English Group
1. Love for Enemies- How do you understand by this text?
- Refusing to engage in a cycle of hostility by avoiding discussing an uncharitable situation with other members of the community.
- How can we resolve internal conflicts in our communities, often caused by the diverse cultures of their members, whether they come from different countries or different parts of the same country? Sometimes it’s helpful to have small groups where we can express ourselves freely.
- A localist, tribal mindset, bound to static traditions, makes it difficult to love everyone, especially those who are new members of the community.
- Asking for forgiveness is often seen as a sign of weakness, of not being strong enough to pursue your own.
- Is forgiveness always possible? Sometimes there is no bad intention at all, but others understand that what has been said from a different perspective and feel hurt. I apologize, although I was not wrong, but I have hurt people in their sensitivity.
- To forgive Seven into seven times is important. It might be that I have already forgiven, but then the pain comes again and again, and I have to forgive again and again.
- There are powerful examples of forgiving and reconciliation, e.g. the reconciliation process in South Africa. How can the victims forgive? It comes from something other than that what is in their own heart. God’s mercy is greater than ours.
2. Who is my enemy?
- We often react spontaneously: If you do harm to me, I avoid you. Jesus is different, he did not avoid those who did harm to him. He continued to love and to forgive. He chose a nonviolent way.
- To stand with the victims (e.g. Jesus stayed with the woman who was accused of adultery). Our place is besides the victims. Stay with the victims, being present, listening to their experiences and stories, give an encouraging word, a gesture of appreciation, a word of hope, e.g. mission of being present with the prostitutes on the streets during the night. There is no expected outcome that they would finally leave their prostitution, but the way of being present is consoling and healing for them.
- Standing side by side with the victims does not ask for a lot of doing but of being present, witnessing that they are human beings with an infinite dignity.
- Today: How can we be with people in situations of conflict and war who have lost their loved ones, housing, everything, who are deeply traumatised? It is about being really as human as they are.
- Example: A woman (refugee) was very violent and bitter: when a group dared to listen to her experiences compassionately and documented her story, she herself became lighter and finally became an advocate to save lives of other refugees. It is important to look beyond the tip of the iceberg (here: her bitterness and being violent) and see what will happen then.
3. What is the call beyond restrictions, policies? What is beyond that what is presented?
Allow ourselves to go beyond that what we have heard and to look at things differently.
- To understand God’s unconditional love is more difficult than to forgive. The tendency is not judge good or bad. The attitude of Jesus to send rain to everybody is a challenge and makes a difference. We are called to do the same. Being created in God’s image, does not allow to judge from what we see, from actions but neds to do a deeper look. We need to look the infinite dignity in each on: we try to walk forward to accompany those who have a low self-esteem. Foundational is that we are saved through God’s forgiveness of sins. Our responsibility is to do the same and to acknowledge the infinite dignity of all.
- Non-violent communication is a challenge: it takes a lot of education not to be violent it is not so much a question of intention to be violent, but it is a challenge
- We need the prophecy of non-violence to relate to the infinite dignity in everything. There is no Plan B to restore nature if we don’t take a non-violent stance. In conflicts (regional), if we don’t tell the story of change who will tell the story.
- Power of education to unlearn (child-soldier) and to re-learn what it means to protect life of others and to respond to the infinite dignity. We must learn new ways to prioritize to point out to the infinite dignity in humans and in whole of creation.
- Laudato Si’ helps to take a corporate stance to move forward
- Non-violence leads to social transformation, needs education, and can provoke violence. India: Christian missionaries are accused to do conversion; we can’t do what we really want to do. Social change is against the interest of many who have benefitted from good education in schools of missionaries. They don’t want people to get up. Therefore, they use violence. That gives no freedom for missionaries, but mission goes on.
- Praying for peace, for both parties (e.g. for Ukraine and for Russia) is very difficult and can become violent. When we are suffering, we often cannot take a nonviolent stance. When we are involved in a conflict we can hardly stand up and asks for peace, that can bring more conflict. Talking about nonviolent communication is easier than dealing with it. Therefore, it is important to de-learn what we have learned about violence and to re-learn non-violence.
