Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) - “I lived 20 years in Ethiopia as a missionary,” Fr. Giuseppe Cavallini of the Combonian Missionaries told Agenzia Fides. “And I could see the various phases of relations between Christians and Muslims. Until 1990, there was a natural harmony among the various faith, especially in the vast area of sub-Saharan Africa. It was common to find families with members belonging to the Catholic Church, Islam, and traditional religions. Then things changed, especially as the Islamic States began financing schools and mosques and introducing the political element.”
In the words of the Instrumentum Laboris: “In some places, living together with Muslim brothers and sisters is sound and good. In other places, however, mistrust on both sides hinders a peaceful dialogue, e.g., conflicts arising from mixed marriages. Intolerance of some Islamic groups sparks hostility and feeds prejudices. The matter is not helped by doctrinal positions espoused by certain proponents of Jihad. The tendency to politicize religious affiliation is, among others, a dangerous tendency seen at the outset of dialogue. Nevertheless, amidst the crisis, collaboration in some places in providing civic and electoral instruction is promising to be fruitful” (no. 102).
It is not all negative, but it is true that in Africa the situation is different than in other parts of the world. “The challenge of evangelization – the missionary says – had become hard work. The Church preaches the Gospel without taking on the radical and pretentious attitude of several minority groups of Islam.” The role and significant of Ethiopia, which for centuries was a center for Christianity in Africa, seems to have become the objective of the Muslims, so much so that in 2004, Addis Ababa was proclaimed the Islam capital of the continent. Fr. Cavallini adds: “The Muslims consider Africa as though it were 'naturally made for' Islam and thus, they try to insert their beliefs into the traditional religion, causing the emergence of various common traits [according to their understanding] such as polygamy, the family, the role of the woman limited to the family, one God.”
“The Gospel is grounded in the human terrain of culture. African societies show how powerless they are in the breakdown of cultures. If the Church is to form authentic Christians, she must give serious attention to grounding the Gospel message in culture,” says the Instrumentum Laboris (no. 73). The best path to enter into this human and social terrain and make Christ's message dynamic and authentic for Africans, Fr. Cavallini says, “is the school. This is what can transform more than the other ways and strategies. We should continue our work of education and formation.” (MT) (Agenzia Fides 2/10/2009)
