Mukai-Vukani No.82

Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

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Joy and Creativity go hand in hand

Dear Reader,

The current edition of Mukai/ Vukani is a simple response to the words of Pope Francis during his visit to Slovakia; words that caught our attention. The Holy Father said that the Church needs to be creative in proclaiming the Gospel, rather than being defensive. His Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudii is related to his current call. Joy and creativity go hand in hand where the two are readily available.

The readers who have contributed to this editition of Mukai/Vukani share with you, the reader, their own response to the Holy Father’s call for creativity. No ideas are definitive in this regard, but you are invited to pray and think along this call. Certainly, it is a call for the Church to be alert to the Lord, who during His own mission on earth was ever creative to the astonishment of the Pharisees and the Herodians.

This is what led to their eventual disgust with him, for which reason they decided to “discuss how to destroy him” (Mk 3:6).

However, this was blind and

ignorant human discomfort with Jesus. The Lord told Peter and his fellow disciples that “the gates of the underworld can never overpower” the Church (cf Mt 16:18).

The special gift that we should ask from the Holy Spirit, in response to the Holy Father’s call, is for the Lord to make us into a Church that is an Isomoph of Jesus Christ the Lord. Departure from him is no doubt a travesty of the self revelation of God through the Person of Jesus Christ. Listen, think and pray!

Kind regards,

Fr Emmanuel Gurumombe SJ

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All photos in this edition where taken Pre-Covid-19

Office : 37 Admiral Tait Rd, Marlborough, Harare, Zimbabwe Email: jescomzim@gmail.com

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Telephone: +263 242 309623

Website: www.jesuitszimbabwe.co.zw

Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December | Mukai -Vukani No.77 | July 20202021 |

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Provoked by persistent rumours and reports of abuse of vulnerable people, the Catholic Church of France has done an examination of conscience over the past three years. In the first week of October, the findings were published and they make for horrific reading: some 330,000 people, mainly boys between the ages of 11 and 14, were abused by personnel in Catholic institutions, mainly priests, over a seventy-year period from 1950. It gives little consolation to add that over half the abuse cases took place in the first two decades and the numbers diminished thereafter. Nor are the facts mitigated by the statistic that less than five percent of the clergy were involved.

We know about this because the French Church faced up to its history. We also know that other countries – The United States, Australia, Chile, Poland, Germany and Ireland – have had similar investigations. It seems likely that the pressure will grow for similar enquiries to be made in other countries, including our own.

All of this has fed into the opinion that religion is bad for people and the world would be better off without it. Studies have shown a significant drop in church attendance in Europe and America and the same studies claim that religion will not recover. There are, of course, other reasons for the fall off in Church

membership but abuse is one of them.

What are readers of MUKAI/VUKANI to make of all this? Are we to pass by and say, ‘this could never happen here?’

We know we can’t. But it helps to make a distinction. What, for instance, do we mean by ‘religion’? Do we mean the structures, the ministers of religion, their relationships with people of God and even the participation in the liturgy?

These are all clearly important but, in a real sense, they are not the heart of our faith. Our faith rests on our relationship with God and one another. It is greatly helped if all the other things are in place but it is not ultimately dependent on them. All the visible structures are ‘the earthen vessels’ of which St Paul speaks.

They are not the treasure itself though, if they function well, they show forth the treasure.

What I am trying to say is that our faith does not depend on the behaviour of Church ministers – though it may be greatly influenced by it - and it is sad that many people give up their faith because of the scandalous behaviour of some who have been entrusted with the care of the vulnerable. If we are agreed on that, we can go on to ask, ‘What are we to do, we, people of the twenty-first century?’ I and many others grew up in a Church that was heard and respected and now we find ourselves in one that, in a growing number of places, is scorned Mukai -Vukani -Vukani No.82 No.82 || December December 2021 | Mukai

and abandoned.

Well, the first thing we must do is cool down and, as Augustine once said, enter into our innermost being where we find God. There we can ponder what all this means. For myself, over eighty that I am, it looks like a new dawn is beckoning. God has a surprise waiting for us. The Church is going through a huge humiliation and purification at every level. We will become a humbler Church, ready – not to be listened to – but to listen.

Despite all the bad things that we see around us, and in the media, there is a basic goodness trying to break through in every area of society. To take just one example, think of the countless young and old people, of every faith and of no faith, who are working to save our planet from heating up to the point where life is impossible anymore.

Our Church is now called to a new surge of creativity where each of us responds to the signs everywhere visible. Our old ways are no longer adequate. We are to engage with this yearning world we inhabit.

People, in their anxiety - about their lives, their families, their relationships, their world - are aching for answers.

What are their questions? We cannot

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presume to know. We are to listen. To those close to us. To those at a distance.

Do we hear their cry? We are called by our Baptism so to live that they see in us some light, some salt. We are to keep the issue at the front of our minds. How can we reach out? This calls us to be creative.

Every event is an opportunity to be creative. It is the power we share with God. In the Book of Genesis, we read the myth of the creation; it gives us a truth but not in a scientific or historical way. It is our ancestors’ way of describing God’s gift to us. Once that act took place God handed over creation to us and invited us to take up the work. For better or for worse, that is what we have done for thousands of years. We are where we are because of our ancestors’ choices. What are our choices now?

Can we be bold? Audacious? Can we start something? Can we ‘make a nuisance of ourselves’ as Pope Francis told the young people at the World Youth

Day at Rio de Janeiro some years ago?

Do I dare

Disturb the universe?

In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.Almost a hundred years ago, R.H. Tawney wrote a book he called, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism.

He built on an idea that had been proposed earlier: that the Protestant Reformation, which was in part a revolt against the all controlling hand of the pope in Rome, freed people to explore.

Science and commerce, for examples, were able to research unrestrained and religion was ‘tamed’ and confined to a non-threatening role of confirmation and consolation. There was some truth in this. We have only to think of the Church’s persecution of the astronomer, Galileo, who confirmed Copernicus’ statement that the sun, not the earth, was the centre of our universe. This seemed heresy to Rome, locked in, as she was,

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to a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. But, for our purposes here, the point is; the reformers discovered the freedom to explore.

We are in a new age of exploration and I am old enough to remember the excitement we felt when Pope John XXIII opened the windows of the Church in the early 1960s, when he called the Second Vatican Council and told us to be bold. It has taken us decades to heed his words. But the time is now ripe.

The Catholic Church at the time of the Reformation felt battered and bruised.

That is how we feel today. But the Church then experienced a whole new missionary energy. We can do the same again today.

It is fitting to admit that the Church needs new and creative ways of proclaiming the Gospel, in response to the signs of the times. This need is prompted by the realization that the many changes in people’s lives and technology can easily make the Church seem irrelevant in today’s world.

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During his visit to Slovakia, Pope Francis addressed the priests, religious and lay catechists of this European nation and said that the Church should respond to today’s challenges with the “creativity of the Gospel” not a “defensive Catholicism”. At times the Church displays a defensive Catholicism, with the aim of protecting its rich customs and traditions yet risks losing its effectiveness in people’s lives. Pope Francis expressed that we are heirs to a rich Christian tradition, yet for many people today, that tradition is a relic from the past, it no longer speaks to them or affects the way they live their lives. According to Pope Francis “The Church is not a fortress, a stronghold, a lofty castle, self-sufficient and looking out upon the world below”. We are called to say, “l am in the world but not

of the world” and render transformative service.

In response to the signs of the times, Pope Francis proposes that the Church should engage with contemporary challenges through “creativity of the Gospel” by ‘finding new alphabets to proclaim the faith,’ he said. Thus the Church should find new ways of proclaiming the Gospel that really touches the lives of the people so that the word of God as well as the tradition of the Church finds a place in their lives.

This may help the faithful to be able to use these special tools to solve the challenges of life.

Similarly, Jesuits also talk about responding to the signs of the times which they call ‘Creative Fidelity for Mission’. I would like to believe that Pope Francis, being a Jesuit borrowed

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a leaf from his Order. Creative fidelity spells out that for a Jesuit to have an impact in his mission he must enact the original Ignatian Charism in the present world. It also added that consecrated life is not called upon to repeat what the founder did, but to do what he would do today, faithful to the spirit, in responding to the apostolic needs of the time.

It is the Church’s duty to perpetuate the mission of Christ by teaching and instructing the people of God. Hence, the Church established educational institutions such as schools, colleges and universities. The main aim is to provide holistic education that molds a person academically, morally and spiritually. Sadly, in some of Catholic educational institutes a holistic approach of education is minimal.

Academic excellence is given greater

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priority than the spiritual well being of a person. Secularization has infiltrated Church institutions. The catholicity of our schools exists in name while spirituality is pushed to the periphery of the education system. The rampant unruly behavior of students in most of our Catholic schools is evidence of this growing situation.

