FRANSISKUS

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:

Habemus Papam;

Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum,

Dominum Georgium Marium Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem Bergoglio,

Qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum.

Saya mengumumkan kepada anda sukacita besar;

Kita memiliki Paus;

Tuan Yang Utama dan Terhormat,

Tuan Georgius Mario Kardinal Gereja Roma Yang Kudus Bergoglio,

Yang telah mengambil nama Fransiskus

Paus baru kita telah terpilih, Beliau adalah Kardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., Uskup Agung Buenos Aires dan Ordinaris untuk umat ritus Timur di Argentina yang tidak memiliki ordinaris bagi ritus mereka. Beliau lahir pada tanggal 17 Desember 1936 di Buenos Aires. Lahir dari sebuah keluarga yang berasal dari Piemonte, sebuah wilayah di utara Italia, tepatnya di Bricco Marmorito, bagian dari kota Asti. Ayahnya bernama Mario Jose Bergoglio, seorang pegawai kereta api dan ibunya Regina Sivori, seorang ibu rumah tangga berdarah Piemonte dan Genoa.

Ia belajar teknik kimia dan berhasil menjadi sarjana pada jurusan tersebut. Tetapi kemudian Ia memilih ingin menjadi imam dan masuk Seminari Villa Devoto. Pada 11 Maret 1958, Ia pindah ke Novisiat Company of Jesus setelah menyelesaikan studi humanitas di Chile. Pada 1963, Beliau meraih gelar sarjana filosofi di Seminari Tinggi Santo Yosef San Miguel. Pada tahun 1964-1965, Ia mengajar literatur dan psikologi di Kolese Immaculata di Santa Fe dan pada tahun 1966 mengajar mata kuliah yang sama di Universitas El Salvador di Buenos Aires.

Pada tahun 1967 hingga 1970, Beliau juga belajar teologi di Seminari Tinggi St. Yosef San Miguel dan meraih gelar sarjana teologi. Ia ditahbiskan sebagai imam jesuit pada tanggal 13 Desember 1969 selama studinya di Fakultas Teologi San Miguel Argentina. Pada tanggal 22 April 1973, Ia mengucapkan kaul kekalnya.

Beliau adalah Master Novis di Villa Valirali San Miguel di mana ia juga mengajar teologi. Beliau pernah menjadi provinsial Jesuit Argentina (1973-1979) setelah ditunjuk pada tanggal 31 Juli 1973. Pada tahun 1980 hingga 1986, Beliau menjadi rektor Fakultas Filosofi dan Teologi San Miguel sekaligus Pastor Paroki St. Yosef di Keuskupan San Miguel. Tahun 1986, Beliau dikirim ke Jerman untuk menyelesaikan studi doktoralnya dan kemudian melayani sebagai pembimbing rohani di Cordoba.

Pada tanggal 20 Mei 1992, Beliau ditunjuk sebagai Uskup Tituler Auca dan Uskup Auksilier Buenos Aires, menerima tahbisan uskup pada tanggal 27 Juni 1992. Beliau ditahbiskan uskup di Katedral Buenos Aires oleh Kardinal Antonio Quarracino, Uskup Ubaldo Calabres (Duta Besar Vatikan untuk Argentina) dan Uskup Emilio Ognenovich. Pada tanggal 3 Juni 1997, Beliau ditunjuk sebagai Uskup Agung Koadjutor Buenos Aires dan menggantikan Kardinal Antonio Quarracino di Buenos Aires pada tanggal 28 Februari 1998. Beliau juga adalah Ordinaris untuk umat ritus Timur di Argentina yang tidak memiliki ordinaris bagi ritus mereka.

Beliau melayani sebagai Presiden Konferensi Para Uskup Argentina pada tanggal 8 November 2005 sampai 8 November 2011. Diangkat sebagai kardinal oleh Beato Yohanes Paulus II pada Konsistori 21 Februari 2001 dengan Titel Kardinal dari St. Robertus Bellarminus. Beliau pernah menjadi anggota Kongregasi Penyembahan Ilahi dan Disiplin Sakramen, Kongregasi Para Imam, Institut Hidup Bakti dan Serikat Hidup Apostolik, Dewan Kepausan untuk Keluarga dan Komisi Pontifikal untuk Amerika Latin.

Pada tanggal 13 Maret 2013 di Roma, pada konklaf 2013, Beliau dipilih oleh para kardinal sebagai Paus Gereja Katolik dan mengambil nama FRANSISKUS sebagai nama regnal.

http://www.indonesianpapist.com/2013/03/biografi-paus-fransiskus-i.html

FROM VINCENTIAN CONFRERE TO VATICAN CARDINAL: BERHANEYESUS DEMEREW SOURAPHIEL, C.M.

He was a political prisoner for 7 months accused of being a CIA agent, then, a Vatican spy. “Finally, they charged me with being a parasite on Ethiopian Society.” The experience of being in solitary confinement was a terribly lonely one, as there was no one to talk with or anything to read. You had only yourself, and no human contact, light, or exercise. In retrospect, it was easy for me to see how people in solitary can end up having nervous breakdowns. You can lose all sense of time, place, and perspective in such a situation.” So how did Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel endure this precarious time?

“Despite the horrors of prison and solitary confinement, I found it transformative. It led to a spiritual rebirth for me. I had nothing, literally nothing, in solitary, so I cried out to the Lord from the depths of my being. I truly felt the presence of Jesus in those dark days. When I returned to the prison population, they cheered. I was told that prisoners had often chanted my name so the guards would know I was not forgotten. This, I believe, was what kept me alive. So I resolved to be an example of service to my fellow prisoners. I started a garden to grow vegetables for the prison population. I made efforts to help serve the elderly and sick prisoners, so they would not be neglected in getting the very limited amounts of food and water that were given us. ”

Read the full article… From Vincentian Confrere to Vatican Cardinal: Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M. by John T. Maher, C.M.