- Sometimes we forget that good intentions can be violent in a context, e.g. safeguarding is necessary and to learn non-violence.
- In violent societies there is a need to learn non-violence already in formation. And we must see that in our own communities there is a lot of violence among the members as well as how we deal to follow up our own interests against the interests of others.
- Dorothy Stangl, model for non-violence in Brazil: doing sustainable farming together: we can learn to bring all stakeholders together for working together in partnership; everyone can contribute and learn from one another, therefore initiate a process of sharing (synodality). There are also risks, it might be that younger ones don’t want to enter a congregation, because they fear that they might be killed like Dorothy Stangl.
- Example: In a remote area where chiefs were in power, there was a lot of violence. Women were accused to be witches and therefore they were killed. One question helped: What would you do with this woman, if she would be your mother? Infinite dignity requires infinite compassion. Therefore, we really need also be compassionate with ourselves.
- Non-violence does not guarantee safety. Each person puts us in a place where we understand violence as well as non-violence differently.
- Collectively we can work for non-violence, it will take time, but it is possible. We know we want peace but how to get there? We need to ask questions to ourselves when talking about non-violence.
- In realities of traumas, we need to be trauma-sensitive.
- There is a call to be together and to create a non-violent spirit. What is means must be interpreted in each context. Unity is the strength in being non-violent.
4. How and what extent do we practice mutual accompaniment?
5. How effectively does our team/community engage in mutual accompaniment in both internal and interactions and interaction with people served?
- When Pope Francis asked the religious to open their houses for the refugees, some congregations couldn’t accept the refugees in their houses due lack of space. But through CENTRO ASTALI, sisters offered to pay the rent for the house, in which refugees were accommodated. In this case rules and norms of CENTRO ASTALI prevented the sisters from having direct contact with the people they helped, all contacts were through the organization which was responsible.
- In another congregation sisters had given accommodation to different families and individuals in their house of the sisters. The community of Sant Egidio identified the individuals and families and sent to sisters. Here sisters had interacted with the people who were accommodated in the house, though one person was appointed by the sisters to be in charge of the people. Interaction with the people who were accommodated was mutually helpful for the sisters as well as the people. Sisters became more aware of the problem the people are facing. The people who were served were able to talk, ventilate their feelings, and find a secure place and could experience care and concern of the sisters. At least for some time they were feeling secure, could learn language and look for possible job opportunities.
Sometimes it also helped sisters to recognize the difficulties in dealing with refugees, who though given everything possible had greater demands. when that was not met they were aggressive, sisters had to learn also how to deal with people who are coming with lot of emotional baggage.
- In one of the male religious community family was given accommodation. Initially it was difficult for the community as the children were running around and it disturbed the normal rhythm of the community. Eventually the members found some way out, found a baby sitter when the mother was out for work and their presence eventually turned out to be blessing. This congregation was giving accommodation for a male person in their community. He used to be part of the community. The duration of their stay was only for one year during which the person had to get his documents cleared and find a job. This helped some people to get settled in life.
6. How does mutual accompaniment affect the implementation of mission?
A sister shared how she was able to help the students through psychological help through her skills, she was listening to their stories. She not only taught them her subject but helped to deal with their emotions. Attending to them brought light to her life.
She also shared while helping a group of mothers getting organised through JRS, she recognised their potentials and capacities. She didn’t tell them what to do but asked them what was their expectation. Their enthusiasm to come together and learn different skills like computer, small courses helped them to build their life. It was mutual help for each other as she was also learning from them.
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- Another person shared how accompaniment helped those youngsters who are picking up wastes. Continued accompaniment helped to build trust and with trust they he was able to support them.
- One person shared how the migrants from Mexico crossing the US boarder was helped. Sisters stayed with them to really know their needs and to reach out to them. In the parish level they were given constant accompaniment to give them sense of security, to navigate legal system and to get documents. These migrants had experienced lot of hardships while waiting to cross the border.
- He also shared the experience of accompanying the refuges from Afghanistan after US military pulled out from there. Catholic charity provided support, children were given space to be children, and women were helped to be themselves.
