Official Opening of our JPIIJPCentre.
Kampala in Uganda
10th November 2007
"The 10th Nov.07 has become a historical day in the Church of Uganda" said Arch.Paul Bakyenga of Mbarara.
" This is providential. The very missionary Congregations who brought the Faith to Uganda, are now reminding us with this JP Centre, that our Faith must do Justice and Peace in this Country", commented P. Bakyenga.
"The beginning of the JPIIJPC is even late, but not too late.! The coming of this JP Centre at the very time of the Synod for Africa on Reconciliation, Justice and Peace could not be more providential", said Arch. J.B.Odama, of Gulu and Chairperson of the UEC - JP Commission.
About 130 invited guests attended this official launching of JPIIJPC at St Augustine's Institute in Nsambya, Kampala, next to the very premises of our Centre.
His Em.E.Cardinal Wamala presided the Eucharistic Celebration reminding us that Peace is not just the absence of war but includes justice and reconciliation.
Within the Eucharist, Arch. J.B.Odama commissioned the five Staff members of JPIIJPC by giving them five symbols:
1. the Compendium of the Catholic Social Teaching
2. the Statutes of JPIIJP Centre
3. a picture of John Paul II, the inspiration of our Centre
4. a candle: be light of the world
5. salt: be salt of the earth: the transforming power of our Faith.The Eucharist was followed by three Presentations:
1. By Fr. Giuseppe, Chairperson of the BOG, clarifying the "need for a systematic and collaborative commitment to Justice and Peace in Uganda."
2. By Arch. J.B. Odama: "Without Justice and Peace, inspired by Faith, Hope and Love, we have no future ".
" I kneel before the children in the North, for they are the most trampled over by all us, for too long".
"We need this Centre to keep us focused in promoting the Dignity of every human being in this country" said J.B.Odama.
3. By Arch P. Bakyenga: " Who are you" ? YOU as Human Being, YOU as Humanity ? Are you becoming more human or less human ? What are doing to build a more human society in Uganda " ? asked P.Bakyenga.After those Presentations, and introduction of the Staff by the Director, we all went for the social evening with some refreshments and life music, in the gardens of St. Augusitne's Institute.
The interactions between all the guests present, coming from all over the Country, was most enjoyable and lively.
As evening fell, the guests returned home, all deeply grateful for such a celebration and wishing the Staff all the best in our JP commitment.
Presented by Lazaro Bustince M.Afr., Director of JPIIJPC
.
* * *
Welcoming speech
Your Emminence Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala
Your Grace Archbishop John Baptist Odama,
Your Grace Archbishop Cyprian K. Lwanga
Invited Guests
Ladies and GentlemenWelcome and thank
It is with joy and great hope that we are here to inaugurate JP II JP Centre which is the result to three years reflections, discussion, studies. So many people where involved in the process, religious diocesan priest and lay, that it is impossible to mention all of them. To all them I convey our warm thank you with great gratitude for the contribution given. At the end the Centre was born thanks to the determination and willingness of 5 Institutes that agreed to commit themselves in this enterprise at the end of 2006. They are the members of the BOG who met regularly for the whole of 2007 trying to face all the challenges and make the centre a reality.A special thanks goes to Fr Tony Wach SJ for his tireless effort and dedication in pulling all of us around the table with regularity till step by step we reached our objective.
I want to thank Fr Lazaro for having accepted to be the first director of this Centre and of course this would not have been possible without the full support and permission of his Regional Superior Fr Richard Nnyombi. Thanks!
The beginning of any enterprise is always hard and difficult and those who have been asked to be involved to give birth to this Centre deserve a big thank. Fr Lazaro will introduce them to us later on.
Why this Centre?
