War, as we know, often begins with the inability to accept the diversity of others, which then fosters attitudes of aggrandizement and domination born of selfishness and pride, hatred and the desire to caricature, exclude and even destroy the other. War is fueled by a perversion of relationships, by hegemonic ambitions, by abuses of power, by fear of others and by seeing diversity as an obstacle. And these, in turn, are aggravated by the experience of war.

As I observed during my recent Apostolic Journey to Japan, our world is paradoxically marked by“a perverse dichotomy that tries to defend and ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust, one that ends up poisoning relationships between peoples and obstructing any form of dialogue. Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation. They can be achieved only on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family of today and tomorrow”.[2]

Every threatening situation feeds mistrust and leads people to withdraw into their own safety zone. Mistrust and fear weaken relationships and increase the risk of violence, creating a vicious circle that can never lead to a relationship of peace. Even nuclear deterrence can only produce the illusion of security.

We cannot claim to maintain stability in the world through the fear of annihilation, in a volatile situation, suspended on the brink of a nuclear abyss and enclosed behind walls of indifference. Asa result, social and economic decisions are being made that lead to tragic situations where human beings and creation itself are discarded rather than protected and preserved.[3] How, then, do we undertake a journey of peace and mutual respect? How do we break the unhealthy mentality of threats and fear? How do we break the current dynamic of distrust?

We need to pursue a genuine fraternity based on our common origin from God and exercised in dialogue and mutual trust. The desire for peace lies deep within the human heart, and we should not resign ourselves to seeking anything less than this.

2. Peace, a journey of listening based on memory, solidarity and fraternity

The Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are among those who currently keep alive the flame of collective conscience, bearing witness to succeeding generations to the horror of what happened in August 1945 and the unspeakable sufferings that have continued to the present time. Their testimony awakens and preserves the memory of the victims, so that the conscience of humanity may rise up in the face of every desire for dominance and destruction. “We cannot allow present and future generations to lose the memory of what happened here. It is a memory that ensures and encourages the building of a more fair and fraternal future”.[4

Like the Hibakusha, many people in today’s world are working to ensure that future generations will preserve the memory of past events, not only in order to prevent the same errors or illusion from recurring but also to enable memory, as the fruit of experience, to serve as the basis and inspiration for present and future decisions to promote peace.

What is more, memory is the horizon of hope. Many times, in the darkness of wars and conflicts, the remembrance of even a small gesture of solidarity received can lead to courageous and even heroic decisions. It can unleash new energies and kindle new hope in individuals and communities.

Setting out on a journey of peace is a challenge made all the more complex because the interests at stake in relationships between people, communities and nations, are numerous and conflicting. We must first appeal to people’s moral conscience and to personal and political will. Peace emerges from the depths of the human heart and political will must always be renewed, so that new ways can be found to reconcile and unite individuals and communities.

The world does not need empty words but convinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects exclusion or manipulation. In fact, we cannot truly achieve peace without a convincing dialogue between men and women who seek the truth beyond ideologies and differing opinions. Peace “must be built up continually”;[5] it is a journey made together in constant pursuit of the common good, truthfulness and respect for law. Listening to one another can lead to mutual understanding and esteem, and even to see in an enemy the face of a brother or sister.

The peace process thus requires enduring commitment. It is a patient effort to seek truth and justice, to honour the memory of victims and to open the way, step by step, to a shared hope stronger than the desire for vengeance. In a state based on law, democracy can be an important paradigm of this process, provided it is grounded in justice and a commitment to protect the rights of every person, especially the weak and marginalized, in a constant search for truth.[6] This is asocial undertaking, an ongoing work in which each individual makes his or her contribution responsibly, at every level of the local, national and global community.

As Saint Paul VI pointed out, these “two aspirations, to equality and to participation, seek to promote a democratic society... This calls for an education to social life, involving not only the knowledge of each person’s rights, but also its necessary correlative: the recognition of his or her duties with regard to others. The sense and practice of duty are themselves conditioned by the capacity for self-mastery and by the acceptance of responsibility and of the limits placed upon the freedom of individuals or the groups”.[7]

Divisions within a society, the increase of social inequalities and the refusal to employ the means of ensuring integral human development endanger the pursuit of the common good. Yet patient efforts based on the power of the word and of truth can help foster a greater capacity for compassion and creative solidarity.

