The choices of the Church
Thursday, October 11, 2007
A combination of articles in The New York Times prompted a series of thoughts. One of them, a front-page feature, described the horrific violence against women and female children in the Congo. This violence is a calculated tool of war and is being carried out with impunity. Another article reported the conviction and sentencing of a Roman Catholic priest who cooperated with the “dirty war” in Argentina (1976-1983), when the military regime murdered and “disappeared” its leftist opponents, also with impunity. The article ends this way: “Argentina’s past stands in stark contrast to the role that the church played during the dictatorships in Chile and Brazil, where priests and bishops condemned the government and worked to save those being persecuted from torture and death.” (Article by Alexei Barrionuevo, 11/10/2007)
We need to reflect on this contrast and ask ourselves about our own role. Will it be said of the Anglican Communion that we were so preoccupied with homosexuality that we did not even notice when hideous crimes and massive human suffering was going on all around us? Is our relationship with Anglican bishops in sub-Saharan Africa going to be determined by our fixation on this one issue? In some circles you would never know that there were horrific human rights issues at stake in the world.
Congo story: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/world/africa/07congo.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
