mercoledì 16 luglio 2025

EECO - BULLETIN n° 50

                                    


EQUIPES ENSEIGNANTES DU CONGO    

 Membre de l'UMEC-WUCT       

        Tel : 069103886/066201410/065948394/055305772

             E-mail : equipesbrazza@gmail.com

        RC: N°001247/MID/DPN/SG/DDSP/SR

 


Feuillet de FORMATION et d’INFORMATION N°50 MARS 2025 – JUIN  2025- EECO

Produit par les Equipes Enseignantes du Congo

………………………………………………………….

NOTRE MOUVEMENT

Le Mouvement des Equipes Enseignantes adressé à tout chrétien œuvrant pour l’éducation a pour objectifs de développer un réseau d’amitié et de prière ainsi que d’enrichir la formation humaine et spirituelle des éducateurs.

Les Equipes Enseignantes permettent à des enseignants (public comme privé), des parents, des responsables de mouvements, des éducateurs spécialisés, de partager leur expérience, leurs difficultés et leurs espérances lors de rencontres régulières ou ponctuelles.

Le Mouvement des Equipes Enseignantes s’efforce de développer des liens spirituels entre ses membres pour construire une unité réelle fondée sur la charité et la prière. Il offre aux éducateurs une formation qu’il puise dans le trésor des traditions éducatives et de l’enseignement de l’Eglise catholique. Il veut promouvoir la vision chrétienne de l’homme. Il est au service de tout chrétien qui, en raison de sa vocation baptismale, accompagne des jeunes en tant qu’éducateur pour lui permettre d’approfondir et de fortifier sa vocation spécifique.

Parce que le Mouvement des Equipes Enseignantes n’a pas sa fin en elle-même, elle souhaite encourager chaque éducateur dans le contexte qui est le sien. Dans cet esprit, il encourage toutes les initiatives locales et collabore ponctuellement ou régulièrement avec d’autres mouvements, institutions ou diocèses.

BONNES VACANCES 

Pelage UWIMANA  

Equipier OUESSO

                  


EECO - BULLETIN 50 - 2025



domenica 13 luglio 2025

SIGNS OF HOPE


 MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER

FOR THE 5th WORLD DAY 

FOR GRANDPARENTS 

AND THE ELDERLY 2025


[27 July 2025]

__________AR  - DE  - EN  - ES  - FR  - IT  - PL  - PT ]______________________

Blessed are those who have not lost hope (cf. Sir 14:2)

Dear brothers and sisters,

The Jubilee we are now celebrating helps us to realize that hope is a constant source of joy, whatever our age. When that hope has also been tempered by fire over the course of a long life, it proves a source of deep happiness.

Sacred Scripture offers us many examples of men and women whom the Lord called late in life to play a part in his saving plan. We can think of Abraham and Sarah, who, advanced in years, found it hard to believe when God promised them a child. Their childlessness seemed to prevent them from any hope for the future.

Zechariah’s reaction to the news of John the Baptist’s birth was no different: “How can this be? I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years” (Lk 1:18). Old age, barrenness and physical decline apparently blocked any hope for life and fertility in these men and women. The question that Nicodemus asked Jesus when the Master spoke to him of being “born again” also seems purely rhetorical: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (Jn 3:4). Yet whenever we think that things cannot change, the Lord surprises us with an act of saving power.

The elderly as signs of hope

In the Bible, God repeatedly demonstrates his providential care by turning to people in their later years. This was the case not only with Abraham, Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, but also with Moses, who was called to set his people free when he was already eighty years old (cf. Ex 7:7). God thus teaches us that, in his eyes, old age is a time of blessing and grace, and that the elderly are, for him, the first witnesses of hope. Augustine asks, “What do we mean by old age?” He tells us that God himself answers the question: “Let your strength fail, so that my strength may abide within you, and you can say with the Apostle, ‘When I am weak, then I am strong’” (Super Ps. 70,11). The increasing number of elderly people is a sign of the times that we are called to discern, in order to interpret properly this moment of history.

The life of the Church and the world can only be understood in light of the passage of generations. Embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment, and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships. Instead, life is constantly pointing us toward the future. In the book of Genesis, we find the moving episode of the blessing given by the aged Jacob to his grandchildren, the sons of Joseph; his words are an appeal to look to the future with hope, as the time when God’s promises will be fulfilled (cf. Gen 48:8-20). If it is true that the weakness of the elderly needs the strength of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the witness of the elderly in order to build the future with wisdom. How often our grandparents have been for us examples of faith and devotion, civic virtue and social commitment, memory and perseverance amid trials! The precious legacy that they have handed down to us with hope and love will always be a source of gratitude and a summons to perseverance.

