Je vous adresser, ci-joint, le Document final du VIIIème Séminaire européen des Aumôniers catholiques de l'Aviation Civile et des Membres des Aumôneries, qui s'est déroulé à Birmingham (Angleterre), du 31 mars au 3 avril 2006, sur le thème “Aumôniers et Membres des Aumôneries aéroportuaires parmi un milieu multi-religieux, dans le contexte d’une société sécularise”.

Je voudrais saisir cette occasion pour remercier tous ceux qui ont travaillés pour le succès du Séminaire et pour la précieuse contribution de ceux qui étaient présents.

Je vous salue très cordialement. Bien à vous dans le Seigneur.

+ Archevêque Agostino Marchetto

Secrétaire

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VI European Seminar for Catholic Civil Aviation Chaplains and Chaplaincy members

31 March to 4 April 2008

St Mary’s College, Oscott, Birmingham, UK

Final Statement

Renewal of Mission

The European Catholic Airport Chaplains and Chaplaincy members gathered together at St Mary’s College, Oscott, Birmingham, UK, from 31 March to 4 April 2008, to renew their commitment to their mission and to face the challenges they meet each day at the airports they serve. The occasion was the VI European Seminar, organized by Fr. David Lacy, Secretary General of the Catholic Chaplains in Civil Aviation and Chaplaincy Members in Europe (EACCAC) and Birmingham Airport chaplain, with the support of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, on the theme: “Airport chaplains and chaplaincy members amidst a multi-religious milieu in a secular society.”

Thirty-five members attended the Seminar representing airports in 10 countries (Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Malta, Poland and Scotland).

The Event

On the first day the Seminar was officially opened with a Welcome Mass presided over by Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham. As he welcomed the participants to the Archdiocese of Birmingham, the Archbishop assured them of his prayer that they “may be encouraged by the support you give to each other as you reflect on the issues of modern society.” In fact, he described their ministry as “the acute experience in an airport environment where peoples of faith and no faith meet and travel together”.

The Inaugural Address of Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, was read by Ms. Nilda Castro, Official in Charge of the sector on Civil Aviation Apostolate. The address emphasized that airport apostolate “is an aspect of the Church’s responsibility toward her faithful and a participation in her universal mission” and that “airport ministry therefore is a mission of proclaiming the Good News, a work of evangelization, that takes place at the airport.” This is done through witness, presence and explicit proclamation. In the context of our secular society where people of different religions live side by side, “the Church sees no conflict between proclaiming Christ and engaging in inter-religious dialogue” and “these two elements must maintain both their intimate connection and their distinctiveness; therefore they should not be confused, manipulated or regarded as identical as though they were interchangeable.”

The next day Canon David Evans, Secretary of the Committee for Theology, Faith And Culture of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales gave a talk on “Secularisation in Britain”. He identified in Pope Benedict’s encyclical Spe Salvi the message of a hope “that could liberate people from the need to conform to the demands of a materialistic society” and considered “the fear of death” as “a hidden motive for social success”. By way of conclusion, he affirmed that “it was not a desire for a secular society that shaped post war Britain but a desire to safeguard human dignity from poverty, sickness and exploitation, with the collaboration of all people of good will.” Around this, he continued, “people from all backgrounds might unite”, it being “a place where faith and secularism may meet.”

Mr. William Ozanne, Secretary of the Birmingham Archdiocesan Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue presented a paper on “Inter-religious Relations, with particular reference to Sikh religion in Birmingham.” Quoting Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, he affirmed that this dialogue is not a diplomatic dialogue since it is “not just a conversation between friends who want to please each other”. Nor is it a negotiation, which “seeks to resolve a problem, to find a solution and it is done”. Inter-religious dialogue, instead, is “a pilgrimage in the sense that it invites us to go out of ourselves in order to go to meet the other, to walk together along the path with him to know him better. And moreover, it is a risk…” He identified the principle of “presence and witness” at the heart of inter-religious dialogue, with the “dialogue of life” as its bedrock. It wishes “to discern the ‘seeds of the Word’ or the ‘rays of the Truth’ in other religions as they exist”. Mr. Ozanne then spoke about the Church’s dialogue with the Sikh community, specifying that “of all the non-Christian religious groups, we find ourselves most at home with them, as Monotheistic believers in one God the creator and father of all, and the equality of all human beings as God’s children, cutting across gender and caste distinctions.”

This was followed by a talk given by Dr. Joseph Seferta, Member of the Birmingham Council of Faiths and of the Birmingham Archdiocesan Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue on “Islam's Challenge to Christians in Britain” . He affirmed that “while other religious and ethnic groups generally integrate relatively easily into British society and culture, most Muslims find it difficult to do so… However, non-Muslims are also guilty of not mixing with their Muslim neighbours in order to know them better.” Then there are also the “Muslim radicals in Britain (whether foreign, native-born or converts to Islam)” who “are taking advantage of our free society, democratic institutions and liberal laws to bring their agenda to fulfilment.” Dr. Seferta asserted that “we have a lot in common with the Muslims, as has been mentioned before, even if the differences remain irreconcilable. But the differences must be respected by both sides”. He is convinced that “Dialogue … is the answer because it opens up the mind, as well as the heart, to our neighbour whom Jesus has commanded us to love… [and will] bring about mutual trust, leading to cooperation and peaceful coexistence.” As regards terrorists, he encouraged moderates to “challenge the radicals among them and convince them that the answer does not lie in hate and violence but in dialogue and cooperation, and that they can be both good Muslims as well as good British citizens.”

These presentations were followed by a lively discussion and gratitude was expressed by those present for the most interesting and informative lectures.

Later, Holy Mass was presided over by Rev. David Lacy, Secretary General of the European Catholic Chaplains in Civil Aviation, in the Oscott Chapel.

In the afternoon Fr. Paschal Ryan, Heathrow Airport chaplain led an exchange about the experiences of working in a multi-religious chaplaincy with people who are not Christian.

Then Mr. Henri Damamme, IACAC President, informed the assembly about the next IACAC Annual Conference. This will take place in Nice, France, in September 2008. He encouraged those who were present to participate in the Nice meeting.

The Secretary General reported on the principal matters which has been touched upon during his two years in office. Gratitude was expressed on behalf of the members.

The election of the new Secretary General took place and Fr. Michel Gaillard from Brussels airport was elected by a large majority vote.

On the third day Mr Joe Kelly, Acting Managing Director, Birmingham International Airport, gave a talk on “Working relationships with reference to inter-religious practice and customs.” He described the movement of people in Birmingham airport and the challenges facing the “airport family” of employees. In this context he affirmed the importance of the presence of the Multi-faith Chaplaincy, whose team members work together, especially as a “Multi-faith Care Team”. They are considered part of the airport community and regarded with respect.

The “Multi-religious care Team & Response to Crisis” was the subject of a talk given by Mrs. Barbara Hayes, Anglican Chaplain at Birmingham airport. The team responds “in the immediate aftermath of a major incident” when “people do not want counselling or in depth pastoral care”. It is “our faith [that] obliges us to support those in distress.”

The participants then visited Birmingham Airport where they met the Airport Staff and Colleagues.

In the afternoon a visit to the Central Mosque, Highgate, Birmingham, was arranged by Aftab Paraaz, Muslim chaplain at Birmingham Airport. Seminar attendees were welcomed by the Imam who gave a short informative talk about the prayer life of the Muslim faithful, who pray five times a day.

After this they visited the Sikh Gudwara in the Soho Road, Hockley, where they listened to a talk about the spiritual and human balance of their lives and their family sense of service to the community. They shared in their prayer and received their hospitality. They found a genuine respect for a person’s beliefs and were impressed by the voluntary service that everyone gave freely. Secretary Pritpal Kaur greeted the chaplains.

Later on Mass in St. Chad’s Cathedral was presided over by Rt Rev Philip Pargeter,

Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, followed by Supper in the Grimshaw Room.

Conclusions and Propositions

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Summary of the week

Monday 31st March 2008

Registration

Sr. Margaret, Chris Dobson and Dianne Russell booking

in the delegates.

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Message du Très Révérend Vincent Nichols,

Archevêque de Birmingham

À l’occasion de la 6ème conférence des Aumôniers catholiques de l’Aviation Civile 31 mars 2008.

Bien Chers Pères,

Bien Chers Diacres,

Bien Chères Sœurs,

Je suis très heureux de vous souhaiter la bienvenue dans l’Archidiocèse de Birmingham, à l’occasion de votre conférence qui explorera le rôle d’un aumônier d’aéroport dans la société moderne et multi-religieuse dans laquelle nous vivons et travaillons.

Le ministère d’un aumônier d’aéroport, tout comme l’activité pastorale de l’ Eglise, est placé dans un contexte de confessions différentes et parfois d’un manque de vie religieuse et il se peut que cela devienne une expérience profonde dans un tel environnement où croyants et non-croyants se rencontrent et voyagent ensemble.

Votre ministère dans les aéroports d’ Europe apporte un réconfort à tous ceux et à toutes celles qui voyagent en avion; d’autant plus que nous vivons à une époque de sensibilité politique et de révélation médiatique quant aux mesures de sécurité adoptées dans tous les aéroports.

Votre ministère apporte également un soutien aux voyageurs. Pour beaucoup d’entre eux, les voyages aériens sont un événement rare et ils en appréhendent les exigences et les démarches.

Je prierai pour vous cette semaine afin que vous puissiez être encouragés par votre soutien mutuel quand vous examinerez les problèmes de la société moderne.

Que Marie, la Mère de Notre Seigneur Ressuscité, intercede en votre faveur cette semaine et devienne votre Sainte Patronne.

Vincent Nichols

Archevêque de Birmingham

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Tuesday 1st April 2008

Morning Session

La sécularisation en Grande Bretagne.

Le dialogue avec les cultures se situe sur plusieurs fronts. Trois d’entre eux fournissent les thèmes de cette conférence. Bien que les thèmes soient vastes, ils deviennent de plus en plus précis dans leur contexte. Le but de cet article est de donner une idée de l’état culturel de l’Angleterre et du pays de Galles en ce qui concerne la sécularisation et le laïcisme. La sécularisation est un phénomène complexe. Il a ses composantes intellectuelles, qui initialement étaient philosophiques, venant du besoin de donner une base autorisée au New Learning, suite à la crise du scepticisme qui situe l’âge moderne au seizième siècle. Cette période n’était pas anti-théologique ni anti-religieuse, elle empruntait davantage les caractéristiques des Lumières, lorsque des penseurs anglais, comme Hume, Bentham et J S Mill éliminèrent délibérément - à cause de son côté irrationnel- une direction théologique de la connaissance. Aujourd’hui, on se rapporte aux valeurs des Lumières en défendant la liberté de parole et la tolérance, et lorsqu’on veut se référer aux fondations des institutions de la politique contemporaine et de la société civile.

Ainsi donc, il y a trois thèmes à cette conférence. Le premier est une réflexion sur l’encyclique Spe Salvi du Pape Benoît XVI. Au début de sa présentation sur la vertu d’Espérance, le Pape analyse les effets de la philosophie de Bacon sur la pensée du monde moderne. Le choix de ce philosophe est intéressant parce qu’on associe généralement le début de l’ère moderne à Descartes. Bacon lui, cependant antérieur à Descartes, est exactement aussi explicite quant à son désir de trouver une nouvelle méthode pour les sciences qui échappent à l’autorité aristotélicienne et qui cependant garantissent les vérités découvertes au moyen de ces méthodes. Le Pape Benoît estime Bacon de façon plutôt négative par rapport au thème de son encyclique, mais Bacon essayait de construire un programme positif et n’était pas sans intuitions théologiques dans son entreprise. En pensant à la sécularisation, il est important de voir autant les aspects négatifs que positifs.

Ce début d’analyse est historique. Il montre que la sécularisation n’est pas simplement un phénomène récent, mais existe depuis des siècles. La sécularisation a conduit au laïcisme, dans le sens où la religion est exempte de valeur publique. La religion affaire privée, ne devrait pas influencer le domaine public ou politique. Ces domaines ouvertement hostiles à la religion s’opposent au Christianisme, au Judaïsme, à l’Islam ou à d’autres religions qui d’une façon ou d’une autre attirent l’attention des médias. La laïcité oblige la religion à se purifier en prenant conscience de ce qui est vraiment sacré et comment on peut l’identifier. La laïcité peut aider la religion dans sa recherche de la vérité.

Le troisième thème est le plus important. Il correspond à ce qui touche la société britannique contemporaine, comme les suicides assistés, la politique d’adoption, la procréation artificielle. Il y a un lien explicite entre le laïcisme et le pragmatisme. Avec la perte des principes religieux, l’ancien dicton « l’homme est la mesure de toute chose » commence à être vérifié. Dans l’Angleterre contemporaine, cette notion est aussi associée à l’utilitarisme dans le sens que « le plus grand bien du plus grand nombre » dirige la moralité. Cet axiome favorise l’adulte sur l’enfant, les personnes en bonne santé sur les malades, le sentiment sur la raison, et limite la compréhension de la vie aux circonstances immédiates et à la gratification personnelle.

Culture et sécularisation : perspective historique.

La première partie de cette conférence analyse et développe l’utilisation de la philosophie de Francis Bacon dans l’Encyclique. Il y a un début de dialogue par le concept du péché héréditaire qui a fait l’objet de l’attention des philosophes des temps modernes. L’Eglise présente la personne de Jésus comme celui qui dissipe le malaise d’imperfection humaine et de crainte de la mort.

