From San Egidio
Some social and church commentators see the 1960s as an era of dissolution. Claudio Betti, recently in Australia, offers another take on the decade. With other schoolmates, he was influenced by the desire for change expressed in the events of 1968. He and his 14-year-old companions wanted to avoid the slogans of politics and the generalities of church commitments, and to live the Gospel with their feet and hands. They spent their free time in the Roman slums, and prayed in the streets. Their enterprise grew into the San Egidio community, a loose gathering of groups engaged with the poor of their cities. It also mobilises its resources for particular tasks, like brokering peace in Mozambique and addressing the devastation of AIDS in Africa. Claudio has not renounced the 1960s—on arriving in Australia, his first question was: why on earth did all the school students wear uniforms?
Peace piece
Talking of the ’60s, we have recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Encyclical, Pacem in Terris, issued by Pope John XXIII. It formed a notable thread in the tradition of reflection on political and social life, and has played its part in shaping the increasingly strong church opposition to war of any kind as an instrument of policy. The title of the Encyclical, Peace on Earth, will remind some of the high hopes of the 1960s that institutions could be shaped to embody the desire for peaceful international relations. It will remind others that this noble hope was utopian, and has been replaced by the contrary view that war is an acceptable instrument when used by the strong to secure peace on their own terms. For Pope John XXIII, of course, the title echoed the angels’ proclamation to the shepherds. It emphasised the recurrent need for conversion by ordinary people and national leaders alike.
Price of freedom
The voices of ordinary people have been mostly absent from the international debate about war. When you do hear them it comes as a shock. Listen to an old woman in North Korea who has to walk up ten flights to her room (the lifts don’t work) and face a subzero winter without heating. You realise that slavery—to poverty and oppression—is still with us.
The Caritas team has focused their Project Compassion appeal for this year on the millions of people around the world who are still slaves to poverty and oppression. They ask us to