Introduction

 

            Since this section of the review bears the title WITNESS, I shall begin my reflection with some autobiographical notes.

            In 1984 the Franciscan Provincial Ministers appointed me as Delegate for Justice and Peace of the Spanish-Portuguese Conference of the Order. Their reason for doing so was that, on one hand, a request had been made by the General Curia that all the Conferences and Provinces should nominate delegates who would animate and promote these values in the life and activity of the friars; and, on the other hand, that they were aware of my interest in these areas; an interest which had spurred me on to organize a meeting on one Saturday evening each month, called ÒSilence for PeaceÓ, in Alcorc—n, (Madrid), where I was then living. I and others with me formed part of a group called ÒChristians for PeaceÓ. This ÒSilenceÓ consisted in placing ourselves with posters in La Calle Mayor Ð in silence, of course, so as to meditate on what we were doing and also to pray Ð and to distribute to those passing by a sheet explaining the words of our posters alluding to current problems about which we were taking a stand.

 

            In line with ÒChristians for PeaceÓ and with the youth pastoral work which I coordinated in our franciscan parish, we also worked in those years in support of conscientious objection and for the holding of a referendum on NATO.

 

           The things which preoccupied me at that time and which continue to preoccupy me still and will do so into the future are matters which have come from away back, from the years of my formation. I studied theology from 1971 to 1976, post-conciliar years obviously, years therefore in which the Church was grappling with one of the great preoccupations of the Second Vatican Council, namely, opening herself to the world, placing herself at the service of the world.

 

            Both during those first years of the seventies and during all my twenty-three years of pastoral ministry I was being convinced and am still convinced that the Christian life was being organized in great part upon certain theories which did not fit in with the image of God which I was wont to derive from my study and meditation of the Bible: God, the Creator, who has made us in his own image and likeness (and herein resides the inviolable dignity of every human being) and charges us with the care and development of the world so that it may contribute to the growth and fulfillment of all human beings; God, the liberator of Exodus, who appeals to peopleÕs consciences in favour of the oppressed; the God of the prophets, defender of the poor, who calls upon his people to be faithful to the Alliance by living lives related to justice and the defence of the weak; the God who deals justly with the oppressed (a theme found in many psalms: Ps.9,10.13; 10,14.17.18.; 72,12-14; 76,10; 103,6); the God who walks with his people, leading them to the promises of Peace, that is, of plenitude of life in all its dimensions (promises of peace to which he also calls all peoples (cf. Is.2,2-4;9.1-4.6; 32,15-18; Mich.4,14); the God of Jesus of Nazareth, who has come so that all of us may have here life in abundance; the God of the Kingdom (the Kingdom of God is a way of life and fellowship characterized by just, peaceful and loving relationships); the God who will judge us not for what we have said or failed to say about Him, but for our conduct towards the poor.

 

1. Ontological-cultist religion and ethical-prophetic religion

 

When I used to look at the world (and still do) through the media of communication, through reading and contact with daily living, what I saw (and see) are a thousand million people living and dying in absolute poverty, wars at various points of the planet, tens of millions of fugitives, serious violations of human rights in many countries, enormous expenses of the arms race with no benefit to human development, eight million poor people in our country, unemployed, drug addicts, people ill with aids, marginalized young people, the old, immigrants, prisoners etc. (Obviously I also see many positive things).

            And in view of that panorama, what are the People of God, clergy, religious, laity, doing? On what does it spend its time and energies? On catechesis and cult, to a great extent. In the above paragraph I have listed broad areas in the majority of which no work is being done in our parishes, and it is not because in many of them the majority of these problems do not exist, but because it is said that there is no personnel to attend to everything. But why are there so few people dedicated to social action? What are the objectives of the formation of young people and adults?

 

            As I have said already, there is a hiatus between what I find in the Bible, the conduct of Jesus in the Gospel, and what we Christians are doing. And it is not because we are all weak and incoherent but because of something more structural, because in great measure we continue to be bogged down in what JosŽ Mar’a D’ez Alegr’a calls ontological-cultist religion in contraposition to biblical religion which is an ethical-prophetic religion[1]. That distinction and that analysis of D’ez Alegr’a are things that enlightened me in their day and I believe that they are still valid

 

1.1           Ontological-cultist religion (I describe it by giving a rŽsumŽ of D’ez Alegr’a)

 

á       The circular concept of history (resulting in the heaviness of the liturgical times which follow the cycle of the seasons). There is no sense of history in the direction of a finality, a fullness capable of responding to human longings. It is a pessimistic concept: there is no escape for the human being in the closed circle of time and history.

 

á       A person finds the way out, salvation, in a cultist identification with God, realized in liturgical mystery.

