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PAGE 5 — The Georgia Bulletin, November 9, 1989 Ivan J. Kauffman Europe 50 Years Later “May this Assembly be a lucid and bold awakening so that, despite the scandal of our divisions, we may together mend our ways...” -Cardinal Roger Etchegaray Pontifical Commission on Justice and Peace Basel, May 9, 1989 Seventy-five years ago World War I broke out in Europe. Fif ty years ago World War II began in the same place. Both wars caused death, misery and destruction on a scale previously unknown in human history. What is even worse, they were largely fought on both sides by soldiers who were Christians. This spring the top leaders of all the European Churches—Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant—met in Basel, Switzerland in an unprecedented assembly which declared that “War must be abandoned as a method of settl ing conflicts.” Every nation on the continent, from the Soviet Union to Spain, was represented, except for Albania. The 700 delegates included more than 40 Catholic bishops. The assembly was jointly sponsored by the European Catholic Bishops and the European branch of the World Council of Churches. Although ignored by the U.S. press, it was covered by more than 300 European reporters. One of the many lay delegates was a woman from East Ger many. She told the assembly, “Fifty years after the beginning of the Second World War I have come to realize just how singular our guilt as Germans is.” But then she pointed out that all the European churches shared the beliefs which have made these deadly wars possi ble in the very heartland of Christian civilization. “As a seven-year old I was taught that ‘war is terrible but there will always be wars’,” she said. “Wars were accepted as blows of fate and the periods between wars were used to recuperate, and to bear, educate and equip a new generation for another war.” The Church’s doctrine of the just war, she said, “served at best only as a feeble brake. The assailant could always find arguments to show that his particular war was just.” The result was that “Christian men destroyed each other with in struments and methods of increasing sophistication.” The European Church leaders confess in their final docu ment that the Churches of Europe "have caused wars and have failed to use all opportunities of working towards recon ciliation and mediation; we have condoned and often too easily justified wars.” But the European Church leaders do not think simple pacifism is the answer. “To say goodbye to war, it isn’t enough to say hello to peace!” said Cardinal Etchegaray, president of the Vatican’s peace and justice commission. Making Peace “True peace is always peace with justice” the assembly document states. It notes that when peace and justice are separated we end up trying to preserve our own peace “at the expense of others, especially the weak which have no power and voice to defend their dignity and their rights.” But neither does the document believe justice can be achieved through violence. “We strongly affirm the impor tance of non-violent, political means as the appropriate way of seeking to bring about change in Europe,” it states. “There are no situations in our countries or on our continent in which violence is required or justified.” For Europeans this document has the same kind of ground breaking importance which the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ peace pastoral has had here. It marks yet another major step in the steady movement which the Church everywhere is taking to replace the doctrine of the just war with a new, as yet undefined doctrine which aligns Christians with the forces of non-violent change. The document concludes with St. Francis’ Prayer for Peace. The entire assembly, which stressed the connections between peace, justice and concern for the environment, reflects a growing consensus in Europe that the way of St. Francis can no longer be dismissed as idealistic. The alter native is World War III, and no one thinks Europe can survive another war. Monsignor George C. Higgins The Yardstick More Needed Than Hero's Welcome Almost a decade ago, I had the privilege of addressing the first and, until the present day, only congress of Solidarity, the Polish workers’ movement. Then Solidarity’s mood was cautiously optimistic. There was reason to fear, of course, that the movement might be suppressed at any moment. But that neither intimidated nor immobilized its courageous leaders and newly liberated members, who numbered in the millions. Their spirits were high as they worked feverishly to consolidate their initial gains and to lay the foundations for a permanent movement. A year later the movement was brutally suppressed. But on subsequent visits to Poland I could sense that the movement remained very much alive. Lech Walesa, Solidarity’s legendary leader, expressed the resoluteness of the movement with great clarity when, a few years later, he wrote in his autobiography: “If nothing is done to satisfy the basic needs and aspira tions of our people, then, rather than resign themselves to in action, they will fight, and whether it’s in a day or whether it’s in 10 years, Solidarity will be born again.” The Polish workers had one goal: the right to contribute, in and through their own movement, to the common good of their beleaguered nation. Their hope was that they would be able to do so, not against, but in cooperation with their own government and with other organized groups in a pluralistic, democratic Polish society. As Walesa said when