Le choix que le Pape Benoît XVI fait de Bacon, comme partenaire de dialogue est intéressant. En évaluant les effets de la pensée de Bacon, le Pape reconnaît qu’il y a une voie théologique à son étude : « cette nouvelle corrélation entre science et pratique signifierait que la domination, sur la création – donnée à l’homme par Dieu et perdue par le péché originel - serait rétablie. »(SS § 16) Ce point montre une faille dans la présentation de Bacon. Le péché est une réalité théologique et son remède repose sur le Christ sauveur. La doctrine du péché originel est une des plus difficiles à comprendre. Sa complexité fut présentée par Blaise Pascal en respectant particulièrement l’idée de péché originel lié à l’hérédité, un état pour lequel je suis tenu responsable mais pour lequel je ne dois pas être blâmé. Il y a dans la pensée moderne, une certaine façon de reconnaître l’aliénation humaine comme une vérité, des essais de l’interpréter dans des termes non théologiques, et de le dépasser en remaniant nos idées sur la nature de l’homme et le but des activités humaines. En pensant toujours à Bacon, le Pape Benoît XVI indique que cette attitude est celle de la foi en devenir. Les êtres humains ont en eux-mêmes les moyens de dépasser leurs propres malaises, en particulier ceux qu’ils rencontrent avec les autres humains et le monde autour d’eux. Ceci est fondamental pour prétendre à l’autonomie humaine. Cette attitude est quelquefois exprimée en termes de maturité. L’humanité a grandi, a pris de l’âge, est devenue adulte.

Un tel horizon, procure une ouverture au dialogue. C’est un dialogue qui est particulièrement nécessaire aujourd’hui en Grande Bretagne, depuis que se répand dans une bonne partie de notre culture séculaire, l’idée que la solution aux problèmes de société est dans la croissance économique. En conséquence le pouvoir du gouvernement a les mains liées par les demandes des riches au détriment des pauvres. Les riches deviennent plus riches, et les pauvres plus pauvres. En réponse, l’enseignement catholique présente une vulnérabilité universelle, que l’on ne peut classer en terme social ou médical, et qui ne peut pas trouver de solution par des conditions sociales meilleures, par l’éducation, par la psychologie, ou l’amélioration du bien être physique et mental, alors même que l’Eglise se montre concernée par ceux qui souffrent de cette façon. Notre société met en valeur l’individu, mais seulement s’il est productif, c'est-à-dire quand il est en bonne santé, au travail ou bon citoyen contribuant bénévolement à un secteur reconnu d’utilité publique. Les jeunes sont acceptés dans la mesure où ils travaillent bien en classe et n’épuisent pas les avantages du système allocatif.

La contribution la plus importante de l’Eglise à la Grande Bretagne contemporaine, est de renforcer l’affirmation que la dignité humaine n’est pas amoindrie par sa fragilité. Elle a aussi besoin, comme le disait Pascal, de tourner à son avantage le fait que les hommes ne sont pas responsables de leur état d’imperfection, et en conséquence ne peuvent pas être entièrement responsables de remettre les choses à l’endroit. Cependant, cette ouverture est un sentier que plusieurs souhaiteraient encore éviter. A cet égard, « Sauvés dans l’Espérance » est un ouvrage approprié à la Grande Bretagne. Il traite de l’espérance d’une façon qui pourrait libérer l’homme du besoin de se conformer aux exigences d’une société matérialiste. Il montre aussi une sensibilité à l’expérience humaine, identifiant la cause de la peur de la mort, qui est en elle-même un motif caché du succès social. De cette façon, la vérité sur l’humaine condition que Jésus est venu transformer, peut être davantage mis en lumière. Les êtres humains, sont les victimes du péché et de la mort et ont besoin de l’aide de celui qui bien que tenté n’a pas péché et qui est mort et ressuscité pour les aider à trouver leur voie à la lumière de la vraie vie.

L’identification du sacré.

Pour certains une approche sceptique porte du fruit et ce, quelle qu’en soit la revendication. Etre ouvert au doute empêche l’homme d’être dévié par une revendication fausse mais établit aussi la vérité sur des bases inattaquables. La science prospère à partir du scepticisme. Ceux qui veulent jeter un discrédit sur la religion s’en emparent aussi. Le postulat du scepticisme peut être utilisé dans un système de connaissance qui peut devenir norme de référence. Dans les dix dernières années en Grande Bretagne, la religion a attiré l’attention d’un plus grand public qu’à d’autres périodes. Ceci est dû en partie à cause de la tendance globalisante de certains courants de l’Islam, en partie à cause de la controverse entre la théologie de la création (créationnisme), l’évolutionnisme par sélection naturelle ou conceptions intelligentes, et en partie pour d’autres raisons. Là où autrefois l’idéologie appartenait à la politique, on la trouve maintenant dans le domaine de l’intelligence et de la morale.

L’un des thèmes de la philosophie moderne était la lutte pour identifier les travaux de la raison vraie contre l’attrait de l’illusion. L’illusion était comprise comme un mensonge dans le vêtement de la vérité. La religion est tombée dans cette catégorie et c’est là qu’elle se trouve aujourd’hui. Cependant la théologie comme la foi et la science affirment que leurs positions sont raisonnables. Quelle que soit l’erreur malencontreuse du discours du Pape à Regensburg, l’intention du Pape était de proposer la raison comme un point de rencontre entre la chrétienté et l’Islam. L’une des conséquences du débat de Dawkins a été de faire une grande lumière sur la place de la raison, comme un moyen de rencontre avec le sacré. Ce dialogue est celui que l’Eglise d’Angleterre et du Pays de Galles devrait poursuivre sérieusement. En tenant compte des ressources de la pensée de l’Eglise sur ce sujet depuis 1870, il est attendu une réponse de Dawkins personnage public bien connu. Les théologiens catholiques ont donné leur réponse.

Sur un point plus terre à terre, bien que la laïcité s’enorgueillisse de tolérance, les réactions ont été on ne peut moins tolérantes sur la façon dont s’habillent les personnes d’autres religions. Il fut un temps où les religieuses catholiques et anglicanes étaient identifiées comme religieuses par leur habit. On peut dire qu’en choisissant une autre forme de vêtement, les ordres religieux se sont engagés dans une sorte de sécularisation qui leur était propre. Ils ont adopté les vêtements ordinaires de leur temps. Regarder ceci de cette façon, souligne une ambigüité par rapport à la sécularisation. Le processus identifié par ce nom, et les conséquences qui en découlent, peuvent ne pas être mauvaises. Il y a quelque chose de sacré dans ce qui est ordinaire, et la sécularisation le prouve. En même temps, un changement d’habit peut aussi témoigner que ce n’est pas ce que quelqu’un porte qui est sacré, aussi bien que d’affirmer que la sainteté va avec une vie bien vécue et n’est pas attachée au costume que l’on porte. Quelque chose de semblable peut exister à propos des réactions de la société sécularisée par rapport au voile et au foulard. Si ce fait est présenté comme non apprécié, mais que des chrétiens devraient apprécier, les adeptes de la sécularisation soulignent la dignité des femmes et le fait que cette dignité leur donne le droit de ne pas être dominées par l’homme ou de perdre ou réduire leur contrat futur ou restreindre leurs horizons par des préjugés qui semblent reposer sur la biologie ou la misogynie. C’est sur ce sujet que les religieux et les partisans du laïcisme pourraient avoir du mal à s’entendre. Cela pourrait être un accord qui se construirait en cheminant ensemble vers une reconnaissance future du caractère sacré de la vie humaine dans sa totalité. Il pourrait y avoir un premier pas dans cette direction.

Le débat sur l’évolution associé aux conditions de l’environnement, et dont le sujet est universel, peut orienter le dialogue entre la foi et la culture laïque dans une autre direction. Les êtres humains, confrontés à la nature et à la création sont bien partie prenante de ce royaume terrestre, y participent, en subissent l’influence et peuvent avoir un effet pervers à son égard. La participation de l’Eglise à la discussion sur le réchauffement de la terre peut ne pas être peut-être première sur le plan de la science, puisque sa compétence sur ce point est considérée comme suspecte. Cependant l’Eglise a une théologie qui considère le monde matériel comme sacré, digne de respect, et qui a ses propres droits. On admet généralement le besoin de faire quelque chose contre le réchauffement de la terre, pour prévoir le genre de monde qui va être laissé à leurs enfants et petits enfants. Cet argument est d’intérêt personnel. Il met les préoccupations humaines au dessus de ceux du cosmos. La nature créée par Dieu en appelle à l’humanité comme un tout, quelque chose en soi, pas un moyen en vue d’une fin. Quand une analyse évolutionniste attire l’attention sur l’unité du monde et sur l’interdépendance de ses constituants, une théologie de la création donne une fondation indépendante à cette unité, et une bonne raison à une société sécularisée et à l’Eglise, de coopérer dans l’intérêt du bien être de la planète.

Maintenir fermement le sens du sacré

Il se peut que la partie précédente de cet article soit fortement optimiste. Un dialogue entre la foi et le fait laïc ne réussira pas si la laïcité est entrainée dans l’utilisation du langage du sacré qui lui est étranger. Au cours de n’importe quel dialogue, l’un des objectifs de la foi, est de montrer au sceptique laïc, que le « sacré » a un sens concret, attaché à la vie de tous les jours, et qui ne prétend pas masquer la faiblesse humaine et les catastrophes naturelles par un attrait vers un royaume de non réalité. Cependant il y a un secteur de moralité, connu comme des questions de vie, où une forte défense du sacré est nécessaire. L’enseignement de l’Eglise sur le corps, la sexualité, la fidélité dans le mariage, la vie de famille, l’avortement et l’euthanasie sont basés sur le caractère sacré de la vie humaine, qui provient du fait que les hommes et les femmes sont crées à l’image et à la ressemblance de Dieu.

Ceci donne une vision de l’ensemble de la vie humaine qui va à l’encontre d’une vue admise dans l’opinion sur la sécularisation en Grande Bretagne aujourd’hui. Cette attitude réductionniste, caractérisée par l’utilisation d’expressions comme « pas plus que » ou « l’embryon humain n’est pas plus qu’un assemblage de cellules ». Cette logique réductionniste est continuellement classée dans une catégorie inférieure. La partie importante de la phrase utilisée comme exemple est son sujet « l’embryon humain ». Le statut duquel est réduit à ses constituants biologiques, qui sont à leur tour classés inférieurement dans un sourire moqueur « pas plus que ». Les entités désignées par les mots du complément de cette phrase « assemblage » et « cellules » sont montrées comme de peu de valeurs. Cependant il n’y a rien de péjoratif dans l’utilisation ordinaire du mot « assemblage » et même la plus simple des cellules humaines, des plantes et des animaux, sont une source de fascination sans fin. Quand le réductionnisme commence, il n’a plus de raison de s’arrêter sauf s’il existe un appel à un standard d’arbitre comme l’autonomie, ou l’indépendance, qui alors deviennent de ce qui doit être humain qui pourrait bien conduire à l’eugénisme sous un nom différent.

Le modèle choisi pour la norme laïque en Grande Bretagne, semble être celui d’adultes riches. La richesse étant définie par une capacité à travailler. Il y a eu des exemples dans les mois récents de ce critère, étant suggéré comme approprié, qui doit recevoir des logements sociaux ou qui aurait droit au service de réhabilitation des drogués. Ce modèle repose sur une économie forte et qui estime la valeur humaine en termes de contribution à la croissance économique ou au moins à la stabilité économique. Cette voie de la pensée laïque, est apparentée à celle identifiée par le Pape Benoît XVI comme un résultat de la philosophie de Bacon. Le développement économique suit de près les progrès scientifiques comme une sorte de salut séculaire. Ces progrès sont influencés par le matérialisme et l’utilitarisme. La réponse de l’Eglise s’appuie sur ce qu’elle a toujours enseigné, que la matière est sacrée et qu’il y a plus chez des êtres matériels que le résultat de la combinaison de leurs constituants matériels. L’Ecriture, spécialement les livres sapientiaux, rend témoignage à la création, œuvre d’art de Dieu. Une œuvre d’art porte les marques de l’artiste, ainsi la marque de Dieu doit être attendue dans le monde qu’il a créé.

Un récent document du Service de l’Education catholique de la conférence des évêques d’Angleterre et du Pays de Galles « On the Way of Life » propose l’usage du sacramental comme une perspective à rétablir pour le bien du dialogue de l’Eglise avec le monde contemporain. Il suggère aussi que le fait de penser la théologie en termes d’artiste qui crée son œuvre d’art, servirait un but semblable. L’un tourne le regard sur le sens du sacré dans le monde ordinaire qui nous entoure, choisi par Dieu comme moyen de se révéler, l’autre, insiste sur la créativité humaine comme un facteur d’unification de toutes les facultés humaines : perception, imagination, pensée et désir. Elle relie l’image de Dieu en humanité aux hommes et aux femmes qui partagent l’élan créateur de Dieu qui est lui-même une expression de l’amour de Dieu, présenté comme une possibilité pour raisonner et la comprendre. La présence de Dieu est visible pour ceux qui ont des yeux pour la voir. L’invitation de l’Eglise à la société laïque consiste autant à regarder le monde et les engagements humains, que d’écouter la Parole de Dieu et de croire en lui.

Conclusion

Les termes « sécularisation » et « laïcisme » ont été examinés en Grande Bretagne sous trois perspectives. L’intérêt numéro un a été le dialogue de l’Eglise avec la culture. La deuxième partie de « On the Way of Life » démontre que les premières ressources de ce dialogue doivent être trouvées dans les documents du concile Vatican 2. Notre présent Pape et ses prédécesseurs ont aussi montré comment ce dialogue a été mené de façons particulières. En réalité, le travail du Conseil Pontifical pour la Culture, sous la présidence du Cardinal Poupard, montre qu’un pluriel serait plus approprié. L’Eglise est engagée dans de nombreux dialogues avec de multiples cultures, toutes ne sont pas développées par les Lumières Européennes.

