Mukai / Vukani No.71 April - May 2016

“Blessed are the merciful” JOURNAL FOR THE JESUIT PROVINCE OF ZIMBABWE-MOZAMBIQUE

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No. 71 April - May 2016

FINDING MERCY

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“Blessed are the merciful”

From the Editor

Jubilee Year of Mercy In the Old Testament period, there were days of atonement, when people publicly repented of their sins with fasting and loud wails, and promised Yahweh to turn back to him wholeheartedly. Such practices entailed change of heart, true conversion, an adoption of a new attitude to Yahweh, coming from the innermost depths of one’s soul.

The New Testament uses the terms “atonement”, “conversion” or “repentance”. The Greek word is metanoia or “after thought”, rethinking, looking behind things”. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us that Peter’s Pentecostal address deeply moved the hearts of those Jews who had come from all the nations of the earth to assemble in Jerusalem. They asked him and the rest of the apostles …”Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter answered. “Repent and be baptized every one of you, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:7).

The call for repentance is thus a cry for God’s mercy. In the Old Testament, the jubilee year operated within the context of Israel’s kinship system for the protection of the clan’s inalienable right to work their ancestral land, which they understood to be owned by God and to be enjoyed

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by them as a benefit of their relationship with him. These social and economic conditions no longer exist, and from a biblical point of view, God no longer administers redemption through a single political state.

Theologically, the jubilee affirms that the Lord is not only the God who owns Israel’s land; he is sovereign over all time and nature. His act of redeeming his people from Egypt committed him to provide for them on every level because they were his own. Therefore, our observance of God’s tenets functions as our mark of obedience to Him. This marks for us the trust we have in God, thereby creating an image of mutuality with God. Sociologically, the jubilee provided a socio economic solution to keep the family whole even in the face of economic calamity. Family debt was a reality in ancient times as it is today, and its effects include a frightening list of social ills. The jubilee sought to check these negative social consequences by limiting their duration so that future generations would not have to bear the burden of their distant ancestors. This year’s observance enables us to realize that debt, suffering should not deride us from living in hope. Our socio-economic situation does not hold any power

Fr Clyde Muropa SJ

over us, because God, counts not on our debts, but on our faithfulness.

From an economic level, we refer to the principles of equitable distribution of wealth and resources, as desired by God. According to his plan, the land of Canaan was assigned equitably among the people. The jubilee was not about redistribution but restoration. This observance should compel us to look at the common good” in all our relationships. Especially with regards to wealth.

What is our attitude to wealth, to poverty and the lifestyles we lead at the expense of the neighbour.

Putting modern societies in juxtaposition with ancient Israel, reflections in this issue attempt to answer if, today, our societies have surpassed ancient Israel with regards to contextual analysis of the mercy of God, and the mercy we have for one another. God’s mercy abounds, but there is need to extend the same mercy to one another. Millions of people in Africa are bonded in debt, poverty, injustice, and to some extent in economic slavery. What would it take for Christians to be capable of offering real solutions?

“Blessed are the merciful”

CONTENTS INSIDE THIS EDITION

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Editorial

Jubilee Year of Mercy Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 31st World Youth Day 2016 “Blessed are the merciful , for they shall obtain mercy” Zimbabwe in the year of Mercy:Principle of mercy before the works of mercy What it takes for God’s mercy to work wonders in us The Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy

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Justice and Peace : Views of a young mind in the church Living the sacrament of matrimony in contemporary Times Child proctection workshops bt the ZCBC - Education Commission The tragedy and pitfalls of the National Healing and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe Book Review The Zimbabwe we want - free , torelant , peaceful

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BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY

The Jubilee of Mercy With this theme, the Krakow 2016 WYD forms part of the Holy Year of Mercy and so becomes a Youth Jubilee at world level. It is not the first time that an international youth gathering has coincided with a Jubilee Year. Indeed, it was during the Holy Year of the Redemption (1983/1984) that Saint John Paul II first called on young people from around the world to come together on Palm Sunday.

Then, during the Great Jubilee of the year 2000, over two million young people from around 165 countries gathered in Rome for the15th World Youth Day. I am sure that the Youth Jubilee in Krakow will be, as on those two previous occasions, one of the high points of this Holy Year!

Perhaps some of you are asking: what is this Jubilee Year that is celebrated in the Church? The scriptural text of Leviticus 5 can help us to understand the meaning of a “jubilee” for the people of Israel. Every fifty years they heard the sounding of a trumpet (zzz) calling them (jobil) to celebrate a holy year as a time of reconciliation (jobal) for everyone. During that time they had to renew their good relations with God, with their neighbours and with creation, all in a spirit of gratuitousness. This fostered, among other things, debt forgiveness, special help

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for those who had fallen into poverty, an improvement in interpersonal relations and the freeing of slaves.

Jesus Christ came to proclaim and bring about the Lord’s everlasting time of grace. He brought good news to the poor, freedom to prisoners, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed (cf. Lk 4:18-19). In Jesus, and particularly in his Paschal Mystery, the deeper meaning of the jubilee is fully realized.

When the Church proclaims a jubilee in the name of Christ, we are all invited to experience a wonderful time of grace. The Church must offer abundant signs of God’s presence and closeness, and reawaken in people’s hearts the ability to look to the essentials. In particular, this Holy Year of Mercy is “a time for the Church to rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day of Easter: to be a sign and an instrument of the Father’s mercy” (Homily at First Vespers of Divine Mercy Sunday, 11 April 2015).

Merciful like the Father The motto for this Extraordinary Jubilee is “Merciful like the Father” (cf.

Misericordiae Vultus, 13). The Old Testament uses various terms when it speaks about mercy. The most

meaningful of these are hesed and rahamim. The first, when applied to God, expresses God’s unfailing fidelity to the Covenant with his people whom he loves and forgives for ever. The second, rahamim, which literally means “entrails”, can be translated as “heartfelt mercy”. This particularly brings to mind the maternal womb and helps us understand that God’s love for his people is like that of a mother for her child.

That is how it is presented by the prophet Isaiah: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49:15). Love of this kind involves making space for others within ourselves and being able to sympathize, suffer and rejoice with our neighbours.

The biblical concept of mercy also includes the tangible presence of love that is faithful, freely given and able to forgive. In the following passage from Hosea, we have a beautiful example of God’s love, which the prophet compares to that of a father for his child: “When Israel was a child I loved him; out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me... Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks... I stooped to feed my child” (Hos11:1-4). Despite the child’s wrong attitude that deserves punishment, a father’s love is faithful. He always forgives his repentant children. We see here how forgiveness is always included in mercy. It is “not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality with which he reveals his love as of that of a father or a mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child...

It gushes forth from the depths naturally, full of tenderness and compassion, indulgence and mercy” (Misericordiae Vultus, 6).

The New Testament speaks to us of divine mercy (eleos) as a synthesis of the work that Jesus came to accomplish in the world in the name

“Blessed are the merciful”

Local World Youth Day 2016

of the Father (cf.Mt 9:13). Our Lord’s mercy can be seen especially when he bends down to human misery and shows his compassion for those in need of understanding, healing and forgiveness. Everything in Jesus speaks of mercy. Indeed, he himself is mercy.

In Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel we find the three parables of mercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the parable of the prodigal son. In these three parables we are struck

by God’s joy, the joy that God feels when he finds and forgives a sinner.

