A Church open to the world

Columban Fr Peter Hughes is the executive secretary of the Department of Justice and Solidarity of the Latin American Bishops' Conference (CELAM) which is based in Bogotá, Colombia. He has worked in Peru since 1966. Recently he was interviewed by his Columban name sake, another Fr Peter Hughes, who had formally worked  for two decades in Chile and now works in Britain in the Justice and Peace ministry.

A Church open to the worldAs a Columban missionary, what do you bring to this task?

I bring my personal experience of the Church in Latin America combined with an independence to issues in an objective manner. Being a Columban with Irish roots and sharing in our worldwide Columban missionary experience, has given me an appreciation for local cultures, people's personal and collective histories and especially the plight of the poor who are rarely valued by power groups or the dominant culture.

I also bring a sense of the importance of justice, equality and fair play, which allows us, from our personal missionary experience, to speak with some authority and freedom on the major issues relating to different forms of oppression current in the world today.

What is the role of CELAM?

CELAM has played an important leadership role through organizing the major conferences of the Latin American Church:  Medellin, Puebla, Santo Domingo and Aparecida. These have been milestones that provide reference for the direction of the Church in Latin America such as the Preferential Option for the poor. It has acted as a prophetic voice on the side of the powerless in search of justice and respect for human life.

CELAM seeks to interpret how God's love and the Kingdom, as proclaimed by Jesus, is manifested in the signs of the times in today's world and what are the challenges that will bring this about.

CELAM also provides leadership, coordination and inspiration for the Church present in the 22 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean.

A Church open to the worldWhat are some of the key issues in Latin America that are occupying CELAM?

At the moment, we  are dedicated to four important issues:

1. Extreme Poverty

South America is not the poorest continent, but it is the most unequal continent. This is a huge scandal especially when it is a traditionally Christian continent. The two most successful countries also happen to be the two most unequal countries: Chile and Brazil.

The division between rich and poor is not improving. A new class of poor has emerged that is referred to in the CELAM Document for the 2007 Aparecida Conference as the throwaway or the leftover people. These excluded are not simply "exploited" but "surplus" and "disposable". According to the Bishops Meeting at Aparecida in 2007, reaching out in love and service to these people is an indispensable expression of the very being of the Church, just as the Proclamation of the Word and the Celebration of the Sacraments.

2. Extractive Industries

South America has many natural resources like minerals and forests. We are very concerned about the exploitation of these resources, which are farmed out mainly to huge international corporations. Not only do these industries destroy the health of the local inhabitants and the environment, but further impoverish the people who get practically no financial benefit from what belongs to them.

3. Peace Building

While the South American countries have largely left behind the civil wars and dictatorships of the past, never before has it been such a violent continent. Eight out of 10 of the most violent cities in the world are in South America. Drug-related violence is a major concern for us.

4. Movement of Peoples

This is a tremendous problem. We have to deal with ecological refugees because of floods and drought caused by global warming and also economic refugees and the human trafficking and exploitation of women and children for sexual purposes.

How important is Latin America for the future of the Catholic Church in all the world?

Very important!  The Catholic Church is rapidly becoming a Church whose presence, sphere of influence and vibrancy is more and more located in the southern part of the globe. Latin America is where more than 40% of the world's Catholics live. The renewal of the Latin American Church is important not only for Latin America, but also as a service to the Church in other continents who share the same problems.

What are some of the key influences on the Church in Latin America?

I believe the key influence is the awareness that the Church has to be open to the world. This means the  Church has to see what is happening in the world, where the gift of God's life is being threatened or destroyed.

What is actually happening in the real world - job issues, migration, human needs, loneliness, drugs, destruction of the environment - are the issues that should set the agenda for the Church.

 

LISTEN TO: A Church open to the world
(Duration: 6.15mins, MP3, 2.85MB)


A Church open to the world

Read more from The Far East, April 2014