IMAGE: CNS photo/Abir Abdullah, EPA
By Cindy Wooden
DHAKA,
Bangladesh (CNS) — The themes chosen by the local bishops for Pope Francis’
visits to Myanmar and Bangladesh — “Love and peace” and
“Harmony and peace” — sounded naive or just too “nicey-nice”
to some people.
But
when love, peace and harmony are missing, the situation is pretty much hell on
earth. The Rohingya refugees from Myanmar now living in teeming camps in
Bangladesh could testify to that.
Pope
Francis, on the other hand, wanted to testify to the Gospel. And that meant emphasizing
love, peace and harmony.
The
situation of the Rohingya is an extreme example of what happens when one’s
ethnic or religious identity incites such strong fear or pride or that it creates
ironclad categories of “us and them.”
And
when the lines are drawn that clearly, the migration of the minority group is a
natural result.
Holy
Cross Father Daniel Groody, an associate professor of theology and global
affairs at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, told Catholic News Service he
had been in Myanmar a year and a half ago studying the situation of the
Rohingya, as they identify themselves, or the undocumented Muslims from Rakhine
state, as the government refers to them.
“They
are the most stateless people I have ever encountered,” Father Groody
said. In Myanmar, “they are not only undocumented, they are so totally
defined as ‘other’ that they are considered nonpersons.”
Some media and human rights groups criticized
Pope Francis for accepting the advice of local Catholic leaders and not
referring to the Rohingya by name while in Myanmar.
The
wisdom of that decision will probably be debated for some time.
“But
I think his very presence says everything,” Father Groody said.
Pope
Francis has not publicly berated any government official of any country during
a visit. He treats them with respect, listens and — drawing on the values they
profess — he tries to show them what the next step toward the common good
should be.
“It
requires real care,” Father Groody said. “You wouldn’t want to see
him do this gangbuster prophecy thing and ride into the sunset, thinking he’d
done the heroic thing. I think he’s not just trying to be heroic; he’s trying
to be a bridge-builder.”
“There’s
real heroism and courage in just being able to build bridges,” the priest
said. “In the long run, that may be more effective, and in the end, that’s
what matters.”
Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias
of Mumbai, a member of the pope’s international Council of Cardinals, was in
both Myanmar and Bangladesh for Pope Francis’ visit.
In his
own country, the cardinal has seen how the identity question and ethnicity and
religious belonging can become points of social tension. But it wasn’t always
that way, he told CNS.
Growing
up, he said, the neighbors in his apartment building in Mumbai were Hindu,
Muslim and Christian. “We were very good friends. We never saw a different
religion or culture as the basis for any division.”
“Now,
all of a sudden, I must say that it has changed, and I blame politicians for
this,” he said. “Politicians used and are still using religion to get
votes.”
And
in neighborhoods where people just accepted that they each had their own faith
and culture, the cardinal said, now people are starting to think, “Oh, he
is different from me.”
Playing
up differences has had deadly results in Myanmar and India and in many other
places around the world. And the fear caused by those acts of violence and
terrorism have fed isolationism and an exaggerated “us-first” attitude.
In
response, Cardinal Gracias said, “the whole Christian Gospel value of love
seems a cliche — but it is a commitment, love is a decision to imitate
Jesus” and rescue those in danger and help those in need, including
migrants and refugees.
Obviously,
he said, reasonable measures must be taken to ensure people allowed into a
country are not coming to do harm.
“There’s
a real point there, but on the other hand, when you see the tremendous amount
of suffering people have undergone, when they are fleeing persecution, economic
injustice and violence and they are looking for a better life and to contribute
to society, you have to act,” he said.
Or,
as Father Groody said, “A sovereign state’s right to protect its borders
is a recognized right,” including in Catholic social teaching, “but
it is never seen as an absolute right and never as reason for violating human
rights. Sovereign rights must be evaluated in view of human rights and the
universal destination of goods, which means that every human being should have
at least the minimum necessary for a dignified life.”
As
for the identity question, the Holy Cross priest said that while religion and
ethnicity are often important factors in a person’s self-description, for
Catholics people have an identity that goes even deeper: They are children of
God.
Pope
Francis flew halfway around the world to let all the people of Myanmar and
Bangladesh know that’s how he sees them. But he went especially to let the
Rohingya know.
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Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden.
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