Yes, it is God’s joy to forgive! This sums up the whole of the Gospel.

“Each of us, each one of us, is that little lost lamb, the coin that was mislaid; each one of us is that son who has squandered his freedom on false idols, illusions of happiness, and has lost everything.

But God does not forget us; the Father never abandons us. He is a patient Father, always waiting for us! He respects our freedom, but he remains faithful forever. And when we come back to him, he welcomes us like children into his house, for he never ceases, not for one instant, to wait for us with love. And his heart rejoices over every child who returns. He is celebrating because he is joy. God has this joy, when one of us sinners goes to him and asks his forgiveness” (Angelus, 15 September 2013).

God’s mercy is very real and we are all called to experience it firsthand.

When I was seventeen years old, it happened one day that, as I was about to go out with friends, I decided to stop into a church first.

I met a priest there who inspired great confidence, and I felt the desire to open my heart in Confession.

That meeting changed my life! I discovered that when we open our hearts with humility and transparency, we can contemplate God’s mercy in a very concrete way. I felt certain that, in the person of that priest, God was already waiting for me even before I took the step of entering that church.

We keep looking for God, but God is there before us, always looking for us, and he finds us first. Maybe one of you feels something weighing on your heart. You are thinking: I did this, I did that.... Do not be afraid! God is waiting for you! God is a Father and he is always waiting for us! It is so wonderful to feel the merciful embrace of the Father in the sacrament of Reconciliation, to discover that the confessional is a place of mercy, and to allow ourselves to be touched by the merciful love of the Lord who always forgives us!

of everlasting love upon you, a gaze that looks beyond your sins, limitations and failings, and continues to have faith in you and to look upon your life with hope? Do you realize how precious you are to God, who has given you everything out of love? Saint Paul tells us that “God proves his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Do we really understand the power of these words?

Also recall the episode of the two thieves crucified beside Jesus. One of them is arrogant and does not admit that he is a sinner. He mocks the Lord. The other acknowledges that he has done wrong; he turns to the Lord saying: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”.

Jesus looks at him with infinite mercy and replies: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (cf. Lk 23:32, 39-43). With which of the two do we identify? Is it with the arrogant one who does not acknowledge his own mistakes? Or is it with the other, who accepts that he is in need of divine mercy and begs for it with all his heart? It is in the Lord, who gave his life for us on the cross, that we will always find that unconditional love which sees our lives as something good and always gives us the chance to start again.

You, dear young man, dear young woman, have you ever felt the gaze

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“Let the children come to me do not hinder them ...”(Mk 10:14) The amazing joy of being instruments of God’s mercy

some suggestions on how we can be instruments of this mercy for others.

The Word of God teaches us that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). That is why the fifth Beatitude declares that the merciful are blessed. We know that the Lord loved us first. But we will be truly blessed and happy only when we enter into the divine “logic” of gift and gracious love, when we discover that God has loved us infinitely in order to make us capable of loving like Him, without measure. Saint John says: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love... In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another” (1 Jn 4:7-11).

I think of the example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. He said, “Jesus pays me a visit every morning in Holy Communion, and I return the visit in the meagre way I know how, visiting the poor”. Pier Giorgio was a young man who understood what it means to have a merciful heart that responds to those most in need. He gave them far more than material goods. He gave himself by giving his time, his words and his capacity to listen. He served the poor very quietly and unassumingly. He truly did what the Gospel tells us: “When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret” (Mt 6:3-4). Imagine that, on the day before his death when he was gravely ill, he was giving directions on how his friends in need should be helped. At his funeral, his family and friends were stunned by the presence of so many poor people unknown to them. They had been befriended and helped by the young Pier Giorgio.

After this very brief summary of how the Lord bestows his mercy upon us, I would like to give you

I always like to link the Gospel Beatitudes with Matthew 25, where Jesus presents us with the works of mercy and tells us that we will be judged on them. I ask you, then, to rediscover the corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, assist the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead. Nor should we overlook the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, teach the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the sorrowful, forgive offences, patiently bear with troublesome people and pray to God for the living and the dead.

As you can see, mercy does not just imply being a “good person” nor is it mere sentimentality. It is the measure of our authenticity as disciples of Jesus, and of our credibility as Christians in today’s world.

From the Vatican, 15 August 2015 POPE FRANCIS

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Zimbabwe in the Year of Mercy: Principle of mercy before the works of mercy Mercy is a “structuring element of the life of the church”.

It reproduces the structure of Jesus life Fr Dominic Tomuseni SJ Zimbabwe is never in want of people involved in some form of charity, philanthropy or something similar to what we call works of mercy in the Catholic Church. We have many people taking care of orphans; among them is the First Lady, Grace Mugabe; the incarcerated bishop of End Time ministries, Robert Gumbura and the controversial marriage counselor, Mai Gunguwo. They are countless NGOs championing different causes of the marginalized.

Prominent prophets are rescuing many who are down and out with donations of different kinds, including houses. Businessmen are donating cars and cash to football personnel. There are countless GoFundMe programs targeting numerous needy cases. Companies, churches and individuals are outdoing each other in outreach programs. We do not know and we can never know what motivate all these efforts. Those of us

who do it because we are Christians need to reflect on what motivates us, lest we become like the man mentioned by our Lord who has gotten his reward already because he gave so that he can be seen (Mt 6:1-4).

Jon Sobrino’s reflections on the principle of mercy can be helpful in establishing the right motivation and proper basis for our works of mercy. For Sobrino, mercy is a “structuring element of the life of the church.” It reproduces the structure of Jesus life. It is an element for making present in our time and place what God accomplished in Jesus. There are other complimentary structuring elements such as fidelity, hope and service. They all help in reproducing what Jesus was all about. Out of these, mercy is the most structuring element because it stands at the origin of God’s salvific act. It is the foundation of salvation process.

Corporal works of Mercy - Visiting the sick

Mercy is generally understood as compassion. There is a danger of interpreting that compassion to mean either a sentiment within an individual or an expression of the sentiment as acts of alleviating someone’s suffering. There is also risk of paternalism in some interpretation of mercy. Mercy understood as a principle, overcomes these misunderstandings. It is a process or an operation of praxis-love or love in action, which remains at the origin of a process, but it shapes and directs the different parts that compose the process. The origin of the process is at the moment when one interiorizes the suffering of the other. That interiorized suffering forms the logic and direction of one’s re-action.

Mercy is found at the beginning of God’s salvific process. This is illustrated in exodus when God said I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. God interiorized the suffering of his people and it molds his reaction in the entire process of salvation. That operation took a concrete form in the incarnation, when God became human. Jesus, God made man, concretized and historicized God’s mercy in his practice and message. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus places mercy at the center of what it means to be human. To be human is to be moved by pity, not commandments.

The Samaritan was moved by pity.

His actions were generated by pity, a fundamental human element. It was not out of obedience to a commandment.

Sobrino goes further to assert that the principle of mercy ought to be operative in the church of Jesus. A

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Corporal works of Mercy - Taking care of the elderly church that is informed, shaped and directed by the principle of mercy must be decentered as was the case with the man lying on the street, whose situation “decentered” the Samaritan. It is similar to the decentering that happens in God when He becomes man. The church has to “decenter” itself by locating itself among the poor, the marginalized and the wounded. It has to make itself a Samaritan Church. In the time of Jesus, the word Samaritan didn’t have the positive mean-

ing it has now. A Samaritan was an outsider. The church will become an outsider if it locates itself among the poor because it will be in confrontation with the robbers, who are responsible for the suffering. This is one of the costs of the principle of mercy. It can lead to rejection and crucifixion, like what happens to the Son of man.