á       That salvation is individual. History, the human collective adventure, is irredeemable. One must accept it as it is and escape from it by means of cultist religion, towards a salvation which is absolutely meta-historical.

á       In that type of religiosity God is someone with whom we can relate without his asking us about our brothers or complaining about the liberty of the oppressed.

á       In that type of religiosity there is no separation between the sacred (Òthe religiousÓ) and the profane. There are sacred places, sacred days, sacred persons, sacred objects. The meeting with God is produced in those places and days and through contact with those persons and objects, that is to say, fundamentally in cult.

á       Faith consists in the acceptance of certain doctrinal formulas, in the fulfillment of certain traditions and laws and in the cult of God. This God can establish moral demands with regard to the human being, particularly in interpersonal relations (not in social and historical relations), but they are subsidiary.

 

1.2 Ethical-prophetic religion

 

The biblical religion of ancient Israel and the religion of Jesus and the first Christians as we find it in the New Testament is of the ethical-prophetic kind:

á       It has a rectilinear concept of historical time. History is proceeding towards a fulfillment and that fulfillment depends also upon us. The Kingdom of God can arrive sooner or later, depending on our options and behavior in history.

á       God is a liberator and issues calls to a freedom which has an historical dimension (cf. Ex.3, 7-10).

á       The fundamental demand of this type of religion is the love of neighbour which includes a commitment to justice and liberation.. ÒPure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows in their hardships, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the worldÓ (Jm.1,27).

á       This is clear to be seen in the message of the prophets who condemn cultism, to the point that their message can be reduced to two themes: denunciation and the rejection of a cult which lives peacefully with social injustice, and an equally strong denunciation and rejection of the religious syncretism which united the cult of Yahweh with the cult of the baals. The energetic rejection of a cult allied to injustice is a very frequent theme of the prophets. Let us recall Amos 5, 21-24:

 

ÒI hate, I scorn your festivals; I take no pleasure in your solemn assemblies. You present to me your holocausts and offerings but I do not accept them, and I take no pleasure in looking at your sacrifices of fat cattle. Spare me the din of your chanting, let me hear none of your strumming on lyres. But let justice flow like water and uprightness like a never-failing streamÓ

 

Other texts which one may see are: Jer.6,18-21; 7,4-11.21-23; Is.1,10-17; 43,23-24; Os.5,1-2,6; 6,6; 8,13; Am4,4-5; Mich 6,6-8.

 

á       The preaching of Jesus would find its place in the same direction. Jesus announces the coming of the Kingdom of God as the Good News of salvation which frees the poor. In his presentation of his program in the synagogue of Nazareth (cf. Lk.4,16 ff.) he applies to himself the prophecy of Isaiah 61,1-2:

                        ÒThe Spirit of the Lord is on me,

                        For he has anointed me

                        To bring the good news to the afflicted.

                        He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives,

                        Sight to the blind,

                        To let the oppressed go free,

                        To proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.Ó

 

He replied in like manner to the disciples of the Baptist who came to ask him whether he was the hoped-for Messiah (cf.Mt.11,2-6)

 

á       The whole New Testament is oriented towards an ethical-prophetic religiosity. Notice the clarity with which it is expressed in the first letter of St, John:

 

ÒThis is what distinguishes the children of God from the children of the devil; whoever does not live uprightly and does not love his brother is not from God. ( (1Jn 3,10)

ÒMy dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is loveÓ(1Jn 4,7-8)

 

                    (One may also see 1Jn 2,3-4.9-10; 4,12.20)

 

á       In ethical-prophetic religion cult is for love and justice. Cult is either a lived expression of love and justice or a prayer to God that he may convert our hearts to love and justice. The love of neighbour is the sign of love of God. It is impossible to love the invisible God if we do not love the person we see, a person, however, who is ÒsituatedÓ in economic, social and cultural circumstances which can oppress him and impede him from living with dignity. Therefore love cannot avoid raising the issue of justice and liberation. We find Christ among the oppressed whom he is trying to liberate and not elsewhere, as we are told in the parable of the last judgement (cf. Mt.25,31-46)

 

The Synod of Bishops of 1971 made a rŽsumŽ of all this in their document on Òjustice in the WorldÓ:

ÒIn the Old Testament God reveals himself to us as the liberator of the oppressed and defender of the poor demanding from us faith in him and justice towards our neighbour. It is only in the observance of the duties of justice that God is recognized as the liberator of the oppressedÓ.

ÒBy his action and teaching Christ united in an indivisible way the relationship of people to God and the relationship of people to other people. Christ lived his life in the world as a total giving of himself to God for the salvation and liberation of people. In his preaching he proclaimed the fatherhood of God towards all and the intervention of GodÕs justice on behalf of the needy and the oppressed (Lk.6,21-23) In this way he identified himself with his least brethren, as he stated: ÔIn so far as you did this to one of the least brethren of mine, you did it to meÕ (Mt.25,40)Ó.

