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Whereas plantations, logging and dams were the main culprits that displaced Filipino indigenous communities from their ancestral domains and wrought havoc in their way of life in the 70s and 80s, the specter since the 1990s until today is large-scale mining and energy-generation projects. That, ironically, are strongly supported by the government of the Philippines.
Indigenous peoples, who usually see their ancestral lands as sacred and not as a profitable commodity, are being threatened by the oil, gas and mineral wealth that hides beneath their soil. That is coveted by powerful nations and big corporations.
To secure their food supplies and the production of biofuels, several countries are buying or leasing huge amounts of farmland in poor nations, in Asia, Latin America and mainly in Africa. Some say that the investment could aid to develop the local economies, but the phenomenon – that has already a name: the land grab – can be also a menace to small farmers and local communities. Some denounce it as just a form of new colonialism and say that will worsen poverty and malnutrition.
The Church was born in the Holy Land. And, during some centuries, the Bishop of Jerusalem was the recognized authority over all Christians.
Where Bethany was, now stands an ugly concrete wall, nine meters tall, that blocks the way to East Jerusalem. The place where Jesus frequented his friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary remembers a ghetto but, even amid the poverty and the squalor, there is a spark of hope: the Christian projects that help Muslim children and girls.
Throughout history, war has never been too far from the Holy Land. Yet, this is the land that God promised to His chosen people, a land that will have to find lasting peace through dialogue among the many people who inhabit it, most of whom trace back their origins to the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Sudan, Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, Iraq, Myanmar and Pakistan. In Africa and Asia, these eight countries suffered, in 2008, the worst humanitarian and medical emergencies. Last year, the world was also affected by a surge of cases of tuberculosis in HIV patients and “pandemic” malnutrition that costed the lives of up to 5 million children under the age of five. According to the Doctors Without Borders, these are the “Top Ten” crises that need to be closely followed in the near future.
For St. Francis, every creature in the world was a mirror of God’s presence and, if approached correctly, a step leading one to God. The most popular saint among environmentalists, and certainly one of the most loved and respected by all sorts
of people is certainly a case apart in the history of Christianity. But his vision has strong echoes in the Bible, from the Genesis to Jesus’ teachings and Catholic tradition. Put together, these legacies allow us to elaborate a Creation Theology that teaches us to love and protect God’s gifts.
About to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Zamboanga-based Silsilah Dialogue Movement has been opening paths of peace through dialogue. Dialogue with God, oneself, others and creation, is a spirituality. The history of the movement is interwoven with that of its founder, Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra. The Italian-born missionary has suffered a few attempts against his life, perpetrated either by the military or the Moro rebel separatists, but never gave up his life’s dream – that became his mission – of making peace through dialogue.
Encountering the true God is our only hope. It’s how we discover our own true nature and reclaim our fundamental humanity as peaceful, loving, nonviolent people. Encountering the true God will empower us to become peacemakers and fill us with the sense of being “sons and daughters of the God of peace.” On that day, we will fully know God, and peace and justice will flow naturally.