Sobrino is calling upon the church to think beyond handouts and works of mercy but to understand the op-

eration of the fundamental love that moulds all works of mercy.

That love understood as a principle within God, which the church must reproduce, begins inside those who responds to the situation of suffering at that moment when they make their own the suffering of the other.

It involves drastic changes within them, which can be costly. So maybe the Year of Mercy should be the time for the church in Zimbabwe to consider how its many works of mercy truly reflects that which is of God. In order to do that it has to think of moments and ways of making its own the suffering in the country. It has to go further and make changes to its own structures so that it truly identifies with the suffering of the people.

Now and then we come across people who were unlikely candidates – from a human point of view – for radical tranformation by God’s love.

Dominic Fungai Tomuseni SJ is doing doctoral studies in Chicago in United States of America

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What it takes for God’s mercy to work wonders in us Some years back one of our former pupils was involved in an armed robbery in Montreal. In the exchange of fire he was wounded, and in the confusion he fired a shot that killed a policeman. As he was lying in hospital under guard, a lady he did not know came in, looked at him intently, then wiped the sweat on his brow. Once she was gone, he was told she was the widow of the officer he had killed. Her calm gaze and her kind gesture left him stunned. It set him on the long process of conversion. In time he turned seriously to God and became an influence for good among fellow inmates. The prison authorities eventually allowed him to go out to speak to groups of young people. It was his experience of God’s transforming love that made his message so convincing.

The very opposite can happen. Two years ago an American was released from prison after serving a thirty year sentence for murder. Two days later he hit his own mother violently on the head and she died. No doubt he must have suffered from a deep psychological problem. What was missing, though, was motivation strong enough to control his anger.

God had showered his merciful love on both. Why such different outcomes? Scripture contains a number of such contrasting individuals: Abel and Cain, Kings Saul and David, Peter and Judas, the good and the bad thieves crucified on Calvary, to name but a few.

I just completed the reading of a fascinating book by Fr Richard Rohr, a Franciscan: “Breathing Under Water” on the spirituality of the Twelve Steps Programme for individuals suffering from addiction. He com-

ments on the fact that Bill W, a cofounder of Alcoholic Anonymous, envisaged a “vital spiritual experience” as the essential foundation for full recovery from addiction.

Looking back Father Rohr observes that a number of Twelve Steppers stayed at the level of stopping their drinking, but missed out on the goal of trustful intimacy with God. As a result those individuals ended up as “dry drunks”, still difficult to live with.

He then draws a parallel from his pastoral experience for over forty years. “We could say the same about many well-intentioned Christians and clergy. Their religion has never touched them or healed them at the unconscious level where all of the real motivation, hurts, unforgiveness, anger, wounds, and illusions are stored, hiding – and often fully operative. They never went to the ‘inner room’ where Jesus invites us and where things are hid ‘secretly’ “. (Matthew 6:6) “Christians are usually sincere and well-intentioned people,” he writes, “until you get to any real issue of ego, control, power, money, pleasure and security. Then they tend to be pretty much like everybody else.”

Divine Mercy In announcing the Year of Mercy Pope Francis reminded us: “When faced with the gravity of sin God responds with the fullness of mercy.

His mercy will always be greater than any sin, and no one can ever place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive.” He describes God’s loving mercy as “the bridge that connects God and man,

Br James Langlois FMS opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.” “Mercy,” he says, “is the supreme act by which he comes to meet us.”

Then why is it that there appears to be hardly any sign of it in some lives? God’s merciful love is an undeserved gift that he offers to everyone. At the same time he respects each individual’s freedom. He does not impose himself. His merciful love works best when accepted, welcomed, when one yields to it in trust. Then we are like the caterpillar that decides to somehow die to the only life it knows by turning into a pupa imprisoned in a cocoon.

Only then can it emerge in time as a colourful butterfly. In our case it is when we are prepared to take the risk of dying to our comfortable self and start opening up to God’s promptings that we begin to experience the stirrings of new life, and eventually become a new creation living in the freedom of Love.

The right pastoral approach Father Richard Rohr points out why so many Christians “tend to be pretty much like everybody else”, “We often gave them a bogus version of the Gospel, some fast-food religion, without any deep transformation of the self; and the result has been the spiritual disaster of ‘Christian’ countries that tend to be as consumer-oriented, proud, warlike, racist, class conscious, and addictive as everybody else – and often more so, I am afraid.’ Why? They had not had any ‘vital spiritual experience’ that changed their lives. As a result they were unable to see their

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personal failures as well as their institutional and national sin.”

In “The Joy of the Gospel” Pope Francis offers very sound advice for effective preaching. First he stresses the importance of preparation, through study, prayer, reflection, and spiritual reading. At the same time he asks the preacher to keep his eyes open to the real needs of his people. “If (the evangelizer) does not take time to hear God’s word with an open heart, if he does not allow it to touch his life, to challenge him, to impel him, and if he does not devote time to pray with that word, he will indeed be a false prophet, a fraud, a shallow impostor.” “We are not asked to be flawless, but to keep growing and wanting to grow as we advance along the path of the Gospel.” “The Holy Spirit who inspired the word … acts in every evangelizer who allows himself to be possessed and led by him.” “Today people prefer to listen to witnesses: they ‘thirst for authenticity’ and call for evangelizers to speak of a God whom they themselves know and are familiar with, as if they were seeing him”. (145-151) A mature personal response Father Rohr concludes by pointing out that the Twelve Steps Programme “is indeed work, and not fast food or cheap grace”, and “Gospel people need to do their honest inner work,” and I would add, ever steadfast in their commitment.

Our basic call as Christians is to be Jesus’ disciples, hence the need to spend time with him, to relate with him daily in prayer. As we grow in intimacy with him, we are drawn to know him better, so we study his life and his teaching more serious-

ly. This proves to be a challenge to model our lives more on his, to adopt his attitudes and reactions face to the poor, the sick, sinners, those condemned, despised and rejected by society, those who are lost for want of sound guides.

In this Year of Mercy, let us make an honest effort to be the loving, compassionate, merciful presence of Jesus in our homes, our communities, our workplace, and out in our world

weighed down by hardship, oppression, division and confusion.

“Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty.” John 15:5

Br James Langlois FMS is a Marist bother

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The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy The Jubilee Year remains one of the more fascinating traditions in the Roman Catholic Churchand dates back to the Law of Moses.In the 25th chapter of Leviticus the prophet prescribed a special year for the Jewish people during which ‘acts of mercy’ were practiced.

These included restoring land to its original owners, remission of debts, the liberation of slaves and leaving the land to lie fallow. Jesus in the New Testament became the fulfilment of this idea by announcing that He was the One sent to announce the salvation of God’s people while also bringing good news to the poor, setting the captives free and giving sight to the blind. Drawing from this, the Catholic faith observes a Holy Year or Jubilee roughly once every twenty five years for the forgiveness of sins. A Jubilee Year is a year of reconciliation and conversion. The Church teaches that more than anything else, a Jubilee year is the year of Christ, the ultimate symbol of mercy.