Sunday, January 4, 2015 started out as a typical day for the Archbishop of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After celebrating Sunday Mass, he enjoyed a midday meal with several of his resident diocesan priests, then settled down for a quiet afternoon of reading and prayer. This was the perfect time for Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M. to relax and nap, which he learned from his student days in Rome, in the daily “buon riposo.”

His time of rest ended shortly as his priest-secretary frantically knocked at the door. “We are getting calls from priests who say they heard on the radio that the Holy Father has named you a cardinal.” The Archbishop shrugged, told him not to believe what was on the radio, and began to read… and pray. “I thought perhaps I should re-read the story of Samuel and Eli in the first Book of Samuel, since it is either the Lord or the Holy Father who disturbed my sleep,” he said. Minutes later, his secretary returned saying, “We can confirm that you were named a cardinal today by Pope Francis at his weekly angelus address.” It was a truly surprising moment for the new Cardinal-designate, as he reflected on what had brought him to this point in his life.

It began with his grandparents, fervent members of the Eastern Catholic Ethiopian (Ge’ez Rite) Church who moved from central to eastern Ethiopia to escape religious persecution. “They set an example for my parents and the ten of us children,” Berhaneyesus said. “Their strength of conviction in putting our Catholic faith before all else stayed with my parents and all of us.” Berhaneyesus’ nine siblings today include four brothers and five sisters. All but one still live in Ethiopia. His first contact with the Vincentians came in a primary school run by the Christian Brothers. “A Vincentian, Fr. Fikre-Mariam Ghemetchu, (later, Apostolic Vicar of Nekemte Vicariate) gave a vocation talk on priesthood. Right away, I knew it was something I had to try.”

The Lazarist School in Addis Ababa, staffed by Vincentians of the Netherlands, was where Berhaneyesus came to know the Congregation of the Mission. After graduation, he entered the novitiate, living in a rural area, experiencing a simple, prayerful community life and direct service to the poor. After taking vows, he studied philosophy and theology in London’s Land Missionary Institute and Kings College. He returned to Ethiopia, and Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M. was ordained to the priesthood in the Congregation on July 4, 1976.

His first years of priesthood found him in pastoral work. It was a time of great upheaval in the world, and Ethiopia was no exception. Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia since 1930, had been deposed in a coup in 1974. The “Derg”, a group of Marxist ideologues with military support came to power, and ruled until 1991. They sought out religious leaders for persecution. Berhaneyesus was a target, so they imprisoned him, along with other Ethiopian religious leaders.

“It was seven of the longest months of my life,” he said in reflecting on his imprisonment. “It occurred in 1979-80 at the height of their power. First, they accused me of being a CIA agent, then, a Vatican spy. Finally, they charged me with being a parasite on Ethiopian Society.” The most difficult part of prison was a month in solidarity confinement. “It was a perilous time for a couple of reasons”, said Berhaneyesus. “First, it was known that putting one in solitary was often used as a cover to kill him, since the person was isolated from the prison population. Also, the guards would often take a prisoner out at night, simulate killing him, and return him to the cell.”

“Secondly, the experience of being in solitary confinement was a terribly lonely one, as there was no one to talk with or anything to read. You had only yourself, and no human contact, light, or exercise. In retrospect, it was easy for me to see how people in solitary can end up having nervous breakdowns. You can lose all sense of time, place, and perspective in such a situation.” So how did Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel endure this precarious time?

“Despite the horrors of prison and solitary confinement, I found it transformative. It led to a spiritual rebirth for me. I had nothing, literally nothing, in solitary, so I cried out to the Lord from the depths of my being. I truly felt the presence of Jesus in those dark days. When I returned to the prison population, they cheered. I was told that prisoners had often chanted my name so the guards would know I was not forgotten. This, I believe, was what kept me alive. So I resolved to be an example of service to my fellow prisoners. I started a garden to grow vegetables for the prison population. I made efforts to help serve the elderly and sick prisoners, so they would not be neglected in getting the very limited amounts of food and water that were given us. ”

After release from prison, Berhaneyesus was forced to leave Ethiopia, so he went to Rome to study. He returned to Ethiopia determined to serve, and did so generously. His efforts to live the Vincentian charism and model leadership were noticed by Rome. In 1994, he was appointed the prefect of the Diocese of Jimma-Bonga. In 1997, he became Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Addis Ababa. In 1998, he was ordained Bishop, and in 1999, he became Archbishop of Addis Ababa. Sixteen years later, Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M. was created Cardinal for Ethiopia, the second such, after His Eminence, Paulos Tzadua, who served from 1977-1998.

Ethiopia is a country of over 95 million people, with less than 1 percent Roman Catholic. The majority religions are Ethiopian Orthodox at 44 percent, Muslims at 34 percent, followed by Protestants at 18 percent. While Catholics are the smallest of all religious groups, there is a unique significance due to past and present events. The origin of Christianity in Ethiopia owes itself to a Church Father, St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. Today, with a small Catholic population, the Church has a major impact in Ethiopia. “Although Catholics are less than 1% of the population, we run over 400 schools and 43 health centers. We just started St. Thomas, the first Catholic University in Ethiopia. In fact, the one public university in the country until ours was started by Canadian Jesuits,” Berhaneyesus noted.