- While accompanying them it is learnt not to ask too many questions and details that make the person uncomfortable.
7. Good practices and challenges
- It is a challenge while helping people not to make the people dependent on those who provide help.
- With some of the refugees whom we are helping, long term planning are not possible.
- A challenge is to provide not one-time action but accompaniment that is a process. Positive hope needs to be given to the people.
- One of the members of the group shared that one of the sisters who was helping the refugees expressed her incapacity to continue to give help because the experience was too stressful for her. She had to decide who will get food and who will not, this meant those didn’t get the food remain hungry. The task was psychologically very painful for the sister. When sister expressed her difficulty, the congregation supported her and relieved her from this mission. She didn’t have any mental disorder but stressful. Mutual help helped the sister to gain her mental health.
Groupe Français
Jésus modèle de la non-violence
Notre compréhension des textes
Perte de sagesse
Chacun est enfant de Dieu
- L’exigence d’aimer nos ennemis
Jésus qui pardonne qui est miséricordieux
Prise de conscience, une question de justice, de patience, de la miséricorde qui va avec la justice de Dieu. Toujours s’ouvrir à la grâce de Dieu. Il y a toujours la tension entre être juste et être miséricorde. L’expérience de la prière produit le miracle, avec le silence on retrouve la paix à avoir compassion de la personne, apprendre à changer mon regard sur cette personne, reconnaître mon péché me permet de retrouver la force dans la prière
la patience , Dieu est patient, la méditation me permet de bien discerner si je prends le temps de la faire, devant certaines situations prendre le temps de méditer me conduira à prendre de bonnes décisions
- Aimer est une décision et non une question de sentiments, grâce à la prière pour moi-même et pour la personne j’ai appris à les aimer. J’ai appris à sortir de moi-même avec l’aide de Dieu, apprendre à connaître l’histoire de chaque personne permet de l’accepter, quelquefois nous voulons changer les autres. La sérénité de de Jésus de s’asseoir devant la force du mal (la mer), la compassion, trouver la grâce de la sérénité dans la prière, la mission ne demande pas de la reprocite mais de manifester la bonté de Dieu sans attendre de retour. Jésus restaure les personnes, la patience de Jésus laisse le temps de réfléchir nous devons aussi regarder notre propre vie avant d’agir. L’invitation à être des personnes de confiance, porteuse de Bonne Nouvelle, l’importance d’être vrai avec soi-même apprendre à accepter ses propres incapacités, faire nous-même l’expérience des personnes, faire la différence entre la personne et les actes qu’elle pose, ce chemin demande l’humilité.
Histoire concrètes de notre vie personnelle
Partage sur la jalousie, le pardon, la divulgation des secrets, difficultés avec une communauté religieuse, avec des sœurs en communauté.
Non-violence – (Séance de l’après-midi)
Oui le Congo surtout Congo de l’Est : pas de dialogue, le gouvernement essaie de réunir les trois groupes ethniques, plus le pape parle de la non-violence plus la tension monte, la situation de l’Est du Congo fragilise toute l’Afrique. Si le Congo se stabilisait toute l’Afrique s’émergerait.
Au Cameroun la sœur ont quitté le village laissant le dispensaire.
Au Burkina Faso, la communauté religieuse est fermée, situation d’impuissance d’un mal qui les dépasse, les déplacements sont limités, le traumatisme très fort, on fait face au dilemme, faut-il quitter ou rester la population se sent abandonnée sinon nous quittons. Il y a aussi des violences silencieuses, les gens qui souffrent silencieusement, la situation de Haïti, saccage d’une école avec plus de cent ans d’existence, trouver les moyens de les accompagner dans les traumatismes,
Autre forme de violence en Suisse : violence commise par nos membres.
En Afrique du Sud pas de guerre mais de la violence, la xénophobie beaucoup de préjugés sur ceux qui viennent dans le pays, tout le monde est conscient mais c’est le silence, est-ce la peur ? Ce qui nous affecte, affecte aussi nos relations pour travailler avec les autres, ma façon de regarder mon frère, ma sœur avec les lunettes d’amour.
