9th November, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the feast of the Dedication of the
Lateran Basilica, which is considered the head and mother church of all
churches in the world. On the front wall of the basilica there is an
inscription in Latin which reads: “the mother and mistress of all churches of
Rome and the World”. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the
diocese of Rome and, therefore, it is the Pope’s church.
In celebrating the dedication of the Pope’s cathedral we
show our unity with the Pope and our love and respect for him. We also show
that we are united with all our Catholic brothers and sisters in the dioceses
of Papua New Guinea and in the whole world.
In this spirit, I wish to share with our Catholic faithful
of the Archdiocese of Rabaul the stand of the Catholic Bishops of Papua New
Guinea on the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
The Catholic Church and APEC
The primary task of the Catholic Church in PNG is to bring
the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of PNG. As such the church adopts no
particular position on political or economic issues except to bring gospel
values to this part of life.
However, since the Catholic Church is known and expected to
speak for those without a voice, and has a reputation for its concern for the
rural poor of PNG, many have asked us for our position on APEC. We have
addressed this issue many times in the past and more recently appealed for a
return to the division of powers that could ensure that political power and the
equitable distribution of wealth are kept separate.
We share the concern of many about the huge amount of our
limited resources being expended on this event which seems designed to
entertain and impress the rich and powerful.
Since this event cannot be avoided anymore, we can only hope
for its “success”, which can only mean that the welfare of the poorest people
of PNG will somehow indirectly be improved. Although we all would like to make
a good impression on our visitors, this cannot be at the expense of the truth.
So we must now look to “life after APEC”. This has to be a
life where we will see a return to the principles and values of our national
constitution and the national goals and directive principles on which our
nation was built. In our 43 years as an independent nation we have seen a
serious decline in implementing the principle of equity and participation.
There is simply not an equitable distribution of the national wealth to all.
Despite all the rhetoric, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting
poorer. APEC seems to be a manifestation of this gap as the whole of PNG
watches billions being spent on appearances in Port Moresby while we experience
teachers and health workers without pay and health centres without medicine,
while all departments are to expect less than 60% of their official budgeted
allocations. It is a fact that many people in the remote areas of Papua New
Guinea, including those in the cities who are still economically “remote”, are
suffering and dying in order to make APEC a “success”.
As we present ourselves to the world as a nation capable of
pulling of major international event, we must still ask ourselves to what
extent we are truly sovereign and self-reliant. We are very much aware, and our
informal off the record conversation with some of our national leaders confirms
this, that PNG is no longer in control of its own economic enterprise and
production. Those of us in the forefront of Provinces with extensive logging
and oil palm know exactly how much we have sold out to foreign interests.
The big show of APEC is not the experience of the majority
of Papua New Guineans. Though they may rightly hope to make a good impression
on visitors, they also rightly hope for a return to true normality when it is
all over and we are able to count the cost, start repaying our debts, and
re-establish our priorities; that is to prioritize the rural poor and not the
urban rich.
Dear brothers and sisters, the above statement of the
Bishops is a clear sign that the Church will continue to be the moral conscience
of the nation and to be the voice for the voiceless.
On Sunday, 18th November, we will celebrate the “Second
World Day of the Poor”. Pope Francis in his message wrote: “The World Day of
the Poor wishes to be a small answer which the whole Church, spread throughout
the world, gives to the poor of every type and in every land lest they think
that their cry has gone unheard”.
And the Holy Father concludes his message with these words:
“I invite my brother bishops, priests and, in particular, deacons, on whom
hands have been laid for the service of the poor (Acts 6:1-7), as well as
religious and the lay faithful – men and women – who in parishes, associations
and ecclesial movements make tangible the Church’s response to the cry of the
poor, to live this World Day as a special moment of new evangelization. The poor
evangelize us, helping us to discover every day the beauty of the Gospel. Let
us not waste this opportunity for grace. Let all of us feel on this day that we
are debtors towards the poor because, stretching out our hands reciprocally one
to another, a salvific encounter is created which strengthens our faith,
renders our charity active and enables our hope to continue secure on the
journey towards the Lord who is returning”.
+ Francesco Panfilo, SDB
Archbishop of Rabaul
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.