Signs of hope for the elderly

From biblical times, the Jubilee has been understood as a time of liberation. Slaves were freed, debts were forgiven and land was returned to its original owners. The Jubilee was a time when the social order willed by God was restored, and inequalities and injustices accumulated over the years were remedied. Jesus evoked those moments of liberation when, in the synagogue of Nazareth, he proclaimed good news to the poor, sight to the blind and freedom for prisoners and the oppressed (cf. Lk 4:16-21).

Looking at the elderly in the spirit of this Jubilee, we are called to help them experience liberation, especially from loneliness and abandonment. This year is a fitting time to do so. God’s fidelity to his promises teaches us that there is a blessedness in old age, an authentic evangelical joy inspiring us to break through the barriers of indifference in which the elderly often find themselves enclosed. Our societies, everywhere in the world, are growing all too accustomed to letting this significant and enriching part of their life be marginalized and forgotten.

Given this situation, a change of pace is needed that would be readily seen in an assumption of responsibility on the part of the whole Church. Every parish, association and ecclesial group is called to become a protagonist in a “revolution” of gratitude and care, to be brought about by regular visits to the elderly, the creation of networks of support and prayer for them and with them, and the forging of relationships that can restore hope and dignity to those who feel forgotten. Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are. In this case, it urges us to work for a change that can restore the esteem and affection to which the elderly are entitled

That is why Pope Francis wanted the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated primarily through an effort to seek out elderly persons who are living alone. For this reason, those who are unable to come to Rome on pilgrimage during this Holy Year may “obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if they visit, for an appropriate amount of time, the elderly who are alone... making, in a sense, a pilgrimage to Christ present in them (cf. Mt 25:34-36)” (APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY, Norms for the Granting of the Jubilee Indulgence, III). Visiting an elderly person is a way of encountering Jesus, who frees us from indifference and loneliness.

As elderly persons, we can hope

The Book of Sirach calls blessed those who have not lost hope (cf. 14:2). Perhaps, especially if our lives are long, we may be tempted to look not to the future but to the past. Yet, as Pope Francis wrote during his last hospitalization, “our bodies are weak, but even so, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being there for one another, in faith, as shining signs of hope” (Angelus, 16 March 2025). We possess a freedom that no difficulty can rob us of: it is the freedom to love and to pray. Everyone, always, can love and pray.

Our affection for our loved ones – for the wife or husband with whom we have spent so much of our lives, for our children, for our grandchildren who brighten our days – does not fade when our strength wanes. Indeed, their own affection often revives our energy and brings us hope and comfort.

These signs of living love, which have their roots in God himself, give us courage and remind us that “even if our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor 4:16). Especially as we grow older, let us press forward with confidence in the Lord. May we be renewed each day by our encounter with him in prayer and in Holy Mass. Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounter with others. May we always praise God for his goodness, cultivate unity with our loved ones, open our hearts to those who are far away and, in particular, to all those in need. In this way, we will be signs of hope, whatever our age.

 LEO PP. XIV

mercoledì 2 luglio 2025

SEEDS OF PEACE AND HOPE

 

Pope: God’s creation is not a battleground for vital resources

In his Message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Leo XIV quotes extensively from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, denouncing environmental and social injustice and noting that God’s creation is not intended to be a battleground for vital resources.

By Linda Bordoni

As the Church prepares to mark the Tenth World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV’s message for the occasion urges Christians and all people of goodwill to recognize the urgent need for environmental and social justice in a world increasingly scarred by climate change, conflict, and inequality.

Entitled Seeds of Peace and Hope and released on July 2, the Pope’s message resonates with the spirit of the ongoing Jubilee Year, calling the faithful to embrace their role as "pilgrims of hope" and stewards of God's creation.

Justice in a wounded world

Echoing the prophetic words of Isaiah, Pope Leo invites the global community to envision a transformation of today’s “arid and parched desert” into “a fruitful field.” This biblical vision, he explains, is not a poetic metaphor but an urgent call to action in the face of alarming ecological and human crises.

Quoting extensively from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si' in the year of its 10th anniversary, he writes, “Injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities, and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity.”

Linking environmental destruction to the exploitation of the poor and marginalized, he highlights the disproportionate suffering of indigenous communities and the widening gap between rich and poor as hallmarks of a system that treats nature as a commodity rather than a common home.

Nature as a battleground

He laments the fact that nature itself has become “a bargaining chip,” subjected to policies and practices that prioritize profit over people and the planet. From agricultural lands riddled with landmines to conflicts over water and raw materials, Pope Leo paints a sobering picture of a creation “turned into a battleground” for control and domination.

