain acceptance and become actors in the rituals of daily life.

Next is the decidedly non-disparate cultural underpinning between Bisaya and Sama mentioned above. The unwritten law of tradition and custom is the same. Negotiations and arrangements for the marriage ritual come from the earlier ethnic identity before the coming of the Arabs and Europeans. This is most obvious in the role elders play in the transactions. The chieftain and the shaman have the most important part. This is not only a teenage, hormonal infatuation between a boy and a girl but the union of their families and clans. These two may in-deed elope and escape in the beginning but only temporarily. The larger matrix of underlying familial-clan-tribe bonds are at stake and so the adjudication that follows belongs to the respective leaders both political and religious.

This latter needs some elaboration. Not unlike the other indigenous peoples of the Philippines, there is an acute sense of the existence of other non-human beings that also inhabit the seas and islands. Many to do harm and a few who help. And there is the supreme Being. Tuhan, Keranan, Magbabaya, Nemula, Allah, Panginoon – He comes by many

18 The earliest Arab missionary, Shariff Makhdum who is famously reported to be buried in Simunol island, just off Bongao has another burial mound in Tandu-Banak, Sibutu. This “controversy” serves to prove the fact that he, indeed, existed and landed in these islands.

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names.19 The little 13 year-old boy adrift at sea with his father and cous-in called on Tuhan for help. You do not need logic or science to know they exist because people see them with their own eyes. You just keep clear of them. When sailing and you see up ahead a spirit creature of the sea, you veer off and avoid it/she/him. Or die if you do not. Or you can go to the shaman to ask him to appease the offended evil spirit-creature of the sea. This is the practice of Indigenous religion.

Another consideration is the observation that practically not one of the intermarried couples here in the area have separated or divorced. The lone exception is the teen-age son of a Chinese-Sama who went to school in Zamboanga. Back here he courted a Bisaya girl who was working in one of the stores whom he got pregnant and who then had a child. She went abroad for work and has never been heard of. This case does not really belong here as the girl was not ‘acclimatized’ to how things go in these parts – to say it in layman’s terms. The underlying support system of familial, clan and kinship bonds are operational on the former. The Christian tenet regarding the sacred character of mar-riage reinforces this discourse and in fact overwhelms the tribal and Islamic practice of polygamy. There are no 2nd or 3rd wives in these Sama-Bisaya unions.

Representations of Dialogue-of-Life

Last January my neighbor, a Sama boy of 23 married a 15-year-old girl from Olutangga, Zamboanga Sibugay. The boy’s family, a promi-nent one, invited the Tausug mayor and all the other important people of Sitangkai, Tausug or Sama and all the rest of the clan. The marriage ritual is a grand 3-day affair with feasting and dancing and all. They also invited me to the loruk(feast) and handed me a white envelope which I absentmindedly accepted. I did not know what it was for until I asked other neighbors who told me that it was for the contribution I will hand over when I went for the meal. This was standard practice for all who attend the weddings here. Everyone carries an envelope to the party. From the economic perspective, you can already conclude that it is a way for the community to defray the large financial outlay that a

19 Consult Tianero, op. cit. in the section that enumerates the dieties and spirits that roam the Manobo world, p. 23 ff.

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family has to produce when one of the sons get married.20 I asked the neighbors how much does one usually put inside the envelope. They told me P.500.00 was normal. Normal? The more well off give more. This explains it. People help each other celebrate in times of joy.

Last month, the 19-year-old son of the Bisaya caretaker of the di-lapidated Seventh-Day Adventist church in Sitangkai (there is one, yes, but abandoned since ten years ago) and who was working as an errand boy in one of the Tausug merchants in town ran off with a 16-year-old girl who was a daughter of a poor Tausug family. The girl actually went home one evening with his boyfriend – the Adventist church now used as the caretaker’s dwelling. This caretaker has been here since the late 90’s, is a widow and is a good friend of his Sama neighbors and who comes to our Church on Sundays. The boy was arrested by the police and imprisoned and not allowed to go out until he pays the P. 25,000.00 amount demanded by the girl’s father. The neighbors, led by their leader,21 went around their community asking for financial help. They were able to collect P. 12,000.00 despite the poverty and lock-down situation of Sitangkai. The Baranggay Captain of their area, a Tausug politician-businessman who ran and lost the mayoralty race the last time gave P. 5,000,00. Another P. 5,000.00 was given by the lead Police Investigator (a Tausug) of the case and the rest of the money was a ‘promissory’ note to be paid later so that the boy could be set free after 3 weeks in Police custody. And the marriage pushed through. The girl now lives in the church. People help in times of trouble.

It seems that in the narrative that runs through this article a certain “bias” or prejudice is thrown against the Tausug people. They have in-deed come to dominate Sitangkai politics and economics. While it may also be true that the Sama do suffer unjust or unequal treatment from them in the past and present, and that it is not just mere perception, it would be interesting to validate the content of the accusation inversely.

20 Pallesen, Kemp. 1972. Reciprocity in Samal Marriage. Sulu Studies I, p. 122-142.

21 Batok, the undisputed dynamite king of Sitangkai. His family is in the business of making the delicate skill of making dynamite for illegal fishing (a type of Molotov contraption). If you go around town you will meet people without hands, arms or legs. These are victims of dynamite NOT made by Batok. He came to Sitangkai in the early 90’s from Laminosa, off Siasi island.

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Why is the Tausug perceived to be violent and war-like? What are/were the evolutionary trajections of this people who are originally from the North-east domains in Mindanao? Is this “imposition” among the Sama a reflexive action of an insecure, non-inhabitant, foreigner who happens to have bigger guns? The discourse as regards the Tausug is certainly being re-purposed today to include now all the other “entrants” to these Southern islands. The present governor of Sulu appeals for unity among all residents of the islands who have come to settle calling everyone “tau-sug,” peoples of the current. Is this a legitimization for his Chinese lineage? Our own governor of Tawi Tawi, a Tausug himself originally from Jolo, calls for a “mother-tongue” advocacy: the Sama language. Whatever the case may be the Tausug of the foregoing two paragraphs reveal the “non-disparate” cultural identity in how they intercourse with Sama ritualization and conflict resolution. The Sama, Bisaya, Tausug are ethnic cousins since the first millennium.

concLusion

It is clear that the adherence to Islam or to Christianity is not the main issue in the Bisaya-Sama intermarriage in Sitangkai. When looked at the outset, it can be perceived as an outward lens that in fact seems to create prejudice and bias. The moment the marriage transactions op-erationalize, the more archaic, indigenous representation take effect: culture persists and it persists indefinitely. And because the ritualization of daily living happens within the ambit of the wider kin relations, the marriage contract not only survives but flourishes and expands in the consequent wider appreciation – more than tolerance, of two worlds that have to adjust, negotiate and meet. Nothing is taken for granted. The advice of the father of the man in couple no. 4, explaining to his son and daughter-in-law that there is not just one way in the journey of life reveals a wisdom born of millennia of interaction with peoples different from one’s own. Staying together, giving and taking, looking after the children is larger than going to church or the mosque. Allowing the next generation to choose their way; which might also mean making a mis-take, a risk that carries one beyond the usual ethnocentric lens, is part of the endeavor as long as the family bond is in place to give new direction and support. Calling upon God is very intimately interwoven into this kind of dispensation. He is the ultimate provider and protector from the

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vagaries and disasters of life – source of the rains, guide through the sails, protection against storms, benevolent giver of the fruits of the sea and land.