When we look how Christianity has been growing in Uganda we cannot but recognize that it has been a successful story. The Main Christian Churches together with many other denominational churches make up almost the 80 % of the population. We can say that Uganda is a Christian Country (without claiming any special right) with so many people baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity and thus bearing the Christian mark.But as it happens everywhere, baptism alone is not enough to make of us good Christians. The belief in the God of Jesus Christ is to become visible in our action, behaviour and commitment to the good of society with the same heart and mind that was of Jesus Christ. The Vat II doc. Gadium et Spes reminds us that:
78. Peace is not merely the absence of war, nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies, nor is it brought about by dictatorship. Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice. Peace results from that order structured into human society by its divine Founder, and actualized by men as they thirst after ever greater justice. The common good of humanity finds its ultimate meaning in the eternal law. But… peace is never attained once and for all, but must be built up ceaselessly. Moreover, since the human will is unsteady and wounded by sin, the achievement of peace requires a constant mastering of passions and vigilance...
83. In order to build up peace above all, the causes of discord among men, especially injustice, which foment wars must be rooted out. Not a few of these causes come from excessive economic inequalities and from putting off the steps needed to remedy them. Other causes of discord, however, have their source in the desire to dominate and in a contempt for persons. And if we look for deeper causes, we find them in human envy, distrust, pride and other egotistical passions. Man cannot bear so many ruptures in the harmony of things. Consequently, the world is constantly beset by strife and violence between men even when no war is being waged.
No one can fail to notice that the statement of Vat II applies to our situation today in Uganda. We Christians wounded as we are by our own sins are still far away from living free from those passions that have the power to generate injustices and undermine peace. Yes we are Christian but not fully committed to live in imitation of our Founder and concern with the common good.
For these reasons there is need to make the Social teaching of the Church part of the new evangelization as Pope John Paul II called it when inviting the all Church to become more aware of its mandate. He called this new evangelization and also evangelization of culture because the values of the Gospel are universal and are shared by our brothers and sisters who are not Christian. Thus promoting the Social teaching of the Church is a real service to our nation and to the entire humankind.
JP II JP Centre wants to be an instrument of the service of the social teaching of the Church for a renewed evangelization of culture.
Relationship with existing bodies
The Church in Uganda has worked a lot for Justice and Peace. There exists commissions at diocesan levels and national level. There exist commissions within the Religious orders and at the level of AMSRIU (the Association of the major superiors in Uganda). There athors many agencies, NGOs and organization active on the territory concerned with Justice and peace issues.The Institutes behind this enterprise and all those who contributed to the development of this idea are aware how big is the gap between the official documents and their implementation at provincial level.
Speaking only for my own Institute I can say that we have on one side directives guiding us to elaborate strategic plan concerning issues of justice and peace; on the other side we have on the territory highly committed confreres totally dedicated to justice and peace (Gulu, Karamoja) who somehow seems to be working mainly on their own, out of their personal commitment rather then because of an accepted commitment of the side of the whole Institute. I feel that this Centre gives to my Institute the possibility to institutionalize our commitment to Justice and Peace. Thus it becomes a commitment of the whole province not merely of the usual few who seems to have a special vocation for it.
Perhaps what I see happening in my Institute is also happening in the Church. We praise Archbishop J.B. Odama for his commitment to Justice and Peace in the North but that is enough, and the rest of us can be engaged in other things. Justice, peace and social teaching of the Church should define the behaviour and all the relationships among people in all different settings: family, village, work, school, local administration, social servants, politicians….
I hope that is now clear that this Centre does not want to replace or to compete with any existing body dedicated to justice and peace. This Centre want to cooperate with all them and at the same time to focus more on the Social teaching on the Church which seems not sufficiently known and too little implemented
Conclusion
I want to conclude to invite you all to consider this Center as your own: Your own because you can come here to share your finding, your insights, your experiences and to ask for that collaboration you need to make the social teaching of the Church relevant to a society in need of greater justice and joyful peace.I pray and hope it becomes a catalyzers capable to dynamically setting in motion a greater commitment for justice at all level so that people can beginning to speak with their own voice and stand up for their own right while learning to be committed to seek the common good as equal member of the family of God.
Fr Giuseppe Filippi
10 November 2007