And so we have it. The roots of the year of mercy are clearly explained to us with references from scripture.

Let us examine these ideas in more depth. In Old Testament times, every fifty years, land was given back to its original owners, slaves were set free and no land was cultivated. The entire chapter 25of Leviticus says something very profound about God’s love for the Israelites.

His every regulation was designed so as to remind them that He was their God. In their times of need, He would be their provider and as their God, a God of love, He wanted them to practice love for one another. As such from verse 18 onwards, God explained how he would ensure that the year preceding this special year, He would make the land produce enough food for two

years. His people were not to worry about where their next meal was to come from. He ordered that Land sold should be on the basis of how much it was likely to produce between the date of purchase and its eventual restoration to its original owner. Similarly slaves were to be ‘hired’ so to speak at a rate calculated using years of service. This is a clear illustration of the inalienable relationship between love and mercy.

Translating these ideas into contemporary examples will take some doing. How exactly are we to be merciful towards each other? In today’s capitalist society, such notions seem foolish and idealistic. After all they denote some degree of loss making.

How can we find it in ourselves, we who were born and raised selfish, to give up the things we have believed for so long to be rightfully ours so that another can be saved? How are we to become agents of mercy?

Guidance from the Church splits acts of mercy into the corporal and the spiritual. Corporal acts of mercy are listed as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, giving shelter to those without, visiting the sick, setting the captives free and burying the dead. These are ideas that have been in circulation for millennia in the Christian world and seem simple enough. They are manifested in the form of individuals giving alms and organizations such as CAFOD and Caritas working with disadvantaged communities on a larger scale. Despite this, more than 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty , 783 million people do not have access to clean water and many millions of people the world over are refugees, internally or externally displaced.

The crisis in Syria and subsequent

Chemwi Mutiwanyuka mass immigration phenomena come to mind. Closer to home, the problem of homeless children continue to grow. Conversely, there are 1.2 billion Catholics globally and 2.1 billion Christians. In Zimbabwe, Catholics account for eight per cent of the population. These numbers indicate a failure on the part of Christians everywhere to be agents of mercy.

Perhaps to many, the task of addressing all the world’s problems seems so daunting that they are paralysed into inaction. Others may feel that it is not their job, but rather that of the State to provide adequate social welfare services. Others still may simply not care. It is for all of these reasons that the Year of Mercy has been proclaimed. It is a call to action, a reminder of God’s grace towards us and the need, nay the calling to extend this grace to others. In the Old and New Testament no one is exempted from being merciful and God in his own mercy demonstrates in the Old Testament how He facilitates the mercy of the Israelites towards each other through his grace. That same grace is awarded to us today in many ways. Our point of departure must always be God’s love. He loves us so much that He gave up the thing that He loved the most so that we would be saved. In addition to that, He blesses us in immeasurable ways every day. It is out of this abundance that we are called to participate in corporal acts of mercy.

Does this mean we are to bring the homeless into our own homes?

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which runs schools, orphanages and homes for the homeless by contacting Fr. Nigel Johnson. The Society of Saint Vincent De Paul operates in many of our parishes and we should endeavour to assist them in any way we can. This year’s Lenten campaign for food aid is supported by a second collection and other activities in many of our parishes to which we are asked to give generously. Let us try to remember that any act of giving no matter how small can make a difference.

Spiritual works of Mercy - Instructing the ignorant People whose origins and habits we have no clue of and by so doing jeopardise the safety of our families? Take from our already diminished resources in order to feed strangers? These are questions that each person must answer for themselves. In thinking of the answer, let us call to mind the story of the Good Samaritan. Let us also ask that God will show us what He desires from us. As a practical step towards acts of mercy, one can begin by starting small. We can make an effort to be kinder and more generous to our family and friends. Let’s get into the habit of giving something to our local charity no matter how small, as a matter of principle. As we continue to make sacrifices we will be pleasantly surprised to find that we are still somehow able meet our own needs. From that we can learn to give more and more out of the provisions that God has given us. We need to be careful however not to get caught up in giving out of obligation but rather consider each beneficiary as someone who God loves very dearly and whom God wants us to love also very dearly.

Another common stumbling block to acts of mercy is the notion of the ‘deserving poor’. We often complain about able bodied beggars and indeed many have taken to abusing the charity of others, making up stories designed to play on the sympathies of alms givers. How are we

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to treat such cases? Are we only to give through established channels, channels which possess the systems to ferret out charlatans? Or do we give indiscriminately. This question perhaps demands even more reflection than the previous one. Our Lord Jesus in the books of Matthew and Luke exhorts us to give to everyone who asks of us making no exceptions. This is contrary to our very nature and everything that we are taught about earning what we have. In the book ‘The Prophet’, the main protagonist puts it quite eloquently when he says of giving “You often say, ‘I would give, but only to the deserving.’...Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else from you.”

“To give and not to count the cost” remains one of the more pressing needs of the Catholic Church especially under the current socio-economic order where the wealth of the richest one per cent is equal to that of the remaining 99 per cent. Perhaps in this Year of Mercy, we will learn that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). The CAFOD website makes giving quite easy with an online option to sign up as a regular or once off donor. One can make similar donations to Caritas , Catholic Relief Services and many other organizations of charity.

A little closer to home, one can assist the Jesuit Development Office

In my opinion, because of human nature, it is harder still to practice spiritual works of mercy such as instructing the ignorant, counselling the doubtful, admonishing sinners, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving offences willingly, comforting the afflicted and praying for the living and the dead. In this ‘live and let live’ world, one would be hard pressed firstly to convince someone else of their ignorance on a certain matter and secondly to correct them. It is very easy to develop a reputation for being a self-righteous know-it-all. We also struggle to forgive each other.

How then are we to practice spiritual acts of mercy? Our first port of call is prayer. We must ask Our Lord Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to give us the right words to say at the right time and to forgive all those who hurt us. When we open ourselves up to the workings of the Spirit, we find that we are able to do even the extra ordinary. Also let us try to see God in all people and to remember that God loves us all with a passion like no other. Given that, who are we to fail to forgive the one whom God has already forgiven? How can we neglect other members of His body?

Our love for God will drive us to express this love to others.

Chemwi Mutiwanyuka works with the youth and media committee at, Our Lady of the Wayside, Mount Pleasant

“Blessed are the merciful”

Justice and Peace: Views of a Young Mind in the Church A new phenomenon or era has arisen in the church, where traditions that had stuck around for a while are being “reviewed” to better our relationship with God. The common phrase that you will hear in a parish when a person is trying to initiate change is “how dare you try to change things that were put in place by the missionary priest and has been working perfectly well since then….” Where I come from the old folks in the church constantly rub it in your face that when Father Reich built this church, we operated like this and hence it should stay like that! I will try to be candid, while conservatism is good and helps maintain order and the status quo ante, a blind submissiveness to it will yield harm since the world around us is evolving. The topic that I will dwell on is that of women empowerment in the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis – the Game Changer – Church Law Changer!

But firstly, it is imperative to note; Women can now officially participate in the Holy Thursday foot-washing ritual alongside men for the first time since the 1950s, thanks to a decree from Pope Francis that experts say also has symbolic significance and implications for church law. The Pope is on track!

Pope Francis has issued a decree revising the rules for the traditional foot-washing ritual on Holy Thursday, saying the rite should no longer be limited to men and boys, but also include women and young girls.