So why are we here? A couple of days ago, I did some carpentry work to make the stand for the large easter candle to be used on Holy Saturday evening. A couple of boys were playing in the cemented yard beside the chapel and one of them asked me what I was doing. I told them I was making a candle-stand. They were surprised to see such a large candle. “Why so big and elaborate and beautiful?” I answered that “it will be dipped into the water after which the water becomes not only ordinary water anymore but holy water”… “the sprinkling of which drives out the saitans that possess the girls at school,” one of them added. I said, “yes, it is also a little like the freshwater of the Imams that get sprinkled over the graves of the dead relatives so that they can go to heaven.” They nod their heads. I have “crossed” into their world.

One of my most admired men is an uncle-in-law who got married to my aunt, my mom’s first cousin. She was my “yaya” when I was a little boy. Both are now recently retired. They have 4 children, all girls. Two are in America. Both are nurses and are married with children. The other two are here who are single: a medical doctor and an accountant. My uncle is a Regional Trial Court Judge who now sits as Board of the government entity that controls the Banking Industry. My aunt is presently the financial consultant to the City of Davao – being its latest Treasurer. She had been recalled three times to serve as the Treasurer after her retirement until the Law prohibited the Mayor from doing so. What is not apparent in this side story are the following: my youngest cousin, the nurse in Chicago attends the mosque and goes to Church. The elder three go only to Church. They all do not eat pork. My uncle, you see, is a full-blood Samal from the small island of Laminosa; off Siasi. He is a Muslim – the observant kind.

Rafael Tianero, omi

Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, [email protected]

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Familia Oblata

“nuestro sacristán MusulMán”

maRio León doRado, omi - mohamed FadeL semLaLi

“No seremos verdaderos misioneros si no nos ocupamos de los musulmanes.”

(Leo Deschâtelets, en 1954)

Los comienzos de La misión omi deL sáhaRa

1954 es el año en el que los Misioneros Oblatos de María Inmacula-da llegan al Sáhara Occidental, por entonces bajo la administración de España. A pesar de esta frase del entonces Superior general, el p.

Leo Deschâtelets, la misión de los Oblatos fue sobre todo la de atender a la población cristiana (fundamentalmente española) del territorio. Desde el punto de vista eclesiástico se creó una prefectura apostólica, que se confió a los Misioneros Oblatos de María Inmaculada.

Aunque la pastoral era, sobre todo, la que se podía tener en una parroquia española, los Oblatos nunca perdieron de vista al pueblo sa-haraui, como muestran el testimonio que se ofrece a continuación de Mohamed Fadel Semlali, a quien todos llamamos “Bouh”. Les ahorro los avatares políticos, pero una fecha sí es necesario recordar: 1975. En este año delicado para España y para la región, Marruecos organiza una marcha “pacífica”, la llamada “Marcha Verde” con la que pretendía ocupar unos territorios que reclamaba como suyos desde hacía ya va-rios años. España, con una delicada transición política y un alto grado de incertidumbre sobre su futuro inmediato, pacta la cesión de la admi-

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nistración de los territorios con Mauritania y Marruecos. Mauritania se quedará con Dajla (antigua Villa Cisneros), al sur, Marruecos se queda-rá con el norte, con El Aaiún.

Todos los españoles deben salir del territorio. Todo se resiente, las ciudades, la iglesia, la población local. A pesar del carácter “pacífico” de la Marcha Verde, comienza en el territorio una guerra entre Marrue-cos y el Frente Popular de Liberación del Sáhara Occidental (Frente Polisario) que lucha contra Marruecos y reclama la independencia del territorio. Esta guerra durará hasta 1991, año en que se firma un alto el fuego bajo los auspicios de la ONU. Al principio el Frente Polisario lucha contra Mauritania al sur y contra Marruecos al norte. Pero pronto Mauritania quedará desarbolada y saldrá en 1979 de la ciudad de Dajla. Hecho éste que aprovechará Marruecos para incorporar también en el sur a su administración.

La Iglesia se queda porque se quedan los Oblatos. Había dudas, claro. ¿Qué pasaría? De 14 Oblatos como hubo en su época de mayor esplendor, se pasan a tres: Mons. Erviti, omi, Prefecto apostólico, y los Oblatos pp. Camilo González y Gaspar Alonso. Los tres, como nos co-menta nuestro hermano Bouh, tuvieron que firmar un papel para eximir a España “de su responsabilidad”. Eran años de guerra. El p. Camilo se quedará solo en Dajla, mientras que Mons. Erviti y el p. Gaspar se quedarán en la residencia principal de los Oblatos, en El Aaiún.

Pero en 1979 entra Marruecos también en Dajla y ante la falta de espacios, los militares marroquíes ocuparán parte del recinto de la igle-sia a la vez que se mantenían cortadas las comunicaciones terrestres entre Dajla y El Aaiún por los peligros de la guerra. El superior, Mons. Erviti pedirá a Camilo que deje Dajla, cierre la casa, y vaya con él, al norte, a El Aaiún. Son los años de “hierro”, en los que los Oblatos hacen lo único que pueden: ser testigos pacientes y orantes de los aconteci-mientos.

La evoLución de La misión omi

El P. Marcello Zago, el 2 de abril de 1989, en el informe de su visita a la Misión OMI del Sáhara de los días 24-29 de marzo de 1989 escribe: “Esta misión es la única oblata donde no hay comunidades cristianas, por eso es importante. Desconocemos el camino a tomar, pero sabemos que el Señor nos pide ser aquí sus testigos. Debemos continuar de otro

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limodo en un lugar donde hay comunidades de creyentes en Dios a las que se nos envía.” Esta visita marca un punto de inflexión en la misión. Lo hace porque los Oblatos estaban a punto de abandonarla. Simple-mente no le encontraban sentido. De ahí las palabras del P. Zago:

La misión cristiana en estas tierras no puede ser como en el pasado ni puede ser pensada en función de los cristianos venidos de otros lugares. Los retos misioneros permanecen, en cualquier caso. Me pregunto: ¿Cómo estar presentes en esta sociedad de un modo sig-nificativo, interpelante y dando testimonio? ¿Cómo hacerse aceptar para influir, transmitir y promover los valores del Reino? ¿Cómo tes-timoniar la existencia y la novedad del mensaje evangélico en medio de aquellos que piensan que está superado por la revelación musul-mana? La misma aceptación de la presencia de los cristianos no es algo normal, y el diálogo en sentido formal no es aceptado. La pre-sencia de los musulmanes en Europa debería facilitar la presencia del evangelio en un mundo musulmán cerrado y seguro de sí, pero en esta sociedad musulmana y árabe debemos hacer todo lo posible por asegurar una presencia.