Si quelqu’un voulait résumer la Grande Bretagne laïque aujourd’hui, c’est exactement l’expression qui serait utilisée. Il est devenu commun chez les politiciens et les commentateurs de dire que la Grande Bretagne est un état laïc et de faire appel aux valeurs des Lumières comme un fondement. Ceci est un changement notable de vocabulaire qui élimine la motivation religieuse qui avait façonné la plupart de la société britannique. Ce n’était pas un désir de société laïque qui a formé la Grande Bretagne d’après guerre, mais un désir de sauvegarder la dignité humaine de la pauvreté, de la maladie et de l’exploitation avec la collaboration de tous les hommes de bonne volonté. C’est un désir autour duquel les gens de toutes conditions peuvent se réunir, comme le comprend l’Eglise. C’était la voie du ministère de Jésus et une direction où la foi et la laïcité peuvent se réunir.

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Mr. William I. Ozanne

Cultural Exchange with China (CEC)

St Joseph's, Watford Way, Hendon, London NW4 4TY, England

Tel: 020 8202 2555 Fax: 020 8202 5775

E-mail.'jpicssc@compuserve.com

RegisteredCharity:! 082071

ACADEMIC DIALOGUE, EXCHANGE AND FRIENDSHIP

MEETING AT THE OFFICE OF

THE CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF ENGLAND AND WALES

COMMITTEE FOR OTHER FAITHS

ECCLESTON SQUARE LONDON

MAY 19^TH 2006

The Catholic Experience of Inter Religious Dialogue in Britain

William I. Ozanne

(Member of the CBCEW Committee for Other Faiths)

QUERIES AND FURTHER CONTACT:

W.I.Ozanne

3 Grove Avenue

Birmingham B13 9RY UK

Tel:[44](0) 121 4493839

E-mail: bill@ozanne.fsbusiness.co.uk

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INTERFAITH RELATIONS

(WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE SIKHS IN BIRMINGHAM)

Paper for the VI European Seminar for Catholic civil Aviation Chaplains and Chaplaincy Members

William I. Ozanne

Secretary to the Birmingham Archdiocesan Commission for Inter religious Dialogue

[I presume that the participants will have a basic knowledge of the loci critici

on Interreligious Dialogue, but in case not, I have a handout prepared]

In a press interview on February 13^th 2008, Cardinal Tauran, the current President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue spoke of himself as in a “noviciate” in the field of dialogue. As a novice, fresh from the diplomatic service of the Vatican, he brought a fresh sense of discovery to the forty-year experience of Inter religious dialogue since Vatican II and its incomparable “Nostra Aetate”:

Now then, I think that one has to distinguish between interreligious dialogue and diplomatic dialogue, since interreligious dialogue is not just a conversation between friends, who want to please each other. Neither is it a negotiation, since negotiation seeks to resolve a problem, to find a solution, and it's done. Interreligious dialogue is like a pilgrimage and a personal rethinking. A pilgrimage in the sense that it invites us to go out of ourselves in order to go to meet the other, to walk together along the path with him to know him better. And moreover, it is a risk, since when you ask the other, "Who is your God? How do you live the faith?" I place myself in a position where the person I have in front of me can ask me the same questions. And therefore, I also am obliged to answer him. It is, therefore, at the same time a pilgrimage and a risk. [VATICAN CITY, FEB. 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).-]

Tauran talks of the inextricable link between culture and religion in such dialogue and seeks refuge in the “dialogue of spirituality” such as inspires the International Monastic Dialogue [www.monasticdialog.net ]. It is true, however that “Global is Local” nowadays, as the UK government recognised in its most recent discussion paper on “Faith Cohesion and Community Development”:

The global is local

Our qualitative work highlighted many examples of global identities playing out locally. Global connections are established and maintained through movements of people, goods and global communications. These dynamics affect a complex set of political criteria that need to be taken into consideration if community cohesion is to be understood in any area. Through our research, the most prominent examples of the global impacting locally were: the effect of the conflict in Kashmir on relationships between Indians and Pakistanis; UK foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan; the impact of developments in Palestine on relationships between some Christians,

Jews and Muslims; and 9/11 and its effect on the way Muslims in the UK are perceived.

[“Faith, Cohesion and Community Development” Community Development Foundation 2007]

Unlike Modernism, or even Pluralism, Globalisation is not an ideology, but rather a pragmatic condition of human development brought about by changes in communications whether facilitated by information technology, ease of travel, or economic pressure. The pluralism enforced in this way on people and countries has made to impact on one another, global ambitions, concepts and planning, in most areas of human knowledge and endeavour, whether economic, ecological, cultural or political. As Tauran says in the interview quoted above:

more than a third of Frenchmen are in daily contact with people who belong to another race, another religion or another culture, and they are therefore "doomed," so to speak, to dialogue, in order to know each other and live together.

In the UK,sometimes the impact has been welcomed and absorbed, sometimes resisted even violently, sometimes it has been an uneasy compromise. This can be observed in urban neighbourhoods no less than in international negotiations. Britain, because of its colonial past and its continuing links with 53 countries in the Commonwealth, is particularly involved in this social interaction. Because of Britain's Christian heritage and democratic or liberal culture, experiments and issues arising out of dialogue have been very clear and open. Unlike many other countries, the relationship between civil society and Christianity is complicated by the role of the Established Church – the Church of England.

If we are to value Faith in all religions as Nostra Aetate suggests, we have to decide how far we are going to support the civil rights of the religious systems that attend on these faiths. If we are not careful, (and this has been our experience particularly in fighting for Faith Schools – some would prefer to say “religious schools”) the British Government, representing the groundswell of public opinion, rather than stand on a Faith principle, would be glad to say “A plague on all your houses”. Just how close such a Liberal Christian culture is to secularism was shown in a recent adventure by the Archbishop of Canterbur, Rowan Williams, into speculation on whether some aspects of Sharia law could settle issues normally covered by civil law. Theo Hobson in the Catholic Journal The Tablet [16/02/08] put it succinctly:

The Church of England cannot really be described as a subcultural space in which secular liberalism is resisted. Because it is the established Church of a society that is liberal, and largely secular, it is strange for its leader to speak of secular liberalism as the enemy. Whether he likes it or not, Williams does not just represent the card-carrying members of faith communities: he also represents the huge amount of Britons who are semi-Christian or post-Christian; people who see Christianity and liberalism as complementary.

Such people (most of the nation) are sympathetic to Christianity but sceptical of religious institutions. They want a liberal form of Christianity to lurk in the background of national identity - in order to bless liberalism rather than contest it. It is rash to dismiss this desire as muddled or hypocritical, for it is rooted in British history: our liberalism and our version of Protestantism developed side by side. Liberal Protestantism is basic to our national identity, although people don't tend to think of it as "liberal Protestantism" but as "our Christian heritage" and "our liberal tradition".

The Catholic experience of and contribution to interreligious dialogue, as well as dialogue with the prevailing culture in the UK, as in Dialogue and Proclamation, takes as its theological foundation the Vatican II Declaration "Nostra Aetate"

The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself [NA 2]

and its influence in Lumen Gentium (8,9,13 and 16) , ad Gentes (11) and Gaudium et Spes (76 and 92).

It draws on a theology of the Kingdom and a theology of evangelisation and salvation. Part of this is to discern the "seeds of the Word" or the "rays of the Truth" in other religions as they exist.

"Thus, through evangelisation the Church seeks to convert solely through the divine power of the Message she proclaims, both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, their ways of life, and the actual milieus in which they live" (Evangelium Nuntiandi l8). The principles of dialogue as experienced since Nostra Aetate are ably spelled out in Dialogue and Proclamation and more recently amplified in

"Interfaith Dialogue: a Catholic View [Fitzgerald and Borelli (2006)]

Dialogue and Proclamation drawson a theology of the Kingdom and a theology of evangelisation and salvation. Part of this is to discern the "seeds of the Word" or the "rays of the Truth" in other religions as they exist. It lists four well-known modes of dialogue:

a) dialogue of life, where people strive to live in an open and neighbourly spirit, sharing their joys
and sorrows, their human problems and preoccupations.

a) The dialogue of action, in which Christians and others collaborate for the integral development and
liberation of people.

b) The dialogue of theological exchange, where specialists seek to deepen their understanding of their
respective religious heritages, and to appreciate each other's spiritual values.

c) The dialogue of religious experience, where persons, rooted in their own religious traditions, share
their spiritual riches, for instance with regard to prayer and contemplation, faith and ways of searching
for God or the Absolute.

These principles apply at individual neighbourhood level as well as in international policy and negotiation where individual personalities can be crucially important. They hold as their objectives mutual enrichment and understanding and a sharing of the fruits of the Paschal Mystery [GS22]:

At the heart of this is the principle of Presence and Witness forthe bedrock of these forms of dialogue has to be the Dialogue of Life. We cannot dialogue in any mode unless we meet and a relationship of trust or even friendship is established. In a similar way, in the UK we have evolved exchanges of presence at religious celebrations of differing faiths and our own. To cross the threshold of another place of worship is a huge advance. To learn when to be simply present and when to join prayer with differing religions at worship is a process of discernment that has

enriched our journey of dialogue and has its great model in the meetings at Assisi with Pope John Paul II.

In recent years, the Catholic Church has made a considerable contribution to public social policy in Britain. In this the Church exercises the dialogue of Social Action in common with people of other faiths. In part this has been due to the extremely high respect in which Pope John Paul II and also Cardinal Basil Hume were held by all religious people. Their positive approaches to other Faiths gave confidence in diminishing the fear and suspicion, which might otherwise have been painful. Additionally, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales produced a document called "The Common Good''(1996) in an effort to provide solid Social teaching in preparation for the General Election of 1996. This was received with acclaim by people of all faiths and added much to a sense of moral majority and social cohesion. It also spawned an ongoing series of international interfaith conferences under the title ""Globalisation for the Common Good" convened by a Muslim, Dr. Kamran Mofid

In an institutional version of the same principle (the Common Good), and building on a report on inner city problems "Faith in the City" (1985) the Church of England conducted a survey of all its parishes, notionally covering the whole population of Britain.

The Following table shows the UK Government 2001 census summary of the numbers of people of particular religious faiths in the whole population, reporting in the questionnaire:

	Number thousands	% of population	% of Faiths

Christian	42079	71-6	93.2
Buddhist	152	0-3	0.34
Hindu	559	1-0	1.2
Jewish	267	0-5	0.6
Muslim	1591	2-7	3.5
Sikh	336	0-6	0.74
Other religions	179	0-3	0.4
A 11 RELIGIONretjgtani	45163	76-8

No religion	9104	15-5
Not stated	4289	7-3
All no religion/not stated	13626	23-2

This 2001 national demographic Census has been a key element in developing a capacity for pastoral outreach and evangelisation, for the first time requiring people to state their religious affiliation and containing data that could be broken down to parish or even street level. This in turn enabled two particular groupings of Church of England parishes to be identified: those with more than 10% of their parish population as members of any other Faiths (863 parishes); and a smaller group of parishes to whom the questionnaire was sent, with more than 25% of any combination of other Faiths (556 parishes) among a total of 13,000 Church of England parishes in England.

The Church of England, parish structure is a sub-political system surviving from the time when the Parish Clerk was also the registrar of Births Marriages and Deaths. Their aim was to give clergy the ability to understand and target the religious presences in the area. The project was called "Presence and Engagement" (2005) and the title is significant. From this ecumenical awareness of the needs of particular localities has emerged, and as such it is a useful indicator for Catholic parishes and others, clarifying the context in which our own overlapping parishes exercise their pastoral and evangelical ministries.

The Catholic Church of course engages in a sort of fifth mode of dialogue: that of institutions at national level with government and at regional level with government based Regional Assemblies in which it participates. The Catholic Church also dialogues with the national structures evolved by other faith communities for example the Muslim Council of Britain, or the Council of Hindu Temples and with inter-faith bodies, such as Westminster Interfaith, which is led by the Catholic church, the Council of Christians and Jews, with strong Catholic engagement, the National Interfaith Network which is multi-faith, the Christian Muslim Forum both led by members of the Church of England, and the Committee for Interfaith Relations of the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. In such relations, one has to take into account the constitutional position of Christianity in Britain, which (as we have seen) is far different from the relation of Church and State in the U.S.A., France, or Germany [see below on schooling]

To engage in helping Catholics to come to terms with a multi-faith society, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales set up a committee for Other Faiths under the late Bishop Charles Henderson in 1984. As an agency of the Bishops Conference, its prime objectives were to increase among Catholics an understanding of the teaching

of the Church regarding other faiths, and of other faiths themselves, and thus to encourage confidence in local dialogue.

The first efforts were to produce leaflets that were then circulated to parishes and Catholic schools, outlining in simple but accurate terms the beliefs and practices of the major religions. [The most difficult was to produce one on Christianity] These were followed by a series of leaflets on Family Life in differing religions. To make these more accessible, they have all been placed on the Catholic Church in England and Wales Website [http://catholicchurch.org.uk/].

There was and still is a perceived need for more general information on understanding and dealing with times of crisis or celebration in individual lives, such as marriage, death, or birth in differing religions. Some of these are dealt with incidentally in the general leaflets, but the development of increasing numbers of inter-faith marriages in this country suggests a need for more detailed information especially on marriage and on pastoral support before and after marriage for people who contract mixed religion marriages. In all this, the basic foundation for inter faith dialogue has been and must be person to person building of trust and friendship. As theology must be founded in experience so dialogue can only exist if there is trust and respect. A fortiori, respect and understanding require some knowledge of the "other”. If these do not exist, it degenerates into polemic.

Under Archbishop Kevin Macdonald and with the inexhaustible energy of Mrs. Ann Noonan, the Bishops' committee has generated in response to these changes a network of people who are points of reference or co-ordinators for inter-faith issues in each Diocese of the country. In some cases there are now Diocesan Commissions, whose function is to promote relations between the Church and local faith bodies, discern the needs of people in the diocese, advise the Bishop on issues and ensure appropriate representation at public events and key events of other religious communities.