The Church must be creative and do more to address the human development needs of the young ones.

Chaplaincies in Catholic schools must have an open door policy in order to be of effective assistance to both staff members and students. They should be an opportunity where students and teachers or other members of staff can freely ask questions, share their concerns, expectations. This can help in understanding the kind of people the Church is ministering to. This will also help in finding appropriate ways of proclaiming the good news, depending on age and life experiences of the people. In that way, the church will be successful in its response to the signs of the times. In addition, the introduction of extra-curricular activities such as clubs, especially those that merge life skills and prayer can also help in touching the lives of the members of staff and the students. For instance, if the clubs like Ignatian Magis are properly introduced in schools they might empower students to deal with life situations in the light of the gospel. These clubs should not serve as mere avenues for entertainment, but platforms for seeking integrity in the life of students. The bible verse which says “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” can be adopted in our schools so that the students may learn to put God first. This will help in nurturing mature and responsible Catholics in the Church.

There is evident lack of commitment to work among many people in Zimbabwe.

Justifiably, the worker deserves their wage/salary. But the love of money has killed the sense of service among many people. There is rarely a distinction between a person who works at a Church institution and the one working at a government institution. People now need to be paid extra money for the service

that they are supposed to give in addition to the ordinary salary that they receive.

The workers’ world has become a world of incentives. If the teachers are not given incentives they leave the child to fail. If the nurses are not satisfied with their salary, they leave a patient to die.

Corruption has found seat in the hearts of many. The compassion of Christ seems old fashioned even among workers in Church institutions. Definitely new creative ways of evangelization are needed to promote the sense of selfless service. Surely, this era requires, as Pope Francis said, “the fire of the gospel that disturbs and transforms.” The creativity that brings about responsible Christians and adults who think, consult their conscience and allow themselves to be challenged.

In addition, the method of giving religious instruction (catechesis) in the Church needs to be revamped. In many instances catechesis is mainly characterized by memorization of catechism content, which is easily forgotten once the desired sacrament is received. Pope Francis told the teachers of faith that they must not be afraid to train people for a mature and free relationship with God. It is therefore essential that the catechists be trained to creatively impart religious knowledge to others so that these teachings may transform people’s lives.

Religious life is yet another area that needs creative reform. Religious life is one of the most important pillars of the Catholic Church for it resembles Christ who was poor, chaste and obedient.

Pope John Paul II in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Vita Consecrata, stresses that by the profession of the evangelical counsels the characteristic features of Jesus – the chaste, poor and obedient one – are made constantly visible in the midst of the world and the eyes of the faithful are directed towards the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Thus, consecrated life has an integral role of pointing people towards heaven through living a life of spiritual and moral integrity supported by apostolic work. Regrettably, in some cases it seems that religious life is not effectively Mukai -Vukani -Vukani No.82 No.82 || December December 2021 Mukai 2021 ||

serving this purpose due to public scandals. In the Vademecum for the Synod on Solidarity, Pope Francis writes, “In the Church, the context is marked by the suffering experienced by minors and vulnerable people due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons.”

Creative but authentic religious formation is vital in order to attain integrity for the religious. During intial formation for religious life the environment should be sufficiently conducive to allow young religious to share about their life freely and openly without the fear of being judged and probably be send away. Fear is a dangerous poison that bars the inner person or the real person to come out in the open. One can spend the whole formation period pretending to be the person whom he or she is not.

The true colors will begin to manifest after profession of vows or ordination.

Therefore, the formators should receive the training that fosters creativity in helping the formees to bring out their true personalities. Also ongoing formation is of great importance so that the religious are continuously conscientized on how they should live their life.

In preparing for the Synod on Synodality scheduled for October 2023 under the theme ‘For A Synodal Church: Communion, Pariticipation’, Pope Francis emphasizes that the entire people of God shares a common dignity and vocation through baptism. All of us are called in virtue of our baptism to become active participants in the life of the Church. Thus, this process can help us to listen as the People of God to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church. This great initiative can move the Church away from defensive Catholicism towards a Church that is there for the people, ready to listen to their stories. This will help in finding ways of soldiering together in our faith.

In my opinion, this is a noble way of responding to the signs of our times.

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On a recent visit to Slovakia, Pope Francis urged the local Church to respond to growing secularization with “the creativity of the Gospel rather than with “a defensive Catholicism.”

The Pope drew on the example of Sts. Cyril and Methodius who translated the bible into the Slavonic language.

He encouraged the Slovaks of today to find “new alphabets to proclaim the faith.” Since our faith is always inserted within a particular culture and historical epoch, its expression will constantly need to be adapted and changed in order to respond to the new challenges that it encounters in these cultures and times.

The word “tradition” comes from the Latin “tradere” which means to hand on.

We might think that handing on tradition is a simple process of doing what was done in the past, such that what is handed on from generation to generation is an

unchanging deposit of faith. Such a perspective fails to account for the fact that with each transmission of the faith from one generation to the next, there involves adaptations and changes to the expression of the faith. This transmission is not simply a slavish imitation of what has gone before, but rather a creative adaptation of the spirit of the faith so that the faith might continue to be a source of life, joy and salvation for those who receive it. The new alphabets of faith that the Pope is calling us to find are precisely to enable the faith to remain a source of life. When we become defensive about a certain form or expression of the faith, we can stifle creativity and we will find ourselves worshipping an ossified relic instead of the Living God who is constantly communicating Godself to us in new and creative ways.

Belonging to a Church with a 2000 year

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old history is certainly a privilege that confers upon us many rich traditions as we benefit from the wisdom of the past.

However, it also comes with the risk that we come to view our Church traditions as a fixed deposit of faith, the expression of which must be defended against the changes that inevitably come with the passage of time. We come to view the Church as a pillar of strength that has withstood the weathering of time and stood unchanged through the ages. If we take our faith as a deposit that needs to be protected from the destructive sands of time, we will inevitably become defensive about it. If the passage of time and the change that comes with it is only ever seen as a threat that would corrupt the purity of our faith, then it is understandable how Catholics might be very worried about preserving the integrity of our tradition and defending

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it from the onslaught of change. If the golden age of our faith is considered as being in the past, when our faith was the purest, then time can only produce a decay in our faith, the more distant we grow from that golden age.

Many Catholics do see the past as being the Golden Age, when at the height of Christendom, nearly everyone in the known world was subject to the power of the Church and the Pope, who ruled over the Holy Roman Empire like a secular monarch. The Church’s considerable spiritual power was coextensive with a very real temporal power. At the height of Christendom in continental Europe, parents could face terrible social ostracization and even stiff fines for not getting their child baptised, and for other such infringements on canon law. Then came the Reformation and the Enlightenment that profoundly undermined the Church’s spiritual and temporal power. The Reformation starkly challenged the Catholic Church’s putative monopoly on Christ’s grace and radically democratized the access to this grace by accentuating the priesthood of all believers. The Enlightenment for it’s part challenged the Church’s monopoly on truth and established independent systems of knowledge creation and

verification. This was a hugely traumatic time for the Church that had grown so powerful it virtually controlled every facet of people’s lives. In response the Church adopted the stance of a wounded animal and became very defensive, trying to preserve the little power that it still held onto. The change that the Reformation and the Enlightenment brought to Western society was viewed very negatively by the Church because of the threat that is posed to its own power.

Unsurprisingly, the Church’s response was to become adverse to change.

Instead, the Church chose to emphasize the continuity and the unchanging aspects of our faith in which she sought refuge and security during this time of upheaval. It is not entirely unreasonable to search for security in timeless traditions during a time of upheaval. The mistake that was made was that virtually everything in the Church’s practice became “locked down” and imbued with an air of the eternal that belied the fact that many of these traditions had actually changed multiple times since the days of the apostles.

It is important to realize that the Church did not always react in this manner to change. The patristic period that marked the first few centuries of the development of the Christian faith showed remarkable Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 | Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

creativity as it encountered and integrated the change brought about by Greek philosophy that was the dominant intellectual current of the Western world at the time. What is necessary in our times is to recover this spirit of creativity.

We achieve this by transitioning from an attitude that fears the outside world and feels threatened by it (an attitude that leads to defensiveness) to an attitude that embraces the possibilities of mutual transformation in the encounter with the Other.

Concretely, what might this creativity mean for us here in Zimbabwe? It is worth noting that Pope Francis’ remarks to the Slovakian people were inspired by the creative inculturation of the gospel into the Slavic environment by Sts. Cyril and Methodius. In our own Zimbabwean culture, we still have a long way to go yet in developing an authentically Zimbabwean Christianity.

It is not enough to have simply translated the Bible, our songs and our liturgy into the vernacular languages of this country.