These wounds, he says, are “the effect of sin,” a betrayal of the biblical command not to dominate creation, but to “till and keep” it, a call to cultivate and preserve the Earth through a relationship of care and responsibility.

Environmental justice as a moral imperative

The Pope’s message reaffirms the Church’s commitment to an “integral ecology,” a concept at the heart of Laudato si’. Environmental justice, the Holy Father affirms, is not an abstract or secondary concern but a “duty born of faith.”

“For believers,” he writes, “the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed.” In this light, caring for the planet becomes not only an ecological necessity but also a profoundly spiritual and moral vocation.

Seeds that bear fruit

Encouraging concrete action, Pope Leo calls for perseverance and love in sowing “seeds of justice” that will, in time, bear the fruits of peace. He cites the Borgo Laudato Si’ project at Castel Gandolfo as a tangible example of how education and community life rooted in ecological values can shape a just and hopeful future.

“This may take years,” the Pope acknowledges, “but years that involve an entire ecosystem made up of continuity, fidelity, cooperation and love.”

A blessing for the future

Concluding his message with a prayer for the outpouring of God’s Spirit, Pope Leo XVI invokes the hope of the risen Christ as the guiding light for a world longing for healing.

“May [Laudato si’] continue to inspire us,” he writes, “and may integral ecology be increasingly accepted as the right path to follow.”


Vatican News




 

mercoledì 18 giugno 2025

BUDS OF HOPE

 

en - fr- es

Think about the present of the school, which is the future of society, grappling with an epochal transformation. Think about the young teachers who are taking their first steps in school and the families who feel alone in their educational task. To each one, propose with humility and novelty your educational and associative style.

- by Luciano Corradini *

The new steps towards the world war between Israel and Iran and the barbarization of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza and the West Bank bring to mind two Latin mottos: the tragic but increasingly practiced mors tua, vita mea, and the more just but less practiced: vita tua, vita mea. The ideas, principles and institutions (the Constitutions, the UN and international law of human rights and humanitarian law) are increasingly considered historically outdated utopias. In this regard, two passages from the latest speeches of Pope Francis seemed enlightening to me, like a precious testament, of which I will quote a few sentences.

“When we still feel the weight of death in our hearts, when we see the shadows of evil continue their noisy march on the world, when we feel the wounds of selfishness or violence burning in our flesh and in our society, let us not lose heart, let us return to the announcement of this night: the light slowly shines even if we are in darkness; the hope of a new life and of a finally liberated world awaits us; a new beginning can surprise us even if at times it seems impossible, because Christ has conquered death.

The Christian faith – let us remember – does not want to confirm our certainties, make us settle into easy religious certainties, give us quick answers to the complex problems of life. On the contrary, when God calls he always inspires a journey, as it was for Abraham, for Moses, for the prophets and for all the disciples of the Lord. He sets us on a journey, takes us out of our comfort zones, questions our acquisitions and, precisely in this way, frees us, transforms us, illuminates the eyes of our hearts to make us understand what hope he has called us to. “ (cf. Eph 1:18).

These words leave no room for any rhetoric or any escape. As in the Crucifixion, also in the Resurrection the Father could have erased doubt, and he did not do so. The Father, the Son and the Spirit, give us the task of continuing to believe and to testify, not to demonstrate scientifically (or with the pretense of “negotiating”) what He asks of us out of faith and love, and to defeat doubt, but to collaborate in the salvation of this world, also on an educational level.

On January 4, 2025, Pope Francis received the Uciim and AIMC conference participants who celebrated the 80th anniversary of their foundation, concluding his speech with these words: “At the beginning of your history there was the intuition that only by associating, walking together, could we improve the school, which by its nature is a community, in need of everyone’s contribution. Your founders lived in times in which the values ​​of the person and of democratic citizenship needed to be witnessed and strengthened, for the good of all; and also the value of educational freedom. Never forget where you come from, but do not walk with your head turned backwards, regretting the good old days!

Instead, think about the present of the school, which is the future of society, grappling with an epochal transformation. Think of the young teachers who are taking their first steps in school and the families who feel alone in their educational task. To each one, propose with humility and innovation your educational and associative style. All this you I encourage you to do it together, with a sort of “pact between associations”, because in this way you can better bear witness to the face of the Church in school and for school. So go forward with confidence! I bless you and all those who form the network of your Associations”. “Brothers and sisters, this is the call that we must feel strongly within us: let the hope of Easter sprout in our lives and in the world!