 

If I have delayed for so long in this area, it is because that vision, as well as reflecting my preoccupations and my manner of understanding and living the faith in Jesus Christ and in the God of Jesus Christ, is also the foundation of the Christian commitment to justice and peace, a commitment which springs from the very heart of faith in the God of the Bible, the God of Jesus Christ. That commitment Òshould situate itself in the strictly theological area since it is essentially bound to the very affirmation of the God of the BibleÓ[2].

 

For two reasons it seems very important to me that this should be a starting point. In the first place, to make it clear that working for the values of justice and peace is not something optional for Christians, since they form an essential part of the Gospel. In the second place, to make it clear that living the commitment to justice and peace is not something ideological but is an experience of faith, in such a way that in these areas in which we believers work in harmony with non-believers of good will, the specifically Christian element is that in this commitment we have an experience of God who acts and saves in history and calls us to collaborate with him.

 

2. Towards a Church preoccupied about justice and peace

 

The magnitude of the change which the Council entailed for the Church is acknowledged in all sectors. But all the changes in the spirituality, in the idea of salvation, in the self-understanding of the Church, in the way of presenting herself before the world and in the manner of understanding her mission, have their root in the return to Sacred Scripture and in the image which is revealed to us there. A God preoccupied for humankind, who is constantly working in all people, religions and cultures through his Spirit, a God who has become incarnate, who has entered into the deepest recesses of the world, sharing all its miseries, who accompanies us in all our works, our ambitions, our searchings: that implies a God who has proved faithful to the world. It is this manner of acting on the part of God which has brought the Church to change its attitude with respect to the world, to history and to society. There is no longer flight, suspicion or indifference, as if that which occurs in the political, economic or social orders had nothing to do with the living out of our faith and the mission received from Christ. The new attitude of the Church, expressed above all in ÒGaudium et SpesÓ, is the positive appraisal of the world, in view of the fact that it has been created by God, redeemed by Christ and called to plenitude, and the appraisal of historical reality in view of the fact that it is there that God reveals himself as the Savior of peoples. Christians, therefore, must be at the service of the world for the purpose of constructing the Kingdom.

 

After ÒGaudium et SpesÓ there are many documents of the Church explaining what was said in the Synod of Bishops of 1971: that the work for justice and peace Òand participation in the transformation of the world appear clearly before our eyes as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, which is the mission of the Church for the redemption of humanity and its liberation from every situation of oppressionÓ (Justice in the World).

Among documents which must be recalled is Evangelii Nuntiandi, in which are established the relation between salvation and liberation and between evangelization and human promotion. Ð development, liberation - of which it is said that they are united by strong ties of an anthropological, theological and evangelical order (see nn. 9, 29,31) with Redemptoris Missio which says that Òthe liberation, and the salvation which the Kingdom of God brings with it, touch the human person in both his physical and spiritual dimensionÓ (n.15).

 

3. THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL ÒJUSTICE AND PEACEÓ

 

Up to this point we have spoken of justice and peace as important values which form part of the message of the Gospel and as components of the Kingdom of God. Now we shall take a new step towards explaining what ÒJUSTICE AND PEACEÓ is: (it is) the ecclesiastical institution which Paul V1 set up to promote within the Church the living out and commitment in favour of those gospel values.

 

           3.1. The origin of JUSTICE AND PEACE

 

Vatican 11, being conscious of the lack of involvement of the greater part of the People of God in the social area, openly formulated the presage that there should be created Òa universal organism in the Church, having as its function to stimulate the catholic community towards the promotion of the development of poor countries and international social justiceÓ(GS 90). And in order to give an adequate response to this desire Paul VI, by means of a Motu Proprio published on 6 January 1967 (Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam) instituted the Pontifical Commission ÒJustice and PeaceÓ.

 

After an experimental period of ten yearsÕ duration, the same Paul VI, with a new Motu Proprio (Justitiam et Pacem) of 10 December 1976, gave the Commission its definitive mandate.

 

At the time of the reorganization of the Roman Curia, accomplished by the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, of 28 June 1988, Pope John Paul II transformed the Pontifical Commission into the Pontifical Council Justice and Peace, ratifying its functions in general terms.

 

3.2 Purpose and Mandate

 

The purpose and mandate of the Pontifical Council are therefore defined, in a synthetic and precise manner, in Pastor Bonus, the text of which we give here:

ÒThe purpose of the Council is to promote justice and peace in the world, in accordance with the Gospel and the social teaching of the Church (art.142)

 

1. It deepens the social doctrine of the Church, striving to have it more amply diffused and applied between peoples and communities, especially with regard to the relations between workers and employers that they may be impregnated more and more by the spirit of the Gospel.