Our inculturation must become more daring in order to heal the schizophrenic divide that exists in many Zimbabweans who are Christians on Sunday and then during the week find themselves mixed up in all sorts of traditional practices

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that are contrary to the gospel during the week. Recently the Jesuit Youth Office ran an episode of its ‘Frankly Speaking’ series where it explored the relationship between the lobola/roora (bride price) ceremony and the sacrament of marriage.

Historically, these two ceremonies, both a vital constituent of our hybrid African Christian identity, have been celebrated in complete isolation of one another as if no commonality existed between them.

There is much space for creativity in terms of developing a hybrid ceremony that would integrate both the lobola ritual and the sacrament of matrimony for a truly inculturated celebration of an African Christian marriage.

Another area where creativity needs to replace defensiveness is in those aspects of our faith that have historically been rejected during the Reformation by the break-away churches. One such belief that came under attack during the Reformation was our Catholic belief in the Real Presence. In response, we have appealed to the doctrine of the Real Presence as the distinguishing mark of the Catholic faith that elevates Catholics above the rest of the fray of other Christians. At our masses we make sure that non-Catholics know that they are not welcome at our Eucharist by making very passionate and firm announcements just before communion Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

that emphasize the exclusivity of access to this sacrament. Such an exclusivist position sounds a discordant note with an African anthropology of Ubuntu. The African Synod of 1994 proposed seeing the Church as the Family of God. One of the strengths of an African familial ecclesiology is the deep resonance between the Eucharistic banquet and the African value of open table hospitality at communal meals. At a communal African meal, everyone present is considered part of the family, regardless of ethnic or denominational belonging. I am convinced that an inculturated -ubuntu approach to our Eucharist should see us being more welcoming about who comes to the table of the Lord. There is even a provision made by Vatican II for the welcome of non-Catholics to the Eucharistic table under certain circumstances (cf. Unitatis Redintergratio no. 8).

At any rate, independent of the level of exclusivity we practice at the Eucharist, we need to be more creative about the ways in which we welcome people to our Church and our church gatherings. Our default policy when we encounter people interested in joining us as Catholics is to herd them into catechism classes that are filled with rote-recitation of prayers, rules of the Church and teachings on why we as the Catholic Church have the fullness of the truth. At our Jesuit Magis youth program we adopt a different style and let people choose whether or not they wish to become full members of the Church.

We do not make Catholic baptism a pre-requisite for participation in Magis events. We let them benefit from the spirituality of St. Ignatius independent of their confessional belonging. Should they choose to become Catholic, well and good, but this is not our goal. Our goal is to accompany them on their individual journeys of faith and empower them to become the better Christians to the glory of God. Our creativity will be hampered if it is wedded to an Ecumenism of return (this is the idea that Christian Unity will only be achieved when the other Churches realize the error of their ways and all decide to return to the Catholic Church). We need to open up the riches that we hold as a Catholic Church without insisting that everyone become Catholic in order to benefit from them. In this way we will become truly like our Father in heaven who makes his sun shine on the bad and the good, and his rain fall on the just and the unjust.

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An old man meditatively sits in a chair under a mango tree in a very remote village. Grandpa is tracing the beads of a rosary with his thumb. He cannot really do much and needs the help of his grand old dame to move from one point to the next. His hearing is faint and his vision is impaired, but he is still a very joyful man sharing a series of exhilarating stories. In a way that raises suspicion, he is not shy to immediately reveal in the first encounter that he neither has any formal education nor did he specialize in theology and lists the mobile phone as an example of how complicated and fast-changing the world has become.

Not all of this turns out to be true, nonetheless, he shares his conviction that God created him, died for him and waits for him in heaven. This is the only constant in life. Meanwhile he rests in the bosom of the Church and his Blessed Mother of Perpetual Help.

In other words, he is sustained by the simple basics of his faith in a world replete with dynamism, complexities and scarcities that include a shortage of priests.

Before leaving my office for the meeting with the grand couple, which they wished to be published of cause, I had been reading about Pope Francis at the shrine of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows in Slovakia. The shrine is traditionally popular with women in difficult marriages (to date the Sastin shrine collects online prayer requests concerning troubled marriages and family issues). There Pope Francis called out prejudice and discrimination, and warned against exploiting religion for politics. In my reflection, the words from the Pope underline the necessity of staying true to the basics of the faith. These basics are enough to sustain believers at very personal and intimate levels, regardless of their education or its lack, social placing, age or any other disheartening predicament as my old man. Home for everyone, the catholicity of the Church includes diversity and pluriformity perfecting communion in the visible community.

Driving slowly on the bumpy and dusty roads of Nyamapfeni Village in Domboshava, I am contemplating

on the nature of the Church in order to prepare a context for the orthodox creativity that my interviewees had volunteered to talk about. The essence of the Church, founded by Christ and inseparable from him, is defined by its mission of being a sacrament and a sign of intimate union of believers with God and among themselves. As a being is, so it acts. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, the entire work of God in Christ. She is the work of the Holy Trinity, its image, and is moving towards the Trinitarian fulfilment of history. “The origin of the Church is Trinitarian”, I recall Bruno Forte’s affirmation, “it is not a monopoly of one of the persons of the Trinity” he clarifies, “but the fruit of the unity of the divine persons”. Rightfully so, the Church is the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Paraclete sustains witnessing, worshipping, and service in this Trinitarian act, the Church.

The pilgrim Church is a Trinitarian act moving towards the Trinity through conversion and continual reformation. “When St Augustine shared the now famous mantra that the Church is always reforming herself - ecclesia semper reformanda est – he presumably had more in mind than patchy institutional change. He was referring to the Body of

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Christ, the People of God”. St Augustine himself was familiar with the whispers of grace, which he charted in his remarkable memoir, Confessions. Here is this man who allowed Christ to continually reform him, writing as Bishop of Hippo: “In the Catholic Church there are many other things which most justly keep me in her bosom and the mere change of custom even though it may be of advantage in some aspects unsettles men by reason of novelty; therefore if it brings no advantage, it does much harm by unprofitably disturbing the Church”.

17th Century Dutch theologians found the phrase ‘ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda- the Church reformed must always be reformed’ to be equivocal. Firstly, to extend Scripture to every aspect of life. Secondly to guard the progress of this ‘Further Reformation’ against concupiscence, and an inclination to laxity in faith and morals. Beschouwinge van Zion dreamt “what a pure Church would it become, which always was thus occupied”.

He had begun by saying “the Church desires not to be reformata or reformed but reformanda or being reformed”.

Reformation does not imply a change of nature nonetheless and any form of orthodox creativity toes this line.

Creativity that is being advocated for in this work has nothing to do with adjustment of rubrics, rather their emphasis. The main concern is therefore pastoral even though discussing creativity touches on the connections between missiological renewal and ecclesiological shifts. Trying to find my way in Nyamapfeni, I stopped at a tuck shop close to a grinding meal to ask for directions to my destination. It was a couple of minutes before I was received by viciously barking thin dogs. An old lady comes to welcome me and chases away the hounds.

She leads me towards a mango tree behind one of their two huts and I am greeted from a distance by an old man who was tilting his head as if he was deciphering the number of on-comers from our footsteps. He is amazed that I made it to their homestead by myself.

He tells one story about how he was that courageous as a young man when he would repeatedly travel far cry in the night to ask for his wife’s hand in marriage. “I had to be both courageous and creative, and see how it paid off”, he spoke up as if conclusively. It is on this very day that I learned for the first time that old women blush too. “But I had to wait for her consent because creativity

that is imposed has another name, it is called imagination.” He continued, “it does not work, if it does then it does not last. Even though the fairyland may be clothed in the most appealing ways, it remains that – Disneyland. More so, creativity that is burdened on the people is abuse. They are invincibly unaware and unable to choose the limitless and untold creativity that they are accustomed to. They just take part.

It is unjust to blame them. Their hands are clean because their actions even though regressive and suicidal lack the knowledge and freedom to choose the structures.” I felt confused a bit.

Attempting to make sense of it all, I thought to myself, that some people end up participating in a creativity that disregards the dignity of others especially the poor, the weak, the downcast, the exiled, the sick, the dying, the mourning, the grieving, the regretful and even those who have given up on life altogether. The consequences of an unregulated creativity, buries its executioners. One would be justified to ask if it is not the imposed creativity that we want to talk about and have also termed imagination. Who can blame a sleeping incarcerated man for dreaming about freedom? “Freedom scares us” says Pope Francis. “We would rather be imprisoned by imagination” interjects the old lady “than be truthful about the deviations that some of the developments in our Church have costed, for instance, the guilds.” I am pleased to hear her speak her mind. It is not long enough before I realize that the old man has great respect for his wife and on this one their convictions are not only a fruit of their experiences together but also that they agree with each other all the way. Here and there they differed opinion-wise but on the whole, they share this conviction about spiritual groups.