As one involved in Church leadership for over two decades, Berhaneyesus has experienced Ethiopia in rural and urban areas. He has seen it evolve from a place of chaos to one of stability. “Finally now we have economic growth. That has helped to create jobs and will a better environment for our people,” he noted. The relocation of the headquarters of the 34 country African Union to Addis Ababa is also a major step forward for Ethiopia, its people, and hopefully, the Church. Berhaneyesus serves as Chair of the Association of Members of the Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA). He has two immediate goals. The first is to have the AMECEA admitted to membership in the African Union as an observer, akin to the Vatican’s status at the UN. The second is to have Pope Francis invited to address the African Union. He is hopeful he can achieve both goals in his role as Cardinal of Ethiopia.

When asked about pressing social issues of the day in Ethiopia, Berhaneyesus mentioned several: human trafficking, which affects young women taken from rural areas to cities and out of the country; arms trading, where illegal weapons are sold to neighboring countries (such as Somalia) to destabilize governments and promote civil war; child soldiers, emerging in far rural areas for neighboring countries; and care for the influx of refugees. “They are approximately 200,000 Sudanese,100,000 Somali, and 80,000 Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia. We are simply unable to receive and care for such a great number of refugees. ” He said the Church is working with government and charitable (NGO) agencies to assist these refugees.

In terms of other issues affecting the Church in Ethiopia, Berhaneyesus has two key goals: provide Catholic education to lift people out of poverty, and keep young people in the country, instead of past migration to other African nations. “This is why I started the Catholic University (St. Thomas) in Ethiopia, and why I am aligning it with established universities in Eastern Africa and the United States. I want our young people to learn the culture of Ethiopia and contribute to our society. Education is the key to making this possible. Besides our primary and secondary schools which serve Ethiopians regardless of religious creed, I want to provide our young people with an academic and professional university education to impact them throughout their lives.”

What does this new Cardinal want for the Catholic people of Ethiopia? “Faith is a gift, one that we must pass on. Although we are small (.07% of the population), we exist to proclaim the God’s reign on earth by our words and deeds. I believe in the efficacy of Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed in Gospels. Jesus tells us that, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’ (Mt.13:31-32) The Church in Ethiopia has been and will continue I pray to be that mustard seed, enabling all to grow in grace and faith as disciples of Jesus.”

   Berhaneyesus Demerew Cardinal Souraphiel, C.M. has held many roles in his 66 years. They include son, brother, grandson, student, seminarian, Vincentian confrere, priest, pastor, professor, provincial, and member of the Catholic hierarchy. But the two most important roles he undertook were largely unknown – until now. They are agent of reconciliation and life-saver.

When Berhaneyesus returned to Ethiopia after studies at the Gregorian University in Rome, the “Derg” Marxist movement which had imprisoned him and killed so many, had been overthrown. Eventually, a new constitution was written and an elected government prevailed. The “Derg” party members were jailed and sentenced to death for killing, torture, and jailing of many Ethiopians. Berhaneyesus received a request from the Deng group leader who had jailed him, asking to meet. This man, and other officials, had been condemned to death for crimes against the Ethiopian people.

Berhaneyesus went to the same prison where he had been held and met his former persecutor, who asked forgiveness. Berhaneyesus told him he had forgiven him long ago. “When he asked how this was possible, I looked at him and said, ‘If I did not forgive you, I could not live with myself, so I had to do it’. The man broke down and cried, so we prayed together. Then he told me that he had many others to ask forgiveness of, and asked what to do. So I said I would bring religious of other denominations to meet with him and those who were guilty of these actions.”

When other religious leaders who had been imprisoned agreed to meet, Berhaneyesus set it up. It was a powerful encounter. As they were leaving, one of the condemned men said to him, “This may be too much to ask, but could you ask them to spare our lives?” He spoke with the religious leaders in private and they all agreed to write the Ethiopian government and ask that these men not be executed, but that their sentences be commuted to life in prison. Eventually, the government relented, and their lives were spared.

So, besides the parable of the mustard seed, perhaps a scripture story more worthy of the new Cardinal is the ‘parable of the lost sheep’: “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” (Lk. 15:7) (http://cmglobal.org/en/2015/02/26/from-vincentian-confrere-to-vatican-cardinal-berhaneyesus-demerew-souraphiel-c-m/)

MAHATMA GANDHI

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly known as ‘Mahatma’ (meaning ‘Great Soul’) was born in Porbandar, Gujarat, in North West India, on 2nd October 1869, into a Hindu Modh family. His father was the Chief Minister of Porbandar, and his mother’s religious devotion meant that his upbringing was infused with the Jain pacifist teachings of mutual tolerance, non-injury to living beings and vegetarianism.

Born into a privileged caste, Gandhi was fortunate to receive a comprehensive education, but proved a mediocre student. In May 1883, aged 13, Gandhi was married to Kasturba Makhanji, a girl also aged 13, through the arrangement of their respective parents, as is customary in India. Following his entry into Samaldas College, at the University of Bombay, she bore him the first of four sons, in 1888. Gandhi was unhappy at college, following his parent’s wishes to take the bar, and when he was offered the opportunity of furthering his studies overseas, at University College London, aged 18, he accepted with alacrity, starting there in September 1888.

Determined to adhere to Hindu principles, which included vegetarianism as well as alcohol and sexual abstinence, he found London restrictive initially, but once he had found kindred spirits he flourished, and pursued the philosophical study of religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and others, having professed no particular interest in religion up until then. Following admission to the English Bar, and his return to India, he found work difficult to come by and, in 1893, accepted a year’s contract to work for an Indian firm in Natal, South Africa.

Although not yet enshrined in law, the system of ‘apartheid’ was very much in evidence in South Africa at the turn of the 20th century. Despite arriving on a year’s contract, Gandhi spent the next 21 years living in South Africa, and railed against the injustice of racial segregation. On one occasion he was thrown from a first class train carriage, despite being in possession of a valid ticket. Witnessing the racial bias experienced by his countrymen served as a catalyst for his later activism, and he attempted to fight segregation at all levels. He founded a political movement, known as the Natal Indian Congress, and developed his theoretical belief in non-violent civil protest into a tangible political stance, when he opposed the introduction of registration for all Indians, within South Africa, via non-cooperation with the relevant civic authorities.