Those participating in the ceremony, the decree says, should be representative of the entire community.

The change, Francis wrote, is “an attempt to improve the method of implementation, to express the full

Educate a woman , you educate a nation

Chiedza Tsikira meaning of the gesture performed by Jesus at the Last Supper, his gift of himself ‘to the end’ for the salvation of the world, his boundless charity.”

The paradox of Equality and Parity in the Church I am sure most people are busy thinking we can never be equal, women will never be ordained as priests and those who are like Napoleon are probably saying ‘a woman’s job is in the kitchen alone’. When we talk about emancipation of women in the church we are not referring to women as priests, there are bigger issues. The first issue is the attitude of most males when it comes to women as leaders.

Most parishes abhor the idea of having a woman as the chairperson of a parish let alone a youthful girl. The closer they come to when it comes to leadership is being the secretary or a committee member.

It is high time parishioners begin to realize that women are as competent as any other male in the church .Their efficacy has been illuminated especially at my parish which I will use as a case in point where two phenomenal women Mrs. Maesera and Mrs. Tsikira took the leadership of the parish and ran for two terms bringing a great change in the parish and placing St Paul’s Church on a pedestal that most parishes find hard to remove.

As lovers of justice and peace, we should not be quiet about such sensitive issues, women should be given the same platform to shine as they are great leaders. Congratulations to the Archdiocese of Harare. For the first time in the history of the archdiocese, a woman has been elected the pastoral council chairperson. Congratulations

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Let us never forget that we are the sons and daughters of God, equal in his sight, but with differing responsibilities and capabilities assigned each.

(Russell Ballard) to Mai Thulani Makamure! That should pave way for more women involvement in leadership and decision making positions in the church.

because of gender. Does this all augur well with “created in the same image?” Or culture takes precedence over faith!

Another issue that should be taken into consideration when talking about women empowerment in the church is the issue of respect. I am shocked at the low levels of respect that mature girls receive as compared to the boys. I recall vividly one incident where my integrity was insulted all because of a chair .We were at a section prayer which is usually held during Wednesdays in the evening. As per tradition, the hosting family has to provide stools and seating mats for people to get comfortable during the prayer session. My two sisters and I had arrived early and sat on the chairs. It so happened that a group of boys ranging from the age of 13-16 were also coming for the prayer session and as always they were late. One elderly woman had the audacity to come to where we were seated and she told us that it was not proper for girls to seat on the chairs while the boys sat on a mat! I was shocked. It was going to be better if the people who were going to take our seats were to be given to mature men not boys. I expressed my feelings only to receive the line ‘usada kunyadzisa mai vako’ (don’t embarrass your mother). If people do not respect women to the point of degrading them to sit on the hard ground while boys sit on the chairs then what gospel is our church preaching. My catechist taught me that elders are supposed to be respected, is this the level of respect that should be given simply

The issue of women emancipation also boils down to the comments that even the clergy pass about women’s dress whilst attending liturgies. I acknowledge that there are some women who dress immodestly especially when they are coming for mass. My contention, however, is that both men and women must be subject to scrutiny in matters of dress. There are lots of men who dress inappropriately to church, some wear shorts and vests and the youths even wear skinny jeans to church. My question is, what is the proper dress code for the sacred events?

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Women as victims of Culture The Jewish culture, of which Jesus was a product of, had a low regard for women. However, Jesus was not limited to that same culture, but broke the barriers. He demonstrated in many ways that culture holds no supremacy regards to gender, but that all were equal before God. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself empowered women and many scenarios may be given to illustrate. We read in John 8:1-11 of “the woman caught in the very act of adultery”. It takes two to tangle, but only the woman was brought to “court”. Jesus response was simple, intelligent and candid ‘he who hasn’t sinned, let him be the first to cast the first stone’. This poor woman, was not only set free by our Lord, but her sins were forgiven.

Great icons which are women are rewarded greatly for their work in the Bible. Examples include Esther, Rahab, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. These are enough proof to show that women must be respected in the church as they can do great things. Even in our own times, there are women who have proven beyond doubt that they are called to serve.

However, most people are caught up in the debate on women’s ordination to the priesthood. This has consumed many people, and blinded them not to realize that women can serve in other portfolios. It’s not only ordination that makes one function in the church, but all ought to discern what the Lord is calling them to do. Each has a vocation and such a vocation can be fulfilling is we give ourselves fully in service of God and others.

In conclusion I would say, women should be respected and should be given positions of leadership. As parts of the same body of Christ, we all need to be generous with our skills and talent to serve the Church.

Gender biases should not be points of contention, but parity needs to be considered. This Year of Mercy, needs special consideration on the role of women in the church.

Discussions should be held without condemnation of the other.

Chiedza Tsikira is chairperson of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace at the University of Zimbabwe)

“Blessed are the merciful”

Living the sacrament of Matrimony in Contemporary Times

The Sacrament of marriage is under threat not only in Zimbabwe but as well as several countries in the world. Divorce is very common these days and the divorce rates are alarming and escalating like the levels of inflation. Cases of divorce in the courts of Zimbabwe have become so rampant that one wonders where the institution is marriage is heading to.

Marriage is an act of God. Genesis 2:18, God said, “it is not good for man to be alone, l will make him a helper suitable for him”. In addition to creating the heaven and the earth and all animals and finally man, God ‘created marriage’ for the man and the woman.

In the Catholic Church marriage is explained under Canon law. Code 1055#1 defines marriage as “a covenant by which a man and a woman establish themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and upbringing of children, has, between the baptized, been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.” Furthermore, Code 1056 states that “the essential properties

of marriage are unity and indissolubility, in Christian marriage they require a distinctive firmness by reason of the sacrament.” An important factor that is taken into account by the church is that they must be consensus between the parties. Code 1057#2 provides that “matrimonial consent is an act of will by which a man and a woman by an irrevocable covenant mutually give and accept one another for the purpose of establishing a marriage” This is an extension of 1057#1 which states the greater need for consent between the two parties.

The civil law in Zimbabwe states that both parties must have attained the age of 18 years and that there is consent between the parties. In simple terms, when people get married, it is clear that there is a sign of commitment and satisfaction between the two adults. If and when both parties freely enter into marriage, it is presumed that they have reached an informed decision. One therefore wonders, why the rate of divorces and separations is rising. Is it because people “walk into” marriages without proper discernment or preparation? Is the Church preparing couples adequately for this

What God has joined let no man put asunder

Rutendo Muchenje union? Are the traditional methods of initiation any better than the modern and christian means?

In the last number of years, we have seen that marriage has lost its meaning. People have suddenly embraced the western culture that seem to influence “equality and rights” in marriage. Such are good, but if swallowed haphazardly, would have negative results. It is no longer surprising to hear that a young couple has filed Summons for a decree of divorce after having celebrated their wedding within the same month. The important question that arises is whether we are still taking the marriage covenant seriously or people are entering into marriage out of convenience.

How then can the Church intervene to reduce the divorce and rates of separation? These days when a young couple is preparing for marriage they are easily worried of the glamour of their wedding day. Wedding colours, the theme, the design of the wedding gown, the bridal outfits, the venue of the wedding and the type of cake that they want on the day seem to have taken over the real essence of marriage. It is worrying to know that despite these young couples preparing for the big day they are not yet fully equipped on how to endure the marriage life as well as the difficulties and joys awaiting them.