“The formation of spiritual groups also known as guilds was a gigantic stride in evangelical creativity. It was intended to emphasize the basics, leading to an advanced depth of personal religious encounters within the context of the Body of Christ. The effectiveness of the groups which had at some point as its yardstick, religious experiences slowly succumbed to numeral quantification”, said the man. “The more we became, the better, whereas the fewer, the least spiritual. The politicization of the groups began to mount as recruitment; rallying became more important than religious efficacy. As long as numbers increased then progress was assumed. Consolation Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

in numbers and the alienation of ideas and people advanced, notwithstanding, it was known to all that these groups were not created with that in mind” emphasized the lady. “Gradually the basics that express the nature of the group were neglected and any objector was considered an enemy of progress”, the love birds agreed with each other.

Granny went on, “Ultimately, some chose to stay away from it all – a few described it as chaotic while others chose to suspend their judgements and keep a safe distance. In their view, the benefits of such associations to the individual believer were hard to emphasize. Both these groups easily subscribed to the position that in situations like these the merits of such associations become masked. Their intended spiritual benefits or the basics of faith even, and the Christian agendas were excluded from daily practice right from the recruitment and initiation processes”, they expressed their disgust. “It would have been easier to find sympathizers if it had ended there”, added grandpa to which granny noted as she swallowed the roasted peanuts, she had been chewing with the few that remained of her teeth.

“Far from it”, she exclaimed, “the attitude of staying away from it, bore that of staying away from everything.” In my introspection I conceptualized how it was not going to be hard for people who were distancing themselves from everything to secure a footing in a world that already gloried individualism. Adjusting himself to a different sitting position the old man accentuated, “the insistence on collegiality is thought by some to be outdated, so people say ‘just do you’. It is true that still waters run deep, so staying away from it which originally was a pursuit of tranquility, mutated into some form of personal advancement in search of spiritual depth.” “Indeed”, spoke up granny, “but, the test of time has evinced since then that anything can have depth, and it can as well be depth of anything, deviation from the basics included.

Individualism led to the abandonment of the basics in the name of tranquility and personal advancement, which in fact was regress.” For this reason, this article is underscoring that a creativity that highlights and emphasizes the basics of faith sustains one apart from and within a group.

“The politicization of associations that Achimwene (my friend) traced to urban areas would have been more manageable if it had not been exported deliberately to the rural areas” expressed granny who seemed to have more than she was sharing. “Rural

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folk were initially bound by ethnic ties.

The Church expanded their view of other ethnic groups from potential enemy to friend thereby transforming ethnic feuds into a People of God. This made Catholicity beautiful and apart from the providential missionaries, the basics of the faith appealed to individuals. It was so until a time when feuds and the scandal of division emerged from within Church circles. Even to the guilds was attached some form of ethnicity and inevitably reactionary mushrooming.”

After a gulp of water, she continued, “the ‘us-them’ mentality creeped in, further dividing the people of God and the politicized rallying was modified with incentivizing. This meant a more advanced deviation from the basics.

Ultimately the bonds of blood and

ethnicity seemed more reliable than those proposed by the guilds, and in the end by the Church.” Her husband added that “maybe it was important to have outlined that as all this is happening, indigenous churches were sprouting and feeding people with ideologies that only those who are equipped with the basics of the faith can resist.” ‘I hear you, so what would you suggest is the way forward’, I asked sincerely? “You priests are very few. You have to be creative in emphasizing the basics of our faith.

Make the faith attractive and make it a part of people’s lives, but do not meddle in our feuds and politics because some of the fights among the faithful have roots outside Church circles” they said jovially in a chorus as if rehearsed.

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I recalled the Pope’s words against prejudice, discrimination and exploiting religion for politics: ‘Apart from the guilds, what else’, I tried not to ruin the spirit of the moment?

“A lot” said grandpa, “for example reach out to catechize, visit the sick, be for Mass in time, preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, pray. What I mean is stay true to the basics and express them in ways that show that you are finding great joy in what you are doing. Be creative!”

Before, bidding farewell we shared hymns, one full rosary, I anointed them and afterwards celebrated Mass for them. As I drove off, I prayed for them and allowed their words; ‘be creative in emphasizing the basics of the faith’, to guide my meditation on the way.

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The care for creation has been entrusted to each one of us by God. God himself gave humanity a role in the care for creation. We are all caretakers of God’s world. The story of creation shows that God gave man dominion over all living and non living things (Genesis 1:28). The concept of dominion over creation ought to be understood as a duty given to humanity by God to use and preserve creation. Man was given a huge responsibility to ‘till (cultivating, working) and keep (caring, protecting, overseeing, preserving)” –LS 67.

This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature. As humans, were not given rights to exploit creation, humans have no innate ownership of creation. Rather the Creator owns creation. Humanity inhabits creation but it is not ours.

Are we really living up to that call as individuals? We need to seriously embark on an ecological creativity, which is necessary to support life on this planet.

Human confidence in progress and

their own ability have however introduced major changes to the world and affected the quality of life for all creation. Technological advancements, industrialisation, the “throwaway culture” among a host of other human activities is contributing to a biodiversity loss. Climate change is accelerating and weather patterns are no longer predictable. Climate change is one of the major problems affecting all economies globally. It is impacting humanity in a number of ways and if it is not addressed, its effects will be even more devastating that is being experienced now. The effects of climate change are mostly felt by the poor and the marginalised of society with no alternative to their lives. Through the devastating effects of climate change, the poor are being deprived of safe drinking water, clean air , safe and clean spaces to operate in.

Due to domestic and industrial pollution, water sources have been contaminated, the air is filled with emissions, land is covered with trash that has been quickly disposed off after single use.

Industrialisation and technological

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advancements are believed to be beneficial to economies as they contribute to the production of low cost goods for the poor. However, unlike the natural ecosystem, the industrial system has not created a mechanism that uses up its waste products to feed into the production of new products. In fact it produces more waste than it can absorb thereby contributing to the climate crisis.

In essence, technological advancements and industrialisation are playing a huge role in fuelling poverty amongst the generally vulnerable groups in society.

If only the industrial system could work like the natural system, the world would be a better place. .... It is hard for us to accept that the way natural ecosystems work is exemplary: plants synthesize nutrients which feed herbivores, these in turn become food for carnivores which produce significant quantities of organic waste which may give rise to new generation of plants - LS 21 The human “throw away” culture affects the marginalised groups at the same pace as it reduces stuff to rubbish. The “throw

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away” culture is associated with the single use of products and quick disposal without any due regard to recycling, reusing, reducing waste and refusing unwanted products. The throwaway culture also extends to “seemingly” acts of charity where the rich donate trashy unwanted products (for example old desktops, short-dated foodstuffs etc) to the poor communities as a way of getting rid of them from their own backyards.

This greatly contributes to the ecological crisis as the recipients of the donation simply dispose of them since they find no use in them.

Chemicals used in agriculture, mining and other sectors in the economy are also detrimental to the environment since they destroy some living organisms and animals that may help in building up the ecosystems. Chemical pollutants from mining, and agriculture dumped in rivers affects aqua life. Deforestation to feed into mining and agricultural activities also contribute to the ecological crisis.

In the Encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis points out that “the earth and its people are deeply interconnected; if we destroy the earth, it is the poorest people who will suffer. Human life is grounded in three closely intertwined relationshipswith God, with the neighbour and with

earth itself.” By showing care to the environment, we are also caring for our neighbours and God. We therefore do not have a choice between paying attention to conservation or poverty.

For some, conversations around ecological issues seem meaningless as we consider ourselves to be of little importance in addressing the bigger problem. By taking into consideration conservation issues and participating fully in the care for creation, we are helping the poor and marginalised members of society by providing them an alternative to their livelihoods. As the church, we have the role to take care of the poor and the generally marginalised of the community.

Taking care of the poor and marginalised not only entails giving them alms but requires an ecological conversion in which due attention is given to the protection and conservation of creation.

Healthy forests and ecosystems help in guarding against problems like droughts, unpredictable weather patterns, rare viruses and outbreaks of diseases. These are the things that greatly affect the vulnerable and poor, therefore guarding ourselves against such ills provides the much needed safety net for the vulnerable. Preservation of creation Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

helps safeguard resources for the future generations- breaking the vicious cycle of poverty.

Every individual has a moral obligation to take care of God’s creation. Every little action taken in the preservation and care for creation including proper disposal of waste, waste separation, use of organic methods of farming, planting trees among others contribute to the mitigation of the climate crisis.