 

2. It gathers information and the results of polls concerning justice and peace, the development of peoples and violations of human rights; it evaluates them and on that basis communicates the conclusions obtained to the assembly of bishops; it promotes relations with international catholic associations and other existing institutions, including those outside the Catholic Church which work sincerely for gaining the benefits of justice and peace in the world.

 

3. It works eagerly for the formation of awareness among peoples regarding the obligation of promoting peace , especially on the occasion of the Day for gaining Peace in the world (art.143).

 

3.3 Areas of Action.

 

A priority task of the Pontifical Council is study with a view to action. This study receives its impulse first of all from the social teaching of the Church, at papal and episcopal level, and contributes to its development. In a special way it is focused on three sectors:

 

JUSTICE. Questions corresponding to social justice, with the specific problems of the labor market; international justice, with problems relating to development and the social dimension. It also promotes reflection, from the ethical standpoint, on the evolution of economic and financial systems, and examines the problem of the environment and the responsible use of the administration of the goods of the earth.

 

PEACE. It is charged with reflecting on the problems relating to war, disarmament, the arms race and the sale of arms, international security and violence under its diverse and changing aspects (terrorism, exaggerated nationalism etc.). The Pontifical Council also fixes its attention on political systems and the catholic commitment in the political sphere. It also takes responsibility for the promotion of the World Day of Peace

 

HUMAN RIGHTS. The Pontifical Council pays particular attention to this aspect which has assumed increasing importance in the mission of the Church. The teaching of John Paul II has pointed very clearly to the dignity of the human person as the foundation for the promotion and the defence of inalienable rights..

 

3.4 Extension of JUSTICE AND PEACE

 

Shortly after the setting up of the Commission for JUSTICE AND PEACE the Episcopal Conferences set about creating Commissions in their respective countries (in Spain on 27 November 1968) and several dioceses of the world did the same. A little later religious Orders and Congregations began to set them up.. Following the pattern of the Pontifical Council, the mission of these Commissions is threefold:

 

á       To enlighten the People of God in areas referring to problems of national and international justice, of development, of human rights and of peace.

 

 

á       To give an impulse and stimulation to the commitment of Christians and citizens in the area of political-social and civic activities.

á       To promote actions in favour of justice, of human rights and of peace that would render operative the contribution of the Church in these areas.

 

4. The spirituality of Justice and Peace

 

JUSTICE AND PEACE ought to be the ÒsacramentÓ of the meeting and the fidelity of God and of the Church with the world. So that JUSTICE AND PEACE may fulfill its mission and so that we who work in it may not be ÒbureaucratsÓ, it ought to be based on a spirituality which may lead it to a (certain) style of life and a methodology of action.

From my experience and that of others, I consider it very important that the commitment to justice and peace be based on a spirituality capable of supporting it. Due to the complexity of those problems which are considered to be ÒfrontierÓ and avantgarde - (one must have one foot in the Church and the other in society) Ð this is a type of work one which is full of conflict, produces much weariness and frustration and brings those who are committed to it to frequently find themselves at the margins of life in the Church or of ministerial life in Orders and Congregations.

 

On 20 April 1967, in an allocution to the recently appointed Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace, Paul VI pointed out the basic principles of that spirituality:

 

ÒBefore our eyes you represent the realization of the last voting of the Council (GS 90). As in other times Ð and today as well Ð once the Church or the bell tower has been constructed, a cock is placed on top of the roof as a symbol of vigilance in the faith and in the whole program of Christian life. In similar fashion, on the top of the spiritual building of the Council this Committee has been placed, which has no other mission than that of keeping the eyes of the Church open, its heart sensitive and its hand prepared for the work of charity which it is called upon to realize in the worldÓ

 

4.1 Eyes open

 

Yes Ð and also our ears open so as to be able to be really present in it (the world). It is a matter of being attentive to life, to what is happening, so as to see and hear the cries of the world in which we live, so as to see life with the eyes of God, to take note of the action of the Spirit in our world, and to listen to the calls we receive from the fact of our collaboration with the action of the Spirit.

 

To be attentive, to listen and see, after the manner of God who is here below, what is happening in life in our day, around us, in its events, in history. We find the christian God above all in the Word Incarnate, in Jesus, the Son (cf.1Hebr.1,1-4). We must find him in and from the crib (cf. Gal 4,4; Rom 1,3; Lk 2,6-7), in and from the bread that is shared, in and from the cross (cf.Jn 6; Lk 22,14.20; Jn 13). And we all know the people with whom Jesus basically walked: the poor, the marginalized, those whom the system did not allow to live, to possess or even to be empowered. It is the kŽnosis of Jesus concerning which the letter to the Philippians speaks to us.