On his return to India in 1916, Gandhi developed his practice of non-violent civic disobedience still further, raising awareness of oppressive practices in Bihar, in 1918, which saw the local populace oppressed by their largely British masters. He also encouraged oppressed villagers to improve their own circumstances, leading peaceful strikes and protests. His fame spread, and he became widely referred to as ‘Mahatma’ or ‘Great Soul’.

As his fame spread, so his political influence increased: by 1921 he was leading the Indian National Congress, and reorganising the party’s constitution around the principle of ‘Swaraj’, or complete political independence from the British. He also instigated a boycott of British goods and institutions, and his encouragement of mass civil disobedience led to his arrest, on 10th March 1922, and trial on sedition charges, for which he served 2 years, of a 6-year prison sentence.

The Indian National Congress began to splinter during his incarceration, and he remained largely out of the public eye following his release from prison in February 1924, returning four years later, in 1928, to campaign for the granting of ‘dominion status’ to India by the British. When the British introduced a tax on salt in 1930, he famously led a 250-mile march to the sea to collect his own salt. Recognising his political influence nationally, the British authorities were forced to negotiate various settlements with Gandhi over the following years, which resulted in the alleviation of poverty, granted status to the ‘untouchables’, enshrined rights for women, and led inexorably to Gandhi’s goal of ‘Swaraj’: political independence from Britain.

Gandhi suffered six known assassination attempts during the course of his life. The first attempt came on 25th June 1934, when he was in Pune delivering a speech, together with his wife, Kasturba. Travelling in a motorcade of two cars, they were in the second car, which was delayed by the appearance of a train at a railway level crossing, causing the two vehicles to separate. When the first vehicle arrived at the speech venue, a bomb was thrown at the car, which exploded and injured several people. No investigations were carried out at the time, and no arrests were made, although many attribute the attack to Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fundamentalist implacably opposed to Gandhi’s non-violent acceptance and tolerance of all religions, which he felt compromised the supremacy of the Hindu religion. Godse was the person responsible for the eventual assassination of Gandhi in January 1948, 14 years later.

During the first years of the Second World War, Gandhi’s mission to achieve independence from Britain reached its zenith: he saw no reason why Indians should fight for British sovereignty, in other parts of the world, when they were subjugated at home, which led to the worst instances of civil uprising under his direction, through his ‘Quit India’ movement. As a result, he was arrested on 9th August 1942, and held for two years at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. In February 1944, 3 months before his release, his wife Kasturbai died in the same prison.

May 1944, the time of his release from prison, saw the second attempt made on his life, this time certainly led by Nathuram Godse, although the attempt was fairly half-hearted. When word reached Godse that Gandhi was staying in a hill station near Pune, recovering from his prison ordeal, he organised a group of like-minded individuals who descended on the area, and mounted a vocal anti-Gandhi protest. When invited to speak to Gandhi, Godse declined, but he attended a prayer meeting later that day, where he rushed towards Gandhi, brandishing a dagger and shouting anti-Gandhi slogans. He was overpowered swiftly by fellow worshippers, and came nowhere near achieving his goal. Godse was not prosecuted at the time.

Four months later, in September 1944, Godse led a group of Hindu activist demonstrators who accosted Gandhi at a train station, on his return from political talks. Godse was again found to be in possession of a dagger that, although not drawn, was assumed to be the means by which he would again seek to assassinate Gandhi. It was officially regarded as the third assassination attempt, by the commission set up to investigate Gandhi’s death in 1948.

The British plan to partition what had been British-ruled India, into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India, was vehemently opposed by Gandhi, who foresaw the problems that would result from the split. Nevertheless, the Congress Party ignored his concerns, and accepted the partition proposals put forward by the British.

The fourth attempt on Gandhi’s life took the form of a planned train derailment. On 29th June 1946, a train called the ‘Gandhi Special’, carrying him and his entourage, was derailed near Bombay, by means of boulders, which had been piled up on the tracks. Since the train was the only one scheduled at that time, it seems likely that the intended target of derailment was Gandhi himself. He was not injured in the accident. At a prayer meeting after the event Gandhi is quoted as saying:

“I have not hurt anybody nor do I consider anybody to be my enemy, I can’t understand why there are so many attempts on my life. Yesterday’s attempt on my life has failed. I will not die just yet; I aim to live till the age of 125.”

Sadly, he had only eighteen months to live.

Placed under increasing pressure, by his political contemporaries, to accept Partition as the only way to avoid civil war in India, Gandhi reluctantly concurred with its political necessity, and India celebrated its Independence Day on 15th August 1947. Keenly recognising the need for political unity, Gandhi spent the next few months working tirelessly for Hindu-Muslim peace, fearing the build-up of animosity between the two fledgling states, showing remarkable prescience, given the turbulence of their relationship over the following half-century.

Unfortunately, his efforts to unite the opposing forces proved his undoing. He championed the paying of restitution to Pakistan for lost territories, as outlined in the Partition agreement, which parties in India, fearing that Pakistan would use the payment as a means to build a war arsenal, had opposed. He began a fast in support of the payment, which Hindu radicals, Nathuram Godse among them, viewed as traitorous. When the political effect of his fast secured the payment to Pakistan, it secured with it the fifth attempt on his life.