At the church level, religious leaders have a huge role to play in educating the faithful on the environmental conservation issues. Steps should be taken to establish practical solutions to tackle problems that are affecting our localities. Each community has its own unique environmental problem and crisis hence focus should be directed towards such activities that help curtail the effects of the problem especially on the lives of the poor people.

Spirituality is worth nothing if it is not translated into an ecological conversion.

In our areas of responsibility we can creatively change the manner of handling nature as a sign of an effort to creatively help in reducing ecological disaster.

“Love is shown in deeds not words.” St Ignatious of Loyola

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Introdution I was born to a mother who believed in hard work. Growing up in the ghetto between Tafara and Chitungwiza, the abuzz word was working hard ‘today’ for a better future. We would be woken up around 4 am in the morning to enable us to do the house chores before going to primary school. One was expected to do the routine tasks of cleaning the house, doing dishes and laundry before going to school. Straight after school, one would rush home, as the evening chores would await you. I am not sure if I can safely say the same about today’s young people.

Fast forward, during secondary school, being home upon returning from boarding school, the routine would be to do the house chores and then you create your own time for studying. We created

partnerships, friendships and study groups that helped us achieve our goals.

I am not sure, if one can say the same with today’s youth. Most teenagers have swayed their attention to drugs. As one passes through most places where the young are gathered, there is a sense of doing drugs or you are left behind.

The youth are our future? Can we trust the youth with our future? I pause these questions in my mind because what I am witnessing on the ground does not speak to a bright future. Drugs and alcohol abuse have taken precedence over all other things when one looks at the youth.

When we talk about creative fidelity, do the young people feel the same and understand that they are the future?

It is clear that they feel entitled to have their freedom and rights with regards to consuming drugs and alcohol. However, I feel compelled as

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a senior citizen to have dialogue with the young people. Does their right to accessing drugs and alcohol have some responsibility attached to it? Rights and responsibilities go hand in hand.

No doubt, the more the young people are drowned in drugs and alcohol consumption, the less they become productive and their intellectual capacity in engaging in progressive dialogues is eroded. This is unlike in my olden days where young people would debate about economics, politics and social amenities.

Pope Francis encourages us to foster a creative church that is relevant; the church that will go outdoors and share the good news with people in different environments; a Church that is willing to listen and enhance human dignity among all the nationalities. The Church is you and me. My observation over time tell me that as long as the youth focus on their own immediate interests, which include drugs and alcohol, then we are

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reported that mutoriro, dombo or guka (methamphetamine, crystal meth) is used by the young men and women due to its addictive stimulant that triggers intoxication. Idleness and unemployment causes the youth to resort to finding solace in drug and alcohol abuse.

doomed as a nation and this also applies to the global village. Nelson Mandela said children are our greatest treasure and they are our future. It is therefore important to formulate safe spaces for the youth to engage with their peers and elders in conversations that help them to work for a promising future. The youth should be encouraged to figure out possible solutions to the problems that they are facing in today’s world.

I have also observed that the talk, listen and understand methodology is far removed from today’s youth. They days young people talk back to their parents or elders and show little or no respect.

They brag about their rights, which they claim to be so aware of, except they forget that rights go hand in hand with responsibilities. There is a sense that the youth are in a hurry to accomplish illconceived goals or if not in a hurry, they seem to think that they have all the time in the world to do as they wish. Drugs and alcohol have created for some youth a haven that engenders laziness and dependency.

I have randomly spoken to some members of our society, that include lawyers, policemen and medical practitioners. There is a sense that the issue of drug and alcohol abuse by the youth has taken an unprecedented

level. For instance, the youth are taking crystal meth (mutoriro, guka or dombo in the local language) which knocks out a person for 3 days. Yes, 3 full days of inactivity. How can these young people be trusted to handle the future if they indulge in drugs that prevent them from doing work for 3 days every week.

Obviously, their health general and especially mental health is put at high risk. If John F Kennedy’s assertion that the future of any nation can be directly measured by the present prospect of its youths, then at the rate that we are going, our future is potentially bleak.

Crystal meth (mutoriro, dombo or guka) has dire consequences and is addictive. The other day, I bumped into 2 young men seated in a parked car.

One was holding a light bulb opened at its connection base and the other one was inhaling the smoke coming from the bulb. I called upon a middle-aged woman who was passing by to witness what I was observing. She told me that this was how the young people are now spending their time by inhaling the smoke even of substances obtained from plasma TVs. I was totally shocked.

The Guardian of 16 March 2021 with an article titled ‘We Forgeet Our Trouble: Crystal Meth Use Rises During LockDown in Zimbabwe’ Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

Possible solutions • Maybe, communities through their local leadership could have roundtable engagements with the youths to try and find lasting solutions to this problem.

• Churches could also play a pivotal role in creating safe spaces for engagement with the community youths.

• Recreational facilities in the communities could also be a positive venture whereby the youths can meet and have productive engagements with their respective community and peer leaders.

• Innovative hubs could also play an important role, whereby the youths are encouraged to design programmes and carry out projects that can address their current problems.

• Mentoring programmes could also eradicate the problem.

• Role models in the community could volunteer and work with the youth in the community.

• Prevention, treatment and law enforcement agencies could play a part in addressing this menace that is slowly killing the ambitions of the youth, who are custodians of our future.

• Manage the generational gap by communicating effectively and efficiently as well as having an open mind on the issues at stake.

• Peer educators • Radio, TV and other social media platforms sharing debates on drug and alcohol abuse for informed decision making Conclusion The Shona saying “mwana ndewemunhu wese” - ‘everyone’s child’ - is slowly waning away. A child belonged to everyone in traditional communities and was disciplined accordingly. The current young generation retaliates when confronted by community members.

Maybe, it is high time, our communities responsibly engage the youth in the respective communities in order to create a sense of trust, promote and develop analytical thinking in order to assist the young in making informed choices concerning life. There is more to life than substance and alcohol indulgence.

Collective and responsible creativity is

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certainly needed.

From the many activities of Pope Francis in recent times, I wish to draw your attention to his call (1) for the Synod on Synodality, and (2) his statement when he visited Slovakia recently where he is quoted as having said that the Church must be creative in proclaiming the Gospel, and not defensive.

In essence the Synod is an invitation to listen to the Holy Spirit and the concerns of the faithful, not withstanding that in the final analysis, it is the teaching authority of the Church based on the Gospel of our Lord that obtains at the end of day. We can draw some interesting points attributed to the Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York in the United States, which he delivered in a homily on 17 October 2021.

The Cardinal mentioned seven points, which he described at “non-negotiables” as we participate in and make contributions towards the Synod on Synodality. I think that Cardinal Dolan’s points speak to Pope Francis’ call for a creative presentation of the Gospel as opposed to merely being defensive.

Creativity must not be understood as pulling up the roots in the interest of mere novelty. The Catholic faith that we embrace is first and foremost founded on Jesus Christ’s teaching, which we cannot dispense with, even though the call to do creative application of that teaching to enable the people of our time to encounter the Lord cannot be wished away. In fact it is imperative for

the Church to be creative, lest the faith become as Pope Francis says “a relic”.

It is important to distinguish between customs and divine faith. The catholic catechism does not refer to Christin faith, simply as any form of faith. It is called ‘Divine Faith’ because it is a gift of God, not something that we figure out for ourselves. Divine faith involves the assent of the mind to what God has revealed. This is distinct from human faith, which is the acceptance of the word of a human being. Meanwhile, a custom is basically a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place or time. It is in the context of respect for customs that inculturation of the faith is a welcome development because it helps the faithful in particular societies and places to receive, express and practice the faith in a manner that speaks to their hearts and minds, but without diminishing the essence of the faith.

Knowledge and expression of the faith is open to development. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the development of doctrine does not imply a rupture from the revealed truth. Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would teach them more things (about the faith) to come. So there is nothing extraordinary about the development of faith and doctrine. It is expected. For this reason we can speak of the tradition of the Church as ‘A Living Tradition’ because the word of God, which is basis of the teaching of the Church, is Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

something alive and active (cf. Heb.4:12).

At the same time the Holy Spirit at the heart of the Church guides her through the perils of history. That tradition of revealed truth is not the same as customs relevant to different places.

One is reminded of the Cardinal Newman’s seven ‘notes’ or characteristics of authentic developments, as opposed to doctrinal corruption. They are: (1) Unity of Type (which is the most important of the seven) – This refers to the external expression of an idea, i.e., the continual presence of a main idea despite its changing external expression.

Newman uses the “analogy of physical growth, which is such that the parts and proportions of the developed form, however altered, correspond to those which belong to its rudiment” (‘Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine’ – University of Notre Dame, 1989, p.117) (2) Continuity of Principles – For a development to be faithful, it must preserve the principle with which it started. While doctrine may grown and develop, principles are permanent. This identifies and curbs heresy.