The Church participates at regional, city or even civil parish level with an increasing number of so called Inter Faith, or Multi-Faith "Forums". In this it makes its unique contribution ecumenically in collaboration with the other Christian bodies, notably the Church of England, - the Established Church, which has Bishops in the second chamber of government and which divides the entire country as we have seen, into vestigial political units in their parish boundaries. The Catholic Church unfortunately and for historical reasons does not share these boundaries. However there is a sharing of resources and initiatives in the major urban areas such as London, Birmingham Bradford, Leeds or Leicester, where formal ecumenical bodies, Church Fraternals or "Churches together" are in constant touch.

One visible symbol of this collaboration is the way in which formal greetings are sent to the main religious communities jointly at major festivals and include the Vatican's own letters from the Pontifical Council. These give an opportunity of visiting and reinforcing bonds with people of the main religious groups. It is the constant person-to-person friendship between neighbours, officials of neighbouring communities, national representatives that makes possible a positive response to crises, whether local or international.

As Archbishop Fitzgerald points out [op.cit 2006] the experience of grassroots parishes and parishioners in relation to new immigrants moved from open and generous help to hesitation as the differing faith communities grew, became more demanding more politicised and, especially in the case of the Muslims, more strident. This led to a rather more inward looking and diffident approach, especially as local authorities began to tamper with long-established customs and celebrations (like Christmas or religious street names). Other faith groups such as Sikhs, Buddhists or Hindus have developed their own cultures and presence more quietly and harmoniously, making visible positive contributions to urban regeneration. People of long-standing in inner city areas still feel increasingly beleaguered as new immigrant families increasingly concentrate around them.

There are occasions of racial violence in all inner cities. Shops are burned, young people sometimes attacked.

In these situations the Churches work together with Black community leaders or Mosque officials (not always the Imams) to calm the situation and reassure the majority of the community. There is inevitably some reflection in the UK of events in Iraq and the Middle East. Many of the Muslim community (1.6 million countrywide, but concentrated in inner cities, for example, perhaps 250,000 in the city of Birmingham) have close links with Pakistan.

It is not difficult to depict the war in Iraq as one against Islam in general. Quite frequently the oppression of the Palestinians is also raised as a reason for hating "The West". We are at pains to remind them that many Palestinians are Christian. As we also have a small but high profile Jewish community (2,300 in Birmingham) we make efforts to bring leaders together in a Faith Leaders Group, and nationally in the Council of Christians and Jews or the Three Faiths Forum. There is also a national Catholic Hindu forum, which meets occasionally Most recently, strong request from the Muslim community to have a meeting parallel to that with Jews has created a Christian Muslim Forum at national level, headed by the Church of England. It is still finding its identity. However, there is little interest among grassroots Muslims in befriending the Jews.

As we have over 200 Mosques in the city of Birmingham, divided mainly by village areas of origin in the sub-continent and to some extent by denomination, the Muslim community there, as in Leeds, or Leicester, is very divided. The main Mosques have, however, often invited Christian leaders to speak to their congregations. In this the major Shia communities have been by far the most open and, among other contacts, residential exchanges have taken place at Ampleforth Abbey and Quom in Iran. It is observable that since the 7^th July 2005, many Mosque communities have learned to "demythologise" the Mosque by opening their places of worship for public visits. This is a way of reducing alienation and scapegoating that the Jewish community adopted some years ago.

In earlier days, when events such as 9/11 occurred, Christian leaders were at pains to assure Muslims that we did not blame them all for acts of terrorism.

Gradual changes culminating in the July 2005 bombings in London have brought other changes to the surface. Muslim communities now reject this patronising attitude and are inclined to take the initiative in denouncing violence and also in calming their own communities. The increasing activity of the security services in hunting down known potential terrorists, in obtaining powers to enter and search Mosques and to deport seditious Imams have put further pressures on young Muslims while increasing alarm in the beleaguered elements of the population. The most confusing measure has been the government's attempts to create a parliamentary Bill to outlaw Religious Hatred. This has proved so difficult to define that in the end it has focused on an offence of advocating violence, a crime already covered, some think adequately, by laws against violence and harassment.

All this, together with increased police powers to search people and property, has also increased the sense of urgency among Muslims to impress British people with the message of Peace they find in Islam. It is fairly common still for Imams who preach on Fridays to know no English and little about Western society. Mosque Secretaries and Chairmen are often called on to calm the younger people after Friday prayers. They would express this positive effort as a means to ensure that the "Message of Islam" is not held back by the violence and the image of violence, which Islam easily generates in the West. They wish to advance the culture of Islam as an antidote to the decadent morals and materialism of current indigenous British society. The prospect of a Caliphate or the imposition of Sharia in ghetto areas is denied, but haunts many people. It is one model of social cohesion, but a culture based on collaboration between the Faiths would be more sound.

People of all faiths and Muslims in particular often choose for their children Catholic or Church of England (and even Jewish) schools rather than those Muslim schools which are increasingly available. There are currently around 7,000 faith schools with government support in England, 600 secondary and 6,400 primary. The vast majority [6,955] are Christian, with 36 Jewish, five Muslim and two Sikh schools. The schools must teach the National Curriculum and have buildings meet the state's criteria before they are allowed into the state system. The schools then receive capital funding and their day-to-day running costs. Three is no serious restriction on Faith groups opening independent schools, but these are difficult to quantify.

Catholic schools in inner city areas in Britain have large percentages, in some cases a majority, of children of other Faiths, mainly Muslims. This provokes several issues, not so much regarding the Catholic ethos and the religious teaching, but more questions involving modesty of dress for girls and opportunities for prayer five times per day. Reasons given by parents of Muslim children for choosing a Catholic or Church of England or Jewish school are: (1) High educational standards (2) Good discipline (3) High moral standards and teaching (4) Respect for religion and spiritual life (5) Neutrality towards sects within Islam (6) Better English language than in all-Muslim neighbourhood schools (7) An introduction to the heritage and culture.

Countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom of course have a long history of Religious or "Faith" schooling. This involves not merely individual schools but sometimes highly structured schooling systems. Such systems operate within varying socio-political contexts and result from a long history of social and ethical conflict and negotiation. Faith schooling in some instances, however, has proved to be promotive of social conflict (as in Scotland or Northern Ireland) whereas is other areas it has been the basis of social cohesion between faith communities (as in Leeds Birmingham and Leicester. Some thinkers (e.g. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks) see a general principle that ethical or social structures emerging from religious roots can become dissociated from those original principles and turn into vehicles for other power-systems backed by destructive ideologies.

Religious schooling or systems of schooling can, of course, coexist with a variety of political systems without being absorbed by them or being in confrontation. This is an interesting area of sub-cultural space in coexistence with a larger civil code. In societies with exclusively secular constitutions, such as France religious education is excluded from state schools, but given support in the private sector, both overtly and tacitly. In countries with strong Islamic cultures like Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, or Iraq, or broadly Christian cultures such as the U.S.A., Australia and to some extent Mexico and Chile, religion can sometimes form part of the curriculum but the distinction can be made between "secular religious education" and confessional religious education. (For Catholics, of course, the distinction is between Religious Education and Catechesis). In all countries anomalies exist in regions or local contexts: Regions of Germany, Pakistan, China and other Communist states with atheistic constitutions have localised variants and there are private religious schools in many countries. Countries with mixed or transitional cultures (such as Nigeria) actively support a variety of religious schooling, both private and public. [Van Driel (2004)].

Some states of course regard such systems as hostile or subversive. Shamsavary, Saqueb and Halstead (1993) study "normative Choices" in the Muslim world and offer four categories of independent Muslim states: (1) Secular States (2) Islamic states, (3) Muslim majority states and (4). Muslim states with socialist leanings (pi 51). In all these categories, the normative aims of education plans are of three kinds: to modernise in keeping with international standards, to create "good Muslims" or to promote national unity.

These often involve critical rejection of inherited colonial policies and structures whether Christian or Islamic. Even secular knowledge has come to be seen as in need of forcible integration with Islamic doctrines and values. In common with the "right reason" of mediaeval Christianity, Knowledge in an Islamic context must be made conformable with experience and revelation of the divine.

This has resulted in a variety of educational institutions derived from Muslim tradition, though, as in other religious cultures, the availability of teachers who match the model and requirement of Islamic pedagogy are few. This situation is reflected in the numerous private Qur'anic schools in the UK, over which the government exercises no control. Thus parents who desire the religious formation of their children are often drawn to accept the nearest approximation to a faith school whether Jewish, Christian or belonging to a sect of their own faith that is almost inimical to them.

In the academic context, relevant sociological and theological studies, research and teaching are taking place in British Universities, some of which have Christian constitutions and some deliberately secular. There are at least four Islamic centres of Higher Education linked to British Universities. The consistently repeated request of the Holy Father to European Universities especially Catholic ones, to re-inspire the culture of Europe with Christian thought and principles might take some inspiration from the academic Jihad of 30 Muslim Universities which have formed an association to Islamicise Knowledge [Herbert Quandt Foundation (2004)] This reminds one again of the relation of all knowledge to theology in mediaeval Christendom.

Additionally, all religious leaders agree that they have concern about their younger people ceasing to practice their faith and falling into the materialist ways of western culture. We have to remember that though the Muslim community is the largest after Christians in number, cities like Birmingham Bradford or Leicester, not to mention London of course, have large numbers of Sikhs, Buddhists and Hindus, and smaller numbers of most of the other religions, including Zoroastrians and Confucians.

Most of these express the same fear about their younger people. However, since the Citizens Association movement arrived from Chicago and set up in London and other major cities, younger Muslims and others have been in the forefront of regenerating inner city morale and cleaning up (physically as well as in other ways) the cities. Such young Muslims profess no particular loyalty to the Mosque, but to their own understanding of Islam and are willing to criticise what they see as simplistic readings of the Koran. This is another feature of the Multi Faith society, which they find attractive in the UK. Minorities, even within major faith groups like Islam, who are severely persecuted in their own country, find in the UK the ability to worship and express their views with impunity.

The irony of the July 7th bombings in London is that the bombers do not appear to be connected with major terrorist movements, but, often coming from good families and stable background, brought up and educated in this country, have felt the need to take this form of Jihad as a witness to the society and major culture in which we live. This should give us all reason to think and pray very carefully about how we evangelise our own young people and indeed our whole community, while we are seeking to dialogue with others.

References:

Buhlman, Walbert (1991) The Chosen Peoples: St. Paul publications 1991

D'costa, G. (2002) The meeting of the Trinity and world Religions

Dupuis, Jacques (2002 Christianity and the Religions

Gaudeul: Jean Marie: {2003) Called from Islam to Christ"

General Synod of the Church of England: Presence and Engagement (2005)

Herbert Quandt Foundation Sinclair House Debate No. l\:(\ 998

Keogh Lucy: (2004)"Expanding Early Childhood Education" in Marshall K and Keogh L. (p. 183)

Pontifical council for interreligious dialogue: Dialogue and Proclamation (1991)

Shamsavary Parisima, Saqueb Ghulam Nabi and Halstead Mark (Edds) "Islam: State, Religion and Education" in Tulasiewicz W. and To Cho-Yee: World Religions and Educational Practice. Cambridge. (1998)(p.l44)

UNESCO (2000) in http://folk.uio.no/leirvik/OsloCoalition/UNESCOInterreligious0904.doc

Van Driel B. (ed.) (2004) "Confronting Islamophobia in Educational Practice "

World Faiths Development Dialogue: Bulletin No.l 1998,Occasional Paper No. 3 2001

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LA SFIDA DELL’ISLAM AI CRISTIANI

IN GRAN BRETAGNA

del Dott. Joseph SEFERTA

1) L’ISLAM ARRIVA IN GRAN BRETAGNA

Prima dell’11 settembre 2001, pochi in Gran Bretagna e in occidente si davano pensiero per l’Islam e i musulmani. Ma in seguito ad altre atrocità commesse in nome dell’Islam – nell’isola di Bali, a Madrid e in particolare a Londra il 7 luglio 2005 - la gente ne ha preso sempre più coscienza e ne è diventata sempre più curiosa. Ciò che ha maggiormente sconvolto il pubblico britannico, è stato il fatto che gli attentatori terroristici del 7 luglio erano tutti nati e cresciuti in Gran Bretagna, di classe media e ben istruiti. Per fortuna, la maggioranza non ha reagito in modo eccessivo, considerando che i terroristi suicidi appartenevano a un minuscolo gruppo di zelati deviati e carichi di odio, il cui scopo era quello di imporre sulla società, mediante la violenza e l’intimidazione, la loro forma radicale di islam.

Da venti anni a questa parte, la presenza dei musulmani sulle strade inglesi si è fatta sempre più sentire, ma in realtà i musulmani cominciarono ad arrivare in Gran Bretagna circa 200 anni fa come marinai, studenti e diplomatici. La prima moschea a essere costruita in questo Paese fu a Woking nel 1889. Città portuali come Liverpool e Cardiff hanno una lunga storia di insediamenti dallo Yemen e dalla Somalia, mentre città industriali come Birmingham, Manchester e Glasgow hanno offerto ospitalità soprattutto a musulmani provenienti dal sub-continente indiano. Le opportunità di lavoro hanno attratto sia persone ricche e altamente istruite (come i medici), sia persone povere e illetterate provenienti dalle zone rurali.

Le comunità musulmane sono poi cresciute più rapidamente negli anni 1950 e 60, quando si dovevano coprire molti posti vuoti di lavoro nelle industrie manifatturiere. Generalmente tendevano a vivere tutti insieme a mo’ di ghetto per ragioni di sicurezza, mutuo sostegno e culto nella moschea locale. La popolazione islamica non è mai stata un gruppo omogeneo ma piuttosto una mescolanza di varie culture e provenienze che spesso si scontravano tra loro. Mentre i legami con i “vecchi” Paesi d’origine rimangono forti, le nuove generazioni di musulmani hanno cominciato a guardare alla Gran Bretagna come alla loro vera patria. Il numero totale di musulmani in Gran Bretagna è attorno a 1 milione e 700.000 con circa 1.300 moschee.