Son años de cambios que también quedan reflejados en las palabras de nuestro hermano Mohamed Fadel. Son los años, los 90, en los que se recupera la presencia en Dajla. Gracias también a la reapertura de los viajes por carretera, ya que el frente de la guerra se había desplazado paulatinamente hacia el interior y que ésta terminará como dijimos en 1991 con la llegada de la Misión de las Naciones Unidas (MINURSO). Además, se da un relevo necesario al frente de la Prefectura. El p. Aca-cio Valbuena es nombrado prefecto. Regresará también a la misión el p. Camilo que había salido años atrás. Poco después, el año 2000 llega el P. Rafael Álvarez, otro veterano de la misión. Ésta toma un nuevo impulso y se recuperan muchas antiguas amistades saharauis además de crear otras nuevas. El mismo p. General, Marcello Zago, aconsejará el 1 de noviembre de 1994 por carta a Mons. Acacio tras su nombra-miento como prefecto “programar una acción más incisiva entre los musulmanes”.

Todo esto fue ayudado por un cambio paulatino en la política de Marruecos respecto al Sáhara. Marruecos ha buscado y busca en estos últimos años “normalizar la situación en sus provincias del sur”. Una situación que antes era de posguerra y que ahora trata que sea como

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la de un territorio más cualquiera. En los últimos años se ha dado un nuevo “relevo generacional” entre los Oblatos, obligado en parte por un mayor deseo de inculturación por parte de la Congregación y por otro lado por la elevada edad de los oblatos anteriores. Hoy, al frente de esta misión están los Oblatos pp. Luis Ignacio Rois, superior de la misión, Valerio Eko, Stanis Diouf y Mario León, actual prefecto apostólico.

En la actualidad, los Oblatos mantenemos la residencia principal en El Aaiún para mantener un ritmo de vida comunitario1. Sin embargo, viajamos a Dajla cada semana, de viernes a lunes, con lo que la casa “pasa menos tiempo cerrada”. En Dajla nos esperan numerosos feligre-ses de Senegal, Costa de Marfil, Camerún, Guinea, Burkina… además de muchas amistades musulmanes locales con los que continuamos esta historia de amistad “interreligiosa”. Además, ese año hemos habilitado una gran sala a modo de Centro de Acogida para migrantes de la ciudad de Dajla. Sala que abre y cierra el gestor del proyecto, nuestro feligrés Pierre André Sene. En cualquier caso, Bouh sigue yendo prácticamente cada día a la casa y nos informa de cualquier problema que surja. Como él dice medio en broma, es “nuestro sacristán musulmán”, además de un hermano y un amigo.

Mario León Dorado, omi

El Aaiún, Sáhara [email protected]

vigiLaR y cuidaR La igLesia de Los oBLatos

Me llamo Mohamed Fadel Semlali, estoy casado y tengo dos hijos. Nací en 1965 en Dajla que por aquel entonces se llamaba Villa Cisne-ros. Siendo niño contraje la polio y fui trasladado a Canarias al Hospital de San Juan de Dios donde además recibí buena educación. A veces los profesores decían que cómo podía ser que un musulmán conociera me-jor el catecismo que los cristianos. Nunca me dijeron que cambiara de

1 Cf. M.L. Dorado, El testimonio de los Oblatos en el Sáhara, “Oblatio”, III (2014) 243-250.

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lireligión y siempre me apoyaron en todo. Aprendí a manejarme por mí solo a pesar que desde la cintura para abajo mi cuerpo está paralizado.

Con 16 años regresé a mi tierra. Sufrí un duro golpe ya que todo había cambiado a causa de la guerra, todo me parecía nuevo y amena-zador. Incluso perdí mi lengua materna. Fue una época dura en la que perdí un poco el sentido de mi vida. Con el paso del tiempo conocí a los Misioneros Oblatos que desde 1959 están en nuestra tierra. Mi fa-milia apreciaba mucho que ellos permanecieron con nosotros cuando todos los españoles abandonaron el territorio. Me hablaron también de la labor que habían hecho en favor de mi pueblo: educación, sanidad,… y sobre todo la amistad, siempre cerca de nosotros, dispuestos a tomar el té y charlar de todo. Respetaron nuestra religión y nos defendieron contra posibles abusos de otros.

Desde el 14 de agosto de 1979 los militares marroquíes ocupa-ron parte de los edificios de la iglesia. En 1983 el Oblato que se había quedado con nosotros tuvo que irse a El Aaiún, a 540 kilómetros de distancia, donde estaba el resto de la comunidad. Cada cierto tiempo uno de los misioneros se desplazaba para mantener la presencia de la iglesia, ayudar a las familias que lo necesitaban y hacerse cercano en aquellos momentos en que la gente lo estaba pasando mal. En este con-texto conocí más de cerca a los misioneros con los que podía hablar en español y recordar viejos tiempos. También ellos nos ayudaron en el momento difícil del duelo por la muerte de nuestro padre. Poco a poco se estrecharon los lazos entre ellos, misioneros cristianos y nosotros, musulmanes.

En el año 2000 intentaron derribar la iglesia. Me interpuse entre las máquinas que habían comenzado a derribar la parte del antiguo club donde jóvenes cristianos y musulmanes convivieran en otra época. No sin miedo y con cierto peligro, logramos que las máquinas se detuvieran y, después que el Prefecto Apostólico negociara con las autoridades, logramos conservar la bonita iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen que para mi pueblo forma parte de su patrimonio cultural y humano. Como los misioneros no vivían permanentemente aquí, me encargaron de vi-gilar y cuidar la iglesia y así, en broma, me dijeron que era como un sacristán. Muchas tardes las pasamos tomando el té con el Oblato que venía en el patio de la iglesia que se ha convertido para mí y para otros musulmanes en una segunda casa. La colaboración y la amistad con los

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Oblatos fueron creciendo y así fui conociendo mejor a la congregación a través de los misioneros y laicos que nos visitaban.

En un cierto momento pensé en retribuir lo que había recibido de los Hermanos de San Juan de Dios en Canarias haciendo algo por los niños con minusvalías de mi ciudad y fundé una asociación para aten-derlos. Primero fui visitando casa a casa, hablando con sus familias que aún consideraban tener un niño así como una especie de maldición o fruto de brujería. Luego formamos a jóvenes de aquí para que pu-dieran hacer servicios de rehabilitación y apoyo familiar. Actualmente son más de 70 niños y sus familias los que se benefician del trabajo de la asociación. En todo este proceso los Oblatos fueron un apoyo. Sin ellos no podríamos haber hecho nada de lo que hicimos y todavía hoy siguen acompañándonos y ayudándonos: gracias a ellos hemos tenido el consejo necesario en el momento justo, han facilitado la venida de voluntarios especialistas que han ido formando a nuestras trabajadoras, siempre han mostrado su cariño por los niños y en los momentos más difíciles han sido la tabla de salvación.