On 20th January a gang of seven Hindu radicals, which included Nathuram Godse, gained access to Birla House, in Delhi, a venue at which Gandhi was due to give an address. One of the men, Madanla Pahwa, managed to gain access to the speaker’s podium, and planted a bomb, encased in a cotton ball, on the wall behind the podium. The plan was to explode the bomb during the speech, causing pandemonium, which would give two other gang members, Digambar Bagde and Shankar Kishtaiyya, an opportunity to shoot Gandhi, and escape in the ensuing chaos. The bomb exploded prematurely, before the conference was underway, and Madanla Pahwa was captured, while the others, including Godse, managed to escape.

Pahwa admitted the plot under interrogation, but Delhi police were unable to confirm the participation and whereabouts of Godse, although they did try to ascertain his whereabouts through the Bombay police.

After the failed attempt at Birla House, Nathuram Godse and another of the seven, Narayan Apte, returned to Pune, via Bombay, where they purchased a Beretta automatic pistol, before returning once more to Delhi.

On 30th January 1948, whilst Gandhi was on his way to a prayer meeting at Birla House in Delhi, Nathuram Godse managed to get close enough to him in the crowd to be able to shoot him three times in the chest, at point-blank range. Gandhi’s dying words were claimed to be “Hé Rām”, which translates as “Oh God”, although some witnesses claim he spoke no words at all.

When news of Gandhi’s death reached the various strongholds of Hindu radicalism, in Pune and other areas throughout India, there was reputedly celebration in the streets. Sweets were distributed publicly, as at a festival. The rest of the world was horrified by the death of a man nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Godse, who had made no attempt to flee following the assassination, and his co-conspirator, Narayan Apte, were both imprisoned until their trial on 8th November 1949. They were convicted of Gandhi’s killing, and both were executed, a week later, at Ambala Jail, on 15th November 1949. The supposed architect of the plot, a Hindu extremist named Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Gandhi was cremated as per Hindu custom, and his ashes are interred at the Aga Khan’s palace in Pune, the site of his incarceration in 1942, and the place his wife had also died.

Gandhi's memorial bears the epigraph “Hé Rām” (“Oh God”) although there is no conclusive proof that he uttered these words before death.

Although Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times, he never received it. In the year of his death, 1948, the Prize was not awarded, the stated reason being that “there was no suitable living candidate” that year.

Gandhi's life and teachings have inspired many liberationists of the 20th Century, including Dr. Martin Luther King in the United States, Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko in South Africa, and Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar.

His birthday, 2nd October, is celebrated as a National Holiday in India every year.

(http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/mahatma-gandhi)

BUNDA TERESA

Bunda Teresa, seorang yang memberi hatinya untuk melayani di tengah-tengah masyarakat miskin di India.Dilahirkan di Skopje, Albania pada 26 Agustus 1910, Bunda Teresa merupakan anak bungsu dari pasangan Nikola dan Drane Bojaxhiu. Ia memiliki dua saudara perempuan dan seorang saudara lelaki. Ketika dibaptis, ia diberi nama Agnes Gonxha. Ia menerima pelayanan sakramen pertamanya ketika berusia lima setengah tahun dan diteguhkan pada bulan November 1916.

Ketika berusia delapan tahun, ayahnya meninggal dunia, dan meninggalkan keluarganya dengan kesulitan finansial. Meski demikian, ibunya memelihara Gonxha dan ketiga saudaranya dengan penuh kasih sayang. Drane Bojaxhiu, ibunya, sangat memengaruhi karakter dan panggilan pelayanan Gonxha.

Ketika memasuki usia remaja, Gonxha bergabung dalam kelompok pemuda jemaat lokalnya yang bernama Sodality. Melalui keikutsertaannya dalam berbagai kegiatan yang dipandu oleh seorang pastor Jesuit, Gonxha menjadi tertarik dalam hal misionari. Tampaknya hal inilah yang kemudian berperan dalam dirinya sehingga pada usia tujuh belas, ia merespons panggilan Tuhan untuk menjadi biarawati misionaris Katolik.

Pada tanggal 28 November 1928, ia bergabung dengan Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, yang dikenal juga dengan nama Sisters of Loretto, sebuah komunitas yang dikenal dengan pelayanannya di India. Ketika mengikrarkan komitmennya bagi Tuhan dalam Sisters of Loretto, ia memilih nama Teresa dari Santa Theresa Lisieux.

Suster Teresa pun dikirim ke India untuk menjalani pendidikan sebagai seorang biarawati. Setelah mengikrarkan komitmennya kepada Tuhan, ia pun mulai mengajar pada St. Mary’s High School di Kalkuta. Di sana ia mengajarkan geografi dan katekisasi. Dan pada tahun 1944, ia menjadi kepala sekolah St. Mary.

Akan tetapi, kesehatannya memburuk. Ia menderita TBC sehingga tidak bisa lagi mengajar. Untuk memulihkan kesehatannya, ia pun dikirim ke Darjeeling.

Dalam kereta api yang tengah melaju menuju Darjeeling, Suster Teresa mendapat panggilan yang berikut dari Tuhan; sebuah panggilan di antara banyak panggilan lain. Kala itu, ia merasakan belas kasih bagi banyak jiwa, sebagaimana dirasakan oleh Kristus sendiri, merasuk dalam hatinya. Hal ini kemudian menjadi kekuatan yang mendorong segenap hidupnya. Saat itu, 10 September 1946, disebut sebagai “Hari Penuh Inspirasi” oleh Bunda Teresa.

Selama berbulan-bulan, ia mendapatkan sebuah visi bagaimana Kristus menyatakan kepedihan kaum miskin yang ditolak, bagaimana Kristus menangisi mereka yang menolak Dia, bagaimana Ia ingin mereka mengasihi-Nya.