2) Cristianesimo ed Islam: Confronto e Contrasto:

L’ebraismo, il cristianesimo e l’islam sono tutte religioni semitiche che hanno la loro origine nel Medio Oriente e si fanno risalire ad Abramo, “il primo monoteista” della storia. Sono perciò conosciute come religioni sia “monoteistiche” che “abramitiche”. Mentre Isacco (il figlio di Abramo nato dalla moglie Sara) è accreditato quale prosecutore della stirpe ebraica, Ismaele (il figlio di Abramo nato dalla moglie schiava Agar), è considerato il padre delle tribù arabe. La tradizione islamica sostiene che sia Abramo che Ismaele peregrinarono verso sud fino in Arabia, finendo alla Mecca dove costruirono un tempio all’unico vero Dio, che divenne noto come al-Ka’ba. Tale luogo è diventato poi il centro della preghiera dei musulmani di ogni parte del mondo, come anche la meta del loro pellegrinaggio annuale o hajj.

Le dottrine e le pratiche islamiche sono fondate sui cosiddetti “cinque pilastri” che si possono sintetizzare così:

la formula del credo (shahada): “c’è un solo Dio e Maometto è il suo messaggero”
la preghiera (salat) cinque volte al giorno
il digiuno (sawm) da cibo e bevande, dall’alba al tramonto durante il mese di Ramadan
l’elemosina (zakat), cioè dare ai poveri dal sovrappiù dei propri beni e
il pellegrinaggio (hajj) almeno una volta nella vita.

Esistono singolari somiglianze, come pure differenze cruciali, tra il cristianesimo e l’islam. Entrambe condividono una fede in Dio, in una sacra scrittura, nella preghiera, nel digiuno e nella carità, nell’esistenza degli angeli e dei demoni, come pure nel giudizio e nella vita ultraterrena e infine nell’importanza dei profeti, incluso Gesù (‘Isa in arabo) che nacque miracolosamente da Maria. Ci sono comunque punti inconciliabili che hanno sempre diviso queste due religioni e fondamentalmente sono: il rifiuto dell’islam della Trinità e della divinità di Gesù e il rifiuto del cristianesimo sia del Corano che di Maometto come profeta.

Quando Maometto da giovane viaggiò come mercante attraverso il Medio Oriente, egli raccolse un gran numero di informazioni sul cristianesimo e l’ebraismo, ma le sue informazioni erano in gran parte basate sulle eresie del tempo, quale l’arianesimo che insegnava che Gesù era creato da Dio. Per questo il Corano, ripetutamente e con veemenza, denuncia i cristiani per la loro affermazione che Gesù sarebbe più che soltanto un profeta umano come Maometto. Il Corano nega anche la crocifissione di Gesù ed interpreta erroneamente la Trinità come “triteismo” composto da Dio, Gesù e Maria (cfr. Corano 5, 116).

Secondo la tradizione islamica, Maometto è l’ultimo e il più grande di una lunga lista di profeti, a partire da Adamo. Afferma inoltre che Maometto ha ricevuto il Corano in arabo durante una serie di rivelazioni da parte di Dio, attraverso la mediazione dell’Angelo Gabriele. Per questo è ritenuto come parola autentica di Dio che non deve mai essere contestata. Il Corano ha all’incirca tante pagine quanto il Nuovo Testamento ed è simile come stile, tono e contenuto al libro del Deuteronomio, nel quale Allah (termine arabo per Dio) parla praticamente in continuazione. Secondo per importanza dopo il Corano, è lo Hadit che comprende i detti e le azioni di Maometto. Sono principalmente queste le due fonti che formano la base della Shari’a islamica o codice di condotta che fu redatto nel IX secolo D. C.

3) Le Sfide dell’Islam:

Non si può fare a meno di notare che, mentre altri gruppi religiosi ed etnici si integrano generalmente in modo relativamente facile alla società e alla cultura britannica, per la maggior parte dei musulmani è impresa difficile. Forse è per il timore di perdere la propria identità e in particolare la purezza della propria fede. In altre parole, i “ghetti” musulmani sembrano essere dettati non soltanto dalla razza e dal colore della pelle, ma anche dalla religione. Naturalmente, l’esito negativo del vivere separatamente non è l’integrazione ma la segregazione. Tuttavia, anche i non- musulmani hanno la colpa di non socializzare con i loro vicini musulmani al fine di conoscerli meglio, perché questo è l’unico modo per superare la paura, l’ignoranza e il pregiudizio. Un altro problema per gli islamici sono gli alti tassi di povertà e analfabetismo, specialmente tra le famiglie pakistane e del Bangladesh (cfr. l’inchiesta del Times del 20 aprile 2005). E’ una situazione preoccupante perché può creare rabbia e amarezza tra i giovani disaffezionati e quindi terreno fertile per i fanatici e i terroristi.

Trevor Phillips (l’ex Capo della Commissione per l’Uguaglianza Razziale) da anni ci avverte sui pericoli della vita nei ghetti e sul fatto che “stiamo andando a occhi chiusi verso la segregazione razziale…simile a quella di New Orleans”. Ma è stato denigrato dai leaders islamici perché ritenevano che le sue osservazioni fossero dirette ai musulmani e al loro modo di vivere. Ha anche sostenuto che il “multi-culturalismo” è fallito a causa di una cattiva rappresentazione data dei governi successivi che hanno posto un accento inopportuno più sulle differenze tra le comunità che non sulle loro comunanze. Se fosse vero, ciò non ha aiutato la coesione di cui ha bisogno questo Paese.

Come ogni società, anche tra noi ci sono razzisti, benché sia sensato sperare che non siano molti. La mia impressione è che la grande maggioranza del popolo britannico sia tollerante per natura, offrendo una genuina ospitalità a tutte le minoranze, compresi i musulmani. Inoltre, il governo e le autorità locali fanno di tutto per venire incontro alle molte richieste della comunità musulmana, come i luoghi di preghiera, il cibo halal, le scuole islamiche, i cappellani per ospedali e prigioni e perfino i cimiteri islamici. I mass media in genere dedicano grande spazio a tutto ciò che è islamico: fede, costumi e festività.

In nome del politicamente corretto, spesso si privilegiano i musulmani a scapito dei cristiani. Un esempio lampante è dato dall’assurda decisione di numerosi consigli comunali di vietare ogni celebrazione in pubblico del Natale per non “offendere” le sensibilità islamiche. Possiamo quindi dichiarare che i musulmani in questo Paese godono di libertà e privilegi che mai si sognerebbero di avere nei loro Paesi d’origine, dove le native minoranze cristiane sono prive di qualsiasi diritto.

La Minaccia dei Musulmani Radicali:

Comunque li chiamiamo, militanti, estremisti, fanatici, fondamentalisti, jahidisti o islamisti, i musulmani radicali certamente pongono una reale minaccia alla pace e alla sicurezza della Gran Bretagna come nel resto del mondo. Non tutti i radicali sono terroristi, ma tutti i terroristi sono radicali. Anche se pochi radicali diventeranno attentatori suicidi, l’ideologia è la stessa, basata cioè sull’odio del cristianesimo, dell’ebraismo e della cultura occidentale, con l’intento di convertire la Gran Bretagna e l’occidente all’islam. I molti imam noti come “predicatori di odio” ne sono un chiaro esempio.

La tradizione dell’islam radicale risale a molti secoli indietro, ma nei tempi moderni, questi radicali si rifanno a vari riformatori carismatici che hanno scritto e predicato contro l’imperialismo e la corruzione dell’occidente invocando il ritorno al “puro” islam originale, basato sul Corano, lo Hadit e la Sunna o pratica della prima comunità musulmana. Alcuni nomi influenti che vengono in mente sono: l’egiziano Sayyid Qutb (+1966), l’indiano Maulana Muwdudi (+1979) e il saudita Osama bin Laden oggi. Negli ultimi decenni, attraverso il principale strumento di un’immensa ricchezza petrolifera, l’Arabia Saudita ha costruito migliaia di moschee e madrasse (scuole religiose) in Europa e in America, inviando focosi missionari della setta Wahhabi per diffondere l’islam, finanziando perfino attività terroristiche all’estero.

Attualmente assistiamo a una forma radicale di islam che sta imperversando nel mondo intero. L’islam è stato sequestrato dai radicali e la maggioranza dei moderati ha troppa paura per opporvisi. In quasi tutti i Paesi arabi e islamici è in corso un’accanita lotta interna fra i due campi contrapposti, che vede da una parte i dirigenti tentare disperatamente di contenere gli estremisti. In Algeria, Afghanistan e Somalia, ad esempio, la lotta ha condotto a feroci guerre civili. Tutti i radicali danno un’interpretazione letterale a decine di versetti coranici che invocano la jihad contro gli “infedeli”, come la sura 9, v. 5 che ordina ai musulmani: “uccidete gli idolatri ovunque li troviate…fino a che si convertono e istituiscono il culto” e la sura 9, v. 29 che ordina loro di “combattere contro coloro cui fu dato il Libro (cioè cristiani ed ebrei)…finché non paghino prontamente il tributo, una volta umiliati”.

I radicali musulmani in Gran Bretagna (sia stranieri che nativi o convertiti all’islam) approfittano della nostra libera società, delle sue istituzioni democratiche e delle leggi liberali per portare a termine i loro piani. Si stanno gradualmente infiltrando nella politica, nella scuola e nei mezzi di comunicazione, consolidando così la loro influenza e il loro potere. Secondo una recente inchiesta del Times (7 settembre 2007), quasi la metà delle moschee britanniche e il 40% delle madrasse sono guidate da religiosi radicali della setta Deobandi, che ha la sua origine nel nord dell’India. Il movimento talibano in Afghanistan, e ora molto potente in Pakistan, è nato proprio da tale setta e per il suo estremismo è assai simile alla setta Wahhabi.

La Risposta Cristiana:

Non sono sicuro che le Chiese cristiane siano ben attrezzate per rispondere alle sfide dell’islam, in particolare all’islam di tipo radicale. Innanzitutto, la maggior parte dei cristiani (compresi molti del clero) non hanno alcuna conoscenza dell’islam. E poi il cristianesimo in Gran Bretagna ha malauguratamente perduto la forza morale e spirituale che aveva un tempo, e ora si trova di fronte una religione più giovane, molto più vigorosa e appassionata che minaccia alla fine di prenderne il posto. Noi cristiani purtroppo abbiamo perso troppi nostri giovani e siamo troppo frenati dal politicamente corretto per costituire una qualche vera differenza nell’ambito pubblico. I cattolici in Gran Bretagna vivono ancora all’ombra delle persecuzioni di un tempo, continuano ad avere una mentalità difensiva e tendono a mantenere un basso profilo. In ogni caso, il cristianesimo europeo nel suo insieme ha subito duri colpi negli ultimi 400 anni circa che hanno fortemente indebolito la fede cristiana e le sue istituzioni. Dopo la Riforma, abbiamo avuto l’illuminismo, l’ateismo filosofico, la critica biblica, l’evoluzionismo darwiniano, il potere della tecnologia, il consumismo e il materialismo e, ultimamente – nel caso della Chiesa cattolica – lo scandalo dei preti pedofili e l’acuta carenza di sacerdoti. Innumerevoli chiese di ogni denominazione stanno chiudendo, per mancanza di fedeli soprattutto, e molte di esse vengono trasformate in moschee.

Con il declino del cristianesimo, l’islam è ben felice di riempire il vuoto religioso che ne consegue. Il proselitismo aggressivo ha portato migliaia di cristiani a convertirsi all’islam. Inoltre, non promette bene per il futuro del cristianesimo nemmeno l’elevatissimo tasso di nascita nelle famiglie islamiche. Infatti, lo storico Bernard Lewis prevede che, per la fine di questo secolo, l’Europa diventerà un continente islamico. Sarà certo una previsione troppo forzata, ma il messaggio è ugualmente abbastanza inquietante e deve stimolarci a conservare la nostra fede preziosa e a saperla trasmettere alle future generazioni. Una delle attrazioni dell’islam è la sua assoluta semplicità (senza misteri o sacramenti), ma noi cristiani abbiamo Cristo che è “la via, la verità e la vita”.

L’Importanza del Dialogo:

Come cristiani, noi siamo per la pace e non per lo scontro e la violenza. Hans Kung ha detto: “non ci può essere pace tra le nazioni senza pace tra le religioni”. Il dialogo allora è la risposta che apre tanto la mente quanto il cuore al nostro prossimo che Gesù ci ha comandato di amare. Il dialogo autentico aumenterà la comprensione e la fiducia reciproca, portando alla cooperazione e alla coesistenza pacifica. Abbiamo molto in comune con i musulmani, come è stato detto in antecedenza, anche se le differenze restano inconciliabili. Ma le differenze devono essere rispettate da ambedue le parti.

In effetti, molto dialogo si sta conducendo a tutti i livelli per tutta la Gran Bretagna. A lanciare nella Chiesa cattolica il processo formale di dialogo con le altre fedi, è stato il documento del Vaticano II “Nostra Aetate”, che dichiara che “la Chiesa non respinge nulla di ciò che è vero e santo nelle altre religioni”. Il paragrafo dedicato all’islam, dopo averne elencato gli elementi positivi e ciò che ha in comune con il cristianesimo, conclude: “facciamo causa comune nel difendere e promuovere la giustizia sociale, i valori morali, la pace e la libertà”. Ovviamente non tutti i problemi si possono risolvere con il dialogo, ma molti sì.

Infine, tornando al problema dei terroristi e degli attentatori suicidi, è chiaro che sono le autorità civili a doversene occupare. Ma, a mio avviso, è in ultima analisi un problema islamico che i musulmani stessi e i loro capi di comunità devono risolvere. I moderati devono sfidare i radicali in mezzo a loro e convincerli che la risposta non è l’odio e la violenza ma il dialogo e la cooperazione, e che si può essere allo stesso tempo buoni musulmani e buoni cittadini britannici. Noi cristiani possiamo essere di aiuto, cercando di sostenere i musulmani moderati nel reclamare di nuovo le altezze della religione. Anche se i buoni musulmani non accettano Gesù come loro Signore e Salvatore, si possono sempre salvare mediante la grazia di Dio e l’amore redentivo di Cristo. Pur operando meglio che possiamo, dobbiamo lasciare tutto il lavoro nelle mani dello Spirito Santo. S. Ignazio di Loyola diceva: “agite come se tutto dipendesse da voi, ma pregate come se tutto dipendesse da Dio”.

