The late Pope Francis blesses an indigenous woman from the African continent in cultural attire (Earthbeat)
Over centuries of colonisation, many cultures have been either intentionally destroyed or unintentionally over-run by a dominant culture. With this background in mind and a resurgence in the awareness of the importance of diverse cultures, a MONDIACULT meeting was held under the auspices of UNESCO in Mexico City in 2022 and was attended by 2,600 people from 150 countries.
They declared that “culture is a public good,” with its own rights in relation to both its preservation and development. The declaration continued that ‘culture has a fundamental role in society and is a space where our common humanity can be discovered. Underlying this statement is the recognition that all cultures are fundamental to human society. Furthermore, it intuits that only in the existence of diverse cultures can we come to realise the full richness of our common humanity.
In recent days, we have seen the presence of many cultures in the Church as we witnessed the funeral of the late Pope Francis. In the brilliant sunshine of a spring day in Rome, St. Peter’s Square was resplendent with colourful vestments, prayers in various languages and the beautiful choral singing. However, even more striking than these features was the presence of the diverse cultures among both the cardinals, clergy, religious and the vast throngs of the faithful. This is the face of the Church today. I was struck by the fact that this funeral was a tribute to one of the principal priorities of his pontificate, namely, the inclusion and respect for all people and their diverse cultures. For Pope Francis excluded no one from the Church’s pilgrim people of hope. Now in his early days as successor to Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV has indicated that he will be continuing this legacy of his predecessor.
At this stage, it is important to explore what we mean by culture. As humans we find ourselves living amid this wonderfully created environment where we build and find meaning in our lives. Where groups of humans gather, they also create culture as a response to their environment and the people and circumstances around them. Culture then influences the ways people structure their family, society and government. Culture expresses itself through music, art, food, music, language, traditions, rituals, and religion or spirituality – it is the crucible that contains the values we hold precious to our lives.
Columban Fr Carlo Jung from Korea is afforded a Fijian farewell ceremony as he moves from one parish to another - Photo: Fr Carlo Jung
From the point of view of a Christian, it is relevant to say that being created by God and in God’s image, we along with all of creation reflect who God is, although imperfectly. The result of this is that human cultures are also a reflection of God, specifically when their values and practices uphold the dignity of all people, locations, and creation.
In other words, human cultures have the capacity to provide a fuller understanding of the Gospels when demonstrating love, justice, healing, and restoration; particularly for the vulnerable. A feature of our time is that people of diverse cultures live much closer together than in the past, stimulating growth. However, in this growth through interaction with each other, no one culture is to be seen as superior to another as it was during the colonial period. Rather, cultures as an expression of God’s presence among us are to be valued and never to be ‘morphed’ into ONE dominant monoculture that swallows up other cultures through domineering assimilation.
Christians from diverse cultures have found unity in faith, yet this unity does not erase our cultural distinctions. Rather, it is through our rich diversity - in both culture and worship - that God is glorified most fully. When many cultures join as one voice in praise, the result is far greater than what any single culture could offer alone. Together, our worship becomes complete. This is why we must cherish, nurture, and honour the beauty of our varied cultures - each uniquely precious in God’s sight, and together, even more magnificent in exalting Him. May our harmonious diversity bring God the fullest praise!
Columban Fr Kelvin Barrett lives and works at St Columban’s, Essendon.
