Posts Tagged ‘development’
Escaping Poverty: Interview With Archbishop Silvano Tomasi
GENEVA, OCT. 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Intelligent use of the economy, market and culture is needed to attain objectives coinciding with our values as Christians and members of the human family, says a Holy See representative.
In this interview with ZENIT, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, spoke of the necessary avenues to help developing nations escape poverty.
Q: What tools does Vatican diplomacy use to evaluate the most underprivileged in the world?
Archbishop Tomasi: The Holy See works within the international sphere, with the United Nations and in the U.N.-related agencies, as an “observer” state; this gives the Holy See the right to intervene and take part in non-voting activities, thus allowing the Holy See to act more freely than other states.
Furthermore, the Holy See endeavors to promote a line of discourse to support and aid the least developed countries, particularly those suffering in conditions of extreme poverty.
Specifically, the Holy See tries to generate a public culture, a world opinion within the international sphere, by declaring that developed countries are not only in a position to choose to support poorer populations, but that they bear the ethical responsibility to do so.
Then, the Holy See tries to offer actual help to these populations, not only in the form of financial support, which sometimes contributes to corruption, but, above all, through technical training, the exchange of information and licenses, all to help facilitate production.
And, with the aid of existing international structures and U.N.-related entities, such as the U.N. Conference for Trade and Development, we try to equip less wealthy countries with the ability to take part in trade, keeping in mind that participation is one of the most important concepts in the Church’s social doctrine.
According to this concept, everyone is entitled to take part in international life, to have access to common goods in a fair, proportionate and justified manner.
Q: What is your position in the debate about debt forgiveness for poor countries?
Archbishop Tomasi: For years, particularly since the Jubilee of the year 2000, several private organizations, the Church, and the Holy Father himself, have issued exhortations on the subject of debt forgiveness for poor countries because even payment of the interest is so burdensome that it obstructs development.
Therefore, I am in favor of debt forgiveness for the poorest countries as soon as possible, so that some of the resources that thus become available can be channeled toward social development, health care, children’s education, drinking water systems, all for a gradual improvement of living standards.
Q: Do you consider the developed world to be adequately informed and involved in the problems of poor countries?
Archbishop Tomasi: Public opinion is often distracted by many things that are not so essential. Occasionally, great tragedies or humanitarian campaigns draw attention for a while.
Some time back, we had the tsunami in Southeast Asia, which brought about people’s very constructive, positive and generous response. But we have other “tsunamis.” We have thousands of people dying of hunger, malaria or AIDS every day while nothing is said about these silent tragedies.
The media sometimes reports on these, issuing information, but it is then lost because the news items are not dramatized, and public attention wanders.
The fact that there are wars going on, people dead as the result of conflicts in Africa, Asia or the Middle East, is viewed with a certain degree of indifference. It is almost as if we have grown accustomed to the normalcy of these tragedies.
In my opinion, for people to see on the news that 100 people have been assassinated in Baghdad, another 20 in Mogadishu, and 50 refugees have died in a tragedy in Africa, is sometimes not very different from watching an entertainment movie after the news bulletin.
Therefore, it is important for Christians to sensitize people through the network of parishes, groups and movements, about the need for solidarity toward the most disenfranchised, to work together toward peace, for a bit of progress and for a better standard of living for these distant people.
Q: What are your thoughts on multilateral diplomacy versus bilateral dialogue in the international community?
Archbishop Tomasi: I would say, above all, that there is still a strong desire to struggle and negotiate in order to continue on a multilateral level, to seek solutions to current problems, particularly in the field of trade.
For example, the director general of the World Trade Organization insists on the fact that we must definitely continue to grow together in the same direction in order to be truly effective in the long term, even in the case of developed countries.
However, at the moment, there is the temptation in Europe and in other states to try to bypass common action through bilateral negotiations. This tendency can have very dangerous consequences because the stronger party tends to impose its terms on the weaker one, so that the negotiation is not really equitable.
In the long term, this can just lead to the maintenance of the status quo, in other words, the coexistence of rich and poor countries, which, in fact, does not succeed in combating poverty.