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ISLAM’S CHALLENGE TO CHRISTIANS IN BRITAIN

by Dr. Joseph SEFERTA

Tuesday 1^st April 2008

1) Islam Comes to Britain:

Prior to September 11^th 2001, few people in Britain and the West gave much thought to Islam and Muslims. But, following other atrocities com-

mitted in the name of Islam—in Bali, Madrid and particularly London on July 7^th 2005—people’s awareness increased and their curiosity intensified. What shocked the British public mostly was the fact that the perpetrators of the 7/7 bombings were all British born and bred, middle class and well educated. Fortunately, most people did not overreact, realising that the suicide bombers belonged to a tiny group of misguided

and hate-filled zealots whose desire was to impose their radical form of Islam on the rest of society through violence and intimidation.

The presence of Muslims in Britain has been increasingly felt on British streets in the last couple of decades, but actually Muslims started arriving in Britain some 200 years ago, as sailors, students and diplomats. The first mosque built in this country was in Woking in 1889. Ports such as Liverpool and Cardiff have a long history of settlements from Yemen and Somalia, while industrial cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow offered hospitality to Muslims from the Indian sub-continent in particular. Work opportunities attracted both the rich and highly educated

(such as doctors), as well as the poor and the illiterate from rural backgrounds.

Muslim communities grew fastest in the 1950s and 60s, when many vacancies needed filling in manufacturing industries. They generally tended to cluster together in a “ghetto”-like existence for reasons of security, mutual support and worship at the local mosque. The Muslim population has never been a homogenous group but rather a collection of various cultures and backgrounds that often clash with one another. While ties to the “old” countries remain strong, the new generations of Muslims have come to regard Britain as their real home. The total number of Muslims in Britain is around 1.7 million, with some 1,300 mosques.

2) Christianity and Islam: Comparison and Contrast:

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all Semitic religions that originated in the Middle East and trace themselves back to Abraham, “the first mono-

theist” in history. They are therefore known as both “monotheistic” and “Abrahamic” religions. While Isaac (Abraham’s son by his wife Sarah) is credited with continuing the Jewish race, Ishmael (Abraham’s son by his wife’s maid Hagar) is considered to be the father of the Arab tribes. Islamic tradition claims that both Abraham and Ishmael travelled south to Arabia, ending up in Mecca where they built a shrine to the one true God, which came to be known as al-Ka’ba. This site then became the focus of prayer for Muslims everywhere, as well as the centre of their annual pilgrimage or hajj.

Islamic beliefs and practices are based on the so-called “five pillars” which are briefly as follows:

1. the creedal formula (shahada) that “there is only one God and Muhammad is his messenger”

2. prayer (salat) five times a day

3. fasting (sawm) during the month of Ramadhan, from both food and drink, from sunrise to sunset

4. almsgiving (zakat), i.e., giving to the poor from the surplus of one’s wealth, and

5. pilgrimage (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.

There are striking similarities, as well as crucial differences, between Christianity and Islam. Both share a belief in God, in a holy scripture, in prayer, fasting and charity, the existence of angels and demons, as well as judgement and life after death, and, finally, the importance of prophets, including Jesus (‘Isa in Arabic) who was born miraculously from Mary. There are, however, irreconcilable issues that have always divided these two religions, and they are basically: Islam’s rejection of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus and Christianity’s rejection of the divine origin of both the Qur’an and Muhammad’s prophethood.

When young Muhammad travelled around the Middle East as a merchant, he picked up a lot of information about Christianity and Judaism, but much of it was based on the heresies of the time, such as Arianism with its teaching that Jesus was created by God. Hence the Qur’an repeatedly and vehemently denounces Christians for claiming that Jesus is more than just a human prophet, like Muhammad. The Qur’an also denies Jesus’ crucifixion and wrongly interprets the Trinity as a “tritheism” consisting of God, Jesus and Mary (see Qur’an 5:116).

According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad is the last and the greatest of a long list of prophets, beginning with Adam. It also claims that Muhammad received the Qur’an in Arabic during a series of revelations from God, through the agency of the Angel Gabriel. Hence, it is regarded as God’s very word which must never be challenged. The Qur’an is about the same size as the New Testament and it resembles the book of Deutero

nomy in its style, tone and content, with Allah (Arabic for God) doing practically all the talking. Second in importance, after the Qur’an, is the Hadith which comprises the sayings and actions of Muhammad. It is mainly these two sources that form the basis of the Islamic Shari’a or code of conduct that was put together in the 9^th century A.D.

3) Islam’s Challenges:

One cannot help but notice that, while other religious and ethnic groups generally integrate relatively easily into British society and culture, most Muslims find it difficult to do so. Perhaps it is out of fear of losing their identity and particularly the purity of their faith. In other words, Muslim “ghettos” seem to be dictated not only by race and colour but also by religion. The negative outcome of living separately, of course, is segrega-

tion rather than integration. However, non-Muslims are also guilty of not mixing with their Muslim neighbours in order to know them better, which is the only way to overcome fear, ignorance and prejudice. Another problem facing Muslims is the high levels of poverty and illiteracy, especially among Pakistani and Bangladeshi households (see The Times survey, 20 April 2005). This is a worrying situation because it can create anger and bitterness among the disaffected youth and thus become a breeding ground for fanatics and terrorists.

Trevor Phillips (the former Head of the Committee for Racial Equality) has been warning us for years about the dangers of life in the ghettos and

about “sleep-walking our way into racial segregation…similar to the one in New Orleans”. But he has been vilified by Muslim leaders who feel that his remarks are directed mainly at Muslims and their way of life. He has also been arguing that “multi-culturalism” has failed due to its

misrepresentation by successive governments who have laid undue emphasis on the differences among the communities, rather than the commonalities. If true, this has not helped the cohesion needed in this country.

Like every society, we too have racists among us, though, hopefully, there are not many of them. My impression is that the vast majority of the British people are tolerant by nature and have extended genuine hospitality to all minorities, including Muslims. Also, the government and local authorities are going out of their way to meet the many demands of the Muslim community, including prayer rooms, halal food, Islamic schools, chaplains for hospitals and prisons, and even Islamic cemeteries. The media usually give plenty of coverage to Islamic beliefs, festivals and customs. Even political correctness often favours the Muslims over

the Christians. A glaring example is the number of councils that have gone to absurd lengths to ban the Christian celebration of Christmas in public so as not to “offend” Muslim sensitivities. So we can state, in fact, that Muslims in this country are enjoying freedoms and privileges that they could only dream about in their countries of origin, where native Christian minorities have no rights at all.

The Threat of Muslim Radicals:

Whether called militants, extremists, fanatics, fundamentalists, jihadists or islamists, Muslim radicals certainly pose a real threat to the peace and security of Britain, as well as the rest of the world. Not all radicals are terrorists, though all terrorists are radicals. Although few radicals will become suicide-bombers, their ideology is the same as theirs, i.e., based on hatred of Christianity, Judaism and Western culture and the desire to convert Britain and the West to Islam. An obvious example is the many imams who are known as “preachers of hate”.

The tradition of radical Islam goes back many centuries, but, in modern times, these radicals look up to various charismatic reformers who have written and preached against the imperialism and corruption of the West and have advocated the return to the original “pure” Islam, based upon the Qur’an, the Hadith and the Sunna or practice of the first Muslim com-

munity. Some influential names that come to mind are: the Egyptian Say-

yid Qutb (d. 1966), the Indian Maulana Muwdudi (d. 1979) and the Saudi Osama bin Ladin today. Saudi Arabia has been the main instrument in recent decades for using its vast oil wealth in building thousands of mosques and madrasas (religious schools) throughout Europe and America, for sending fiery missionaries of the Wahhabi sect to spread Islam, and even to finance terrorist activities abroad.

We are now witnessing a radical form of Islam that is sweeping the whole world. Radicals have hijacked Islam and the moderate majority are too afraid to stand up to them. In almost every Arab and Islamic country there

is a fierce internal struggle between these two opposing camps, with the authorities desperately trying to contain the extremists among them. In Algeria, Afghanistan and Somalia, for example, the struggle has led to vicious civil wars. All radicals give a literal interpretation to the dozens of Qur’anic verses that call for a jihad against the “infidels”, verses such as 9:5 which commands Muslims to “slay the idolators wherever ye find them…until they repent and establish worship” and 9:29 which orders them to “fight against those who have been given the Scripture (i.e., Christians and Jews)…until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low.”

Muslim radicals in Britain (whether foreign, native-born or converts to Islam) are taking advantage of our free society, democratic institutions and liberal laws to bring their agenda to fulfilment. They are gradually infiltrating politics, education and the media, thereby consolidating their influence and power. According to a recent survey by the Times (Sept. 7^th 2007), almost half of Britain’s mosques and 40% of its madrasas are headed by radical clerics of the Deobandi sect which originated in the north of India. This sect gave birth to the Taliban movement in Afghan-

istan, is now very powerful in Pakistan, and is very similar in its extremism to the Wahhabi sect.

4) The Christian Response:

I am not sure how well equipped the Christian churches are in responding to the challenges of Islam, particularly the radical type. First, most Christ-

ians (including many of the clergy) are not familiar with Islam at all. Secondly, Christianity in Britain has sadly lost the moral and spiritual strength it once had, and now is facing a younger and much more vig-

orous and passionate religion that is threatening to replace it eventually.

We Christians have unfortunately lost too many of our young people and are too hampered by political correctness to make any real difference in the public sphere.

Catholics in Britain are still living in the shadow of past persecu-

tions, continue to have a defensive mentality and tend to keep a low pro-

file. In any case, Christianity in Europe as a whole, has suffered from severe blows over the past 400 years or so which have greatly weakened the Christian faith and institutions. Following the Reformation, we had the Enlightenment, philosophical atheism, Biblical criticism, Darwinian

evolutionism, the power of technology, consumerism and materialism, and, lately—in the case of the Catholic Church—the scandal of clerical abuse and the acute shortage of priests. But countless churches of all

denominations have been closing down, for lack of worshippers mainly, with many of them being turned into mosques.

So, with the decline of Christianity, Islam is happily filling the ensuing religious gap. Aggressive proselytising has resulted in thousands of former Christians converting to Islam. Additionally, the very high rate of birth among Muslim families does not bode well for the future of Christianity either. In fact the historian Bernard Lewis predicts that, by the end of this century, Europe will become an Islamic continent. This may be too far-fetched of course, but the message is still rather ominous

and should spur us on to preserve our precious faith and make sure to pass it on to future generations. One of the attractions of Islam is its sheer

simplicity (with no mysteries or sacraments) but we Christians have Christ who is “the way, the truth and the life”.

The Importance of Dialogue:

As Christians, we advocate peace rather than confrontation and violence. Hans Kung has said: “There can be no peace among nations without peace among religions”. Dialogue, then, is the answer because it opens up the mind, as well as the heart, to our neighbour whom Jesus has commanded us to love. Genuine dialogue will increase understanding and bring about mutual trust, leading to cooperation and peaceful coexistence. We have a lot in common with the Muslims, as has been mentioned before, even if the differences remain irreconcilable. But the differences must be respected by both sides.

Actually a lot of dialogue is taking place all over Britain and at all levels. What launched the formal process of dialogue with other faiths in the Catholic Church was Vatican II document “Nostra Aetate” which states that “the Church rejects nothing which is true and holy in other religions”. In the section on Islam, after listing its positive elements and what it has in common with Christianity, it concludes: “Let us make common cause of safeguarding and fostering social justice, moral values, freedom and peace”. Obviously not all problems can be solved through dialogue, but many of them can be.

Finally, to return to the problem of terrorists and suicide-bombers, the authorities must obviously deal with that. But, in my opinion, it is ultimately an Islamic problem to be solved by the Muslims themselves and their community leaders. The moderates must challenge the radicals among them and convince them that the answer does not lie in hate and violence but in dialogue and cooperation, and that they can be both good Muslims as well as good British citizens. We Christians can be helpful in this as we try to support the moderate Muslims to reclaim the religious high ground again. Even if good Muslims do not accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, they can still be saved through God’s grace and Christ’s redemptive love. While we do our best, we should leave the real work in the hands of the Holy Spirit. As St. Ignatius Loyola said: “Act as if it all depends on you, but pray as if it all depends on God.”

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LE DEFIS DE L’ISLAM AUX CHRETIENS DE GRANDE-BRETAGNE

Par le Dr. Joseph SEFERTA

1) L’arrivée de l’Islam en Grande-Bretagne:

Avant le 11 Septembre 2001, en Grande-Bretagne et à l’Ouest en général, peu de gens se préoccupaient de l’Islam et des Musulmans. Mais suites aux autres atrocités commises au nom de l’Islam (à Bali, Madrid et surtout à Londres le 7 Juillet 2005), la conscience des gens ainsi que leur curiosité se sont intensifiées. Ce qui a surtout choqué le publique britannique s’est le fait que les auteurs des attentas suicides du 07/07/05 étaient tous nés britanniques de classe moyenne et bien éduqués. Heureusement la majorité du public n’a pas sur réagi réalisant qu’il ne s’agissait que de groupuscules de fondamentalistes aveuglés par la haine qui souhaitaient imposer par la violence et l’intimidation leur forme radicale de l’islam, au reste de la société.