Puedo decir que me siento muy unido a ellos. Es un sentimiento que también tienen otros musulmanes aquí. Aunque yo quiero mucho a san Juan de Dios, ahora estoy aprendiendo a querer a esta familia de misioneros que se han quedado con nosotros, corriendo nuestra misma suerte. Cada visita de un misionero oblato, venga de donde venga, es para nosotros como un familiar que viene a vernos y siempre es bienve-nido. Algunos han preguntado a mi hijo si su padre es cristiano porque lo ven casi todos los días en la iglesia. Yo le he explicado bien que yo sigo siendo musulmán y que ningún cristiano ha intentado que cambie de religión. Le digo que hay algo que nos une y que yo lo resumo en los diez mandamientos y su síntesis de amor a Dios y amor al prójimo y que por eso yo colaboro en la iglesia. Además los misioneros saben mucho de nuestra religión y a veces aprendo de ellos cosas nuestras.

Desde hace unos años los Oblatos pueden venir a Dajla cada fin de semana. Con la presencia de migrantes subsaharianos hay celebracio-nes cada domingo e incluso se han desarrollado otras actividades como la Cáritas parroquial, catequesis, oraciones. Los misioneros son muy activos para ayudar a los migrantes que pasan por necesidades sin olvi-darse de los pobres de aquí. Para mí es un orgullo poder ver la labor que se está haciendo, yo me siento parte de ellos y siempre que se me pide

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lialgo, colaboro. Pero lo más importante es que nuestra amistad sigue creciendo e incluso compartimos sueños para el futuro. Hay algo muy profundo que nos une y que de alguna manera me hace sentirme parte de la familia de los misioneros como a ellos los siento de la mía.

Mohamed Fadel SemlaliDajla, Sáhara Occidental

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DocumentaQuelle fraternité entre les fils D’abraHaM ?*

maRceLLo zago, omi

Le 11 novembre 1992, j’ai été témoin de la remise du titre de commandeur de l’Ordre pontifical de Saint-Grégoire le Grand au président honoraire de la Ligue juive, le Dr Riegner. Aux

côtés des représentants les plus qualifiés de l’Église catholique, il y avait ceux de la communauté juive internationale dirigée par son prési-dent actuel. Cela marquait l’aboutissement d’un chemin de cinquante ans, entamé lorsque le Dr Riegner, fin 1942, présenta au Nonce en Su-isse des documents sur ce qui se passait dans les camps d’extermination allemands. Suite à ces informations, une relation nouvelle a commencé entre le Saint-Siège et le peuple juif. Pie XII donna l’ordre aux évêques et aux communautés religieuses de s’activer pour protéger les juifs. Plus tard, cette nouvelle relation avec les juifs conduisit à l’élaboration du premier document conciliaire sur les non-chrétiens et à la création d’organismes spéciaux tels que la commission pour les relations reli-gieuses avec le judaïsme.

Lors de la célébration du 11 novembre dernier, j’ai fait la conféren-ce de circonstance, rappelant la figure d’un ami commun au Dr Riegner et à moi-même, Mgr Piero Rossano, décédé quelques mois plus tôt. Mon amitié avec Rossano remontait à de nombreuses années aupara-vant, tandis que j’ai fait connaissance avec les Riegner lorsque je suis

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* Conférence tenue à l’Université de Bologne, le 18 mars 1993. Archives géné-rales OMI, Rome.

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devenu membre de la commission vaticane pour les relations avec les juifs, c’est-à-dire de 1982 à 1987. Pendant la même période, j’étais éga-lement vice-président de la commission pontificale pour les relations avec les musulmans. C’est à cette époque que j’ai eu le privilège d’être impliqué dans le dialogue entre les trois religions dont les membres se considèrent comme descendants d’Abraham. Les trois religions mono-théistes ont marqué l’histoire et la culture de nombreux peuples et en particulier notre civilisation moderne.

Je suis arrivé aux relations judéo-islamiques en passant par les re-ligions orientales, et en particulier par le bouddhisme. Arrivé au Laos en 1959, je suis entré en contact avec les bouddhistes et le vécu de leur religion, fondant en 1971 un Institut d’études bouddhistes et de dialogue interreligieux pour le compte de la Conférence épiscopale du Laos et du Cambodge, dont l’action s’est ensuite étendue à tous les pays bouddhistes d’Asie. Consulteur du Secrétariat du Vatican pour le dialogue interreligieux à partir de 1968, j’en suis devenu le secrétaire en 1982 et, en cette qualité, je fus coordinateur des initiatives catholi-ques pour le dialogue interreligieux avec les religions du monde et donc avec les juifs et les musulmans. À ce titre, j’ai participé à l’organisation de la première rencontre interreligieuse de prière, tenue à Assise le 27 octobre 1986. Mes engagements dans ce domaine se poursuivent, mais aujourd’hui sous une forme très réduite.

Les diFFicuLtés du diaLogue entRe chRétiens, musuLmans et JuiFs

Les juifs, les chrétiens et les musulmans sont membres de trois religions qui se reconnaissent une souche commune, non seulement en Adam, c’est-à-dire dans l’origine humaine commune, mais aussi en Abraham, c’est-à-dire dans la foi qui reconnaît un Dieu unique. Ces trois religions ont des racines, des croyances, des cultures qui les unis-sent entre elles plus que toutes les autres religions du monde. Pourtant, la fraternité entre leurs membres semble plus difficile qu’avec les autres religions. Le dialogue et les relations constructives entre eux semblent plus laborieux. Pourquoi ?

Le dialogue est difficile peut-être parce que ces trois religions vi-vent proches l’une de l’autre, créant ainsi frictions, difficultés, luttes ... Ce sont les frictions historiques qui ont fait surgir des réactions viscé-rales d’antagonisme ... Il y a un héritage commun de fautes commises.

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Nier cela serait myopie. Mais s’arrêter à elles serait une faute encore plus grande. Nous devons bâtir avec le regard sur l’avenir.

Le dialogue est également difficile parce que les trois religions se sont identifiées aux cultures et aux peuples sans distinguer entre le reli-gieux et le social. Ce mélange est en quelque sorte lié à la vision de ces religions mêmes qui veulent transformer la vie entière des personnes. Cela reste très fort dans certains contextes actuels. Mais le moment est venu de savoir faire des distinctions.

Le dialogue est difficile aussi parce que le judaïsme, le christia-nisme et l’islam ont de plus grandes similitudes dans les axes majeurs de leur foi, mais avec des approches distinctes en profondeur.

Ces trois religions croient toutes en un Dieu unique, créateur et sei-gneur de l’univers. Mais leur expérience, leur foi et leur façon de parler de Dieu sont différentes. Il suffit de penser au concept de Trinité en un seul Dieu, propre à la foi chrétienne, face au monothéisme islamique.