(3) Power of Assimilation – A true doctrinal development is capable of assimilating external realities (such as non-Christian philosophical concepts, customs or rites) without in any way violating its principles. The same goes, for example the human body, which uses external realities like food, water and air without changing who or what the human person is.

(4) Logical Sequence – A doctrine that is defined and professed by the

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Church at a point historically distant from its original founding can be considered a development, and a not a corruption, if it can be shown to be the logical outcome of the original teaching.

For example a mature oak tree is the logical development of the acorn.

(5) Anticipation of Its Future – Doctrines in some way imply or allude to their later development. So authentic developments will have some logical connection to their original deposit of faith, however vague the ‘embryonic’ form might have been in the earliest days of the Church.

(6) Conservative Action – A development is not a corruption if the doctrine proposed builds on the doctrinal developments that precede it, often clarifying and strengthening them. A corrupt doctrine is one that contradicts or reverses a preceding doctrinal development.

(7) Chronic Vigor – As long as a doctrine maintains its life and vigour, its ongoing development is assured.

Corrupted doctrines fail to display much historical longevity and ultimately die off. (These points from Newman are derived from <simplycatholic.com> under the title ‘The Development of Doctrine).

There is something of the recognition of

the development of doctrine in Cardinal Dolan’s seven “non-negotiables”, which are attentive to the needs of the times.

Let me present them verbatim as they are presented from the catholicnewsagency. com: It is reported that Cardinal Dolan’s understanding is that “[Pope Francis] wants us to join him in praying, listening, discerning, examining ourselves personally, and the Church communally, to see if we’re truly on the path Jesus has set for His beloved bride, His mystical body, the Church.” The Pope “has reminded us of certain clear essentials intended by Jesus, constant, although, at times, we admit, clouded and dimmed, in the Church’s amazing 2,000 – year drama” said Cardinal Dolan.

The “non-negotiables” are as follows: (1) “the energy and direction driving the Church comes from the Holy Spirit, not ourselves.”

(2) “While in the world, we are not of the world, and thus our guiding principles come from the Gospel, revelation, and the patrimony of the Church’s settled teaching.”

(3) “that the principles of the innate dignity of every human person and the inherent sacredness of all human life are the towering moral lighthouse on our Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 | Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

path.”

(4) “our journey through this life back to our true and eternal home of heaven is most effectively accomplished precisely as a journey as we walk with and accompany each other, with Jesus as our guide, His Mother and the saints, and we sinners at each other’s side.”

(5) “On this journey we pay special attention to those at the side of the road, especially those who are sick, weak, poor, or unable to keep up with us.”

(6) “Our wealth only comes from faith, trust, prayer, the sacraments, and His grace.”

(7) Finally, Cardinal Dolan said that “mercy, love, invitation, humility, joy, selfless generous service, and good example are our only tools, never harshness, condemnation, or pride.”

In conclusion, it is important for the Pilgrim People of God to be diligent, sober and assiduous in approaching the Synod on Synodality because in the final analysis, as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once said, the Church is not a group of friends who do as they want. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and it is to him that we must pay the most attention, not our human conditioned preferences even though without doubt we should always bring our problems and all that concerns us to him for redemption.

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Introduction On October 5, 2017, the first major attack

by Islamists took place in the coastal city of Mocimboa da Praia. Since then, violence and insecurity have steadily increased with another significant attack that took place in Palma on March 24, 2021. This attack drew global attention on the Province due to the increased displacement of people, but also due to the decision of the French company, Total, operating in Palma. The company suspended its $20 billion liquefied natural gas project and withdraw all operations from Mozambique until the government can guarantee security.

The number of Internally Displaced People due to the attacks has increased from 172,000 in April 2020 to more than 732,000 by the end of April 2021.

More recently, the attack on Palma and clashes across the district have forced nearly 68,000 people to flee their homes and move to safer areas.

Repeated displacement and destruction of livelihoods is depleting scarce

household resources, leading to a severe famine amid various health and security emergencies. This crisis has led to a humanitarian emergency with many organizations now serving the needs of the population of Cabo Delgado, in addition to the great prophetic role of the Catholic Church in this conflict.

1. The Prophetic voice of the Catholic Church in the face of the conflict in Cabo Delgado The Catholic Church to create an ambiance of well being for the people of God, to bring those in disagreement together in order to seek solutions so that conflicts between people can be overcome.

At a meeting held from 9 to 13 June 2020, the Bishops’ Conference of Mozambique stated that in “Cabo Delgado, suffering has deep roots in the time when the population was forgotten”. The Bishops’ letter is a blow to the official government narrative that attributes the conflict in Cabo Delgado exclusively to external causes, while Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

ignoring poverty and social inequalities that make young people in Cabo Delgado Province vulnerable to rebel grooming.

The true causes of the conflict in Cabo Delgado are not being clearly addressed and the truth is being hidden.

It is difficult to reach a meaningful dialogue between the government and the insurgents, nor to mediate in the conflict, despite the documents of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique and Religious Congregations calling for an end to the conflict for the construction of a stable Mozambique guided by the Principles of Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church.

The Bishops of Mozambique and all the People of God in Mozambique are aware that “the joys and hopes, the sorrows and the anxieties of people today, especially the poor and all those who suffer, are also the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of Christ’s disciples; and there is no truly human reality that does not find an echo in their hearts. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit on

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their pilgrimage in search of the Father’s kingdom, and they have received the message of salvation to communicate it to everyone. For this reason, the Church feels really and intimately connected to the human race and its history (GS # 1).

The wealth existing in Cabo Delgado and other places in Mozambique should not be the reason for conflicts since, according to (GS. #69) “God destined the land, with everything it contains, for the use of all men and of all peoples, in such a way that the goods created must suffice for all, with equity, according to the rule of justice, inseparable from charity”. This Principle is based on the conviction that the origin of everything, including man, is God. That is why no one should think himself the owner of the goods created by God because we are mere stewards of these goods.

And Pope Francis, during his visit to Mozambique in September 2019, called for a fight against corruption in the country where there is great wealth, but a large part of the population lives in poverty. Pope Francis also stressed that “Mozambique has a territory full of natural and cultural resources”, but despite these riches, “an enormous amount of the population lives below the poverty level”. (Homily of the Pope at the Open Mass at the Estádio Nacional do Zimpeto).

According to the Pope, “sometimes it seems that those who approach with a supposed desire to help have other interests. It is sad when this happens between brothers of the same land, who allow themselves to be corrupted.”

And the Pope reiterated that “it is very dangerous to accept that corruption is the price we have to pay for foreign aid”, he stressed. He thus pleaded with Mozambicans: “ May it not be so among you”.

Regarding peace, Pope Francis said to all Mozambicans that “peace is not just the absence of war, but the tireless commitment, especially of those in positions of greater responsibility, to recognize, guarantee and concretely rebuild dignity, so often forgotten or ignored by our brothers”. The Pope also added that the Mozambican State must build a more inclusive society and defend the preservation of peace and national reconciliation.

If these two statements of the Pope presented above, had been taken seriously, we would not have an increase in the conflicts that are currently taking place in Mozambique, especially in

Cabo Delgado and in the center of the country. The greed of having and having more, sacrifices the weakest, and those in power exercise control over the weakest, creating an exclusionary system in which those in power create conflicts among the poor so that the powerful can continue to reign. It seems the tactic is basically ‘divide and rule’ at the expense of the poor”. It seems to us that the Pope’s visit after a year has not had any effect on the hearts of those who have decision-making power in face of the various conflicts that are going on in Mozambique.

Regardless of what one might think, Pope Francis’ visit to Mozambique should constitute the recognition that we are capable of living together regardless of our ethnic, social, political and economic differences. But since there are manipulators of human consciences who when there are conflicts take advantage of illicit enrichment, the visit of Pope Francis, though with a very clear and edifying message, was not taken seriously.

The Catholic Church in Mozambique, through her Bishops, has never ceased to be a prophetic voice. The Church seeks to instill in people the values that promote the recognition of the differences specific to each society between societies. This recognition Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

can allow the generation of constructive solutions that respect identity, culture, promote autonomy and propose spaces for meeting and cooperation.

In order to overcome the challenges that undermine lasting peace in Mozambique, an education that involves the integral formation of the human being is urgently needed. Such education promotes the development of a moral foundation, which is integral for human formation that enables the pursuit of a coherent ordering of the whole that is fragmented. This way of understanding education with a moral foundation can make the individual understand himself as a member of a community who is also a bearer of social responsibility in relation to the community and with the nature.

The reconstruction of this relationship in which contemporary education can be ethically circumscribed requires the prioritization of values such as citizenship, democracy, justice, solidarity and autonomy in pursuance of the common good.