Pada tahun 1948, pihak Vatikan mengizinkan Suster Teresa untuk meninggalkan ordonya dan memulai pelayanannya di bawah Keuskupan Kalkuta. Dan pada 17 Agustus 1948, untuk pertama kalinya ia memakai pakaian putih yang dilengkapi dengan kain sari bergaris biru.

Ia memulai pelayanannya dengan membuka sebuah sekolah pada 21 Desember 1948 di lingkungan yang kumuh. Karena tidak memiliki dana, ia membuka sekolah terbuka, di sebuah taman. Di sana ia mengajarkan pentingnya pengenalan akan hidup yang sehat, di samping mengajarkan membaca dan menulis pada anak-anak yang miskin. Selain itu, berbekal pengetahuan medis, ia juga membawa anak-anak yang sakit ke rumahnya dan merawat mereka.

Tuhan memang tidak pernah membiarkan anak-anak-Nya berjuang sendirian. Inilah yang dirasakan oleh Bunda Teresa tatkala perjuangannya mulai mendapat perhatian, tidak hanya individu-individu, melainkan juga dari berbagai organisasi gereja.

Pada 19 Maret 1949, salah seorang muridnya di St. Mary bergabung dengannya. Diinspirasi oleh gurunya itu, ia membaktikan dirinya untuk pelayanan kasih bagi mereka yang sangat membutuhkan.

Segera saja mereka menemukan begitu banyak pria, wanita, bahkan anak-anak yang sekarat. Mereka telantar di jalan-jalan setelah ditolak oleh rumah sakit setempat. Tergerak

oleh belas kasihan, Bunda Teresa dan rekan barunya itu pun menyewa sebuah ruangan untuk merawat mereka yang sekarat.

Pada tanggal 7 Oktober 1950, Missionary of Charity didirikan di Kalkuta. Mereka yang tergabung di dalamnya pun semakin teguh untuk melayani dengan sepenuhnya memberi diri mereka untuk melayani kaum termiskin di antara yang miskin. Mereka tidak pernah menerima pemberian materi apa pun sebagai balasan atas pelayanan yang mereka lakukan.

Pada awal 1960-an, Bunda Teresa mulai mengirimkan suster-susternya ke daerah-daerah lain di India. Selain itu, pelayanan dari Missionary of Charity mulai melebarkan sayapnya di Venezuela (1965), yang kemudian diikuti oleh pembukaan rumah-rumah di Ceylon, Tanzania Roma, dan Australia yang ditujukan untuk merawat kaum miskin.

Setelah Missionary of Charity, sejumlah yayasan pun didirikan untuk memperluas pelayanan Bunda Teresa. Yang pertama ialah Association of Coworkers sebagai afiliasi dari Missionary of Charity. Asosiasi ini sendiri di setujui oleh Paus Paulus VI pada 26 Maret 1969. Meskipun merupakan afiliasi Missionary of Charity, asosiasi ini memiliki anggaran dasar tersendiri.

Selama tahun-tahun berikutnya, dari semula melayani hanya dua belas, Missionary of Charity berkembang hingga dapat melayani ribuan orang. Bahkan 450 pusat pelayanan tersebar di seluruh dunia untuk melayani orang-orang miskin dan telantar. Ia membangun banyak rumah bagi mereka yang menderita, sekarat, dan ditolak oleh masyarakat, dari Kalkuta hingga kampung halamannya di Albania. Ia juga salah satu pionir yang membangun rumah bagi penderita AIDS.

Berkat baktinya bagi mereka yang tertindas, Bunda Teresa pun mendapatkan berbagai penghargaan kemanusiaan. Pada tahun 1979, ia menerima John XXIII International Prize for Peace. Penghargaan ini diberikan langsung oleh Paus Paulus VI. Pada tahun yang sama, ia juga memperoleh penghargaan Good Samaritan di Boston.

Setelah mengabdikan dirinya selama bertahun-tahun di India, tentu saja pemerintah India tidak menutup mata akan pelayanannya. Maka pada tahun 1972, Bunda Teresa menerima Pandit Nehru Prize.

Setahun kemudian, ia menerima Templeton Prize dari Pangeran Edinburgh. Ia terpilih untuk menerima penghargaan tersebut dari dua ribu kandidat dari berbagai negara dan agama oleh juri dari sepuluh kelompok agama di dunia.

Puncaknya ialah pada tahun 1979 tatkala ia memperoleh hadiah Nobel Perdamaian. Hadiah uang sebesar $6.000 yang diperolehnya disumbangkan kepada masyarakat miskin di Kalkuta. Hadiah tersebut memungkinkannya untuk memberi makan ratusan orang selama setahun penuh. Ia berkata bahwa penghargaan duniawi menjadi penting hanya ketika penghargaan tersebut dapat membantunya menolong dunia yang membutuhkan.

Pada tahun 1985, Bunda Teresa mendirikan pusat rehabilitasi pertama agi korban AIDS di New York. Menyusul kemudian sejumlah rumah penampungan yang didirikan di San Fransisco dan Atlanta. Berkat upayanya ini, ia mendapatkan Medal of Freedom.

Pelayanan Bunda Teresa sama sekali tidak mengenal batas. Dipupuk di kampung halamannya, ia mengawali pelayanan di India. Dari India, pelayanannya meluas hingga ke seluruh penjuru dunia. Ia, di antaranya, berkunjung ke Etiopia untuk menolong korban kelaparan, korban radiasi di Chernobyl, dan korban gempa bumi di Armenia.

Memasuki tahun 1990-an, kondisi tubuh Bunda Teresa tidak mengizinkannya melakukan aktivitas yang berlebihan, khususnya setelah serangan jantung pada 1989. Kesehatannya merosot, sebagian karena usianya, sebagian karena kondisi tempat tinggalnya, sebagian lain dikarenakan perjalanannya ke berbagai penjuru dunia. Menyadari kondisi kesehatannya yang demikian, Bunda Teresa meminta Missionary of Charity untuk memilih penggantinya. Maka, pada 13 Maret 1997, Suster Nirmala terpilih untuk meneruskan pelayanan Bunda Teresa.