he received the Nobel Peace Prize, “I still believe the day will come when we will sit together at the same table and come to an understanding about what is best for Poland, because whether we like it or not, we have no choice but to come to an understanding; there is no other solution.” Solidarity members were prepared to struggle for this goal until the bitter end. This, of course, was nothing new for the Polish people. Throughout their tragic history, they have shown that they are a fearless and valiant people in their ef forts to gain their freedom and independence. Walesa exemplified this Polish tradition. Jailed for almost a year under conditions of complete solitude and extreme psychological pressure, he kept full faith with Solidarity. Upon Walesa’s release, he said that he had sought an agreement with the Polish regime, but “not on my knees.” “I am a man for agreement,” he said, “and I want to do something for us all. But I will always say what I am thinking, because I have not changed.” Walesa has always believed, as he has repeatedly told the press and the Polish government, that there could be no retreat from the Gdansk agreements that led to Solidarity’s birth. The spirit of the agreements, he said, “is immortal. It cannot be defeated.” The rest of the story Is known to all the world. Solidarity has indeed been born again and now heads a history-making coalition government committed to the highest principles of freedom, justice and political democracy. When Walesa visits the United States in a few weeks, Americans will have an opportunity to celebrate with him and his confreres Solidarity’s historic victory. But celebrating will not be enough. The new government in Poland needs more than our con gratulations and best wishes. It needs technical and financial assistance, both public and private, in massive amounts and without delay. Here’s hoping that Walesa's visit will produce significant results in this regard. Copyright (c) 1989 by Catholic News Service Father Eugene Hemrick Unleashing A New Vitality As we move into the 21st century, what must parishes do to unleash the “hidden energy of the word of God” that Pope Paul VI spoke of in his great document on evangelization, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”? With the increase in priestless parishes and the other tax ing problems parishes face, where might parishes look for new vitality? One answer might be in the development of base ecclesial communities (basic Christian communities) patterned on those that originated in South America and in Africa. Base ecclesial communities are small groups of lay people who come together regularly to pray and to intensely study the Scriptures. These get-togethers are designed to develop communities so deeply formed by the Scriptures that their life becomes one with the word of God. It always has been from such a union that the hidden energy of the word was released. The goal of these base communities is to direct that energy to the service of others and especially to inspire a parish to a livelier and deeper faith. Often the members of these groups have been very poor. In fact, the word, “ecclesial” in the phrase “basic ecclesial communities” refers to the connection between the group and the parish. Their existence benefits the parish. All their study, prayers and works of mercy and justice should be con nected with the parish. These groups are not to become an elite gathering doing their own thing. Nor should they ever start to feel that their spirituality is better than that of others in the parish. In one way or another every parish has small ecclesial com munities. Those in them aren't necessarily living in poverty. But they are people who are more interested in enriching a parish than receiving enrichment from it. They are interested especially in giving service beyond what is asked. Often these small groups go unnoticed by all except those who are the recipients of their goodness. Members visit hospitals, call when they hear of someone’s ill fate, are there to listen to another’s troubles and always seem to be organiz ing something or some group in order to meet a need or fight a worthy cause. They are blessed with powerful antennae to pick up stress calls and to sense injustices as well as opportunities for mak ing the parish a real home, spiritually and socially. Sometimes *hese people seem to be too good to be true. The Human Side Yet, if you study them closely they are not do-gooders but are driven by interior goodness. They have the aura about them of being in the service of a higher being. Since the day of their inception parishes always have need ed renewal. Today’s parish is no exception, although there seem to be more problems that besiege it. Many parishioners find themselves fighting a war against drugs or facing other depressing predicaments heretofore unknown. Parishioners seek urgent support from their parishes for their marriages and family life. Priests are fewer and often overworked. And the composi tion of parishes is more pluralistic, with people of so many different ethnic and racial backgrounds, to say nothing of dif fering opinions. All of these circumstances call for renewal, invite a new vitality. The concept of basic ecclesial communities needs to be revisited and the models already in existence should be studied. We already have many such communities operating in the church and revitalizing parishes. The time has come to seriously think of recognizing their importance and propagating them. Copyright (c) 1989 by Catholic News Service