As an Attorney, I have to come to learn that at times people quickly resort to institute divorce proceedings at court for unreasonable reasons without trying to solve the problems

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the United States of America where Church leaders in 220 cities signed up the general policy statement.

in their marriage. Some immediately regret why they filed divorce proceedings, but by then it will be too late. The marriage vow “for better or worse” is not really understood by couples. Misinformation can be pointed at as one of the causes. This results from poor preparation of the couples.

The other causes for divorce are poverty, medical grounds and adultery. Equally, social media has contributed largely feuds in marriages.

Social media has done more harm than good in marriages.

In light of challenges in marriages, one wonder whether divorce is the way out. In Matthew 19:8 Jesus responded to the question on the Mosaic Law on divorce: “because of your hardness of the heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” This scripture is a true reflection of divorces in the present day, couples have quickly forgotten what reconciliation means, and they tend to hold very small grudges up until they turn into a very big problems. Some fail to seek counselling or assistance from third parties to solve their problems. Divorce becomes the only way out.

As a result young innocent children suffer emotionally, spiritually, morally and at times financially.

Resources are depleted, leading to poverty, emotional problems, depression, poor academic results.

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Some have stunted moral and spiritual growth leading to adopting immoral standards. Lack of parental guidance drive them to becoming teen parents and the likelihood of committing crime. Do couples exhaust all possible avenues to solve their problems before they settle for separation or civil divorce? Humility and prayer ought to be sought always.

In this year of mercy, the words in the Lord’s Prayer “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” ought to begin making sense, especially with married couples. Holding grudges does not help, rather, communication should be the unifying pillar.

Both should realize that mistakes are common and can only be solved by humility and prayer. Seek reconciliation through mediators from the church and other experts. Forgiveness is a virtue that has to be practiced.

In Matthew 19:9 Jesus is justifying divorce only on the grounds of sexual immorality, but this does not mean that a couple should divorce because of sexual immorality. While separation at times is unavoidable as opposed to divorce, some marriages can be repaired, forgiveness, healing and changing can save the marriage. The church needs to adopt a general policy statement to prepare and support couples getting married or already married and use mentoring such as the policy adopted in

The church needs to actively promote good marriage preparation through practical catechesis and pre-marital classes in the youth guilds, instilling respect for one another and for the institution of marriage early in our Christian lives.

The church needs to work on the promotion of ongoing marriage enhancement for all couples through retreats, marital classes, conferences and seminars. Marriage coaching should be done invoking the traditional ways, for culture remains a binding factor. This strengthens the bond between the couple, and their families of origin.

Prayer sessions should abound for couples, especially retreats that can be used as reflected in the Tyler Perry movie “Why did l get married”?

The Church needs to intervene to help rebuild marriages in trouble by establishing counseling departments at every parish or deanery.

Professional counseling need to be encouraged for this is a tool that has not be effectively used.

The Church needs to create a department headed by a lay married couple to take charge of the ministry, with support from the clergy.

The reason why a lay couple ought to run the ministry is because the married couples have that experience, just like what happens with the Marriage Encounter. This lay couple will obviously need prayer, support and encouragement. Good mentorship that reminds couples that marriage is divine yet is human, therefore both parties have to submit to God through prayer, respect for each other. Raising children in its own, especially for professional women has its own toils to the marriage.

Rutendo Clare Muchenje is a parioshneer at St Matia Kalemba in Norton, a legal practitioner in Harare

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Child Protection Workshops by the ZCBC - Education Commission Child Abuse still remains a topical issue in Zimbabwe as a country and it is unfortunate that most child abuse cases go unreported. Some of the reasons why these child abuse cases go unreported are that the general populace lacks knowledge on the reporting procedures of child abuse allegations and fear of the perpetrator. In some cases, there is protection of the perpetrator simply because he or she might be the bread winner of the family, fear of stigmatization of the victim of abuse and general belief that the issues concerning child abuse should be dealt with by the Children’s Rights NGOs whose mandate is to ensure the protection of children.

The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference-Education Commis-

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sion in conjunction with the Jesuit Education Office has been working towards raising of awareness on Child Abuse, Child Protection as well as the provisions of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference Child Protection Policy which was endorsed by the Episcopal Conference in 2014.

The ZCBC-Education Commission team of facilitators which includes the ZCBC National Education Coordinator, Sr Theresa Nyadombo HLMC, Rev. Fr. Romeo Chirenje and Ms Rungano Bakasa have been going around all the dioceses carrying out Child Protection Workshops to the Clergy and Religious as well as the laity and representatives of Catholic institutions. The aim of the workshops was to raise

Rungano Bakasa awareness on the provisions of the ZCBC Child Protection Policy as well as distribution of the policy document in all the dioceses as well as raising awareness on the forms and symptoms of Child Abuse, the legal framework of the country concerning the protection of children as well as the definitions of child protection and the different ways of protecting children by creating child friendly environments.

The workshops also touched on the topical issue of human trafficking.

Children are being trafficked for different reasons which include rituals and for child labour in neighbouring countries and beyond.

It is important to note that most of the perpetrators of Child Abuse

“Blessed are the merciful”

are the people who are around us, the close relatives and neighbours, therefore when protecting children, one must also protect them from the very familiar people.

It is also important to state that children have a responsibility to take care of themselves despite being under the care of adults. Relations and cultures have been used to grossly abuse children. Therefore the ZCBC Child Protection Policy encourages the children to be aware that their bodies belong to them and that no one should touch them inappropriately. They should be taught to trust their feelings and share them with parents or guardians and not to keep secrets that make them feel uncomfortable or hurts their bodies. Children are also encouraged to avoid situations that can lead one into being abused which include befriending older people and misusing the internet. The workshops emphasized the need to allow children to develop a high sense of alertness and openness, so that they are aware of potential danger and in case there are threats, they can easily report or alert a trusted adult. It is unfortunate that most children are not prepared thus when they are violated, they have no knowledge of how to proceed.

The ZCBC-Education Commission team of facilitators is emphasizing on the importance of reporting cas-

es of child abuse. It is everyone’s responsibility to report cases of child abuse. Keeping silent is not an option. There is need to protect our children because they are a gift from God and the future of the Church and the nation as a whole.

Reporting Cases of Child Abuse The ZCBC Child Protection Policy states that each institution is supposed to form a Committee which is composed of the Child Protection Officer (CPO) who chairs the Child Protection Committee and networks with other agencies so as to keep up to date with Child Protection Issues.

The Child Protection Committee is also made up of Child Protection Advisors (CPAs).The policy document states that the committee should be composed of one or two advisors who have expertise in the area of Child Protection; they could be legal or medical practitioners, social workers or psychologists. They should have a working understanding of the Zimbabwe legal system and that they should be impartial with respect to the diocese and the religious congregation and free of any conflict of interest.

The contact details for the members of the Child Protection Committee will be widely and publicly displayed at Catholic Institutions so that anyone who needs to report

cases of child abuse is able to do so.

The Child Protection Committee will hold a meeting concerning the reported case within 24hours .The committee works hand in hand with the Zimbabwe Republic Police in terms of handling the matter.

However in situations where the Child Protection Committee is yet to be formed, there is need for the individual to do the following; Keep all evidence of the abuse.

