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omnibus 18 progressio news for the poor and oppressed in our world. Today, there are many who say that rather than walking hand-in-hand with the oppressed, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is too disengaged from the plight of the vulnerable and marginalised. In principle, the Church is with the poor. Take this, for example, from a statement by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference just weeks before a general election: “Development requires that people are rescued from every form of poverty, from hunger to illiteracy…” But, as Romero himself said, “things can’t just be written on paper.” His prophetic message is that it is our duty as Christians to bring these values to life. We have to act to put our principles into practice. A young man in El Salvador, Luis González, told me recently: “Monsignor Romero provided a means through which social protest could be expressed. If a poor person said that beans were expensive, they were killed. No-one could talk. But he could say those kinds of things.” His courage was such that he was prepared to challenge the status quo, even in the face of the threat of death. He put his power and authority at the service of the poor, in his denouncing of violence and repression, in his friendship and solidarity with peasants in villages. Thirty years on from his death, Romero’s life and murder is a challenge to the Church and to all believers: are we prepared to actually put that power at the service of others, and to fight for justice for the world’s poor and marginalised, whatever the cost to ourselves Christine Allen is Executive Director of Progressio, an international charity with Catholic roots that enables poor communities to solve their own problems through support from skilled workers. It also lobbies decision-makers to change the policies that keep people poor. For more information about Progressio, see www.progressio.org.uk. A version of this article first appeared in The Guardian Romero - quotes “‘I must tell you, as a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. If I am killed, I will rise again in the Salvadoran people” (date unknown) “Water the earth with truth, justice, love and kindness” 24.3.1980 “The shepherd does not want safety, as long as his own people are not safe” 22.7.1979 “The church suffers the fate of the poor: persecution. It is proud that it mingles the blood of its priests with the pain of the people.” 17.12.1980 “The world of the poor teaches us that liberation will arrive only when the poor are not simply on the receiving end of handouts from government or from churches, but when they themselves are the masters and protagonists of their own struggle for liberation.” From Romero’s diary “The government should not consider a priest who takes a stand for social justice as a politician, or a subversive element, when he is fulfilling his mission in the politics of the common good.” Mass at San Salvador cathedral following death of Fr Rutilio Grande “Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ will live like the grain of wheat that dies…The harvest comes because of the grain that dies…We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us.” (Final homily, 24.3.1980) "I am bound, as a pastor, by divine command to give my life for those whom I love, and that is all Salvadoreans, even those who are going to kill me." (22.3.1980) "When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises." (8.6.78) We must not seek the child Jesus in the pretty figures of our Christmas cribs. We must seek him among the undernourished children who have gone to bed at night with nothing to eat, among the poor newsboys who will sleep covered with newspapers in doorways. (24.12.1979) Progressio has been working in El Salvador since 1994. It is one of the ten poorest countries in Latin America and despite a rapidly increasing population - which now totals some 7.2 million people - and one of the highest population densities in the world, there has been little economic growth here for several years. Many grassroots organisations are now attempting to address the economic and social problems of the Salvadoran people. Progressio is working alongside a range of local partner groups to help strengthen their work and expose economic and social policies that are having a detrimental effect on the lives of Salvadorans, with encouraging results. To get involved with Progressio, find out more about our work or become a member, visit our website: www.progressio.org.uk Page 18 April 2010
omnibus 19 cafod now Caritas Chile aid reaching most in need Ruben Sebulbeda hugs his little 18 month granddaughter Anina to his chest. Just like he did a week ago. When the earthquake struck Chile on Saturday, February 28th, in the dead of night, he woke up. Everything in his little house in the village of Santa Clara had fallen on the floor. Ruben Sebulbda and his wife had just started to clean up, when they heard their neighbours running by and shouting: “The sea is coming!” By the time Mr Sebulbeda rushed out of his door, Anina in his arms, the wave, one and a half metres high, was already upon his house. His wife was carried away by the flood, but he managed to grab her trailing hair and pulled her towards dry land. The sea took everything, not much is left of the little village. Today Mr Sebulbda is living in a meeting room, which belongs to the church of Santa Cecilia close to Concepción. The priest who lives here normally receives food kits from Caritas, one kit will feed a family for two to three days. “At the moment, providing food for people in need is of priority: So far we were able to hand out 25.000 food kits to families, comprising sugar, rice, tuna, tea, powdered milk and salt,” says Gabriela Gutierrez, Executive Secretary of Caritas Concepción. Over 200,000 food kits have been donated by people all over Chile. Caritas volunteers in a huge warehouse in Santiago put the food into boxes and load them on trucks, which leave every day for Concepción and other regions to deliver the food to victims of the quake and the tsunami. Ruben Sebulbeda and his family are safe for now. They found a place to stay and they are fed. However, with 1.5 million people who have lost their homes all over Chile, not just food, but shelter will become the next big issue. Support CAFOD’s work in Chile: http://www.cafod.org.uk/giving/emergency-appeals Recipients of Caritas food aid in the Santa Clara township in Talcahuano. Haiti: the need for shelter Phenol Estiverne’s home wasn’t reduced to rubble, like many others hit by Haiti’s earthquake, but he still hasn’t returned to live in it. “It’s too dangerous. Mr Estiverne, 54, now lives with his wife and four children in the garden of his small brick house in Port-au-Prince. Poor building practices in Haiti’s towns and capital city hugely contributed to the destruction and massive loss of life in the 12th January earthquake. Caritas has distributed emergency shelter kits to over 60,000 people Caritas has distributed emergency shelter kits to over 60,000 people since the earthquake happened since the earthquake happened. Mr Estiverne recently received a family-sized tent which he has pitched in his garden. “We’re so grateful and relieved Caritas provided us with a tent,” he says. However, for Mr Estiverne and hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people like him a tent is just a short-term answer. The massive hardship faced by Haitians will only be alleviated when they have solid houses, new schools and a life of dignity. Haiti: You can help lift their burden of debt Last month’s earthquake in Haiti killed at least 200,000 people. Rebuilding will take years and cost billions – yet Haiti is already burdened by enormous debts built up by corrupt governments of the past. It’s wrong to expect Haiti’s people to repay this debt. Email the Prime Minister to call on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for all of Haiti’s debt to be cancelled immediately, and to ensure that debt cancellation is automatically on the agenda when a poor country is struck by disaster. For Haiti’s future, please act now. http://www.cafod.org.uk/ Page 19 April 2010
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Omnibus News - Diocese of Nottingham

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