La présence de Musulmans n’a été de plus en plus ressentie dans les rues britanniques que depuis les vingt dernières années, mais en fait les Musulmans on commencé à arriver il ya quelques 200 ans, comme marins, étudiants ou diplomates. C’est à Woking en 1889 que la première mosquée fut construite dans ce pays. Des ports comme Liverpool et Cardiff ont vu s’établir depuis longtemps des Yéménites et des Somaliens, alors que des villes industrielles comme Birmingham, Manchester ou Glasgow ont accueillis des Musulmans plutôt du sous-continent Indien. Le travail attirait à la fois, des riches et diplômés (comme des médecins), et des pauvres illettrés d’origine rurale.

Les communautés Musulmanes ont grandi plus vite dans les années 50 et 60 quand il y avait un manque de main d’œuvre dans l’industrie. Ils avaient tendance à se regrouper en genre de ghettos pour des raisons de sécurité, de solidarité autour de la mosquée locale. La population Musulmane n’a jamais été homogène mais plutôt de différentes origines culturelles qui souvent se querellaient entr’elles. Bien que les liens avec les pays d’origines restent forts, les nouvelles générations commencent à regarder la grande Bretagne comme leur vraie patrie. La population est d’environ 1,7 million avec quelques 1.300 mosquées.

2) Chrétienté et Islam : Comparaison et Contraste :

Avec le Judaïsme ce sont des religions sémites dont l’origine vient du Moyen Orient et qui reconnaissent remonter jusqu’à Abraham le premier monothéiste de l’Histoire. Elles sont donc connues à la fois comme religions monothéistes et « Abrahamistes ».

Alors qu’Isaac (fils d’Abraham et de Sarah) a à son crédit la continuité de la race Juive, Ismaël (fils d’Abraham et d’Agar) est considéré comme le père des tributs Arabes. La tradition Islamique prétend qu’Abraham et Ismaël allèrent ensemble vers le sud jusque La Mecque où ils construisirent un sanctuaire (al Ka’ba) au vrai Dieu unique. De partout la prière s’oriente vers ce lieu et c’est devenu aussi le centre de leur pèlerinage annuel ou hajj.

La Foi et la pratique Islamique est basées sur les « cinq piliers » qui brièvement sont les suivants :

La profession de Foi (shah ada) qu’ « il n’y a quel seul Dieu et que Mahomet est son messager »
prière (salat) cinq fois par jour
jeune (sawm) pendant le mois du Ramadan à la fois nourriture et boisson du lever au coucher du soleil
aumône (zakat) c.à.d. donner aux pauvres le surplus de ses biens
pèlerinage (hajj) au moins une fois dans sa vie

Il y a des similarités flagrantes ainsi que des différences cruciales entre Chrétienté et Islam. Les deux ont en commun de croire en Dieu, aux écritures saintes, à la prière, au jeune et à la charité, à l’existence des anges et des démons ainsi qu’au jugement et à la vie après la mort et finalement à l’importance des prophètes, y compris Jésus (‘Isa en Arabe) né miraculeusement de Marie. Il y a toutefois des points inconciliables qui ont toujours divisés ces deux religions ce sont d’une part, le rejet par l’Islam de la Trinité et de la divinité de Jésus et d’autre part, le refus de la Chrétienté de reconnaître origine divine du Coran et des prophéties de Mahomet.

Quand le jeune Mahomet voyageait au Moyen-Orient, comme marchand, il a glané beaucoup d’informations sur la Chrétienté et le Judaïsme mais beaucoup étaient basées sur les hérésies de l’époque, comme arianisme prétendant que Jésus avait été créé par Dieu. Depuis le Coran a souvent dénoncé avec véhémence les Chrétiens qui prétendent que Jésus est plus qu’un simple prophète humain comme Mahomet. Le Coran nie la crucifixion de Jésus et interprète à tort la Trinité comme un « tri déisme » consistant de Dieu, Jésus et Marie (cf. Coran 5 : 116).

Suivant la tradition Islamique, Mahomet est le dernier et le plus grand d’une longue liste de prophètes, Adam en étant le premier. Il aurait reçu le Coran en Arabe pendant une série de révélations de Dieu, au travers de l’Ange Gabriel. Ainsi est-il considéré comme la vraie parole de Dieu qui ne peut donc jamais être contestée. Le Coran a à peu près la taille du Nouveau Testament et ressemble au Livre du Deutéronome dans son style, son ton et son contenu avec Allah (Dieu en Arabe) monopolisant pratiquement la parole. D’importance seconde après le Coran il ya le Hadith qui comprend les paroles et les actions de Mahomet. Ce sont la les deux sources qui forment la base de la Charia Islamique ou code de conduite apparu au IXème siècle.

3) Les Défis de l’Islam :

Nous devons nous rendre à l’évidence que bien que d’autres groupes religieux ou ethniques s’intègrent généralement facilement à la société et à la culture britannique, la plus part des Musulmans trouve la chose difficile. Peut-être est-ce par peur de perdre leur identité et particulièrement la pureté de leur foi, autrement dit, les ghettos Musulmans ne semblent pas être dictés seulement par la race et la couleur mais aussi par la religion. L’aspect négatif de vivre séparément est naturellement la ségrégation et non l’intégration. Toutefois les non-Musulmans sont aussi coupables de ne pas se mélanger avec leurs voisins Musulmans afin de mieux les connaître, ce qui est le seul moyen de dépasser peur, ignorance et préjugés. L’autre problème des Musulmans c’est le niveau élevé de leur pauvreté et de leur illettrisme, spécialement chez les Pakistanais et les Bangladeshis (cf. Enquête du Times du 20/04/05). C’est une situation préoccupante car elle peut générer de la colère et de l’amertume chez une jeunesse oisive et devenir un terreau favorisant l’éclosion de fanatiques et de terroristes.

Trevor Phillips, l’ancien Président de la Comité pour l’Egalité Raciale, nous a prévenu pendant des années des dangers de la vie en ghettos et aussi de « notre démarche de somnambules vers une ségrégation raciale similaire à celle de la Nouvelle Orléans. Mais il a été vilipendé par les leaders Musulmans qui pensent que ses remarques sont dirigées essentiellement vers les Musulmans et leur façon de vivre.

Il a aussi montré que le « multiculturalisme » a failli du fait de sa sous représentation aux gouvernements successifs qui ont trop insisté sur les différences entre communautés au lieu de sur leur points communs. Si c’est vrai cela n’a pas facilité la cohésion nécessaire dans ce pays.

Comme dans chaque société, nous avons aussi des racistes parmi nous bien que nous espérions qu’ils ne soient pas nombreux. A mon avis la grande majorité des britanniques sont tolérants par nature et ont offert une véritable hospitalité à toutes les minorités y compris les Musulmans, et le gouvernement et les autorités locales répondent positivement aux nombreuses exigences de la communauté Musulmane y compris, salles de prière, nourriture Halal, écoles Islamiques, chapelains dans les hôpitaux et les prisons et même des cimetières Islamiques. Les médias assurent une grande couverture à la foi, aux rassemblements et aux coutumes de l’Islam. Même le politiquement correct favorise souvent les Musulmans par rapport aux Chrétiens. Un exemple flagrant c’est le nombre conseils territoriaux qui sont allés jusqu’à supprimer les célébrations Chrétiennes de Noël en publique afin d’éviter de « blesser » la sensibilité Musulmane. Nous pouvons donc affirmer que les Musulmans dans ce pays profitent de privilèges et de libertés qu’ils ne pourraient même rêver d’avoir dans leurs pays d’origine où les minorités autochtones Chrétiennes ne possèdent aucuns droits.

La Menace des Musulmans Radicaux

Qu’ils soient appelés militants, extrémistes, fanatiques, fondamentalistes, jihadistes ou islamistes, les Musulmans radicaux présentent, certainement, une réelle menace pour la paix et la sécurité de la Grande Bretagne et du reste de monde. Tous les radicaux ne sont pas des terroristes même si tous les terroristes sont des radicaux. Bien que peu de radicaux deviendront des candidats au suicide à la bombe, leurs idéologie est la même c.à.d. haine de la Chrétienté, du Judaïsme et de la culture occidentale ainsi que le désire de convertir la Grande Bretagne et tout l’occident à l’Islam. Les nombreux Iman connus comme les « prêcheurs de la haine » en sont la preuve.

La tradition de l’Islam radical remonte à de nombreux siècles, mais aujourd’hui, ces radicaux recherchent des réformateurs charismatiques qui ont écrit et prêché contre l’impérialisme et la corruption de l’Ouest et qui ont recommandé le retour à la pureté d’originale de l’Islam, basée sur le Coran, le Hadith et la Sunna ou pratique de la première communauté Musulmane. Les noms qui nous viennent sont : l’Egyptien Sayid (+ 1966), l’Indien Maulana Muwdudi (+1979), et le Saoudien Oussama ben Laden aujourd’hui. Ces dernières décades l’Arabie Saoudite a été l’instrument principal en utilisant sa richesse issue des champs de pétrole pour construire des milliers de mosquées et de madrasas (écoles religieuses) à travers toute l’Europe et l’Amérique et pour envoyer des missionnaires actifs de la secte Wahhabite pour étendre l’Islam, et mêle pour financer des activités terroristes à l’étranger.

Nous sommes maintenant les témoins d’une forme radicale de l’Islam qui balaient le monde entier. Les radicaux ont pris en otage l’Islam et la majorité modérée a trop peur pour s’opposer à eux. Dans presque tous les pays Arabes Musulmans il ya une lutte interne sans merci entre les deux camps et les autorités essaient vainement de contenir les extrémistes. En Algérie, en Afghanistan et en Somalie, par exemple la lutte a conduit à des guerres civiles intenses. Tous les radicaux interprètent de façon littérale la douzaine de sourates qui appelle au jihad contre les « infidèles » ainsi 9 :5 qui commande aux Musulmans de «tuer les idolâtres où que vous les trouviez…..jusqu’à ce qu’ils se repentent et se mettent à adorer » et en 9 :29 qui leur commande de « combattre contre ceux à qui ont été donné les Ecritures (c.à.d. Chrétiens et Juifs)…..jusqu’à ce qu’ils paient le tribut, ayant été abaissés. »

Les Musulmans radicaux en Grande Bretagne (étrangers, natifs ou convertis) profitent de notre société libre, de nos institutions démocratiques et de nos lois libérales pour atteindre leurs objectifs. Progressivement en infiltrant les milieux de la politique et de l’éducation ainsi que les médias, ils consolident leur influence et leur pouvoir. Suivant une récente enquête du Times (07/09/07), presque toutes les mosquées de ce pays et 40% des madrasas ont à leur tête des radicaux de la secte Deobandi dont l’origine se trouve au nord de l’Inde et qui a donné naissance au mouvement des Talibans en Afghanistan et est maintenant très puissante au Pakistan. Son extrémisme est très proche de celui de la secte Wahhabite.

4) La Réponse Chrétienne :

Je ne suis pas sur que les Eglises Chrétiennes soient bien équipées pour répondre aux défis de l’Islam et spécialement à ceux de type radical. D’abord, la plupart des Chrétiens (y compris de nombreux parmi le clergé) ne connaisse rien à l’Islam. Ensuite, la Chrétienté dans ce pays a malheureusement perdu la force morale et spirituelle de son passé et se trouve en face d’une religion beaucoup plus jeune, vigoureuse et passionnée qui la menace de prendre sa place éventuellement. Nous Chrétiens avons perdu trop de nos jeunes et sommes trop coincés dans le politiquement correcte pour influencer la sphère publique.

Les Catholiques britanniques vivent toujours sous la crainte des persécutions passées, continue de vivre sur la défensive et ont tendance à toujours faire profile bas. La Chrétienté Européenne dans son ensemble a subit de nombreux coups ces derniers 400 ans environ ce qui a grandement affaiblit la foi et les institutions Chrétiennes. Après la Réforme, nous avons eu l’athéisme des Lumières, les critiques Bibliques, l’évolution avec Darwin, la puissance de la technologie, le consumérisme et matérialisme et récemment, dans l’Eglise Catholique, le scandale de la pédophilie cléricale et le manque de prêtres. Mais de nombreuses églises de toutes dénominations ont été fermées, principalement par manque de fidèles, et beaucoup ont été transformées en mosquées.

Ainsi avec le déclin de la Chrétienté, l’Islam rempli joyeusement les espaces laissés vides. Un prosélytisme agressif a abouti à des milliers de chrétiens convertis à l’Islam. De plus, le taux élevé de naissances dans les familles Musulmanes, ne prédit rien de bon pour le futur de la Chrétienté, non plus. L’historien Bernard Lewis prédit que pour la fin du siècle, que l’Europe sera un continent Islamique. C’est sans doute un peu tiré par les cheveux mais se message fort devrait nous inciter à préserver notre précieuse foi et à assurer sa transmission aux générations futures. Une des attractions de l’Islam et sa grande simplicité (pas de mystères ni de sacrements) mais nous, les Chrétiens, avons le Christ qui es « le chemin, la vérité et la vie ».

L’Importance du Dialogue :

Comme Chrétiens nous favorisons la paix plutôt que la confrontation et la violence. Hans Kung a dit : « Il ne peut y avoir de paix entre les nations s’il n’y a pas de paix entre les religions. » Le dialogue est donc la réponse, il ouvre à notre prochain, notre esprit ainsi que notre cœur, comme Jésus nous y a invités. Le vrai dialogue augmentera notre compréhension mutuelle et apportera la confiance, conduisant à la coopération et à la coexistence. Nous avons beaucoup en commun avec les Musulmans, même si, comme mentionné plus tôt, nos différences restent irréconciliables. Mais les différences doivent être respectées des deux côtés.

Actuellement de nombreux dialogues ont lieu à travers la Grande Bretagne et a tous niveaux. Ce qui a lancé le procédé formel de dialogue avec les autres fois dans l’Eglise Catholique, c’est le document « Nostra Aete » de Vatican II qui affirme que « l’Eglise ne rejette rien de ce qui est vrai et saint dans les autres religions ». Dans la partie sur l’Islam, après avoir listé les éléments positifs et ce qui est commun avec la Chrétienté, il conclue : « Faisons cause commune pour sauvegarder et promouvoir la justice sociale, les valeurs morales, la liberté et la paix ». Il est certain que le dialogue ne peut résoudre tous les problèmes ne peuvent pas mais beaucoup si.