 

It is on this kind of God that Franciscan minority is based. This is the franciscan point of view from which reality may be seen, may be critically judged and shared in; it is that of those who were the preferred of Jesus and of Francis: the poor, those who find themselves destitute and defenceless (cf.CC.GG.OFM 97,2; RFF OFM 143: 162; 180)

 

4.2 A sensitive heart  

 

The work of seeing, becoming acquainted with and getting to know the reality and the suffering of the poor is not something indifferent which is done from a distance or only at a desk. So that the knowledge of the facts may move us to work for their transformation it must have an effect upon us, it must reach down to the depths of our being, to the heart, and move us to compassion. Only what is endured becomes known or, better still, what is a shared suffering.. For the Christian the only genuine knowledge is that which moves us to compassion. As Ellacuria would say: that which moves us to take charge of and to carry the suffering of the people.

 

In order to maintain sensitivity of heart and to keep compassion alive it has always seemed necessary to me to be in contact with the problems and the people who suffer. The social point at which we are situated, our dwelling and our life style can condition to a good extent our view of reality, even to the point of preventing our seeing it and causing us to deserve the reproach of Jesus to his disciples: ÒDo you still not understand, still not realize? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes and do not see, ears and do not hear (Mk 8,17b-18) We Franciscans have a clear understanding from Francis and our GG.CC. what our social position is and the way by which we must exercise compassion. We are called to Òlive as minors among the poor and the weakÓ (1R 9,2; cf. CC.GG OFM 66,1;97,1), and to suffer the consequences of that solidarity which sometimes may be lack of understanding and the cross. (cf.GG.CC. OFM 99)

 

4.3 ÒA hand ready for the work of charity which the Church is called to realize in the worldÓ

 

            Charity is the love of God which must be made present in the world. Welcoming and experiencing God who is love prompts us to place the love of God and of people at the center of our Christian lives. As we have recalled above, love of neighbour is a sign of love of God. But charity or love, understood as the relationship of fraternity and solidarity among people, which strives to make the ÒotherÓ or the ÒothersÓ greater, to posses life more fully and to have ever greater plenitude, (that charity) has different manifestations, depending on the kind of relationships that are established between people: family relationships, marriage relationships, friendship, individual help of a psychological or economic nature etc. One of these kinds of relationship is the structural or the political. In a wonderful document of 1986, ÒCatholics in Public LifeÓ, the bishops of Spain spoke to us of this love or political charity:

 

ÒThe theological life of a Christian has a social and even a political dimension, born of faith in the true God, creator and savior of all and of the entire creation. That dimension influences the exercise of the christian virtues or, in other words, the entire dynamism of the christian life.

From this perspective the social and political dimension of charity acquires all its nobility and dignity. It a matter of the efficacious love of people, which comes into practice in the pursuit of the common good of society.Ó (CVP,60)

(As for political charity), Òthere is rather a question of an active and operative commitment , the fruit of christian love for people, considered as brothers (and sisters), in favour of a more just and more fraternal world with special attention to the needs of the poorÓ (CVP, 61)

 

L. Gonz‡lez-Carvajal gives this explanation of political charity:

 

ÒIn effect, I may approach the other so as to help him directly through my immediate presence. This is how the neighbour appears in the parable of the Good Samaritan. But I can also do so without the need for physical closeness and even without the knowledge of his particular existence. It is sufficient to make a commitment towards respecting the dignity of the diverse social groups to which he belongs: I reach out to pensioners through the system of state pensions, to those employed in the home by means of a collective agreement protecting their rights, to emigrants from abroad through legislation, etc. All these are cases in which the particular individuals are unknown to me while I make them the object of my love and solicitudeÓ.3

 

I would add that many of us have been loving our South African neighbors when at the end of the eighties we strove against apartheid or when two years ago, together with about one thousand NGOÕs in the world, we asked our governments to sign the Ottawa Convention for the abolition of land mines which had slaughtered so many thousands of people, or when we collaborated with Amnesty International by writing to the authorities in those countries where there was disrespect for human rights, requesting the freedom of prisoners of conscience or when we joined in the campaign for the cancellation of the external debt of poor countriesÉ John Paul II , (following PP 47), has repeated on various occasions that the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus should be applied to North-South relations (cf. SRS 33g).

It is precisely that kind of love or political charity which JUSTICE AND PEACE is called upon to support.