Toutes les trois croient aux mêmes prophètes. Mais les juifs et les musulmans n’acceptent pas le Christ ; les chrétiens et les juifs n’accep-tent pas Mahomet ; la façon dont ces religions les considèrent varie.

Toutes les trois croient à la révélation et aux Écritures ... Les chré-tiens et les juifs acceptent une partie de ces mêmes Écritures que les chrétiens appellent Ancien Testament et s’en inspirent. Les musulmans, d’autre part, disent que ces Écritures ont été dénaturées et croient se baser sur celle qu’ils considèrent comme révélation originale.

Toutes les trois considèrent l’homme comme créature, image et représentant de Dieu, mais différente est la manière de concevoir la relation homme-Dieu.

Les différences sont là. Mais n’est-il pas possible de maintenir cha-cun son identité tout en respectant les autres et en recherchant la vérité qui nous dépasse tous ?

Le dialogue est difficile peut-être aussi parce que ces trois tradi-tions représentent des sommets religieux très élevés et distincts ;en conséquence, pour aller d’un sommet à l’autre le chemin est plus long et plus ardu, car il est plus long et plus risqué de vouloir atteindre des sommets différents.

Le dialogue est difficile. Pourtant, la construction de nouvelles re-lations, basées sur le respect mutuel et la collaboration, est une condi-tion pour l’avenir des sociétés dans lesquelles nous vivons et la survie

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des religions elles-mêmes. Le dialogue est une nécessité du monde nou-veau dans lequel nous vivons, c’est une exigence de la nature intime de l’être religieux et en particulier du fait de nous reconnaître comme enfants du même Dieu.

Le paRcouRs de L’égLise cathoLique pouR Le diaLogue inteRReLigieux

Avec le Concile Vatican II (1962-1965), l’Église catholique a de manière décisive emprunté la voie du dialogue. Cette nouvelle relation a été promue par un document spécial appelé Nostra aetate (NA). Mais le dialogue est aussi présent dans tous les autres documents. Depuis lors, l’Église catholique, et tout particulièrement les papes Paul VI et Jean-Paul, ne se sont pas arrêtés sur ce chemin. Il existe une structure au sein du gouvernement central de l’Église, avec un organisme spéci-fique : le Conseil Pontifical pour le dialogue interreligieux, ainsi que deux commissions permanentes : l’une pour le judaïsme et l’autre pour l’islam. Notez que la commission pour le judaïsme est liée au Conseil pontifical pour l’unité des chrétiens.

Mais quels sont les motifs théologiques, c’est-à-dire internes à la foi chrétienne, qui poussent l’Église au dialogue ? Il existe des raisons communes pour entrer en dialogue avec toutes les religions, voire avec tous les hommes, et des raisons spécifiques à chacune d’entre elles.

Les raisons communes de la foi ont été indiquées par le Concile et dans de nombreux documents qui suivirent :

- nous venons tous de Dieu : il s’agit de l’unité de la famille humai-ne non seulement au sens biologique mais aussi au sens théologique ;

- nous avons tous Dieu comme horizon. Il y a unité dans le but ultime ;

- Le Christ avec sa mort et sa résurrection est le sauveur de tous. L’unité se trouve dans la réconciliation et le salut réalisés dans l’histoire de Jésus-Christ ;

- tous sont aimés par Dieu ;- la loi évangélique nous pousse à aimer tous.Un plan unitaire de salut préside à toute l’histoire de l’humanité

et unit les hommes par des liens qui les poussent à vivre ensemble : ad mutuum consortium ducunt (Cfr NA 1).

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Les religions et les cultures des hommes ne sont pas étrangères à cette conception. En elles donc et en particulier “dans les manières d’agir et de vivre”, dans les “règles” et dans les “doctrines” qui les inspirent, même si elles diffèrent de la foi et de la doctrine de l’Église, nous pouvons voir reflété « souvent un rayon de cette vérité qui illu-mine tous les hommes » (NA 2b). Ces “biens spirituels et moraux et les valeurs socioculturelles” présents dans les religions non chrétiennes doivent être “reconnus, préservés et promus” (NA 2). Cela s’applique à la fois aux peuples dont la culture est moins développée et à ceux dont les processus culturels sont plus avancés, tels que les hindous et les bouddhistes (NA 2a), mais surtout pour « les musulmans, qui adorent le Dieu unique vivant et subsistant, miséricordieux et tout-puissant, créateur du ciel et de la terre » (NA 3a), et d’une manière très spéciale pour les juifs, car ils ont un « lien spirituel » avec l’Église et son mystère (NA 4a).

Il y a ensuite les raisons sociologiques qui s’appliquent à tous : - nous vivons dans le même monde, dont nous sommes responsa-

bles ; mais nous vivons dans des sociétés pluralistes, c’est-à-dire avec des visions et des religions différentes ; nous devons donc nous accepter et nous respecter mutuellement ;

- pour vivre en paix, il faut reconnaître à tous les mêmes droits et devoirs, dans le respect et dans la liberté ;

- s’il n’y a pas de respect et de réciprocité, il y aura rejet et lutte, car l’instinct de défense est toujours derrière la porte, comme on le voit dans des événements récents.

Il existe également des raisons particulières d’engager un dialogue avec chacune des religions.

Quant au dialogue avec les juifs, les raisons sont plus pressantes. En fait, pour les chrétiens et les juifs, il y a continuité dans la révéla-tion et dans l’alliance ; une partie des mêmes Ecritures est acceptée et respectée par les deux traditions. Il existe un riche patrimoine commun (voir NA 4).

Les raisons du dialogue avec les musulmans sont renforcées par leur acceptation de Dieu créateur et providence, par l’honneur rendu à Jésus et à Marie, par l’attente du jugement final (voir NA 3).

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L’engagement de L’égLise cathoLique pouR Le diaLogue avec Les JuiFs et Les musuLmans

Sur ces bases, le dialogue a été promu par la partie catholique. En voici les objectifs et les manifestations :

- connaître et faire connaître ces religions : étude technique et scien-tifique, contacts, publications sur ces religions dans toutes les langues, cours dans les universités invitant les adeptes de ces religions ;

- intégrer cette vision dans tous les aspects de la vie et de l’agir des chrétiens : par exemple, Mission et Dialogue, Dialogue et Annonce sont des thèmes présentés par le Conseil pontifical pour le dialogue interre-ligieux. Les textes liturgiques et catéchétiques ont été révisés afin de supprimer les présentations trompeuses ;

- organiser des contacts pour un échange de points de vue et la promotion de la connaissance mutuelle, pour étudier des problèmes communs ;

- promouvoir la collaboration mutuelle à la base pour le bien de tous et de la société : mais cette collaboration est plus difficile lorsqu’une re-ligion particulière est au pouvoir.

L’Église catholique agit au niveau mondial et local (pays et diocè-ses). Il existe un lien entre le centre et la périphérie.