*Luciano Corradini is professor emeritus of General Pedagogy at the University of Rome Tre. He has taught in secondary schools, at the Universities of Cosenza, Milan State, Brescia Catholic and Rome La Sapienza, president of IRRSAE Lombardy, vice president of CNPI (National Council of P.I.), with seven successive ministers, undersecretary of P.I. in the Dini Government, president of ARDeP, association for the reduction of public debt, of AIDU (university teachers), of UCIIM (middle school teachers).

BOURGEONS D'ESPOIR

Pensez au présent de l'école, futur de la société, aux prises avec une transformation historique. Pensez aux jeunes enseignants qui font leurs premiers pas à l'école et aux familles qui se sentent seules dans leur mission éducative. À chacun, proposez avec humilité et nouveauté votre style éducatif et associatif.

- par Luciano Corradini *

Les nouvelles avancées vers la guerre mondiale entre Israël et l'Iran et la barbarie du conflit israélo-palestinien à Gaza et en Cisjordanie évoquent deux devises latines : la tragique mais de plus en plus pratiquée « mors tua, vita mea » et la plus juste mais moins pratiquée « vita tua, vita mea ». Les idées, les principes et les institutions (les Constitutions, l'ONU et le droit international des droits de l'homme et le droit humanitaire) sont de plus en plus considérés comme des utopies historiquement dépassées. À cet égard, deux passages des derniers discours du pape François m'ont semblé éclairants, comme un précieux témoignage, dont je citerai quelques phrases.

Lorsque nous sentons encore le poids de la mort peser sur nos cœurs, lorsque nous voyons les ombres du mal poursuivre leur marche bruyante sur le monde, lorsque nous sentons les blessures de l'égoïsme ou de la violence brûler dans notre chair et dans notre société, ne nous décourageons pas, revenons à l'annonce de cette nuit : la lumière brille lentement, même si nous sommes dans l'obscurité ; l'espérance d'une vie nouvelle et d'un monde enfin libéré nous attend ; un nouveau départ peut nous surprendre, même s'il semble parfois impossible, car le Christ a vaincu la mort.

La foi chrétienne – rappelons-le – ne veut pas confirmer nos certitudes, nous enfermer dans des certitudes religieuses faciles, nous donner des réponses rapides aux problèmes complexes de la vie. Au contraire, lorsque Dieu appelle, il inspire toujours un chemin, comme ce fut le cas pour Abraham, pour Moïse, pour les prophètes et pour tous les disciples du Seigneur. Il nous met en chemin, nous fait sortir de nos zones de confort, remet en question nos acquis et, précisément ainsi, il nous libère, nous transforme, illumine les yeux de notre cœur pour nous faire comprendre ce qu'est l'espérance. Il nous a appelés à cela. » (cf. Éph 1, 18).

Ces paroles ne laissent place à aucune rhétorique ni à aucune échappatoire. Comme lors de la Crucifixion, lors de la Résurrection aussi, le Père aurait pu dissiper le doute, et il ne l'a pas fait. Le Père, le Fils et l'Esprit nous confient la tâche de continuer à croire et à témoigner, non pas pour démontrer scientifiquement (ou sous prétexte de « négocier ») ce qu'Il nous demande par foi et par amour, et pour vaincre le doute, mais pour collaborer au salut de ce monde, y compris sur le plan éducatif.

Le 4 janvier 2025, le pape François a reçu les participants à la conférence de l'Uciim et de l'AIMC, qui célébraient le 80e anniversaire de leur fondation. Il a conclu son discours par ces mots : « Au début de votre histoire, vous avez eu l'intuition que ce n'est qu'en vous associant, en cheminant ensemble, que nous pourrions améliorer l'école, qui est par nature une communauté, nécessitant la contribution de tous. Vos fondateurs ont vécu une époque où les valeurs de la personne et de la citoyenneté démocratique devaient être reconnues et renforcées, pour le bien de tous ; ainsi que la valeur de la liberté éducative. N'oubliez jamais d'où vous venez, mais ne marchez pas la tête tournée vers l'arrière, en regrettant le bon vieux temps !

Pensez plutôt au présent de l'école, qui est l'avenir de la société, aux prises avec une transformation historique. Pensez aux jeunes enseignants qui font leurs premiers pas à l'école et aux familles qui se sentent seules dans leur mission éducative. À chacun, proposez avec humilité et innovation votre style éducatif et associatif. Je vous encourage à le faire ensemble, dans une sorte de « pacte ». « Entre les associations », car ainsi vous pourrez mieux témoigner du visage de l'Église à l'école et pour l'école. Alors, allez de l'avant avec confiance ! Je vous bénis, vous et tous ceux qui forment le réseau de vos associations. » « Frères et sœurs, tel est l'appel que nous devons ressentir fortement en nous : que l'espérance de Pâques germe dans nos vies et dans le monde ! »

*Luciano Corradini est professeur émérite de pédagogie générale à l'Université de Rome III. Il a enseigné dans des lycées, aux universités de Cosenza, d'État de Milan, de Brescia et de Rome La Sapienza. Il a également été président de l'IRRSAE Lombardie, vice-président du CNPI (Conseil national de la PI), sous sept ministres successifs, sous-secrétaire de la PI dans le gouvernement Dini, président de l'ARDeP (Association pour la réduction de la dette publique), de l'AIDU (Professeurs d'université) et de l'UCIIM (Professeurs de collège).