Educational institutions must enable the student to understand him/herself as a citizen, that is, as an individual who must actively and responsibly participate in the public sphere. From the perspective of democracy, schools must implement pedagogical practices that create public spaces for the intersubjective evaluation

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of norms. With regard to justice, schools must establish as an imperative the defense of human rights and the Child and Adolescent Statute, which defends the principles of life, freedom, equal opportunities and difference. With respect to solidarity, schools must provide an education that assumes solidarity and social responsibility in the community and towardswith nature.

As Levinas (1954, p. 370) states “if the formal educational process could help individuals to recognize the other, that is, in the recognition of difference, by recognizing the symbolic validity of the other, it would have already fulfilled its essential role, as without respect and commitment to alterity, a moral education is not substantiated”.

Finally, schools must enable learners to become autonomous, intellectually and morally so that they know how

to solve problems through rational thought and assume their duties towards others in society. Autonomy constitutes being the educational ethical principle par excellence, which synthesizes all the previous ones. Immanuel Kant (1985) says that of the achievement of intellectual and moral autonomy enables people to know how to solve problems through their own reflection using the available information, deliberating through principles and not just through an uncritical acceptance of supposed social or moral values.

An education that implies the consideration of the other as a subject of rights or a person, that is, as a being who is “an end in himself” and who possesses a “dignity” is foundational to the understanding of rights and duties.

A subject of rights or a person is only constituted as such if he is recognized

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by another subject of rights or person.

Therefore, one can only be a person if we respect others as people. And the refusal to recognize the other destroys the community of legal subjects. Anyone who is not recognized as a subject of rights within the community is also not a subject of duties. To the extent that the other members do not recognize the rights of someone, then that person is not obliged to recognize the rights of others.

It is the lack of this recognition of the other as a person with rights and duties that aggravates the conflicts in Mozambique and Cabo Delgado in particular. The Church, as a creative Mother, using all the tools at her disposal, is called not to tire in seeking a lasting solution to the conflict by engaging the government and the belligerents.

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Introduction One of the basic characteristics of the Synod on Synodality that the Holy Father Pope Francis is calling us to undertake is that of creativity. This call is very important for quite a number of reasons. Not least among those reasons, many people in the Church for quite a long time have hesitated to express themselves for fear that they will go against the doctrines and the teachings of the Church. Coupled with this is also the issue of clericalism, which has dominated the Church for a number of centuries. From my point of view the call to creativity is the call that has to do with dealing with the weight of a culture that has been imbued with a lot of clericalism that the Church inherited from her history and from those forms of exercising authority on which the different types of abuses have been grafted (Synod on Synodality Preparatory Document No. 6).

Creativity as the Work of the Holy Spirit Many people have hidden their talents, thoughts or ideas because of the fear of one thing or another. What some people do not understand is that creativity does not mean that one wants to go against the teachings and the ways of the Church.

A good example of creativity that has happened in the history of the Church is the work of the Vatican II Council (1963-1965). Through creativity this council brought about a lot of changes and reforms that have seen some positive results in the life of the Church over the past decades. Creativity is nothing other than the work of the Holy Spirit.

What Creativity is We can define creativity as a way of expressing one’s God given talent freely. The Gospel passage of the talents found in St Mathew 25:14-30 is a clear Mukai -Vukani -Vukani No.82 No.82 || December December 2021 2021 || Mukai

example of what creativity is all about.

Each and every one of us has been gifted with a talent that needs to be put to use no-matter how insignificant we feel our talents are. With the call to creativity the Church is giving us the opportunity to express ourselves as much as we can for our own spiritual benefit and the benefit of the Church at large. The energy that we feel in being creative as put across

by Ronald Rohleiser OMI helps us douse the fire of envy and hate as well as hostility among ourselves in the Church.

Some people are hostile towards the Church. Some feel that the Church has ignored their requests and others feel that the Church has not listened to their cries for a very long time. Rohleiser also says that envy and hostility are a result of a frustrated creativity, which also leads necessarily to bitterness. So in essence we can say that those people that are angry with the Church are angry because of the Church’s lack of creativity. By

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not being creative the Church hurts something of humanity; that something is the people’s souls.

The Call to Creativity is a Call to Transcendence I have just alluded above that by not being creative the Church injures souls. The reason behind this is that the human soul is the most basic dimension of human existence because of its transcendental nature. Therefore, the call to creativity is a call to transcendence.

The word ‘transcendence’ which literally means ‘going beyond’ suggests that we should have a dynamic understanding of human life and existence because we are called to reach possibilities that are not yet realized or recognized. Creativity helps us delve into the hidden levels of reality so that we can experience the loving kindness of God and the hidden aspects of our world with greater depth and appreciation. This appreciation is what is then expressed in our worship and in our liturgical celebrations as a fitting response to the call of God, the call to worship him is Spirit and in truth.

Creativity and Creation The background of the call to creativity is the human awareness of our unfinished character as persons. The call to creativity has its origins in the Genesis creation story. On the one hand, for God creation and creativity are synonymous.

God created the universe out of his own creativity. Added to that God governs the world out of creativity. On the other hand, creativity is what brings about human flourishing, which completes our character as creatures of God made in His own image and likeness. So, for us to be ‘fully human’ and ‘fully alive’ we have to fulfill the mandate of being creative human beings. This is part of what is meant by the Genesis maxim “be fruitful and multiply”. Theologically, it simply means be creative. So when we become creative we are not doing it for anything else other than enriching our souls so as to enter into the divine space by connecting ourselves into the heart of reality and to each other.

Creativity the Call to Move Towards SelfAwareness We have, therefore, noted that call to creativity is a call to move towards an authentic self-awareness because an authentic self-awareness leads necessarily to the awareness of others and the awareness of the presence of

God, which leads to a deeper way of living. Creativity discloses to us the possibilities of a proper understanding of human existence that is based solely on openness to God. It helps us to achieve full humanity by breaking the chains of isolation by committing ourselves to our fellow human beings. By so doing we direct our energies towards the good of others enabling us at the same time to transcend our personal egos, selfishness, prejudices and stereotypes. We can also say that the call to creativity is essentially a call to mutual love (agape).

Understood as agape, creativity is a call that enables us to transcend the tendency to exclusivity by extending our care and compassion to those regarded as outcasts by helping them to actualize their God given potential. It is also here that I agree with Rohleiser that creativity is about oneness, hence the reason the Synod on Synodality is calling for a Church that moves together, which is represented in the dimension of communion.

Creativity as Goodness Authentic creativity requires moral conversion, which requires the pursuit of virtue in a world that is full of conflicting values and cultural biasness. Moral conversion requires a change of heart, which enables constructive action in accord with the gospel ideals. So, the call to creativity is a call to conversion, which is essentially a call to ‘goodness’.

Here we are drawn to reflect on the Gospel passage of that young man who calls Jesus the good teacher. In his response Jesus tells him that no one is good except the Father. Through this answer Jesus essentially invites us to conversion.

Creativity as Truthfulness The call for creativity is a reminder of the need for truthfulness as the fundamental basis for the project of continual reform, which is the purpose

of the 2023 Synod of Bishops, a reform that is based on fidelity to the Gospel.

Following the logic of the Gospel of John (14:6) truth is a person, the person of Jesus Christ. As pointed out by the theologian Hans Kung in his book, Truthfulness: The Future of the Church, “truthfulness is that attitude through which individuals or communities in spite of difficulties, remain true to themselves without dissimulation and without losing their integrity; a genuine candour in thought, word and deed” (p.

20-21). Thus the moral demand for truth and conversion flows from participation in God’s truth, which is why we have the theme of participation as part and parcel of the Synod’s concern. Truth in our time can be best pursued in synodality through creativity. Creativity and participation are symbiotic too.

Creativity as Beauty Finally creativity brings about beauty and diversity which we can essentially call mission. Here we can say that a call to creativity is a call to mission. The purpose of this mission is to develop a better Church that is accommodative as well as a better society. The reason behind this is that the whole of humanity is invited to experience the love of God and his salvation. God’s will is that all should be saved.

Conclusion The call of the Synod on Synodality to creativity is a call that Christians need to adhere to. It is a noble call that has the ability to change the world as well as the self-understanding of the Church. But over and above all it is a call to experience the loving mercy and kindness of God who pays attention to every person who calls upon him.

We welcome letters to the Editor, especially if they refer to articles published in previous issues of Mukai-Vukani.In this way readers enter into dialogue with this journal and its contributors. We would like to be able to publish a great variety of letters.

The editor reserves the right to shorten letters.