1. Prophétie de la non-violence, les gestes prophétiques, besoin de prophète comme Gandhi. Exemple le Pape François qui baise pieds des leaders du Soudan. Pas seulement des mots mais aussi les gestes comme prêcher, enseigner rester sur place pendant la période des violences sont des signes de présence prophétique
1. La non-violence n’est pas un appel à la passivité.
1. Appela à revoir notre système éducatif, la corruption qui mine notre société. Nous devons aussi former les consciences, les familles éclatées, continuer l’éducation dans les familles, aller dans les cellules de base, la communauté chrétienne de base, changement structurel dans l’église, nos communautés. Nos structures sont-elles des structures de non-violence ? Changement culturel, pas de culture de dialogue. On n’est pas habitué à parler. L’interculturalité dans nos communautés, choisir un thème comme la non-violence pour les recollections communautaires, la conversation spirituelle.
Les fruits du séminaire :
La conviction qu’avec la prière nous pouvons résoudre beaucoup de choses; la prière est puissante face aux situations difficiles; ce séminaire était le moment de transformation; nous avons appris la résolution des conflits d’une manière non violente; nous étions enrichis des expériences des autres; c’était le moment de consolider la conviction que tous nous partageons la même humanité et les conflits la détruisent; invitation à vivre plus en fraternité et à continuer à travailler au niveau personnel; apprendre à désarmer la parole; commencer la réconciliation par moi-même; c’était une invitation à connaître la réalité de l’autre, le moment d’apprentissage de ne pas être violent et à avoir le regard positif envers les autres surtout les personnes en besoin; commencer par la gestion des conflits en nous-même; le séminaire était très équilibré: il y avait de la théorie et de la pratique et aussi partage des ezpériences; l’expérience de chemin personnel de chacun était une invitation à aller toujours plus loin et à découvrir avec le Seigneur ce qu’il veut pour nous; nous avons découvert la non-violence active, l’importance de commencer par nous-mêmes et que tout se passe grâce à la prière; grâce à l’expérience des autres nous avons eu une meilleure compréhension de nos propres difficultés; le séminaire était une invitation à l’attitude de la non-violence dans la vie quotidienne.
Question sur l’organisation du séminaire :
Le cadre était très accueillant ; il y avait une bonne organisation ; nous avons apprécié la prière Lectio Divina ; le thème du séminaire, les intervenants et les présentations bien faites, pratiques et variées.
Nos suggestions :
nous proposons d’avoir plus de temps personnel par exemple dans les soirées et aussi avant le partage en groupe; on peut varier les formes de prière; nous proposons aussi d’introduire le partage en plénière pour qu’on puisse savoir ce que les autres groupes ont partagé; nous proposons de réfléchir sur le pourquoi de la baisse du nombre de participants (est-ce le coût, le lieu…) il y avait une proposition de faire le séminaire à Rome avec une option de résidents et de ceux qui peuvent venir de la communauté chaque jour.
Gruppo Italiano
1. 1. Il gruppo ha condiviso le parole chiave
della presentazione di questa mattina:
– Accompagnare;
– Come fai le cose è più importante di cosa fai;
– Compassione.
2. 2. I membri del gruppo hanno poi condiviso la loro esperienza con i rifugiati, commentando le sfide e le cose apprese:
(1) Accogliere nella comunità due famiglie con bambini dall’Afghanistan che non conoscevano una sola parola di inglese o italiano:
– Ricevere molto aiuto materiale dalla parrocchia;
– La preoccupazione principale della comunità ricevente era ricreare per queste famiglie un’atmosfera in cui si sentissero al sicuro, accolte;
– Imparare: essere prudenti, diplomatici e cordiali in ciò che si dice e nel modo di rivolgersi;
(2) Con l’aiuto di alcuni giornalisti e volontari, nonché fondi da agenzie donatrici, è stata creata una radio chiamata pace in Kinyarwanda (trasmessa ad Addis Abeba e in Gabon mattina e sera con programmi adattati ai rifugiati, comprese le esigenze di parenti e familiari). Questa radio ha funzionato per due anni. Dopo di che un giornalista è andato a lavorare per la BBC e un altro è partito per gli USA.