 

So, Ô Hands OnÕ for an action geared to transform the Òstructures of sinÓ (cf. SRS 36a, 36b,36c,36f,38f, 39g, 40d, 46e) which oppress and render miserable the lives of so many human beings.

 

5. The manner of working of JUSTICE AND PEACE

 

In practice, the method of work follows the schema Òsee, judge and actÓ. All the activities in which it engages can be placed in one or other of those three stages:

a) See: to listen and to analyze a situation. We have spoken already about attending and listening to the facts. It is also necessary to know how to analyze a situation so as to know the causes and the extent of the problems.

b) Judge: to study a reality in the light of the Gospel, of the Social Doctrine of the Church and, in our case, of Franciscan Spirituality, while also paying close attention to the social sciences. This study and reflection is in function of making suggestions and stimulating the action of the members of the Christian community.

c) Act: to make proposals for action. Action that is not a form of scattered and unconnected activities but which may respond to some objectives capable of transforming the situation and are gospel based.

 

6. Justice and Peace values in the OFM General Constitutions

 

The Franciscan Order has followed a process similar to that of the Universal Church in supporting the causes of justice, peace, human rights, disarmament and ecology4 which has taken shape in the actual OFM General Constitutions (GGCC). In reality these have been elaborated resting on two basic references: Francis and his project of life and the actual sociological context and its demands.

The experience and manner of living of Francis of Assisi have contributed much to these themes with the result that they have had a great influence, as would be expected, on the reflection, the options and the commitment of so many friars throughout eight centuries. In fact we have Òa rich tradition which forms part of our charismÓ 5. A vision with a franciscan background underlines the Òthe fraternal relation between all created beings Ò which says that Òall beings exist in God and are all called to universal brotherhoodÓ 6, and therefore Òit is not sufficient to be-in-the-world. We are called to Ôlive withÕ and share, by way of communion, in participation and universal fraternityÓ 7.

 

However, the General Constitutions have added the analysis of reality from the point of view of rational critique, that is to say, the understanding which we have in our current culture of the structural nature of social acts, as also the theological understanding of the social and political dimension of charity and the historical nature of salvation. In this way the GGCC have introduced an actual re-reading of our vocation and mission. Let us see how they point out what should be the commitment in favour of justice and peace.

 

In art. 1 of the GG.CC. the constitutive elements of franciscan life are gathered together and the second paragraph enumerates the dimensions, options and essential values of our charism; these are to be a kind of index of the content of the Constitutions: ÒThe friars, followers of St. Francis, are obliged to lead a life that is radically of the Gospel in a spirit of prayer and devotion and in fraternal communion; to give witness to penance and minority; and, embracing all peoples in charity, to announce the Gospel to the whole world and by their deeds to preach reconciliation, peace and justiceÓ.

This underscored dimension of our vocation is, like the others, transversal, that is to say, it colors all the chapters of the Constitutions, but it is made especially explicit in chapters IV and V, those which treat of minority and evangelization.

 

 

 

 

6.1 With regard to justice

 

á       The word ÔjusticeÕ is not among the most appropriate words in our franciscan calendar. Among us it has much more weight when faced with the drama (and the injustice) of the poverty of so many millions of human beings: that which in the Church is called the Òoption for the poorÓ.

á       That option for the poor appears in our General Constitutions especially as insertion, as art. 66.1 tells us: ÒSo as to follow more closely and to reflect with greater clarity on the emptying of the Savior, let the friars adopt the life and condition of the little people of our society, staying always among them as minors; and in that social condition let them contribute to the coming of the Kingdom of GodÓ.

á       This option for the poor, since it is a consequence of the manner of acting of God and of our following of Christ, is something demanded of all the friars: After the example of St. Francis, whom God led among the lepers, let each and every friar adopt the option in favor of the ÔmarginalizedÕ, of the poor and the oppressed, of the afflicted and the infirm, and, happy to live among them, let them treat them with mercyÓ.(GG.CC.97,1)

á       From the same spiritual and social outline we shall be able to be Òa prophetic witness against the Ôfalse valuesÕ of our timeÓ (GG.CC.67) and contribute to the coming of the Kingdom of God (cf.GG.CC.66,1)

á       Living among the poor we learn from them (cf.GG.CC. 93,1), we observe what is happening and interpret reality as they see them. In that way we can truly serve them and will be enabled to contribute to their becoming more conscious of their dignity, so as to protect it and promote it. (GG.CC.97,2)

á       From that communion with them we are also called to defend their rights and to denounce all that is injurious to these (cf. GG.CC. 69,1-2 and 97,2). (This aspect of the defence and recovery of rights is among the most recent within our tradition, and would appear to contradict our minority and the dynamic of the Beatitudes which leads to sharing and suffering injustice with the very poor. But this is not so. As J. Garrido says, when the condition of those with no rights is voluntarily assumed and there is no need to recover anything for oneself , that is when one is free for the promotion of liberation, without the inference of other motivations 8).