Bunda Teresa akhirnya meninggal dunia pada tanggal 5 September 1997 dalam usia 87 tahun. Berbagai petinggi dari 23 negara menghadiri pemakamannya. Upacara pemakaman diadakan pada 13 September 1997, di Stadion Netaji, India, yang berkapasitas 15.000 orang. Atas kebijakan Missionary of Charity, sebagian besar yang menghadiri upacara tersebut adalah orang-orang yang selama ini dilayani oleh Bunda Teresa.

Ref :

http://biokristi.sabda.org

http://cetiyamahasampatti.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/bunda-theresa/

FR. EMILE VICTOR BIELER CM: “MAN OF FORMATION”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The day, Wednesday, November 19, 2014 when Fr. Victor Bieler CM passed away is to be viewed in the light of faith despite sad moment for all of us. Fr. Emile Victor Bieler (EVB) has returned to the Source of life, to God  longed for in his whole life. A friend calls him as “a light shining for a while and is now going back to the Source of light itself.” EVB’s friends and I myself are all in tears upon hearing his holy departure for eternity. And yet in the light of our faith his departure to God is telling us His immense love in EVB’s life.

Fr. EVB has just completed his 85th year and yet was never elderly and aging. He showed us how a profound faith in God and philosophical understanding could rejuvenate life and physical performance. Being teacher (or better expressed “professor”) of almost the  of us, he just presented himself as friend , a close one with a rare warm heart to everybody. We still remember his strong grip when shaking hands with us. It did not just tell us about physically good stamina but also warmth of his presence and welcoming.

EVB taught almost every subject we studied, from Biblical theology to English and Latin, from Patristic to social teaching of the Church, and of course from philosophy to practical things in our house. Yet, above all he taught us not by intellectual eloquence but by exemplary love, perseverance, and diligence. He could travel from seriousness of sophisticated philosophy to surprising sense of humor by cracking a joke without loosing firmness and assertiveness in presenting himself in leadership. It is not surprising when recalled how he once became rector of two different theological-philosophical institutions at the same time. It happened in the late eighties. He was about to leave for Papua after his sabbatical semester. Being known as man with beautiful experience of leadership EVB was immediately installed as rector of the so-called “Fajar Timur” school of philosophy and theology at Abepura, the West Papua (Irian Jaya). But, when he was elected as rector in Papua, EVB was also still rector in “Widya Sasana” school of philosophy and theology, Malang. EVB might be known as the first person in the Congregation (in the world?) who broke the record by holding such a responsibility as rector of two institutions of philosophy and theology at the same time for about a year!

This record does not express any personal ambitions of EVB. He remained a simple Vincentian. Yes, simplicity was one of the Vincentian virtues, which he loved so much. He suggested the word “Kepolosan” in Indonesian language for that virtue. This word (“Kepolosan”) means more or less nothing to reserve for oneself or giving the wholeness of oneself to God alone. Indeed EVB was the man who accomplished his job in best effort as possible as he could.

Since he diligently and tirelessly involved himsef in priestly formation almost throughout his life, he became a person to whom we, students, have often aspired to be. What I mean is that he has been a “model” of priesthood for us. We have been dreaming to be priests like him. Hundreds of priests, seminarians, Daughters of Charity sisters and lay people were fortunate to have EVB in their formation years. We know he touched many hearts of priests and seminarians of Indonesia as well as Solomon Islands with his simple presence.

In Indonesia the students come from different religious congregations, dioceses, whereas in Solomon Islands EVB’s students are from three dioceses, Honiara, Gizo, and Auki. His love and everything he possessed were meant to work in formation. Holy Name of Mary’s Seminary in Solomon Islands was his last and forever love. He even showed his willing to come again to Solomon Islands after recovering from hospital.

In the words of Bishop Adrian Smith (of Honiara, Solomon Islands) he was one of the “Founding Fathers” of mission in Solomon Islands: “Fr. Victor was the first Vincentian to come to Solomon Islands when we were seeking help to run our Seminary. He was most encouraging in those early days when everything seemed so uncertain. That is his special gift, he is a person who encouraged others. He was with us when we got the green light from Rome to proceed with our hopes. I am sure the seminarians who knew him will always remember his as a father who cared for them and who was interested in them. I want you to know that in our three dioceses we will be remembering Father Victor at the Altar of the Lord. His life story is one great story; he was a man of such great experiences and has made a wonderful contribution to the story of Holy Name of Mary Inter-Diocesan Seminary in Solomon Islands. He was part of the foundation and so I am sure that what he did so much to develop will remain as a testimony of the man he is” (Email of Bishop Adrian Smith to Visitor of Indonesia).

Some tributes posted in timeline of Facebook of Holy Name of Mary seminary speak of condolence: “I just want to add that Fr. Victor Bieler CM was one of the ‘founding fathers’ of HNMS [Holy Name of Mary Seminary] along with the Bishops, putting in a huge effort to bring the Vincentians to Solomon Islands to run the seminary and then giving his last years to this ministry. Thank you, Victor. Rest in Peace, Victor. Fr. Victor passed away today in Indonesia. [He is] a saint in my opinion. If only we had more like him.”

When we invited him to share his mission of Solomon Islands to the students of Widya Sasana School of philosophy and theology at Malang a couple of years ago, he encouraged each one of us to go for mission by saying strongly: “Dear students, as you know, I am working in Pacific Islands called ‘Solomon Islands’. I would like to encourage all of you to pay attention to the people of those remote Islands. The church has often forgotten those people; even God himself has sometimes forgotten too. He forgot the people living in the remote places there … So, let us not forget them, let’s go there evangelizing those people.” What a love of mission! What a beautiful love!