(3) Ha visitato tutti i campi per rifugiati dal Ruanda in RDC e in Tanzania qualche tempo dopo il genocidio.
(4) Alcuni missionari si prendono cura dei giovani che cercano di raggiungere l’Europa mentre attraversano il Mali, il deserto del Sahel o rimangono bloccati in Algeria o Marocco. Alcuni di loro hanno bisogno di cure mediche, altri di guadagnare un po’ di soldi per continuare il viaggio o per tornare a casa (vedi il film Io Capitano).
(5) Accoglienza dei rifugiati in Brasile provenienti dal Venezuela. Networking e collaborazione con Caritas, Croce Rossa JRS,
3. Altri punti:
– È importante lavorare con gli altri e
collaborare, fare networking;
– La causa principale è la mancanza di pace;
– Chiamata a dare più attenzione all’altro;
– La missione è UMANIZZANTE.
– Essere violenti non è umano.
Grupo Español
En grupo con otros de la misma idioma
– Recordando los valores que aprendí en mi familia que es donde aprendi a seratnetos a los demás.
- Ser presntes con los/las otros/as necesitas algo?
- Enque le puede agudar?
No asumir lo que piensan los demas.
- Tratarnos como adultos, respetandonos uno al otro.
- No juzzar por aparencias
Ser abiertos al otro/a la otra
- Honra la dignidad y el valor de cada persona. Todos ganan sabiendo cual es el rol suyo las dynamicas transmiten lo que pensamos de si mismo y logue pensamos o valoramos de los demas. E vive en unidad, no division.
- Se presentes y atentos a los demas morar atecion.
- Ser atento, gentil cariñosa, respetuoso.
- Algunas de las razones por las que los refugiados no se integran incluyen nuestro miedo a lo desconocido y al extraño, una actitud de escasez de no tener suficiente para compartir, el profundo temor por nuestra seguridad.
- El proceso de reasentamiento es demasiado largo y complejo, además de injusto. Es necesario un mayor apoyo.
- Experimentamos una falta de reconciliación en nuestras comunidades religiosas, aunque los miembros ofrecen excelentes ministerios. Hay una falta de colaboración entre nosotros y nos identificamos demasiado con los demás.
- Algunas de las razones por las que los refugiados no se integran son el miedo a lo desconocido y al extraño, la actitud de escasez de no tener lo suficiente para compartir y el profundo temor por nuestra seguridad.
- El proceso de reasentamiento es demasiado largo y complejo, además de injusto. Es necesario un mayor apoyo.
- Experimentamos una falta de reconciliación en nuestras comunidades religiosas, aunque los miembros ofrecen excelentes ministerios. Hay una falta de colaboración entre nosotros y nos identificamos demasiado personalmente con nuestros propios ministerios y no los vemos como parte del todo y como algo que nos pertenece a todos.
- Pero los religiosos también pueden ser y son conectores y colaboradores con otros en la defensa y el acompañamiento. El desafío puede ser ir más allá de nuestros límites locales.
- Necesitamos analizar nuestro racismo y prejuicio personal y comunitario, así como los problemas sistémicos, y esto debe reflejarse en nuestro trabajo interno y externo.
- La competencia intercultural debe ser parte de nuestra formación desde el principio.
- Debemos ser conscientes de que el proceso de reconciliación está en curso mientras trabajamos con nuestras propias heridas. Todos necesitamos una transformación y tomar conciencia de nuestras limitaciones.
- Para poder defender y trabajar con refugiados y migrantes, necesitamos estar adecuadamente preparados. Las redes nos ayudarán.
- El trabajo en red y la colaboración como congregaciones es algo permanente. Los conflictos también surgen a este nivel.
- La cuestión de la migración es muy compleja. A veces está orquestada y puede utilizarse para una limpieza ética y religiosa. A veces, quienes migran no quieren regresar a casa. Las ideologías y culturas de las personas los acompañan y afectan los lugares donde se establecen. A veces, estas ideologías son peligrosas y están destinadas a infiltrarse en las sociedades. Debemos ser conscientes.