This can be done by ensuring that the victim does not take a shower or dispose of clothes that were worn during the time of the abuse or wash them.

Going to the hospital at the earliest convenient time Reporting to the police. It is important to know that there is need to go to the hospital first before reporting to the police. At every government hospital there is a police station such that one is attended to immediately.

Rungano Bakasa is a Child Protection Officer at the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference-Education Commission. She holds a BSc. Honours Degree in Sociology and a Masters Degree in Gender and Development.

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“Blessed are the merciful�

Welcome to an out of town simple, quiet and peaceful place ideal for personal or group prayer, retreats, meetings and workshops: with affordable accommodation, conference facilities and meals

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Silveira House Jesuit Social Justice and Development Centre Arcturus Road, Chishawasha Box 545, Harare Tel: +263 4 293 5845, Mobile: +263 772 147 794 Email: registrysh@gmail.com

“Blessed are the merciful”

The tragedy and pitfalls of the National Healing and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe Inos Chimire SJ

Violence, hatred, injustice, corruption, oppression, and all such evils abound in Africa. Zimbabwe is no exception. It takes heroic fortitude just to turn on the daily news. And this evil isn’t abstract, but is real. It has a name. Events in our contemporary Zimbabwe mirrors a reality we all know, a reality that breeds despondency, and creates an oblique future. Its origin is ugly, it is sinful and is horrifically destructive. One such major sin, that Zimbabwe has avoided confronting is the 1980s episode, Gukurahundi, followed by the 1990s farm invasions, then later

the 2000s political violence, economic plunder, social and national alienation of Zimbabweans.

A brief History For Zimbabweans, Gukurahundi remains one of the major events which will always determine our worldview. Lest we forget, In October 1980 the then Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe signed an agreement with North Korea to train the 5th Brigade whose recruits were mainly Shona guerrillas. This Brigade was directly answerable to Mugabe himself and they carried

out a covert mission, that of eliminating all suspected dissidents. The government stage-managed an arms caches in 1982 to stage a split with Joshua Nkomo under the pretext of an attempted coup on his government by Nkomo .

Former Zipra soldiers in national army were victimized, some disappearing and killed. This resulted in lawlessness in Matabeleland and some parts of Midlands, thereby giving South African apartheid government an opportunity to infiltrate Zimbabwe. Mugabe ceased this opportunity to task the 5th Brigade, in an operation code named “Gukurahundi” to unleash repression across the whole of Matebeleland and parts of Midlands. It waged a campaign of terror instigating beatings, arson and mass murder targeting civilians including women and children. It carried out public executions which were done randomly .

The Pitfalls Addressing such issues like Gukurahundi and many other events in life changes us and gives us fresh meaning and purpose. Such significant events focus our attention, engages us and moves us emotionally. It is a tragedy that these issues in Zimbabwe are simply considered as “moments of madness” without honestly confronting the perpetrators. Because of this, memories are kept alive and forever fresh in our memory. Such memories take our life away. Avoiding them makes reconciliation and healing very difficult and they obscure any success the nation achieved.

For quite some time, Zimbabweans expressed a dire need for the establishment of a truth seeking mechanism to handle the issues

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raised above. All the efforts and the implementation of any suggested mechanisms were and are still being compromised by the need to avoid expensive reparations, political and leadership wrangles compounded by a perennial leadership deficit. It is a pitfall that the nation that requires healing and reconciliation, entrusts the search for these fundamental values of our lives in the hands of the same perpetrators. The leadership whose end is destruction and whose god is the belly, whose glory is the shame, whose mindset is on earthly things, set on plundering the little resources and destroying the little peace the country has.

True national healing and reconciliation is impossible under the guidance and leadership of organs whose members are appointed by the current regime. It is a regime that celebrates and presides on moral decay, a regime whose values are eaten and the remaining ones are being feasted on by rats and moth.

Our leadership has built a murdering national conscience where the nation has lost the sense of shame.

They failed to realise that shame has no medicine. Utterances about Gukurahundi, pre and post electoral violence has become “an acceptable norm” in Zimbabwe. Some, who have the facts play the “official secrets act” game, and will never

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reveal any such abnormalities, because they too are perpetrators.

Can a nation under the leadership of “The Lord of Flies” attain any healing and reconciliation? Instead of preaching the Gospel of reconciliation and healing, they are so divisive and threatening whatever effort is being made by the Zimbabweans. It’s like stealing the pulpit from the church. It is impossible for the nation to achieve the goals of the process of healing and reconciliation when its general populace is busy sanitising the madness exhibited by the national leadership. The general populace is busy stampeding to honour murderers, greeting them with a supported hand, bending down for them and giving them special seats. That’s sanitising the madness. All these pitfalls can be avoided if all the stakeholders make an attempt to adopt the following recommendations.

Recommendations The national leadership should be the social and ethical pillars of the nation. It should be the first to change. It should be our first port of call if we need true and genuine healing and reconciliation to take place. We need to take a leaf from other African nations like South Africa, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.

Lessons from these countries show that for any healing and reconciliation process to succeed, historical violations and injustices must be taken into consideration for they shape our society. The post-independence Zimbabwe is marked by serious but deliberate human rights, social and economic violations that left our society broken. We need to examine them and learn the truth surrounding them in-order to achieve national healing and reconciliation. Whatever mechanism we adopt should hold highly the values of accountability and responsibility.

It should not be a vehicle of impunity for perpetrators of violations and injustice.

We also need to come up with victim-friendly mechanisms and implement them as soon as possible.

The mechanisms should be able to address socio-economic and legal-historical transitional and distributive justice. Issues like poverty, inequality and marginalisation should be at the core of this transitional and distributive justice mechanism. There is need for avoiding selective application of transitional justice measures. Perpetrators serving in the judiciary system should not be involved in-order to avoid unnecessary amnesty to politicians and low and middle level perpetrators.

“Blessed are the merciful”

An independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission or a clearly independent National Peace and Reconciliation Commission mandated with investigating the violations and injustices can go a long way in bringing the required healing and eventually the long desired reconciliation. The civil society must lobby to ensure that no perpetrator is appointed to any commission. Those who served or are still serving and implementing abusive policies under the current regime must not be appointed for they are capable of sabotaging the justice measures that are needed to bring them to account and offer closure to various victims. It will allow the victims to air their grievances and the government and other perpetrators to respond and delineates the notion that the current Zimbabwean government is an extension of the Smith regime and its colonial evils.

Truth- telling as a sign of moving into a new era of accountability.

In sum, a society recovering from the trauma of state violence needs as much truth as possible. Without it, a society remains infected with past evils that will inevitably break out in future. Truth-telling not only

Book Review

exposes lies, but establishes a sacred space where others may gather who will no longer tolerate lies.

The civil society should lobby for the support of the international community in coming up with such a needed strong transitional and distributive justice mechanism. The system will definitely need funding and expertise. This is where international organisations like the United Nations Voluntary Fund for victims of Torture comes in. Another possible source of funding for this mechanism can be the tracing and returning of huge amounts of ill-gotten funds, stashed in foreign accounts.

Church’s Moral responsibility The church’s role is to shape and develop a conscience that is necessary for the advancement of a value-conscious nation that respect human rights. Such a formed conscience gives birth to national peace and healing. A reconciled nation has the capacity to focus as a united force, towards development. With peace comes development. Energies and skills are channelled towards projects that benefit the majority, rather than self-serving focus, of witch hunting that comes as a result of a

leadership that’s scared of its people.

