Thirty years ago when I arrived in Mindanao, I was immersed in a situation of violence between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The suffering of the people, Muslims and Christians and indigenous people, became a challenge for me to dedicate my life to the mission of dialogue and reconciliation and after few years of experiences and adventure in the effort of building peace, I started, with Muslim and Christian friends, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement in Zamboanga City.
I used to meet MNLF rebels in the forest as a negotiator and I faced military abuses and even experienced living in isolated places. Many times I was told by Christians and Muslims, “We respect you because you are a man of God.” Unfortunately, after a few years of this experience, I felt some threats and I started to be more careful. In the last twenty-five years, the cases of kidnapping and killings of missionaries, priests and bishops have increased.
I recall the killing of Fr. Tullio Favali, PIME, in 1985 in the Kidapawan area. After him, many others have been killed: Fr. Rohel Gallardo, CMF, in Basilan area; Bishop Ben de Jesus, OMI, in Jolo; Fr. Rufus Halley, SSC, in Malabang; Fr. Godofredo Alingal, SJ, in Malaybalay; Fr. Nerelito Satur, diocesan priest, in Malaybalay; Fr. Benjiamin Inocencio, OMI, in Jolo; Fr. Salvatore Carzedda, PIME, in Zamboanga City. Among those who have been kidnapped, I remember Fr. Michel de Gigord, MEP, in Marawi area; Msgr. Dermond Hartford, SSC in Marawi area; Bishop Federico Escaler, SJ, in Ipil area; Fr. Cirilo Nacorda, diocesan priest, in Basilan; Fr. Clarence Bertelsman, OMI, in Jolo area, Fr. Luciano Benedetti, PIME, in Zamboanga del Norte; Fr. Giuseppe Pierantoni, SCH, in Zamboanga del Sur; Fr. Eduardo Monge, CMF, Fr. Bernardo Blanco, CMF, and Bro. Augustin Fracksask, Franciscan, all in Basilan area. The latest missionary kidnapped in Mindanao was Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, PIME.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Maybe the list is not complete, but long enough, for the last twenty-five years, to ask ourselves “What is happening in Mindanao?” Each case is different; some have been killed or kidnapped for money, for vested interest of groups to get national or international attention, for political or economic motivation, for cultural differences linked with religious motivation or simply to eliminate or give a lesson to some who are too vocal against certain sectors of the society.
Mindanao is at a stage of searching for an identity and for justice in the process of moving toward peace and development. But there are many obstacles and unsolved issues related to history. In this context, we also feel the influence of some powerful international groups and ideologies arriving from other countries which have transformed Mindanao into a “land of conflict.” This situation is becoming more complicated with the new international issues of violence identified as “terrorism.” I will not elaborate further on the Mindanao situation, but I will try to give an answer to the problem of kidnappings and killings of missionaries, priests and bishops in Mindanao in the specific context of today.
The traditional belief in the Philippines is that missionaries and priests are “men of God” and they cannot be touched. This belief has been eroded; we are now seeing a new phenomenon of violence that does not spare even the “men of God.” This is true also in Mindanao, although the majority of the people of Mindanao − Muslims, Christians and indigenous people − still respect us.
Like others, we are now vulnerable to the same threat; we are no longer different from others in this specific aspect. In some areas, we are even becoming special targets, especially if we are foreigners. We feel that some Muslims have forgotten that the Holy Qur’an refers to Christians as the People of the Book and even reminds Muslims to respect Christians because “Among them, there are the monks (priests) and nuns.” Some Christians have also forgotten the special mission of their “pastors.” Relativism, materialism, and greed for power have entered religions − even justifying with “religions” arguments, acts of violence which are in contradiction with the real spirit of our Christian and Islamic faith. What is more dangerous is that many are losing their moral values and good traditions. Thus, we can say that the killing or kidnapping of missionaries, priest and bishops is only the tip of the iceberg, the surface of a more vast network of deterioration of values, whose one visible manifestation is violence in its many forms.
PEACEFUL AT HEART
As a missionary who has been threatened many times of being killed or kidnapped, I remain peaceful at heart. I am challenged to work more with all people of sincere hearts of Mindanao to share my belief in the dignity of each person, though they are of different cultures and religions. Each one is equal in standing in my eyes and deserves equal respect.
In this present milieu, we missionaries are in the same boat as other people and we, as religious people, have to reflect more about our mission. We have to reaffirm our special commitment to attend to all forms of poverty, to raise the dignity of all, instead of spending our energies to claim the rights and the privileges that were given to us in the past.
Only if we listen to the voice of the powerless and stay with them can we become “powerful” as real “men of God.” The Church reminds us that the mission of dialogue is an integral part of the mission of the Church. This mission is identified in the document Ecclesia in Asia as “dialogue of incarnation.”
As I end this reflection, I wish to challenge other missionaries, priests and bishops to reflect more on what these new signs of the times are telling us. I read the signs as telling us to be proud to be “men of God,” thus “men of dialogue” and to help our society in Mindanao to overcome prejudices still present among Muslims and Christians. Today, we missionaries, priests and bishops have to be in the front line to raise the voice of hope and to build a culture of dialogue, a path to peace.