á       That recovery of rights must be made from the position of minority, while guarding against every temptation to power, and from the position of non-violence (cf. GG.CC.69,1), even avoiding any contempt for or judging of the great, the powerful and the rich (cf.GG.CC.98,1)

á       ÒAlso within the bosom of the Church and the Order the friars must work with humility and integrity so that the rights and dignity of all may be seen to be respected and guaranteedÓ. (GG.CC.96,3)

á       To Òthose people who threaten life and libertyÓ, we must Òoffer the good announcement of reconciliation and conversionÓ (GG.CC.98,2)

 

 

 

 

 

6.2 With regard to peace

The work of announcing and promoting peace has the following characteristics in the GG.CC.

á       All the friars must be architects of peace (cf.GG.CC.68)

á       In order to be peacemakers it is indispensable that they be peaceful from the standpoint of minority (cf. GG.CC.68.2)

á       The strength of the peaceful action of the Minors results from the witness of their lives. Therefore it is essential that the announcement of peace and justice is made above all by their actions (cf.GG.CC.1,2), that peace should be fostered in the mutual relations between the friars (cf.GG.CC. 39) and that we be just with the people who are working with the Fraternity(cf.GG.CC.80,2)

á       The announcement of peace is a priority in the work of evangelization (cf.GG.CC.68,2;85)

á       For the building up of the Kingdom of God, in addition to announcing peace, the friars must denounce Òevery kind of warlike action, every arms race as a most grave scourge for the world and particularly hurtful for the poorÓ GG.CC..69,2)

á       The promotion of justice and peace demands the collaboration of Òpeople of good willÓ in the construction of a more just and worthy society (cf. GG.CC.96-98)

á       In the restoration of peace the Friars Minor have a specific mission as Òinstruments of reconciliationÓ (cf. GG.CC. 1.2; 33,1; 70;98,2)

á       Our life as Friars Minor entails that in our work for peace we must follow the road of non-violence (cf.GG.CC. 68,2; 69,1;98,1)

á       Respect for and care of the environment, Òwhich is threatened on all sidesÓ, also belongs to the work of reconciliation and brotherhood (cf. GG.CC. 71)

 

7. Structures of JUSTICE AND PEACE in the OFM

 

In our Order also, as well as in the universal Church, the need was perceived for creating an organism which would promote these values internally and externally. Therefore in conformity with the General Chapter of 1979, the General Definitorium instituted the ÒCommission for Justice and PeaceÓ in 1981 which later, in 1985, the General Statutes of the Order would call the Office of Justice and Peace (art. 120,1).

Shortly after that the creation of Commissions was begun in a number of Provinces throughout the world. The Plenary Council of Bahia (1983) gave a great impulse to the creation of Commissions in all the Provinces of the Order as well as the formation of teams within the Conferences. In this section I shall briefly describe the structures of ÒJustice and PeaceÓ in the Order. (In the General Chapter of 1991 the name was extended to ÒJustice and Peace and the Integrity of Creation - JPIC.

 

a) An International Office for Justice and Peace at the General Curia

There is a Director, an Vice-Director and an Assistant.

Their function is to Òassist the Minister General and his Definitorium in matters related to justice, peace and the care of creation in conformity with the decrees of the General Chapters and the Plenary Councils so as to maintain the spirit of the General Constitutions and Statutes.Ó

The International Office carries out the work of animation and coordination for the whole Order of the decisions of the General Definitory regarding these areas. It has promoted initiatives in the Conferences for giving support to Brothers and Sisters who suffer because of their faith or of their activities in favour of justice, peace and the care of creation. Initiatives (such as those) in favour of friars taken prisoner in Czechoslovakia (1986), friars and Sisters in Bosnia (1992), Franciscans in Rwanda (1994), friars who work with Òthe landlessÓ in Brazil, and friars engaged in working for human rights in Colombia (1997-1999). The Office collaborates with Government Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, it promotes campaigns for dispatching letters , it has intervened with the Commission of Human Rights of the United Nations (in Geneva). Within the Order itself there is a theme which has captured much interest: the inclusion of these values in initial and ongoing formation and in the work of evangelization, for which a Manual or a Primer on JPIC is being prepared.

 

b) The International Council of JPIC

ÒThe International Council of JPIC of the Friars Minor is a consultative group set by the General Definitory for the purpose of helping the Director of the Office, the General Definitory and the Conferences in their commitment to conscientize, animate and involve the Order in the area of justice, peace and the integrity of creationÓ.