Q: As permanent observer of the Holy See in Geneva, do you consider international organizations in the field of economics, especially the World Trade Organization, as directing their course of action toward the sustained development of Third World nations?
Archbishop Tomasi: I attended the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference at the end of 2005, when the WTO tried to evaluate the “Doha Development Round” [from November 2001].
On that occasion, it became clear that, despite the extremely tough bargaining, it is possible to reach agreements that are beneficial to all concerned. Therefore, these international structures, which are necessary to achieve the globalization of the economy, the market, and culture, must be used intelligently.
We have to make an intelligent use of these structures in order to attain objectives that are truly in line with our fundamental values as Christians and as members of the human family.
Interview With New Member of Cor Unum
ROME, JUNE 13, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI recently named Jean-Luc Moens to the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican dicastery that oversees the Church’s charitable activities.
Moens has served as president of FIDESCO, a nongovernmental organization that helps in development projects, since 1997. His next book on evangelization will be published in September.
In this interview with ZENIT, he tells about his work and the increasing role of laity in evangelization.
Q: Can you explain the focus and mission of FIDESCO?
Moens: FIDESCO is the International Federation for Economic and Social Development through Cooperation.
It is a NGO founded by the Emmanuel Community in 1981, currently operating in France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, Australia, Rwanda, and Congo.
FIDESCO specializes in sending volunteers to take part in development projects and helping those in need in the diverse fields of education, agronomy, teaching, management, building, health, etc.
Volunteers who work with FIDESCO are young Catholics, motivated by their faith, to work for the poor. This is why we are called FIDESCO, or Fides-co, faith serving in cooperation.
FIDESCO illustrates how the Christian mission involves the entire person, both in the spiritual and material aspects.
Since it was created, FIDESCO has sent more than 1,000 young people to more than 40 countries.
At present, we have 120 volunteers on location and about 60 who are preparing to leave in September.
Q: Describe the profile of a FIDESCO volunteer.
Moens: FIDESCO proposes a one- or two-year commitment to serve the poor, following three guidelines:
1) To contribute professional competence toward a Church project in the field of development, education or compassion in underprivileged regions;
2) To be a witness to Christ — FIDESCO actually arose from a request on the part of Africa’s bishops to have technical volunteers capable of upholding their development projects, while at the same time giving a genuine Christian testimony;
3) To experience an unforgettable adventure — since FIDESCO is also a school of life.
At first, FIDESCO’s young volunteers set off with the intention of giving but, in fact, they realize that they receive far more in exchange.
Every one of them comes back transformed, enriched by the contact with others. For all of them, it is an occasion for true development.
In order to live this experience, FIDESCO proposes a time for discernment and training before departing.
We also follow-up with our volunteers upon their return to help them with their professional transition, which usually goes smoothly since employers appreciate a young person who has devoted time to a humanitarian ideal.
Q: Is your appointment as a layman to the pontifical council a new sign of the Church’s focus on the laity?
Moens: I think that with regard to my appointment, it would be better to inquire from someone with more authority than myself. However, I believe that the naming of several lay people to the Pontifical Council Cor Unum is a sign.
It confirms the need for an increasingly dynamic commitment of Christians in the field of charity. Benedict XVI’s appreciation for this dimension of the Christian testimony is well known.
From a broader standpoint, I am also aware that the Church’s opening to the laity is nothing new.
After the Second Vatican Council, the synod on the laity in 1987, and Pope John Paul II’s beautiful apostolic exhortation “Christifideles Laici,” it seems clear to me that the role of the laity in the Church is being understood and valued more and more, particularly with regard to evangelization.
Throughout the whole Church, it is becoming more obvious that that apostolate is also a task to be carried out by lay people. FIDESCO is one example of this.
This does not mean a competition with the clergy but, rather, a wholesome complementarity. And this yields its fruits, even in terms of vocations to the priesthood!
Indeed, I have been impressed to discover that the new movements and communities that grant the laity an important role are also those where many vocations to the priesthood arise.
We must always bear in mind that all priests have started out as laymen!