In our Christian experience, we constantly remember Christ, who gave his life to reconcile us to one another (cf. Rom 5:6-11). The Church shares fully in the search for a just social order; she continues to serve the common good and to nourish the hope for peace by transmitting Christian values and moral teaching, and by her social and educational works.

3. Peace, a journey of reconciliation in fraternal communion

The Bible, especially in the words of the Prophets, reminds individuals and peoples of God’scovenant with humanity, which entails renouncing our desire to dominate others and learning to see one another as persons, sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters. We should never encapsulate others in what they may have said or done, but value them for the promise that they embody. Only by choosing the path of respect can we break the spiral of vengeance and set out on the journey of hope.

We are guided by the Gospel passage that tells of the following conversation between Peter and Jesus: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (Mt 18:21-22). This path of reconciliation is a summons to discover in the depths of our heart the power of forgiveness and the capacity to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters. When we learn to live in forgiveness, we grow in our capacity to become men and women of peace.

What is true of peace in a social context is also true in the areas of politics and the economy, since peace permeates every dimension of life in common. There can be no true peace unless we show ourselves capable of developing a more just economic system. As Pope Benedict XVI said ten years ago in his Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, “in order to defeat underdevelopment, action is required not only on improving exchange-based transactions and implanting public welfare structures but above all on gradually increasing openness, in a world context, to forms of economic activity marked by quotas of gratuitousness and communion” (No. 39).

4. Peace, a journey of ecological conversion

“If a mistaken understanding of our own principles has at times led us to justify mistreating nature, to exercise tyranny over creation, to engage in war, injustice and acts of violence, we believers should acknowledge that by so doing we were not faithful to the treasures of wisdom which we have been called to protect and preserve”.[8]

Faced with the consequences of our hostility towards others, our lack of respect for our common home or our abusive exploitation of natural resources – seen only as a source of immediate profit,regardless of local communities, the common good and nature itself – we are in need of an ecological conversion. The recent Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region moves us to make a pressing renewed call for a peaceful relationship between communities and the land, between present and past, between experience and hope.

This journey of reconciliation also calls for listening and contemplation of the world that God has given us as a gift to make our common home. Indeed, natural resources, the many forms of life and the earth itself have been entrusted to us “to till and keep” (Gen 1:15), also for future generations, through the responsible and active participation of everyone. We need to change the way we think and see things, and to become more open to encountering others and accepting the gift of creation, which reflects the beauty and wisdom of its Creator.

All this gives us deeper motivation and a new way to dwell in our common home, to accept our differences, to respect and celebrate the life that we have received and share, and to seek living conditions and models of society that favour the continued flourishing of life and the development of the common good of the entire human family.

The ecological conversion for which we are appealing will lead us to a new way of looking at life, as we consider the generosity of the Creator who has given us the earth and called us to a share it in joy and moderation. This conversion must be understood in an integral way, as a transformation of how we relate to our sisters and brothers, to other living beings, to creation in all its rich variety and to the Creator who is the origin and source of all life. For Christians, it requires that “the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them”.[9]

5. “We obtain all that we hope for” [10]

The journey of reconciliation calls for patience and trust. Peace will not be obtained unless it is hoped for.

In the first place, this means believing in the possibility of peace, believing that others need peace just as much as we do. Here we can find inspiration in the love that God has for each of us: a love that is liberating, limitless, gratuitous and tireless.

Fear is frequently a source of conflict. So it is important to overcome our human fears and acknowledge that we are needy children in the eyes of the One who loves us and awaits us, like the father of the prodigal son (cf. Lk15:11-24). The culture of fraternal encounter shatters the culture of conflict. It makes of every encounter a possibility and a gift of God’s generous love. It leads us beyond the limits of our narrow horizons and constantly encourages us to a live in a spirit of universal fraternity, as children of the one heavenly Father.

For the followers of Christ, this journey is likewise sustained by the sacrament of Reconciliation,given by the Lord for the remission of sins of the baptized. This sacrament of the Church, which renews individuals and communities, bids us keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, who reconciled “all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20).It requires us to set aside every act of violence in thought, word and deed, whether against our neighbours or against God’s creation.