Finalement, pour revenir aux problèmes des terroristes et des kamikazes, c’est aux autorités de s’en charger, mais, à mon avis, en dernier ressort, c’est un problème Islamique à résoudre par les Musulmans eux-mêmes avec les dirigeants de leur communauté. Les modérés doivent affrontés les radicaux parmi eux et les convaincre que la solution ne se trouve pas dans la haine et la violence mais dans le dialogue et la coopération et qu’ils peuvent être, à la fois, de bons Musulmans et de bons citoyens Britanniques. Nous, Chrétiens, pouvons servir en aidant les Musulmans modérés à regagner du terrain sur le plan religieux. Même si les bons Musulmans ne reconnaissent pas Jésus comme leur Seigneur et Sauveur, ils peuvent toujours être sauvés par la grâce de Dieu et l’amour rédempteur du Christ. Bien que faisant de notre mieux, nous devrions laisser le vrai travail entre les mains de l’Esprit Saint. Comme disait St Ignace de Loyola : « Agis comme si tout dépend de toi, mais prie car comme si tout dépend de Dieu »

Reflections for the Mass

Fr. David Lacy

The theme-First reading

The power of God’s spirit is seen in the resurrection of Jesus, who raises us up each day, in our prayer and work for the good of all people, and leads us to eternal life.

This is a present reality for us in our work for air travellers, who are putting themselves in God’s hands each time they take off and land safely at their destination.

Working together for the common good of all people (travellers)

Sharing hope and understanding, the work of chaplains of all religious faiths.

We all understand the story/narrative of Faith journey, of pilgrimage to Lourdes/Rome-catholic Mecca- moslem Jerusalem - jews Amritsar – sikh

We travel together to find our God, to share the journey of faith; it is also a life journey, for we do not know what tomorrow will bring. We are all in God’s hands, as we understand him. Our needs are the same, in so many ways. Food and shelter, family and work to keep body and soul together. When we travel together, we share our resources with those in need. We share our faith stories too, for we have so much in common. This ministry of being an airport chaplain can be so illusive so transitory, since we see and hear with people who are in a hurry, to move to their chosen destinations. It means we have little time to share more than a few words and gestures. It is our work to provide and prepare so that the fears and anxieties are at a minimum.

Gospel

The wind blows where it will, here we have the concept of the natural order, the natural elements, fire and water and the air that we breathe. We have the evidence in touch and effect, they can be soothing, but also violent/destructive, both in terms of nature and on people. For we are subject to elemental forces and do not have complete control of them. Even our scientists acknowledge that they do not have the complete answer.

The resurrection of Jesus. He too was subject to a cruel death, but he rose triumphant from the grave. The resurrection is truly Life-changing, for those who believe and have faith in God. The effect is felt by all who believe and want to understand.

Like flying through the air, held up by the force of the wind and the jet turbines and skill of pilots, and the design of the aircraft. But still we are subject to the elements, I read that recently aircraft we using the jet stream, to reach USA an hour earlier than planned. The reverse of course for planes coming the other way.

Moses and the serpent in the desert. Rescue came through the leadership and courage of Moses, who became God’s man, both chosen and willing to lead God’s people to safety. He was full of God’s spirit, rescued the people, he is the salvation figure and precursor of Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour.

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Report from Secretary General

at Birmingham Conference April 2008

Tuesday 1^st April

1. Website.

New name euroairchap.co.uk. There seem to be language problems and

lack of use. Thanks to Ray Russell for taking on Webmaster. Comments

would be welcome to improve the service. There will be a running cost

both to Gabriel Media for the server, and Ray for his management of the

website Cost involved was £400. Hope to pay from subscriptions

or donations.

2. Constitution

3. Thanks to Archbishop Marchet to who has been in touch with CCEE.

Awaiting comment form them. Fr Giorgio to report

What is the next step?

Subscription level only E100 came into the treasurer.

A Bank account has been set up. Could we vote

on suggested subscription of E100 per chaplain?

Also we need to go firm on the Title of the Association so that

the Constitution will have a title European Association of Catholic Chaplains

in Civil Aviation(EACCCA)

4. Planning Birmingham Conference. Preparation of the Seminar here in

Birmingham over last year. Grateful for all the help support and advice

received from so many people, including Sr Margaret, Vernon, Ray and

Diane all ‘volunteers’. Also Ms Nilda Castro of the Pontifical Council in

Rome.

I wrote to all the Bishops who have large airports in their dioceses. Replies did not live up to expectation. Some bishops/chaplains contacted were unsupportive. Grateful for those who have come to support this significant UK Seminar.

I also want to thank our few sponsors, in particular the Mgr John Walsh, Principal Chaplain of the RAF, who gave us a very generous donation, and also the US Catholic Chaplains Fund. Their names are mentuioned on the programme I also mention my parishioners who have encouraged me with the work on the conference and the time devoted to it.

5. Thanks also Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols, who is always supportive of the conference. Thanks also to Birmingham International and Chaplains Barbara Hayes, Alive and Brian for their kindness and encouragement.

Votes on Election of new Sec General

Subscription

Title

Next conference and location

Any other business

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VI European Seminar

Joe Kelly, Acting Managing Director,

Birmingham International Airport

Wednesday 2^nd April

The Airport and its Working Relationships

Slide - 10 years of growth since restructuring

Q Real progress

– Grown passengers from 6.2m to 9.2m (4.5% pa)

– Served +80m passengers

– Generated £1bn of income

• Invested £247m in Capex

• Paid £191m in Tax and Dividends

– Increased route network from 103 to 123 +20%

– Increased on site FTE employment from 5,000 to 7,500

– Up to 1,500 further off site and approx £220m pa for local economy

– Contributed £0.7m since 97 direct to local community fund and +£0.4m pa in mitigation programmes

– Reduced noise impact over 67db(A) from 9,000 in 1998 to under 1,000 in 2005

Q More to be done

Slide - Post 2000 European (base) expansion has been a key feature of the Low Cost market growth

Slide - However they have not altered the long term growth rate of 5%- 6% per annum

Slide - The Airport and regional (Market) opportunity

Slide - Current network - growing worldwide connections

Slide - The next 10 years will facilitate Birmingham and the Midlands growth into a World City

Q The challenge

– To deliver the Runway Extension and related infrastructure

– To grow passengers from 9m to 18m (5.7% pa)

– To serve +150m passengers

– Generated £1.5bn of income

• Invest £432m in Capex

• Distribute £250m in Tax and Dividends

– Fill in the route network and increase market capture

– Increased on site FTE employment from 7,500 to 10,000

– Up to 2,000 further off site and approx £360m pa for local economy

– Increased community programmes including Noise mitigation

Slide - Sustainable growth objectives since mid 90’s

Q Noise

Q Air Quality

Q Climate Change

Q Surface Access

Q Public Safety

Q Habitat Loss

Q Pollution

Q Community Relations

Q Employment

Slide - Noise preferential routes to reduce impact

Slide - Success in reducing the noise footprint

Slide - Airports are defined by its people

Q Airport site is one of the largest employment sites in the West Midlands

- 6,327 people

- 140 different companies with a wide-range of jobs

- diverse workforce representing the West Midlands Community

- Job Centre on site co-ordinating recruitment

Q Airport Company recognises its strategic role for site employment.

Slide - The Airport ‘Family’ underpins the relationships

Q Airport “family” despite the large number of employees – all identify with the Airport as their workplace

Q Job junction Partnership Project

- supporting unemployed people into Airport

vacancies

- 6-week training programme

- guaranteed interview at completion of

training

Slide - To be an ‘Employer of Choice’

Q The Airport Company actively promotes ‘Partnership’ working between the Companies and seeks for the Airport to be an ‘Employer of Choice’

Q Promotes and requires that Equality Principles in employment and service delivery are incorporated within Concession Agreements

Q Within UK Statute (part of Equality Legislation) Religious Discrimination is unlawful

Q Recognition of Religious Beliefs, Dress Code, Time Off for Religious Festivals, prayer times

Q Integration into business practices – managing people

Slide - Cultural Awareness – Airport

Q International Airport, international travellers, international workforce

Q Cultural awareness – training for front-line staff reflecting Black and ethnic minority users of the Airport

- meeters and greeters

- washing facilities

- gender equality

- language

Q The Airport Company equality targets: to have a workforce representative of the West Midlands Community

Slide - Cultural Awareness – multi religious care

Q Multi-faith Chaplaincy, diverse teams show leadership by working together – respect and visible presence

Q Example of this working – ‘Multi-faith Care Team’

Q Joint working/training with Airport Care Team

Q ‘Part of the Airport Community’

(NB agenda slides have been excluded)

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Roman Catholic Airport Chaplain’s conference 2008

Multi faith care team

Mrs. Barbara Hayes Anglican Chaplin

Why a multi faith care team

1. The 2001 census included a voluntary question on faith commitment.

People identified themselves as follows

Christian – 70%

Muslim 3% 1.6 million people

Hindu 1 % 559,000

Sikh 336,000

Jewish 267,000

Buddhist 152,000

Other 179,000

45% of the UK’s ethnic minorities live in London with the West Midlands being the next largest population of approximately 13% of the ethnic minority population.

In Birmingham 29.6% of the population is from an ethnic minority & 43% of under 15’s are non white. Birmingham will be one of the first cities in the UK where the white population, while being the single largest group, will be a minority if all the other groups are added together.

Ethnicity is not necessarily an indicator of faith community but there’s certainly a connection.

Is seeking to support people effected by a major incident we can expect that a significant number of them will come from faiths other than Christianity.

2. The multi faith care team respond in the first 24 hours of an emergency. In the immediate aftermath of a major incident people do not want counselling or in depth pastoral care. They are generally thirsty for information & for physical needs to be met so why bother with a faith presence?

In extremis some people will revert to a faith they’ve left behind or never practiced. People may have ‘why me?’ questions
For those with an active faith – that’s the filter through which they understand / make sense of experience.
For those with an active faith the support of familiar prayers & practices may help them cope.
A persons’ faith may have practical implications for food/drink, appropriate ways of showing care etc. It helps ‘non faith’ carers to have someone they can refer to.
Our faith obliges us to support those in distress.
We have some pastoral skills to offer.
In the chaos of an incident it is helpful to have a group which concentrates on the needs of family, friends & survivors with no other responsibility.
We can be a calm presence
Faith is international & the multi faith care team brings a range of languages.
For airport chaplains, organising a care team is a practical way of contributing to the life of the airport.

The care team at Birmingham International

There are 3 care teams at the airport with different but to some extent overlapping responsibilities.

The airlines or their agents are required to deal with the practical issues such as onward travel & accommodation. They are also familiar with the airport site.

The airport company has a general care team with some interpersonal skills & knowledge of the site & locality. This is not a statutory requirement but something the airport chooses to do.

The multi faith care team has existed for about 5 years as an initiative of the airport chaplaincy.

The chaplaincy oversees the multi faith team which has members from all the major faiths & some smaller ones – Bahai to Zoroastrian. Members come to us on recommendation, often from an existing team member or contact – they are not CRB checked but identify their worshipping community so we can take a reference if necessary. Although there are obvious limitations to this we do not have the capacity to do in depth checks on people & membership of the team only gives access to the airport in case of a real emergency.

The majority of care team members are Christian – as we’re the faith with significant numbers of paid clergy/ church leaders. Other faiths have smaller leadership & they may be working in secular jobs making attendance difficult. However, we have one rabbi – the local Jewish community is small, 5 Hindu, 5 Muslim, 6 very active Sikhs and smaller numbers for other groups. Although the catchment area for the airport includes significant numbers of people from other faiths the immediate surrounding area is much less diverse. For both Muslim and Sikh groups we have difficulty involving women for a combination of practical and cultural reasons.

Training

The care team members undergo 4 training sessions of 2 hours. These are done on a rolling programme over 1 or 2 years depending on the turn over of members. These sessions have now been adopted by the airport care team and the two teams train together. We also try to involve the airline care teams but this is difficult for operational reasons.

The wisdom of all those involved in emergency response is the importance of knowing one another before an emergency happens. With the best possible planning the event is always chaotic & it’s good to know beforehand what can be expected from different responders so training together/ knowing each other is key. The airport care team certainly enjoys meeting the multi faith team & learning more about each other.

The training sessions cover –

1. the roles of the different care teams; the needs of survivors/ family & friends;

the types of emotional responses we might see; the skills we will need; looking after ourselves

2. the roles of other agencies involved in the incident – fire, police, ambulance, casualty bureau etc – by understanding the process we’re better able to support those effected

3. Familiarisation with the Friends & family Reception Centre & the Survivors Reception Centre

4. Further skills – these have included coping with people’s anger, a visit to a Gurdwara, breaking bad news, listening skills, completing casualty bureau forms.

Practicalities

At an incident care team members wear a mauve tabard & photograph ID so they can be easily identified. They also have a police cordon badge which will give them access to the airport site, which would be closed to anyone without authorisation.

The chaplaincy has an emergency phone which is linked to the airport emergency ‘speak easy’ system, contains the contact numbers of all team members and is used for no other purpose. Next to each contact number is an indication of faith community. So, if a plane was coming in from Delhi we might make a judgement of the likely faith profile of passengers & begin calling in the appropriate people. In case of holidays etc. the phone is passed to a member of the chaplaincy team who will be around, or failing that to another colleague in the CIGB team.

In case of emergency it is the responsibility of the senior chaplains & BIA Occupational Health staff to have oversight of the care team. Rather than getting directly involved they should ensure that care team members are OK, have appropriate breaks and have an opportunity to de-brief.

A proportion of the revenue from the sale of this site goes to the Gabriel Education Trust.