BROTES DE ESPERANZA

Pensemos en el presente de la escuela, que es el futuro de la sociedad, lidiando con una transformación trascendental. Pensemos en los jóvenes docentes que dan sus primeros pasos en la escuela y en las familias que se sienten solas en su tarea educativa. A cada uno, proponle con humildad y originalidad su estilo educativo y asociativo.

- por Luciano Corradini *

Los nuevos pasos hacia la guerra mundial entre Israel e Irán y la barbarie del conflicto israelí-palestino en Gaza y Cisjordania evocan dos lemas latinos: el trágico, pero cada vez más practicado, «mors tua, vita mea»; y el más justo, pero menos practicado, «vita tua, vita mea». Las ideas, los principios y las instituciones (las Constituciones, la ONU y el derecho internacional de los derechos humanos y el derecho humanitario) se consideran cada vez más utopías históricamente obsoletas. En este sentido, dos pasajes de los últimos discursos del Papa Francisco me parecieron esclarecedores, como un valioso testimonio, del que citaré algunas frases.

Cuando aún sentimos el peso de la muerte en nuestros corazones, cuando vemos las sombras del mal continuar su marcha ruidosa sobre el mundo, cuando sentimos las heridas del egoísmo o la violencia arder en nuestra carne y en nuestra sociedad, no nos desanimemos, volvamos al anuncio de esta noche: la luz brilla lentamente aunque estemos en la oscuridad; nos espera la esperanza de una nueva vida y de un mundo finalmente liberado; un nuevo comienzo puede sorprendernos aunque a veces parezca imposible, porque Cristo ha vencido a la muerte.

La fe cristiana —recordemos— no quiere confirmar nuestras certezas, hacernos acomodar en fáciles certezas religiosas, darnos respuestas rápidas a los complejos problemas de la vida. Al contrario, cuando Dios llama, siempre inspira un camino, como lo fue para Abraham, para Moisés, para los profetas y para todos los discípulos del Señor. Nos pone en camino, nos saca de nuestra zona de confort, cuestiona nuestras adquisiciones y, precisamente así, nos libera, nos transforma, ilumina los ojos de nuestro corazón para hacernos comprender. A qué esperanza nos ha llamado» (cf. Ef 1,18).

Estas palabras no dejan lugar a retórica ni a evasión. Como en la Crucifixión, también en la Resurrección el Padre pudo haber disipado la duda, y no lo hizo. El Padre, el Hijo y el Espíritu nos encomiendan la tarea de seguir creyendo y dar testimonio, no para demostrar científicamente (ni con la pretensión de «negociar») lo que Él nos pide por fe y amor, ni para vencer la duda, sino para colaborar en la salvación de este mundo, también a nivel educativo.

El 4 de enero de 2025, el Papa Francisco recibió a los participantes de la conferencia Uciim y AIMC que celebraban el 80 aniversario de su fundación, concluyendo su discurso con estas palabras: «Al comienzo de su historia, se intuía que solo asociándonos, caminando juntos, podríamos mejorar la escuela, que por naturaleza es una comunidad, necesitada de la contribución de todos. Sus fundadores vivieron en tiempos en los que los valores de la persona y de la ciudadanía democrática debían ser presenciados y fortalecidos, por el bien de todos; y también el valor de la libertad educativa. Nunca olviden de dónde vienen, pero no caminen con la cabeza hacia atrás, lamentando los buenos tiempos».

En cambio, piensen en el presente de la escuela, que es el futuro de la sociedad, lidiando con una transformación trascendental. Piensen en los jóvenes docentes que dan sus primeros pasos en la escuela y en las familias que se sienten solas en su tarea educativa. A cada uno, propongan con humildad e innovación su estilo educativo y asociativo. Les animo a hacerlo juntos, con una especie de... “Pacto entre asociaciones”, porque así podrán dar mejor testimonio del rostro de la Iglesia en la escuela y para la escuela. ¡Avancen, pues, con confianza! Los bendigo a ustedes y a todos los que forman la red de sus asociaciones. Hermanos y hermanas, esta es la llamada que debemos sentir con fuerza en nosotros: ¡que la esperanza de la Pascua brote en nuestras vidas y en el mundo!