The grace of God our Father is bestowed as unconditional love. Having received his forgiveness in christ, we can set out to offer that peace to the men and women of our time. Day by day, the HolySpirit prompts in us ways of thinking and speaking that can make us artisans of justice and peace.

May the God of peace bless us and come to our aid.

May Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace and Mother of all the peoples of the earth, accompany and sustain us at every step of our journey of reconciliation.

And may all men and women who come into this world experience a life of peace and develop fully the promise of life and love dwelling in their heart.

From the Vatican, 8 December 2019

Franciscus[1] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi (30 November 2007), 1.

[2] Address on Nuclear Weapons, Nagasaki, Atomic Bomb Hypocenter, 24 November 2019.

[3] Cf. Homily at Lampedusa, 8 July 2013.

[4]Address on Peace, Hiroshima, Peace Memorial, 24 November 2019.

[5] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 78.

[6] Cf. BENEDICT XVI, Address to the Italian Christian Workers’ Associations, 27 January 2006.

[7] Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens (14 May 1971), 24.6

[8] Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015).

[9] Ibid., 217.

[10] Cf. SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS, Noche obscura, II, 21,8.

©Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Download the original message here https://caritaszambia.org/index.php/publications/homillies/file/146-the-message-of-his-holiness-pope-francis-for-the-celebration-of-the-53rd-world-day-of-peace

 

PREAMBLE

We the members of the Caritas family drawn from the dioceses of Chipata, Kabwe, Kasama, Livingstone, Mansa, Monze, Mpika, Ndola, Lusaka, Mongu and Solwezi; gathered in Lusaka at Kapingila house from 14th to 17th of June 2019; deliberating on what the Church teaches on the need for increased spirituality of Charity, Justice and Peace; and the call for the Church to be prophetic, vigilant, intrusive, engaging, and always seeking to be part and parcel of decision-making processes;

Scrutinizing the "signs of our times" and seeking to detect the meaning of emerging history while at the same time sharing the aspirations and questionings of all those who want to build a more humane world;

Listening to the Word of God that inspire us to be instruments of justice, peace and love in order to spread this love to all people especially those who are currently suffering from hunger and lack of clean water;

Aware that hungry people are vulnerable and easily manipulated, leading to loss of dignity;

And Having analysed the reports of the hunger situation in Southern, Central, Western, Eastern, Luapula and other parts of the country, we would like to inform the nation of our concerns as well as to make an earnest appeal to all as follows:

The Hunger situation

In order to fully comprehend the hunger situation in the country, the Catholic Church through Caritas Zambia working with diocesan partners gathered information from the affected households using community interviews, focus group discussions, direct observations, and household field visitation in the affected areas. Apart from this fact-finding mission, Caritas Zambia also sent out two teams in Monze and Luapula to have first-hand information on the situation in these two areas. This information was collated with that of the DMMU Rapid Assessment Report of March 2019. These assessments reveal that: 

Southern, Western and some parts of Eastern, Central and Lusaka provinces experienced total crop failure. This means that households in these areas did not harvest anything that would help to sustain their livelihoods up to the next agricultural season. There are fifty districts affected by this situation and households are currently already experiencing serious hunger.

According to the Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC) under the DMMU, a total of 418,969 households were affected by the dry spell hazard.  In the places visited by the Catholic Church agents, 79% of the crops were affected by drought, 13% by floods while 4% were affected by both drought and floods.

Apart from crop failure, the prolonged dry spell during the last farming period has created a water shortage for both animals and people. There are already reports from Gwembe that people are sharing water with animals.

In addition, following the crop failure due to the drought, government, under the Ministry of Agriculture has cancelled the holding of the annual Agriculture Shows in the affected provinces that include Lusaka, Southern and Western provinces. This is clear evidence that the situation is stressful in these areas.

There are currently many households that have nothing to eat and are either surviving from wild fruits or are getting by without any food. This situation will certainly compromise the nutrition and health status of most people especially the children, and if nothing is urgently done, we may begin to experience deaths from hunger.

Evidence of widespread distribution of food staff to all these people is missing. In places where this is happening, the amount of food given is so little that households are failing to meet their food requirements.

