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STATEMENT by the Most Reverend Bishop Jean Marie
Roger Kozik,
Regional Expert Seminar: Protection of Minorities and other Vulnerable
Groups and In the perspective of the World Conference against racism, racial, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance, which will occur in South Africa in 2001, as founder of Fraternite Notre Dame, I am glad to be given this opportunity to express my reflections during the seminar. All the members of Fraternite Notre Dame feel they are messengers and spokespersons for men, women and children rejected and oppressed, who solicit our attention and help. Fraternite Notre Dame works throughout the world as a humanitarian, religious organization, serving the poorest of the poor and the most neglected. Each day, on all continents, we meet with rejected members of humanity, victims of war, racism, discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance. In a word, all those who are considered as belonging to a minority because of their social or cultural origins, race, education, language or religion. After over 50 years of United Nations action, it is sad to see that the problems of racism, discrimination against ethnic or religious minorities have not yet been solved. We expect much from the World Conference in 2001, more especially: we expect, in acts rather than words alone, the implementation of efficient means to tackle racial and religious discrimination against minorities. When we say minorities, we think of the poorest of the poor in society, because they constitute, even when in important numbers, suffering minorities. Accounted for nothing, they is no room for them in society; hurt in their innermost, they become the outcasts and scapegoats of our world. Nations should understand that rejecting a minority within a given country begets a feeling of injustice in this minority, which ripens, gains in strength, and finally gives birth to discord and hatred on both sides. Current revolts and fratricidal wars are often caused by too great an accumulation of humiliations and injustices. Nations should realize that not being able to eat one's fill, not having a roof over one's head, not being properly schooled, not having a job, suffering in one's body and soul, without being relieved or comforted, not being able to practice one's religion freely, being threatened in one's physical integrity, a victim of pressures and calumnies, because you are part of a religious or ethnic minority: all of these are today's reality, all of these beget conflicts, revolts and wars. As men and women of good will, messengers of the Gospel,
Fraternite Notre Dame®'s missionaries make it their duty, wherever
they are, to consider each human being with a same respect, a same state
of mind. Hunger is one of the main manifestations of poverty. Obstacles do exist however they can be passed. At our own level, with limited financial means but a boundless courage, we, Fraternite Notre Dame's members, attempt to tackle hunger: meals by the thousands are being served free of charge in our various houses on a daily basis, in the USA, in Haiti, Niger, Cameroon, Mongolia, France and the Caribbean, with the help of Volunteer lay people, but unfortunately, without any support from major religious groups. It is true that the earth's resources would be sufficient for an equitable distribution. There is a similar problem with literacy. Fraternite Notre Dame created free schools and free health care centers for orphaned children. We are convinced that safeguarding childhood and favoring its development means contributing to maintain and restore social peace within a nation. And here we want to alert the Seminar that we have witnessed discriminatory facts, for instance in under-developed countries: having to pay major religious groups, which call themselves humanitarian, in order to get married, or pay them to avoid remaining illiterate, this is the lot of adults and children who live in extreme moral or physical poverty. We have painfully witnessed that certain major groups impose the monopoly of their point of view, censure others, threaten, and exert pressure over them, and grant themselves the right to control everything, under the pretense that they are greater in number. We want to reassert here that the number of persons is not what makes up the quality of a group. The democratic state, which finds its expression in the constitutions of many countries, is supposed to protect the weak against the power and injustice of the strong. In practice we are very far from the law, this is obvious. For instance, I would be so very pleased to be in a position to freely provide voluntary training to Brothers and Sisters from foreign, French speaking countries in Africa; now, since I cannot do it in France, supposedly a democratic country, because of overwhelming difficulties to obtain visas, I am compelled to drop the idea and do it in the United States instead. It is indeed pitiful and painful to observe that whenever the subject touches a minority, the latter is immediately called a sect to be discredited, humiliated and isolated, just like they used to do back in the times of the inquisition; now, the number of persons alone is not what makes them a sect or not; indeed, we can see that major religious, political or philosophical groups exert a sectarian power over the rest in order to protect their prestige and privileges. Since I am offered here an opportunity to share some thoughts on the expression of religious and philosophical freedom, Fraternite Notre Dame believes that everyone may have a different way of thinking, and yet be free to express it. I am choked to see that in the various countries where we opened missions with a humanitarian purpose, churches would intervene before governments, to maintain their privileges and make sure that minorities be not heard. We frequently observed discriminatory behaviors, for instance in some under-developed countries, where the appointment of bishops or priests who are born there is not favored. Such discriminatory behaviors maintain a moral and religious tutorship, instead of favoring the development of the Faith and cultural identity of such countries. There is no reason to reject religious minorities, as long as they do not jeopardize the country, nor prejudice the freedom of individuals. We also believe that the religious vocation, as a free commitment, has a right to be a choice in life. However, you can choose but what you are familiar with. During our meetings, we often noticed great ignorance on the identity and responsibilities of the Nun at the service of others. Even though the consecrated woman does not substitute for consecrated men, she should however be given a share in responsibilities, in the various fields of her abilities. This is what I strive to pass on. Through experience, I observe that the active and voluntary presence, the collaboration of a consecrated person contributes to restoring or maintaining human dignity, while fostering humanitarian, sanitary and social development, thus contributing to a greater social stability. In the 21st century, I deplore that certain Catholics adopt narrow-minded views and an exacerbated bigotry towards all forms of belief or expression different from their own, even to the point of exercising pressures and perpetuating religious persecutions, which is a shame among Christian brothers. Since the seminar is an opportunity to reflect on the economic, political, historical, social and cultural factors which favor racism, I do want to sharpen your sensitivity on a particular fact: certain European democracies have degenerated; most of the time, it comes from a tacit agreement between political forces, the communication media and major religious groups; this tacit agreement does not leave any right of expression to the minority groups which do not go their way, while sowing everywhere systematic discrimination and intolerance, which goes as far as tearing apart the family and social fabric. The media channels of these countries, such as newspapers and television, contribute to restricting philosophical and religious freedom of thinking. Today, for instance, there is a real "sect hunting-party" going on. Public denunciations occur repeatedly, getting first-class coverage, both in the newspapers and on television, thus creating an atmosphere of discrimination, racism and intolerance, fueled wisely. You can witness media campaigns, skillfully orchestrated, waging a fanatical and tenacious war against spiritual or linguistic minorities, methods of medical therapy or educational trends, whenever these do not comply with the one trend of thinking imposed; such practices are just worth those of the inquisition period! We know that there are people who, just like back in the abominable times of the inquisition, suffer from methods of intimidation, misinformation, calumny, pressures, blackmailing, law suits and even imprisonment, because of their way of thinking and living. No, the stakes of the inquisition have not ceased to smoke. They have only put on more modern forms, better adapted to today's means. Dear friends who are listening to me, deep into your heart or soul, you all know that either belonging to a minority or to a major group, any human being, made of the same flesh, has a right to be given food and shelter, a right to be schooled, a right to work manually or intellectually, every human being has a right to be relieved, comforted, in a word, a right to be loved. According to the Gospel of Christ, Fraternite Notre Dame welcomes any person, with no distinction of class, sex, race or belief, no concern is expressed to find out whether this or that one is part of a minority, or known major group. In its orphanages, hospitals, schools, free restaurants for the homeless, Fraternite Notre Dame®'s members make it their duty to consider each person with the same mind and heart, being wholly dedicated to all with no discrimination. Before closing, dear friends, I would like to quote very simply some sentences from the poor little one of Assisi, who also had much to suffer from incomprehension and persecution, which summarize my reflection and that I would so much like to see applied by all men of good will:
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