*Luciano Corradini es profesor emérito de Pedagogía General en la Universidad de Roma Tre. Ha impartido docencia en escuelas secundarias, en las Universidades de Cosenza, Estatal de Milán, Católica de Brescia y Roma La Sapienza; presidente de IRRSAE Lombardía; vicepresidente del CNPI (Consejo Nacional de Institutos Públicos), con siete ministros sucesivos; subsecretario de Institutos Públicos en el Gobierno de Dini; presidente de ARDeP (Asociación para la Reducción de la Deuda Pública); de AIDU (Profesorado Universitario); de UCIIM (Profesorado de Educación Secundaria).



lunedì 16 giugno 2025

THE ENEMY


“In the time of fear and wars, 

the other is never the enemy”

 


- by Mauro Magatti

 

The historical period following the tragedies of the first part of the 20th century had led us to believe that humanity had finally freed itself from the need to search for an enemy to fight in the face of the other.

That pluralism was now an established fact.

That those who are different – ​​in culture, gender, language, religion, social position, worldview – could be part, in their own right, of common life.

The events of these last years and days (after Ukraine and Gaza, the Israel-Iran escalation, what is happening in California and Ireland) force us to acknowledge that things are more complicated.

We are not moving towards a world more capable of inclusion, understanding and coexistence.

On the contrary, we are witnessing a slow retreat in the recognition of the other.

Otherness, far from being welcomed, is increasingly perceived as a threat.

The signals are so numerous and widespread that it is no longer possible to ignore them.

The partner who disappoints expectations becomes an obstacle to our self-realization.

To the point of being killed in some cases.

The foreigner who seeks refuge is treated as an invader.

The different is perceived as a mistake to be corrected.

The neighboring country becomes a land of conquest.

Regardless of the scale, the dynamic is always the same: first the other is distanced, then opaqued, finally deprived of face and speech.

Reduced to an object to be classified, a danger to be eradicated.

And, finally, an enemy to be fought.

In an increasingly fragmented society, intolerance is increasing.

In the public sphere, positions become polarized, language becomes bellicose, categories become rigid.

Differences are no longer an opportunity for comparison but trenches to be defended.

And to make matters worse, there are also digital platforms that favor new forms of tribalism and closure.

We live in a cultural paradigm that leads us to defend our/my clod of well-being, power or identity at all costs.

Every change, every sign of transformation, every unexpected event is perceived as a threat.

To the point that even the skills needed to manage the complex relationship with the concrete other are being lost.

We are sliding down a slope, with an uncertain outcome.

However, it is not too late to reverse the trend, provided we become aware of the situation before it gets even worse, before distrust and self-absolution make our isolation irreversible.

Getting out of this drift requires recognizing that the other does not represent an obstacle to our well-being, but an essential condition of our humanity.

"No one should ever threaten the existence of the other," Pope Leo said yesterday at the end of the Jubilee audience.

No one grows, realizes himself or becomes fully himself without the encounter, sometimes tiring but always transformative, with that which is different from himself.

No society is possible without the difficult but exciting exercise of dialogue and encounter, which regenerates the social and cultural fabric.

Fixated on a rigid principle of identity, we lose the beauty of life that comes from meeting, listening, welcoming.

And certainly not from erecting barriers to defend ourselves from the entire world.

"Let's go back to building bridges - the Pope again, yesterday - where today there are walls.

Let's open doors, connect worlds and there will be hope".

Undoubtedly, the relationship with the other always involves a risk.

The relationship is intrinsically exposed to the possibility of injury.

Thinking that we can sterilize this risk means impoverishing our own life.

Which, by folding in on itself, ends up withering.

It is therefore necessary to actively commit to promoting a new culture of coexistence.

It is not a simple tolerance, which preserves the status quo by keeping our distance, but rather a mutual hospitality, capable of generating bonds, shared projects and new narratives.

This principle applies to local communities as well as global institutions, families, schools, businesses, politics and religions.

In a society where otherness becomes a problem, healing begins with the disarming of absolute claims.

It is essential to recognize that the world does not belong to us, but has been entrusted to us in common, that our identity is intrinsically relational and that freedom does not consist in doing what one wants, but in knowing how to share spaces, times, resources and aspirations with others.

Ultimately, it is about choosing what kind of world we want to inhabit: whether to remain trapped in the logic of the clod, each entrenched in his own enclosure, clearing out everything that is outside his schemes or whether we are willing to build a new relational ecology.