It is made up of the members of the of the International Office, of the Executive Committee and one Delegate from each of the 15 Conferences of the Order.

The Assembly of this Council is convoked by the Director of the International Office once every two years.

 

c) The Executive Committee of the International Council of JPIC

The Executive Committee of the International Council of JPIC is named by the Minister General after having consulted with his Definitorium. Its members are: The Director of the Office of Justice and Peace, who is the President, joined by the Vice-Director and at least four members designated by the Minister GeneralÓ. (Statutes of the International Council, art. 5,1)

Among the duties of the Executive Committee the most important are: To help the Director of the Office in the implementation of the projects and proposals made in the Assembly of the International Council and approved by the General Definitorium. Also, to propose and support new initiatives in the area of justice and peace. (Statutes of the International Council, art. 6). They meet three times a year.

 

d) Teams or Commissions of the Conferences

These are the result of the development of art. 114 of our GG.CC. and of art. 179 of the GG.SS. They are formed from the delegates of JPIC of each one of the Provinces and entities of the Conference. They normally have (and it is fitting that they should have) some statutes which describe clearly who the members are, the duties assigned to them, their economic functioning and the relationship between the Commission and the Conference of the Ministers Provincial.

            In each Conference the problems of each geographical area are treated as well as

those proposed by the International Council.

 

e) Provincial Teams or Commissions

These are formed by the Provincial Delegate and some other friars who have as their mission the animation, promotion and development, in each one of the fraternities of their demarcation, of the values of justice, peace and the care of the environment in accordance with the franciscan charism.

 

9.     JPIC in the Hispano-Portuguese OFM Conference (CONFRES)

 

Although there is a Delegate of JPIC in the Hispano-Portuguese OFM Conference since 1984, it was not until 1996, however, that a Commission for JPIC was established, formed from each one of the entities of the Conference. The following are the functions and duties of this Conference:

 

a)     To promote inter-provincial collaboration and participation of the Provinces in the area of justice, peace and the care of creation by means of common projects.

b)    To promote the exploration of these areas between the friars charged with the animation of JPIC in the Provinces.

c)     To increase awareness of the friars of each Province of the importance of the option for the poor and of work for justice and peace at this moment of living out our franciscan and evangelizing vocation.

d)    To make proposals and to jointly reflect on enlivening the consciences of the friars and the Provinces in this area.

e)     To promote interest and preoccupation for these affairs among our fraternities, parishes and colleges by means of courses, studies, informational, catechetical and liturgical materials, campaigns for solidarity and other activities.

f)     To network with the Office of JPIC in the General Curia and the International Council for JPIC of the Order.

g)     To make contact and collaborate with the Inter-Franciscan Commission for JPIC of Spain and with non-franciscan institutions which work in these areas.

 

10.  Perspectives for the future of JPIC in the Order

 

There has been significant progress within the Order in the experience of and the commitment to these values; at the same time, however, it is true that much remains to be done. I am suggesting some areas in which we should continue to make progress:

 

á       So that we can face the challenges of the present and the future we must begin with a revision of ourselves. There are still many friars who resist facing up to these themes. The great ignorance of the Social Doctrine of the Church which exists, impedes the understanding of the political dimension of human life and the Christian faith, and leads people to view these areas with suspicion. As a consequence there is a rather notable lack of social content in habitual preaching, in catechesis and in religious education. So evidently          there is a lack of social commitment.

 

á       To analyze the use we make of money, where and in what business do we have it invested. To gain greater interest must not be our only objective. We ought to know what they are doing with our money and see that banks and companies do not employ it in unethical dealings..

á       Another area of revision and improvement is the participation of lay people in the life of our parishes. Respect for their rights, recognized in Church legislation, are not always taken into account.

á       So as to act consistently in the pastoral area we need to reflect on the who and the why of pastoral social action, the areas it includes, our ways of being involved and of involving lay people.

á       If we hope to advance in the future it is very necessary that at all levels of the Order we study how to insert these values of justice and peace into the programs of initial formation.

á       One specific area which until now has not been notably present among our preoccupations is that of Òenvironmental justiceÓ, a name which designates a kind of ecology that, far from being romantic, is connected to the problems of poverty, development and the armaments race.

á       Finally, in this age of globalization, we need to advance in inter-franciscan collaboration in these areas. I agree with Fr. Hermann SchalŸck that it would be important for the entire Franciscan Family to consolidate and take ownership of ÒFranciscans InternationalÓ, the NGO of the United Nations (= Franciscan Family International).: ÒA franciscan non-governmental organization solidly backed by the whole Franciscan Family would be a clear and perceptible voice of Francis and Clare in todayÕs worldÓ 9 .

 

 

 

Vicente Felipe, ofm