Editor

Mukai Mukai -Vukani -Vukani No.82 No.82 || December December 2021 2021 ||

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Since Pope Francis is a member of the Society of Jesus, one cannot be faulted for taking it for granted that in calling the Church to prepare for the Synod on Synodality he also has in mind St Ignatius Loyola’s proposal of ‘Thinking with the Church.’ At the same time the Pope has in recent times called for the Church to be creative in bring the Good News to the people of our time and not to hide in a cave of defensiveness. Plato’s cave is not a good place to be in. Coming out into the light is always best. Christ is our Light, anyway.

St Ignatius Loyola’s love for the Church, the Catholic Church specifically, is unquestionable. Influenced by such language concerning ‘love for the Church’, members of the Society of Jesus do speak of ‘love for the Society’. This love refers to a spirit of devout commitment to the cause of the Society of Jesus, that is, the reason(s) for which the Society exists as a

religious order in the Catholic Church.

The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus state that the Society was founded for the propagation and defense of the faith through various means made available to it by God in the Church. To propagate something is to breed, spread or to promote it. The apostolates of the Society of Jesus are geared at being a means to this end of propagating the faith. This is why prayerful reflection is required for a sound implementation of an apostolate.

The defense of the faith does not imply merely maintaining the status quo. It involves explaining the truth and acting in faith in response to the needs of the time while remaining servants of Christ’s mission.

The Eighteen Rules for Thinking with the Church are placed at the end of Ignatius’ book the Spiritual Exercises. I do not provide them here. But they are readily available if sought for online.

George E Ganss writes that “they are

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meant specifically for an exercitant who from nearly thirty days (of retreat) had been gazing with love on Christ and his Kingdom and had heard a call to help in spreading it….” (www.theway. uk/back/s020Ganss.pdf). The rules are aimed towards acquiring the genuine attitude, which we ought to maintain in the Church militant, that is, the Church at work in the world.

What does Ignatius want to achieve through suggesting the rules for Thinking with the Church? He wants to assist in forming hearts and minds that can “think both with the Church, by obediential acceptance of her pronouncements, and rightly in the Church, by speaking and acting habitually in a manner likely to increase (one’s own) and the Church’s spiritual vitality (p. 73, The Way).

Ignatius’s aim was to help such a one to establish a general attitude (sentido) both from guiding his own life and for dealing with (those opposed to the Church),

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a strategy within which he could vary his tactics as best he could to meet the emerging situation that might surprise him (p. 77, The Way).

Ganss gives us a portrait of Ignatius’ worldview, which shaped the Rules for Thinking with the Church.

It is a worldview “that is marvellously dynamic both for total dedication of self to God and for apostolic fruitfulness.

By means natural and supernatural God led him to an intense desire to associate intimately with Christ and to co-operate with him in achieving God’s unfolding plan of redemption” (p. 73, The Way). Closely associated with this worldview is that “the Christ of his love was indeed he who had walked in Judaea, but also glorified Christ seen at La Storta, who is still living and acting in his Church and particularly Mukai Mukai -Vukani -Vukani No.82 No.82 || December December 2021 2021 ||

in the sovereign pontiff” (p. 74, The Way). Therefore, Ignatius explicitly viewed the Church as Christ’s Kingdom to be spread, and as his mystical body governed on earth by his vicar, from whom all authority descends through hierarchically ordered superiors (ibid).

The Reformation obviously exposed the human shortcomings in the Church. As such the Church, although she is to be loved, “has indeed many human defects.

But only one who, in spite of them, still views her with love as his Mother and the Spouse of Christ, is likely to grasp the tenor of thought running through all these rules” (p. 80, The Way). This can be mind boggling for some of the people of our time, especially those who have been deeply affected by the sexual abuse scandals, and or financial corruption that has occurred in the Church. Everyone wants justice, and rightly so. But Ignatius would still want us to pursue justice, I would think, in such a manner that we do not ignore that the Church is Mother to both saints and sinners. From her, in her and through her as the Spouse of Christ, we receive the life of Christ.

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I suppose the one rule of Thinking with the Church that can easily trigger controversy is number 13. It reads “What seems to me black, I will believe white if taught by the Church”. This is not a call to blind orthodoxy. Instead Rule 13 should be translated to mean: “What seems to me bread is the body and blood of Christ as taught by the Church.” These rules are at the service of deepening our grasp of the truth rather than forbidding research and study. Basically, “Rule 13 is not super-orthodoxy but mainline Catholic faith” (Do St. Ignatius’ “Rules for Thinking with the Church” call for blind orthodoxy – John W O’Malley).

Rule 13 is not a call to blind faith. It is about the truths of the faith that generate from the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Notably, Ignatius’ Eighteen Rules of Thinking with the Church “are not theological or apologetic arguments.

Rather, (through them) he is offering directives or suggestions whereby his exercitant, a lover of Christ and the Church, will prayerfully think out for himself a strategy for the days and years ahead. That is, with the help of God’s grace he will establish an habitual attitude by which he can guide himself and others to live and work in loving loyalty to the Church, Christ’s Spouse and our Mother, even amid the undesirable examples or doctrinal obscurities and errors which are stumbling blocks in his own day” (p.

82, The Way). The basic problem in the Church is not about divine truth per se, but scandalous human conduct.

Much will be suggested by the People of God in different parts of the world in the process of preparing the Synod on Synodality. Some people will propose radical changes, others will prefer Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

to keep things as they are, and some will be in-between. I think that in the ensuing possible situation, St Ignatius’ Rules for Thinking with the Church would be handy as a guide in creating useful attitudes towards issues that are raised and which need addressing where necessary. However, these Rules would not make much sense for someone who does not share Ignatius’ love for the Church. A knowledge of the content of the faith and the practices of Church would also be a help in boosting one’s ability to embrace Ignatius’ way of Thinking with the Church. Listening, Prayer and continuous Reflection are important exercises in this process. In the end what the People of God should long for is to be in touch with the promptings of the Spirit of God so that the Church may truly serve the mission of Christ with joyful loyalty as Ignatius did both in good times and in hard times.

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espite the fact that religion is as ancient as humanity, the contemporary world more than any period that preceded it, has witnessed the emergence of a number of religious movements, sects and cults. Furthermore, there has been an escalation in the rate of dogmatism, religious fundamentalism and above all a lack of comprehension of what religion really entails. As if to add insult to injury, exponents of both the social and empirical sciences have rigorously scrutinized religion, taunting it as a curtain of ignorance that continually blinds humanity. The ultimate question that has to be frankly posed amidst the buzz and hum of this is what really is religion. Although each attempt at answering this question proves futile, we can from the object and content of religion deduce what it essentially encompasses.

As previously established, it is a painstaking task to provide a clear cut and precise definition of religion. The effort can, however, be made worthwhile by aligning oneself to a particular perspective. If the crux of religion has to be effectively grasped, it is noteworthy to consider the root meaning of the word.

Etymologically, the word religion is ascribed to its Latin equivalent religio which is in turn considered a semantic equivalent of related terms like relegere, religere, religare and reeligere. Although each term expresses a degree of both theoretical and practical relativism with regards to religion, the bold stroke that remains is that each word denotes to the relationship one has with a supernatural being. As such, religion from its nominal Mukai -Vukani No.82 | December 2021 |

and universal definition is belief in supernatural beings. This basically entails that not one religion in particular but all the religions of the world together fulfill the religious function of mankind in the world before God. It is however vital that the distinction be made between religions founded on revelation in its strict sense and other religions.

The demarcation between revealed and non-reveled religions is pivotal in the definition of religion. It is precisely from this aperture that the theological definition of religion slowly takes shape and provides us with the basic and most reliable understanding of religion. When dealing with revealed religions, that is religions of salvation, the problem is simple since it is implicitly given by revelation itself. Through revelation, the template of how man can fulfil his destiny and be saved are provided. In essence, specific conditions for salvation are provided. Conversely, the theology of salvation for unbelievers shows the conditions that should be met in order to attain salvation. It should be noted with diligent prudence, however, that salvation is not the principal goal nor is it the object of religion. It is the mode through which man renders to God the homage that is his due. As such, it comprises of the belief in a personal God who is infinite in his attributes.

There are two subsequent notions of religion that emerge out of the theological perspective. The initial sense is the much broader and pragmatic usage that combines religion with the supernatural and magical entities - primarily deities.

Any specific religion is therefore defined according to how they combine religion with the supernatural in both theory and practice. The other sense of religion is not concerned with a particular religion but rather the distinctions and comparisons that exists between the two and in the end identifying the constants within religion itself so that it emerges as a distinct system. This is mainly aimed at defining more precisely the nature of religion as a coherent phenomenon and in opposition to magic and superstition in particular. It is therefore crucial that those elements of religion be explicitly tabulated since they are the object and content that define what religion is.

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