How do we understand such a wonderful love of EVB for mission? I do believe that such a beautiful love does not emerge instantly; instead, it comes gradually and has strongly been nurtured in deep faith to God.

EVB was born in Surabaya, Indonesia, June 13, 1929. In time of the Indonesian revolution to independence 1945, he was sixteen years old. EVB was in Surabaya with his dear father, a Swiss descent. Despite being European his father was not exterminated in the Internment by the Japanese troops. It was simply because his father was an expert of financial matter. The Japanese employed him in financial field for “Peta” (Pembela Tanah Air), the famous name of revolutionary movement to the independence from the Dutch. But when the Allies troops defeated the Japanese in the WW II, there was a very chaotic situation in Surabaya. The Indonesian revolutionaries sent EVB and his father to jail of Kalisosok, Surabaya. There in prison his father started to hate the Indonesian in human perspective. How come the Indonesians put him in prison while he was serving and helping them in their struggle to gain the independence? When the family of Bieler transferred to Holland in 1949, EVB entered in seminary of the CM. Knowing that the son, EVB, was about to come back to Indonesia after ordination, his father began to disagree with. “How come that EVB is now coming back to Indonesia to serve and dedicate his life to those who did put him in prison few years ago?” EVB’s relationship with his father started to become somehow “cold”. EVB’s classmate and lifetime friend and confrere, Fr. Wiel Bellemakers CM, told that it was “very difficult decision” of which he admired mostly EVB’ fearless and flawless love for mission. In other word, it was the very profound love of EVB to Indonesians regardless of unpleasant experiences in prison of Kalisosok, Surabaya. As we can imagine, prison in wartime is just uncertain life for tomorrow. EVB’s love transcended such an obstacle.

When arrived in Indonesia he was immediately assigned in Saint Vincent’s seminary in Garum. He taught philosophy to the students who prepared themselves for theology. From Garum he travelled to Eastwood, Australia accompanying those of theology. Then, he was called back to Kediri, to initiate a new building of a major seminary for the CM students.

The second Vatican Council was the very pivotal point of system of priestly education in Indonesia. EVB was among the formators who promoted the so-called “Solid collaboration” to establish major seminaries in Indonesia. He sought to work together with a couple of Carmelite fathers in preparing some materials of philosophy and theology. This “working together” was sort of providential start of beautiful collaboration in the future which brought the Widya Sasana School of philosophy and theology into being. EVB was of course not alone in establishing such a big enterprise as a school of philosophy and theology. But, he was one of the main Founding Fathers of this beautiful fruit of collaboration between the Carmelites and the Vincentians, that the Widya Sasana School of philosophy and theology, Malang, where almost one third of dioceses of Indonesia and more than 15 different religious congregations have sent their candidates to study philosophy and theology.

Narrating EVB’s life seems to be endless, yet I have to end my personal share. The other fruitful period of EVB’s life to be necessarily mentioned is when Father General, Richard McCullen CM, summoned him from the “jungle” of Papua to Rome to be Secretary General and then Assistant General (in time of Fr. Robert Maloney CM). Rome was the very start of his international “career” journey. From Father Richard McCullen as well as Fr. Robert Maloney and confreres in the Generalate we heard that EVB was “man of collaboration”. He tirelessly dedicated his ability in both fixing practical problems in house and setting up vision of the future of the whole Congregation of the mission. EVB was “man behind the scene”; together with Fr. Robert Maloney he promoted “new shift” of mission in the CM (as EVB suggested “cultural sensitiveness” in doing mission to the poor); he involved himself to set up regular meetings for formators in Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America and else; he also urged the CM to deal with interreligious dialogue especially with Islam, etc. Several confreres from different continents, they gladly shared their encounter with Fr. EVB as the man who inspired them with virtues of simplicity and practical ability as well as warm welcoming.

Fr. Victor Bieler CM, Fr. Reksosusilo CM, and Fr. Robert Maloney in Solomon Islands.

Fr. Robert Maloney CM, the former Superior General, remembers Fr. Emile Victor Bieler CM as follows: “He was a great Vincentian and missionary. I was privileged to live with him, pray with him and work with him for so many years in Rome. We travelled together to China, to Japan, to Australia, to the Solomons, to Istanbul, to Austria, to Holland, to Indonesia of course, and to many other places. He was a wise counsellor and a tireless worker. He had great practical gifts and endless patience. We used to work together taking computers apart and putting them back together! When we were in Taiwan, we bought new, advanced computer parts and then installed them when we got back to Rome. In his heart, he always remained a missionary. I remember how fondly he spoke of his years in Irian Jaya [West Papua]. Then, after Rome, even though he was no longer young, he served so generously in the Solomons. Priestly formation had a huge place in his life” (Fr. Robert Maloney’s letter to Visitor of Indonesia, Fr. Robertus Wijanarko CM).

Dear brothers and sisters, let me now say few last words directly to Father Victor Bieler CM: “Dear Father Bieler, we just want to express our deep gratitude to you for your ceaseless and tireless dedication to priestly formation. We do accompany your last journey toward eternity with our prayers and masses. Eternity simply means “encountering God” as you taught us in the class of philosophy. When you reached there, when you meet Him whom you loved and longed for so much, we hope that you not forget us in your prayers. Please insert us in your prayers that all of us may be tireless as you were to be faithful disciples of Jesus; that each one of us may diligently continue your beautiful legacies and steps; and that God may bless us always in our daily duties. Amen. (taken from http://cmglobal.org/en/2014/11/29/tribute-fr-victor-bieler/)