La promotion du dialogue a été plus facile entre les catholiques et les juifs (ainsi qu’avec les Églises chrétiennes), en raison de leurs struc-tures centralisées et de leur plus grande acceptation de la modernité de l’État et du respect des libertés personnelles et sociales.

RôLe des papes dans La pRomotion du diaLogue

L’histoire montrera que la voie du dialogue a été ouverte, guidée et suivie par les Papes, à travers des initiatives qui allaient au-delà des dis-cussions des théologiens sur la nature de la mission et du dialogue. Ils ont précédé l’ensemble de l’Église dans le dialogue avec les non-chré-tiens, et ceci, tout d’abord, par leur rencontre avec les personnes. Sont bien connues les paroles que Jean XXIII a adressées à une délégation de juifs le 17 octobre 1960 : “Je suis Joseph votre frère”.

En janvier 1964, à Jérusalem, Paul VI a personnellement adressé des salutations affectueuses aux juifs et aux musulmans. En décembre de la même année, à Bombay, rencontrant un grand groupe de représen-

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tants des religions de l’Inde, il a déclaré : « Nous ne devons pas nous rencontrer seulement en tant que touristes, mais en tant que pèlerins qui partent à la recherche de Dieu, non pas dans les bâtiments de pierre, mais dans les cœurs humains ».

“Le but du dialogue, a dit un jour Paul VI, est de manifester aux hommes l’amour du Christ.” Pour cette raison, Paul VI et Jean-Paul II ont tous deux fait des gestes emblématiques qui signifiaient avant tout la réconciliation et la solidarité entre les personnes de religions diffé-rentes. Paul VI, en signe de pacification avec l’islam, a fait restituer au gouvernement de la Turquie le drapeau de la flotte musulmane que les chrétiens avaient pris lors de la bataille de Lépante, et a commencé à recevoir officiellement et avec une grande cordialité les dirigeants et les représentants des religions non chrétiennes. Sont venus, tour à tour, le Dalaï Lama, les patriarches bouddhistes de Thaïlande et du Laos, des personnalités religieuses du sikhisme, du jaïnisme, du taoïsme, sans oublier les organisations musulmanes et juives.

Par la suite, Jean-Paul II a corroboré le chemin du dialogue avec la force charismatique de sa personnalité. Depuis la première encyclique Redemptor Hominis et le premier pèlerinage à Jasna Góra, la rencon-tre avec les religions non chrétiennes figure parmi les priorités de son ministère universel. Ayant activement suivi, souvent de Rome, de ses origines à aujourd’hui, l’histoire du dialogue interreligieux, je pense que l’on peut affirmer que le chemin du dialogue aurait été interrompu, ou, du moins, se serait perdu dans les vicissitudes des discussions, s’il n’y avait pas eu la main sûre et résolue des Papes pour en rouvrir et en soutenir le chemin. De la volonté et des conseils du Pape ont bénéficié les épiscopats et les Églises catholiques d’Amérique, d’Asie et d’Afri-que, y compris celles affiliées au Conseil œcuménique des Églises.

Le discours aux jeunes musulmans à Casablanca (19 août 1985), la visite à la synagogue de Rome (13 avril 1986) et surtout la Journée d’Assise (27 octobre 1986), dans sa sobriété et son éloquence, ont frap-pé le monde des chrétiens et des non-chrétiens, et ont fait pénétrer le dialogue interreligieux dans la conscience et les devoirs de l’humanité, comme réponse au plan unitaire que Dieu a sur la famille humaine.

Tenant fermement en main la barre du dialogue interreligieux, les Papes ont maintenu vivante la tension entre l’accueil et l’offre, entre l’écoute et l’annonce, entre l’affirmation de son identité propre et le res-

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pect de l’altérité, mais surtout ils ont invité les catholiques à rejoindre les non-chrétiens pour “travailler ensemble à la construction du monde dans la paix véritable “ (GS 92e; NA 3b).

La Réponse du Judaisme et de L’isLam au diaLogue pRomu paR L’égLise

Le succès de ce dialogue est différent selon les religions, selon les sociétés dans lesquelles elles vivent, selon les personnes qui les incar-nent.

Pour le judaïsme, qu’est-ce qui a été fait et que reste-t-il à faire ? Le monde juif a été le plus réactif et n’a cessé de frapper aux portes de l’Église ; celle-ci, depuis Nostra Aetate, a publié deux documents of-ficiels pour développer le dialogue avec le judaïsme. Du côté chrétien, il y a eu la redécouverte du chemin parcouru par le judaïsme après le début de l’ère chrétienne, l’engagement pour vaincre les formes d’anti-sémitisme, l’étude conjointe de la Bible et de la tradition prophétique.

Les défis du dialogue entre juifs et chrétiens concernent la réponse commune à la civilisation technocratique et moderne, les relations avec les religions orientales et en particulier avec le monde musulman, la résolution des contentieux sociopolitiques. Mais peut-être, en regardant plus en profondeur, les vrais défis se situent-ils au niveau religieux-spi-rituel : le sens de la prière commune, la recherche de l’obéissance à la volonté de Dieu pour le bien de l’humanité entière sous la forme d’une action conjointe pour la justice et la paix et contre toutes les formes de racisme, l’engagement à défendre la vie humaine et l’intégrité de la création, l’éducation des jeunes, l’étude commune sur les implications de l’Holocauste (Shoah).

Les nœuds des difficultés se concentrent sur des faits contingents, mais importants : le statut de Jérusalem, le problème palestinien, la pré-sence chrétienne dans l’État d’Israël et dans les Territoires Occupés ...

Il reste des identités religieuses différentes à respecter ; l’accepta-tion mutuelle et le témoignage réciproque aideront chacun à grandir.

Concernant la réponse de l’islam au dialogue interreligieux, il est nécessaire d’avoir une vision plus large de la situation des relations dans le bassin méditerranéen. Il y a des régions, en particulier dans les pays africains et asiatiques, où les relations sont bonnes et s’expriment dans le respect et la collaboration mutuelle. S’est surtout développé le

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dialogue de la vie, de la quotidienneté, des relations normales. Pour faciliter cela, des rencontres ont été organisées entre chrétiens et mu-sulmans de régions particulières. Par exemple, à Assise, en 1988, des chrétiens et des musulmans de six pays d’Afrique du Nord se sont ren-contrés, et à Ibadan (Nigéria) ceux des pays anglophones de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Une autre est en préparation pour les pays d’Asie du Sud-Est. On commence toujours sur une base nationale pour ensuite étendre ces rencontres au niveau international.

Les réunions du Conseil pour le dialogue interreligieux avec les institutions musulmanes sont désormais plus habituelles. Elles ont traité de sujets tels que la mission (da’wah) des deux religions, l’éducation re-ligieuse des jeunes. Il existe également des échanges entre universités, comme entre l’Université grégorienne de Rome et l’Université d’État d’Ankara. Il y a ensuite les initiatives aux niveaux continental, national et local. Les caritas diocésaines se sont engagées à aider les immigrants, dont beaucoup sont de tradition musulmane.