Only by knowing the face of the other can we also find our own.


www.avvenire.it





domenica 15 giugno 2025

JUBILE' ET DOCTRINE SOCIALE

fr- en - es  

Le Jubilé pour affirmer 

la mission 

de service

dans le monde

 

Par Vincent Dollmann*

 Le chrétien, serviteur au cœur du monde

Comme citoyens, nous participons à la vie sociale, économique et politique du monde et avons à prendre notre part aux débats et aux décisions, ne serait-ce que par le droit de vote dans notre pays. Comme chrétiens, nous sommes appelés à rendre compte de notre foi en Jésus, le Fils de Dieu fait chair, en vivant de sa charité. Nous y avons part à travers son Esprit-Saint ; comme pour les apôtres à la Pentecôte, il est pour nous un feu qui brûle nos cœurs de l’amour même de Dieu et qui nous permet de le transmettre autour de nous.

 Jésus, modèle et soutien de la mission de service

Jésus a vécu la condition humaine jusqu’à apprendre le métier de charpentier de Joseph, son père adoptif. On l’appellera d’ailleurs « le charpentier » (Mc 6,3), appellation qui indique qu’il était comme Joseph, reconnu pour la qualité de son travail.

Dans son enseignement, notamment à travers les paraboles, Jésus exprime sa connaissance et son estime des différents métiers. Il nous dit que l’accueil du Règne de Dieu ne se réalise pas seulement dans la prière communautaire et personnelle, mais également dans la vie sociale et professionnelle. Et Jésus donne comme critère pour l’entrée dans le Royaume, le service du prochain, en commençant par le plus petit : « En vérité, je vous le dis, dans la mesure où vous l’avez fait à l’un de ces plus petits de mes frères, c’est à moi que vous l’avez fait » (Mt 25,40).

 La Doctrine sociale de L’Eglise, une boussole pour aujourd’hui

Au XIXe siècle avec l’industrialisation, le Pape Léon XIII n’hésita pas, dans son encyclique Rerum Novarum, à rappeler que chaque ouvrier est une personne et que le travail est l’expression de cette identité. Ses successeurs ont continué à approfondir l’enseignement social de l’Eglise face aux défis de leur époque. Le Pape Léon XIV a ainsi choisi son nom en mémoire de Léon XIII et l’a signifié dès les premiers discours en mentionnant les défis de l’intelligence artificielle.

Le Jubilé est l’occasion de nous intéresser à l’enseignement social de l’Eglise à travers les écrits des Papes et le témoignage de figures dont notre diocèse ne manque pas, comme Louise Nicolle ou encore Mgr Guerry. Si l’espérance thème du Jubilé, est un don de Dieu, elle s’expérimente dans la fidélité à nos engagements dans le monde.

 *Archevêque de Cambrai, Assistent Ecclésiastique UMEC-WUCT

***************************

The Jubilee to affirm

 the mission of service in the world

 By Vincent Dollmann*

 The Christian, servant in the heart of the world

As citizens, we participate in the social, economic, and political life of the world and must take part in debates and decisions, if only through the right to vote in our country. As Christians, we are called to give an account of our faith in Jesus, the Son of God made flesh, by living his charity. We share in it through his Holy Spirit; as for the apostles at Pentecost, he is for us a fire that burns our hearts with the very love of God and allows us to spread it around us.

 Jesus, model and support of the mission of service

Jesus lived the human condition to the point of learning the carpenter's trade from Joseph, his adoptive father. He was called "the carpenter" (Mk 6:3), a name that indicates that he was, like Joseph, recognized for the quality of his work.

In his teaching, especially through parables, Jesus expresses his knowledge and appreciation of different professions. He tells us that welcoming the Kingdom of God is not only achieved in community and personal prayer, but also in social and professional life. And Jesus gives as a criterion for entry into the Kingdom, service to one's neighbor, beginning with the least: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40).

 The Social Doctrine of the Church, a compass for today

In the 19th century , with the advent of industrialization, Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Rerum Novarum, did not hesitate to remind us that every worker is a person and that work is the expression of this identity. His successors continued to deepen the Church's social teaching in the face of the challenges of their time. Pope Leo XIV thus chose his name in memory of Leo XIII and made this clear from his earliest speeches by mentioning the challenges of artificial intelligence.

The Jubilee is an opportunity to examine the Church's social teaching through the writings of the Popes and the testimony of figures whose presence is not lacking in our diocese, such as Louise Nicolle and Bishop Guerry. If hope, the theme of the Jubilee, is a gift from God, it is experienced in faithfulness to our commitments in the world.