Populorum Progression, the encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI of 1967 notes that development is a new name for peace. It stresses the destiny of the goods of creation to serve the needs of all. It explores the nature of poverty and the conflicts it produces. Pope Paul VI used his encyclical to expand the notion of the common good . The Church as an institution presents a visible unity when dealing with issues of the common good of humanity, an aspect reflected on the stable infrastructure the Church has been able to present in a unified manner as regards issues affecting her .

In the model of the Church as a mystical community, the outside and visible bonds of unity are exhibited through the faith based community that has its foundations in a deep spiritual communion of grace and charity. In light of this, the church has the role of advocacy and pleading for peace. The church is a prophetic voice and the voce of the voiceless.

Inos Chimire SJ: Student at Hekima University College, Nairobi, Kenya

“THE ZIMBABWE WE WANT – free, tolerant, peaceful”

David Kaulemu, ENDING VIOLENCE IN ZIMBABWE, African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching - AFCAST / Konrad –Adenauer-Stiftung (Foundation – KAS), Harare, 2011, 146 pp.

Reviewed by Oskar Wermter SJ This small book, though published already five years ago, is still very relevant. Why? Just remember Itai Dzamara, Paul Chizuze, and Patrick Nabanyana (kidnapped, missing), demolitions of family homes, women brutally beaten at peaceful demonstrations, hate speech and death threats. Violence is part of our culture.

The author who grew up as a “township kid” remembers, “Violence was a normal strategy for settling disputes in sports. It was not out of

the ordinary for a referee to be beaten up by the players and supporters of the losing team….” (p 114).

Ever watched little boys shouting at each other, “Ndinokurova”? Brutality starts early, and armed violence has a long history. “In Africa every conflict must end up with bloodshed” (Morgan Tsvangirai, p.12).

“Our leaders need healing from past violence. …..Both ZANU (PF) and PF-ZAPU had previously resorted to violent resistance after declaring that there was no alternative, giv-

en the arrogance of the settler regime.”(p 13). Once armed violence is your tool for social change, it is difficult to let go of it. “The tool that we thought we could use for a specific task has invaded our veins and grown into a culture with dire results. We must now work very hard to exorcize the impact of that tool.”

(22). The author means the “tool” of violence.

When it seemed that tool had done its work and could now be discarded in favour of a non-violent demo-

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cratic approach to conflict resolution, the rulers did not succeed in bringing about this crucial transition. Mentally they remained in the trenches clutching AK 47s and did not join Parliament and the public conversation.

Democracy is precisely a way to settle disputes about power without violence, but through dialogue based on respect for the humanity of the rival competing for power. The war had not taught the fighters to recognize our common humanity and human dignity beyond ethnic and political boundary lines. The new state lacked this unifying awareness of all of us being human (unhu/ubuntu).

Instead the “revolutionary party” excluded from the new state “anyone seen as opposing the regime [as] a non-citizen, an enemy, subject to violent attack and beyond any protection by the state” (Hammar and Raftopoulos, 4). This government felt no responsibility for “foreigners” and outsiders, and did not include them into the new Zimbabwe.

“It has always needed coercion, and sometimes even violence, against internal dissent and external challenge. It is clear that the ZANU (PF) project has always been an exclusivist one”. “Politicization of food” is the most glaring practical example: “Non-party members have found it difficult to access national resources such as food in times of drought” (p.

5).

The author tries to defend the new leaders, up to a point. He does not want to present them as purely evil.

He concedes that they had good intentions. They merely erred in choosing the wrong means, tempted to use coercion and violence as easy shortcuts. The leaders “justify their authoritarianism and violence on the basis of the ‘good results’ they aim to achieve. For them, ‘the end justifies the violent means’. …..They think that whatever suffering is caused by their actions is necessary or morally justifiable by the good they eventually hope to achieve” (2).

However, the end never justifies the

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means. For an action to be morally good, the means with which to achieve its end must be good too.

Good intentions are no excuse for a strategy that is brutal, violent and inhuman. That the author could have stressed even more. There is a saying that comes to mind here, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Many autocrats and tyrants claim that they intend to build a new and better world. The trouble is, if you want to create heaven on earth, you usually end up in hell. If you coerce people to do what you consider good, by hook or by crook, you destroy their freedom and dignity and thus dehumanize them.

God has created every human being as an end in him or herself, as a person of infinite value whom He loves. Human dignity never allows

us to use persons as mere tools, as means towards an end. People, their welfare and happiness, letting them live their lives to the full as planned by their Creator that must be our first aim. Too often our “heroes” were in fact sacrificial victims of their leaders’ ambition for power.

“People First” indeed - if only that does not become an empty slogan.

You will never build a better world by turning human beings into mere objects, “cannon fodder” fed into a voracious monster called “war”.

Empire builders had great dreams; they invented concentration camps and “ethnic cleansing” to realize them.

So how do we “end violence in Zimbabwe”? By doing away with the dividing line between those that

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are “in” and those that are “out”, between “us” who are included, and “them” who are excluded. We must leave the revolutionary confrontation between the fighters and their enemies behind. That is the past.

We must think first and foremost of Zimbabwe as one. That is the future. Once that is established we can accept many legitimate differences, disagreements and divergent viewpoints to be settled in mutually respectful dialogue and democratic conversation.

Unfortunately, so far “the liberation movement has failed to get rid of the legacy of violence as a form of moving from one phase to another” (Sadomba, 136). The war culture (a

“culture of death” – John Paul II) has to go. “In this war culture, all opponents were seen as enemies, and enemies cannot be fellow citizens in the same country” (133).

Instead we must see in all fellow citizens of whatever party or ethnic background children of God, brothers and sisters whose God-given dignity we must recognize. As such we must act in Solidarity for the Common Good. Water, air, land, food, are given to all of us. The earth is “our common home” (Pope Francis).

Christians know all that. They have the answer to the question, “How can we end the violence in Zimbabwe?”

Why have they not shared more ef-

fectively the word that contains this answer?

David Kaulemu’s book ought to be known by all of us, by all concerned about their precious country.

It throws new light on the history of Zimbabwe, very different from the history of hatred and the glory of violence, as celebrated on our heroes’ acres. Let us not “learn war any more” (Isaiah 2: 4).

The book is out of print. But it is available in university and college libraries. Fortunately, it is also accessible on the website of AFCAST: www.afcast.org.zw.

POETRY

Peace for prosperity

Let us cherish peace For our families, foes and friends Let us uphold peace For love, respect and solidarity In this year of mercy Let us open our hearts And promote peace for all Prisoners, the sick, the poor and the homeless Peace will remove tribal animosity It will reduce political and ethnic violence Peace will cleanse the world Of hatred and of sin We must advocate forgiveness To foster everlasting peace For peace is divine; it is God given A Christ Jesus was the prince of peace Let us pray for peace For us to live in harmony We must champion the cause of peace For eternal progress and prosperity John Gambanga, a member of the CCJP branch at the Holy Name parish in Mabelreign, (wrote this short poem in line with the Year’s International theme of Peace)

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Pope Francis’ PRAYER FOR THE YEAR OF MERCY Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!” You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and gloried.

You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy, you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Amen.

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NOTES

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