Avec l’Islam, les difficultés ne manquent pas. Il existe des diffi-cultés au niveau local concernant la relation entre le droit islamique et le droit civil, le statut des communautés chrétiennes dans les terres islamiques, en particulier en Arabie Saoudite, l’intransigeance de cer-tains courants appelés fondamentalistes, les lois sur la famille. Il y a ensuite les difficultés internationales, dont la première est le manque de réciprocité des droits et des devoirs, tels que la liberté religieuse en Occident et les difficultés dans ce domaine dans de nombreux pays musulmans, comme la Turquie, les pays arabes, etc. À long terme, tout cela risque de bloquer le dialogue et peut-être de mettre en mouvement des instincts de défense jusqu’à la lutte.

La pLace de L’euRope dans Le diaLogue entRe Les ReLigions aBRahamites

La modernité et la coprésence des religions en Europe, où existent des sociétés séculières laïques et dans lesquelles tous les croyants sont appelés à vivre constituent une grande opportunité. C’est peut-être en Europe que tous les croyants pourront se connaître, se respecter, témoi-gner de leur foi et apprendre à dialoguer et à collaborer. L’Europe peut être non pas le tombeau des religions, mais le lieu de leur purification et de leur authenticité, à condition que ces religions, dans leurs structures

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et dans leurs membres, s’ouvrent non seulement aux autres croyants, mais à Dieu qui les appelle à être frères, parce que ses créatures et ses enfants.

Ce dialogue et cette coexistence exigent le respect des identités spécifiques, qui doivent cependant se dépouiller d’éléments non essen-tiels grâce à des sociétés civiles respectueuses et porteuses de toutes les confessions. Le ghetto religieux n’est plus concevable, même si, en d’autres temps, c’était une forme d’autodéfense ... Nous devons vivre ensemble, dans le respect de lois communes et des identités spécifiques, au service du bien commun.

Marcello Zago, omiSupérieur général

+ 1er mars 2001

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Mary, a Place of encounter between cHristians anD MusliMs

shahRzad houshmand zadeh

Although I have never worked in Muslim circles, I, like many Oblates, have had the opportunity to participate in conferences and seminars of interreligious dialogue. I have been to Thai-

land and Japan several times for meetings with the Buddhist world, in various universities in India for dialogue with the Hindu world, in Pakistan, and in Italian cities that have a strong Islamic presence to discover key points of contact with Muslims.

Many times, during the Islamic-Christian dialogue meetings, I found myself talking with Shahrzad Houshmand Zadeh, an Iranian Muslim theologian and believer who is a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and at “La Sapienza” University in Rome.

My conversations with her have allowed me to “look with respect at Muslims”, as the Second Vatican Council taught us, to “forget the past”, which has known many dissensions and enmities, and “to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to pro-mote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.” (Nostra Aetate, 3).

The conciliar document on interreligious dialogue presents key points of contact which should be the basis for mutual trust and respect. The document highlights the importance that Muslims attach to prayer, the care of the poor, fasting as a spiritual discipline, and recalls the great respect they have for Jesus and Mary.

Probably no other religion has Jesus in such high regards than the Muslims who consider him the only person from Adam onwards to be born of a virgin, the greatest prophet to exist prior to Muhammad, a model of holiness, a man who ascended into heaven where he remains alive until his second coming to earth before the Final Judgment. In Is-lam, Mary is considered the holiest and greatest of all women who have ever lived, a sinless virgin who begot Jesus Christ.

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Could this undeniable reverence given by the Qur’an to Jesus and Mary be the foundation for a close friendship between Christians and Muslims? The Qur’an itself recognizes this constraint when it says: «You will see that the closest in affection to those who believe [Mus-lims] are those who say: “We are Christians.” This is because there are priests and monks among them, and they are not arrogant.»

Recently, in the main cloister of the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Pad-ua Professor Shahrzad and I spoke about Mary in the Qur’an and the Gospels. It was a moment of great sharing and especially communion. I thought of publishing the notes of her intervention. [Fabio Ciardi, omi]

* * *

It is said that the Prophet, having conquered Mecca, ordered to destroy all the images and idols present in the Ka’ba except for a rep-resentation of Mary with baby Jesus. Such was the importance of Mary for Muhammad, and no less important is the figure of Mary in the Holy Qur’an.

Two Suras (III; XIX) are dedicated to the life of Mary; her name is repeated thirty-four times, which is more than in the New Testament. Her name is the title of a chapter in The Qur’an.

The figure of Mary in The Qur’an is sublimeShe is the mystical flower of The Qur’an: Anbataha nabatan has-

ana.She is described as a virgin, holy, free, in dialogue with the angels,

devoted, wise, a model for every one of every faith, recipient of the Word of God, the only elect of the Lord among all the women of the world, and an excellent example. Mary is the beloved of The Qur’an. No other woman is mentioned by name in the entire Quranic text.

Mary is the great way of dialogue, of encounter, and of spiritual brotherhood between Christians and Muslims: “O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds” (The Qur’an, 3:42)

maRy in the quR’an. 12 points

1. Even before her birth, Mary, was entrusted to God by the vow her mother made. The Qur’an says, “when the wife of ‘Imran said,

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“My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, conse-crated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.” (3:35) In the entire Qur’an, Mary is the only one given the title of moharrir, free and freed.

2. Mary is protected by God against all evil and Satan: “But when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord, I have delivered a female.” And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, “And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and for her descendants from Satan, the expelled from the mercy of Allah.” (3:36) The dogma of the Immaculate Conception which the Catholic church defined in the 19th century had already been defined 14 centuries earlier in The Qur’an.

3. Mary is the mystical flower of The Qur’an, grown under the direct care of her God. Mary is Nabat, nabatan hasana! The beautiful flower: “So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner.” (3:37)

4. Mary, at a very young age was entrusted to the prophet Zacha-riah. Mary amazes the prophet with the miraculous gifts she receives! And Mary, with her strong faith, becomes a teacher to the prophet and as Zechariah witnesses Mary’s miracles he begins to believe that then he too can hope and ask God for a son: “So the angels called him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber, ‘Indeed, Allah gives you good tidings of John..’ (3:39) “Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, ‘O Mary, from where is this [coming] to you?’ She said, ‘It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account.’” (3:37)

5. Mary is a virgin in The Qur’an and her son is Isa ibn Mariam, Je-sus son of Mary. The Qur’an describes the moment of the annunciation in an extraordinary manner: “He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous. She said, ‘My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?’ The angel said, ‘Such is Allah; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be’, and it is.” (3:46-47)

6. Mary is holy, devout, pure, and immaculate: Qanitan, seddiqa.7. Mary always chooses the light, that is to say God! The expres-

sion that The Qur’an uses is: makanan sharqiyyan, place of orient. The east is the place where the sun rises, and as such it represents the light.