In our liturgical celebrations we do pray this way, ‘Open our eyes to the needs of our brothers and sisters; inspire in us words and actions to comfort those who labour and are burned. Make us serve them truly, after the example of Christ and at his command. And may your Church stand as a living witness to truth and freedom, to peace and justice, that all people may be raised up to a new hope’  (Eucharistic Prayer IV, Jesus, Who Went About Doing  Good).

It is the same prayer that says, ‘Grant that all the faithful of the Church, looking into the signs of the times by the light of faith, may constantly devote themselves to the service of the Gospel. Keep us attentive to the needs of all that, sharing their grief and pain, their joy and hope, we may faithfully bring them the good news of salvation and go forward with them along the way of your Kingdom’       (Eucharistic Prayer III, Jesus, the Way to the Father).

It is such prayers that inspire us to do what we do and wish to do as Caritas Family and as members of the Catholic Church and all the people of good will.

Our Appeal to all people of Good Will

The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) through Caritas Zambia in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and CAFOD is putting together relief effort to contribute towards the alleviation of hunger in the affected regions.  This contribution to the government’s efforts will target 10% (42,000 households) of the total estimated number of households (418, 969) currently in dire need of help. And so we call upon Zambians with the ability to make contributions to this noble cause.

Special Appeal to Christians

As followers of Christ, Jesus told us that the mark of being truly his disciple is to respond to the needs of the little brothers and sisters who suffer, “for I was hungry and you gave me to eat.” Mt 25: 35, “…I was thirsty and you gave me to drink…” Mt 25:35. Everyone needs food for the body. However, there are many people in Zambia this time who are getting by without food. This is not as a result of their own fault but as a result of the ravages of Mother Nature influenced by our actions that cause climate change. In this situation, we implore you to consider how good stewardship practices of your own food habits can benefit others who do not have resources to mitigate their hunger situation. It is an act of love to help others to obtain their bodily nourishment, especially those in greatest need.

Remember that many of your brothers and sisters in the affected areas do not have access to clean water and suffer from the lack of this basic necessity. Your support no matter how little will go a long way in saving that little child in Kaoma, Pemba and Kazungula.

Appeal to Politicians

To all political players in these affected areas, we urge you to put aside your partisan inclination in this matter. It is an act of injustice to gain political mileage in a situation where people are in dare need of food and are vulnerable.   Regardless of where the help is coming from, people must not be told to support political party A or B just because they have provided some food to alleviate people’s hunger. Food must be distributed without strings attached.

Appeal to Government

In view of the staggering number of households that have been affected by the floods and the dry spell, we call upon the government to acknowledge the gravity of the problem and declare the affected areas as a disaster. This will help to mobilise resources and the necessary food items that are needed to feed these people from now on and also support them to recover during the next farming season.

Conclusion

Dear brothers and Sisters, remember these words, ‘Caritas Christi Urget Nos- The Love of Christ Urges us’ (2 Cor 5:14). All through Christian history, Jesus Christ identified himself closely with the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick, the prisoners. As followers of Christ, ours is to recognise the face of Christ in the faces of our brothers and sisters who suffer today the effect of poor harvest and on one hand, floods.

The Catholic Church is taking this board step to complement government efforts to provide relief to the affected households in Southern, Western, Lusaka, Eastern, Central and Lunga in Luapula Province. The Church is targeting 42,000 households who have been affected by the unfavourable weather conditions during the 2018/19 production season. In order to help feed these households and also help them to recover from the 2018/2019disaster, ZCCB will need to spend not less than, US$ 9,399,427. Your contribution and help towards this cause will be greatly appreciated.

May Sant Martin De Porres, Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Saint Oscar Romero intercede for us as we begin this journey.

May God bless you,

The World Environment Day (WED) is commemorated every year on 5th June and is the United Nation’s principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment, global warming, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.

Each year, WED celebrations highlight a specific aspect of the environment. This year, the global WED is being celebrated under the theme “BEAT AIR POLLUTION”. In Zambia, the national theme is ‘Combating Air Pollution for a Clean, Green and Healthy Zambia’.

For more, download the entire Press Statement for the World Environment Day 2019 Celebration here http://caritaszambia.org/index.php/publications/general/file/141-press-statement-the-world-environment-day-2019