 * Archbishop of Cambrai, Ecclesiastical  Assistent UMEC-WUCT

******************

El Jubileo para afirmar 

la misión de servicio en el mundo

 

Por Vincent Dollmann*

 El cristiano, servidor en el corazón del mundo

Como ciudadanos, participamos en la vida social, económica y política del mundo y debemos participar en debates y decisiones, aunque solo sea mediante el derecho al voto en nuestro país. Como cristianos, estamos llamados a dar razón de nuestra fe en Jesús, el Hijo de Dios hecho carne, viviendo su caridad. Participamos de ella por medio de su Espíritu Santo; como para los apóstoles en Pentecostés, él es para nosotros un fuego que arde en nuestros corazones con el amor mismo de Dios y nos permite contagiarlo.

 Jesús, modelo y apoyo de la misión de servicio

Jesús vivió la condición humana hasta el punto de aprender el oficio de carpintero de José, su padre adoptivo. Fue llamado «el carpintero» (Mc 6,3), nombre que indica que, al igual que José, era reconocido por la calidad de su trabajo.

En su enseñanza, especialmente mediante parábolas, Jesús expresa su conocimiento y aprecio por las diferentes profesiones. Nos dice que acoger el Reino de Dios no solo se logra en la oración comunitaria y personal, sino también en la vida social y profesional. Y Jesús da como criterio para entrar en el Reino el servicio al prójimo, empezando por los más pequeños: «En verdad os digo que en cuanto lo hicisteis a uno de estos mis hermanos más pequeños, a mí me lo hicisteis» (Mt 25,40).

 La Doctrina Social de la Iglesia, una brújula para hoy

En el siglo XIX , con la llegada de la industrialización, el Papa León XIII, en su encíclica Rerum Novarum, no dudó en recordarnos que todo trabajador es una persona y que el trabajo es la expresión de esta identidad. Sus sucesores continuaron profundizando en la doctrina social de la Iglesia ante los desafíos de su tiempo. Así, el Papa León XIV eligió su nombre en memoria de León XIII y lo dejó claro desde sus primeros discursos al mencionar los desafíos de la inteligencia artificial.

El Jubileo es una oportunidad para examinar la doctrina social de la Iglesia a través de los escritos de los Papas y el testimonio de figuras clave en nuestra diócesis, como Louise Nicolle y el obispo Guerry. Si la esperanza, tema del Jubileo, es un don de Dios, se vive en la fidelidad a nuestros compromisos en el mundo.

 * Arzobispo de Cambrai, Asistente Eclesiastico UMEC-WUCT





 

domenica 8 giugno 2025

PILGRIMS, NOT PREDATORS


 Pope Leo at Pentecost Vigil: God intends all to live as one


Pope Leo leads a Pentecost Vigil prayer service for pilgrims taking part in the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations, and new Communities.

 

By Christopher Wells

 Some 70,000 pilgrims from more than 100 countries took part in the Vigil of Pentecost in Saint Peter’s Square Saturday evening, as part of the festivities for the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations, and New Communities.

After a “pre-Vigil” consisting of prayer, song, and witness testimonies, the jubilant crowd of pilgrims was joined by Pope Leo, who led a Liturgy of the Word focused on the unity that is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

“St Peter’s Square, with its wide-open and welcoming embrace, magnificently expresses the communion of the Church,” which is experienced in the various groups present, Pope Leo said his homily.

 Synodality unites us to all

The Holy Father went on to highlight the concept of synodality, rooted in the communion of the three Persons of the Trinity and as “God-with-us”; and pointing to the future. Where the Spirit is, the Pope said, “there is movement, a journey to be made.”

Pope Leo explained that this journey unites us to all of humanity, with the Holy Spirit teaching us to walk in unity, in contrast to the violence and division that marks our world. “The earth will rest, justice will prevail, the poor will rejoice and peace will return,” he said, once we no longer act as predators, but as pilgrims; no longer each of us for ourselves, but walking alongside one another.”

“God created the world so that we might all live as one,” the Pope continued, explaining that ‘Synodality’ is the term the Church uses to describe this unity.

 ‘Evangelization is always God's work’

Finally, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the work of evangelization, which does not mean trying to take over the world but refers instead to “the infinite grace that radiates from lives transformed by the Kingdom of God.”

Evangelization, then, can be understood as the way of the Beatitudes, the path chosen by Jesus. To follow that Path, Pope Leo said, “we have no need of powerful patrons, worldly compromises, or emotional strategies. Evangelization is always God’s work.”

The Holy Father encouraged members of ecclesial movements to be attached to their particular Churches and their local parish communities. “Together with the bishops and in cooperation with all the other members of the Body of Christ, all of us will then work together harmoniously as one,” he said; and then, “the challenges facing humanity will be less frightening, the future will be less dark, and discernment will be less complicated… if together we obey the Holy Spirit.”

SPEEK OF POPE LEO


 Vatican News