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Mary enters a period of deep meditation. She creates her inner castle. (19:17)

8. Mary hears the voice of the angels and enters into dialogue with them: “when the angels said, “O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near to Allah. She said, “My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?” The angel said, “Such is Allah; He cre-ates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is. And He will teach him writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel.” (3:46-48)

9. Mary not only converses with angels, but is a sublime if not unique example worthy to be received, met, welcomed in her, in soul and body, the Spirit of God, ruhon minh, and see the Holy Spirit face to face, transformed for her into a perfect human form: “Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man.” (19,17)

10. Mary is portrayed as alone and grieving, thus it is understand-able that The Qur’an does not mention Joseph at the moment when she needed him the most, during her labor pains. In a society that does not accept in any way a girl who gives birth without a husband, she is found in deep solitude and so, takes refuge under a dry and dead tree! The Qur’an recounts the solitude and the enormous pain that Mary en-counters, accepts, yet it recalls her cry. She encounters immense pain and has a unique cry: “And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree (jiz’innikhla). She said, “Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.” (19: 23)

Nonetheless, this pain does not linger. Rather, it transforms into a radical joy. The Qur’an says, “So eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, ‘Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to [any] man.’“ (19:26)

Sariyyan is a fountain of pure water that flows silently at night. The same word as a verb ‘asra’ is used in The Qur’an to refer to the mysti-cal nocturnal journey of the prophet Mohammad (the ascetic journey in the Islamic tradition) from Mecca to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem to heaven, and back again to Mecca on the same night (17:1).

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Mary not only offers the Word of God to the world, but since she has sariyyan under her and with her faith makes the withered and dead tree come back to life.

Mary is the perfect example of a person of faith, she seeks light, welcomes it, and she is not passive but rather active.

11. Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ: Isa Massih, the Messiah, the one the Qur’an calls the Word of God, His Spirit, Blessed is the Om-nipresent, the neighbor of God, Muqarrab, Servant of God, the prophet of God. He who does miracles; gives sight to the blind, creates from the shape of a bird, a living bird with life-giving breath; raises the dead; He who according to The Qur’an is raised after his mysterious death, enni motavaffika va rafi’uka ilayy. In The Qur’an, Jesus is almost always presented as the fruit of Mary’s womb, the fruit of the mystical flower, and the beloved of God: Isa Ibni Maryam, Jesus Son of Mary.

12. Mary is the example to follow for Muslims, Christians, and anyone who seeks an example of perfect faith and truth (66:14).

maRy, modeL oF Faith and unity

Why is Mary an example? The Qur’an explains why.Mary is a model to follow, not only because God has sent arsala

His Spirit towards her, nor because she saw the power of God Alqa ilayha, nor because God blew his own spirit into her nafakhna fihe min ruhena, but because she is sublime and a model of wisdom and unity.

Mary confirms the words of God and His books, in the plural! Mary, like a wonderful mother, embraces everyone.

Mohammad rasul Allah and habib Allah allows us to read in The Qur’an the concept of infinite plurality of the words of God: Say, “If the sea were ink for writing the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.” (18:109)

For the Christians, Mary is a sublime model to follow and as we have just established the same is true for Muslims. Perhaps, it is now time to use the word WE. WE who believe in God creator of heaven and earth. A “WE” of peoples who loving God seek to serve him in our neighbor.

What is the way of God? And what is the radical request of the prophet Mohammad in The Qur’an?

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Two parallel verses explain it to us:- “I do not ask you for this message any payment [but] only good

will through kinship” (42, 23).- “I do not ask of you for it any payment - only that whoever wills

might take to his Lord a way.” (25, 57).Thus: The way of the Lord is to love our neighbor.Sending Muslims and Christians together as rays of hope and mu-

tual recognition towards a world that suffers from divisions, indiffer-ences, injustices, and terrible wars would be an authentic Marian act.

By creating a “US” of believers we become different fruits of the same garden and make it possible to follow Mary, a common and sub-lime example of faith, which in turn makes us capable of welcoming the multiple words of God. Welcoming one another is the authentic way to walk in order to be able to welcome humanity which is loved by God.

Mary is thus an icon, a living and real image, a bridge between East and West, between Islam and Christianity, between knowledge and taste, and between human and divine.

This woman is the road towards the East of the soul, beyond the geographical and cultural place, source of a wisdom that surpasses the acquired intelligence that accumulates only notions by heart, of a uni-fying, welcoming, and universal wisdom. Holy Mary, virgin, custodian mother of the Word, mystical flower, the elect of the Lord of the worlds, Mary the immaculate, the lieutenant of the Spirit, mother of the Blessed, Mary icon of the deepest silence, of the most acute pain, and then the more celestial flight, the most intimate encounter between the creator and creation, man and God, Mary full of graces and Mary the perfect icon of the human journey, Mary child, young and then mature, in the realization of the divine plan on being human.

Mary an icon of freedom of the soul, and of immense and innate human power, full of grace, tireless yet concrete guardian.

Mary a sun between The Qur’an and the Gospel, between East and West.

Shahrzad Houshmand ZadehRome, Italy

Revue de Vie OblateReview of Oblate LifeRevista de Vida Oblata


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atiThe mission is not limited to the proclamation of the Gospel and to

the building of Christian communities; it also includes recognition of others and the values they bear, it includes collaboration with everyone for the good of mankind. (…) The mission thus embraces the whole world, promotes unity and the good of all, and guides the ushering in of the Kingdom in both its temporal and eschatological phases. (Marcello Zago, The First Letter to the Oblates, December 1986)

La mission ne se limite pas à l’annonce et à la constitution de communautés chrétiennes. Elle est aussi reconnaissance des autres et de leurs valeurs, elle est collaboration avec tous pour le bien de l’homme. (…) Ainsi la mission s’ouvre au monde entier, favorise l’unité, le bien de tous, conduit à la réalisation du Règne dans sa phase temporelle et eschatologique (Marcello Zago, Première lettre aux Oblats, décembre 1986).

La misión no se limita al anuncio y a la constitución de comunidades cristianas. Es también reconocimiento de los demás y de sus valores, es colaboración con todos por el bien del hombre. (…) Así la misión se abre al mundo entero, favorece la unidad y el bien de todos, lleva a la realización del Reino en su fase temporal y escatológica. (Marcello Zago, Primera carta a los Oblatos, diciembre 1986)

Les Oblats en dialogue avec l’islamThe Oblates in dialogue with IslamLos Oblatos en diálogo con el islam

• El carisma oblato al encuentro del Islam• Living with the Muslims in the Southern Philippines• Evangelization among Majority Muslim Society

in Kampung Laut – Indonesia• Le dialogue avec l’Islam au Sénégal• OMI in Poland and interreligious dialogue with Islam • Sáhara: “Nuestro sacristán musulmán” • Mary, a Place of Encounter between Christians

and Muslims

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dso 10 mm 136 pp