austraLasia #2692
The twisted tale of 'Brother Thomas'
ROME or....?: 14 August 2010 -- Since the details are in the public forum, and since the currently raging 'brush fire' was lit by Catholic news update Asia reporting on a National Catholic Reporter article a day or two ago, it seems appropriate to try to offer some balance on it all, a balance which has subsequently begun to emerge from people unhappy with the NCR material.
We don't know who 'Brother Thomas' is, since he is obviously a pseudonym for any one of 700,000 candidates for the term in Myanmar/Burma. I read the original article and immediately felt it would be improper to re-publish its contents, certainly without some other views. It was disrespectful to the episcopate and seemed to make claims based on few encounters on the part of someone coming in from outside with little appreciation of the history.
You can read the article for yourself, but then bear in mind at least the following:
- many details may be simply inaccurate. A 'local' response to the claim that "priests in the cities earn about $400" indicates that not only is such a figure impossible, but that the claim ignores the fact that most Catholics live in villages and the mountains, not in the cities, and that payment for blessings and sacramental service is simply not the case in the country. Nor is Mass celebrated with "backs to the people" as claimed. Not anywhere in the country.
- Catholic attitudes and action at the time of the 'Saffron revolution': much of the article focused on this, including the way the episcopacy handled it, but also comparing Pope Benedict and Archbishop Desmond Tutu's comments at the time. One response points out that Pope Benedict is well aware that he has half a million Catholics to be concerned about in the country, while Desmond Tutu did not seem to have that concern - there are Anglicans but not so many. The article is quite vague about how many Catholics its reporter met in the country, so claims like "many Catholics....felt that the Church hierarchy had lost serious credibility" simply don't have clear evidence. The claim also ignores other realities, including the necessary acknowledgement that Catholics and religious do not have an easy time in such a poor country where there is so little freedom. A report which misrepresents the actions of bishops and clergy in a negative and unfounded manner does not help anybody, though it may reflect the voice of a few. Besides, it might have been a case of 'with friends like this who needs enemies' for the Buddhist monks, had the Church come out strongly on their side. They (the monks) were at least an authentic homegrown resistance. The minority Church is often under suspicion for being 'western'. The monks did not need that burden.
MYM is part of our Region. It is only right that we should read up a little about it and understand it. Some provinces in our region are doing their utmost to help. The NCR article, negative though it may be, spurs one to read up and understand something of the circumstances, but it must be kept in balance. If you are interested in the several written reactions to it, I can point you in the right direction. Just ask.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2010 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
The twisted tale of 'Brother Thomas'
ROME or....?: 14 August 2010 -- Since the details are in the public forum, and since the currently raging 'brush fire' was lit by Catholic news update Asia reporting on a National Catholic Reporter article a day or two ago, it seems appropriate to try to offer some balance on it all, a balance which has subsequently begun to emerge from people unhappy with the NCR material.
We don't know who 'Brother Thomas' is, since he is obviously a pseudonym for any one of 700,000 candidates for the term in Myanmar/Burma. I read the original article and immediately felt it would be improper to re-publish its contents, certainly without some other views. It was disrespectful to the episcopate and seemed to make claims based on few encounters on the part of someone coming in from outside with little appreciation of the history.
You can read the article for yourself, but then bear in mind at least the following:
- many details may be simply inaccurate. A 'local' response to the claim that "priests in the cities earn about $400" indicates that not only is such a figure impossible, but that the claim ignores the fact that most Catholics live in villages and the mountains, not in the cities, and that payment for blessings and sacramental service is simply not the case in the country. Nor is Mass celebrated with "backs to the people" as claimed. Not anywhere in the country.
- Catholic attitudes and action at the time of the 'Saffron revolution': much of the article focused on this, including the way the episcopacy handled it, but also comparing Pope Benedict and Archbishop Desmond Tutu's comments at the time. One response points out that Pope Benedict is well aware that he has half a million Catholics to be concerned about in the country, while Desmond Tutu did not seem to have that concern - there are Anglicans but not so many. The article is quite vague about how many Catholics its reporter met in the country, so claims like "many Catholics....felt that the Church hierarchy had lost serious credibility" simply don't have clear evidence. The claim also ignores other realities, including the necessary acknowledgement that Catholics and religious do not have an easy time in such a poor country where there is so little freedom. A report which misrepresents the actions of bishops and clergy in a negative and unfounded manner does not help anybody, though it may reflect the voice of a few. Besides, it might have been a case of 'with friends like this who needs enemies' for the Buddhist monks, had the Church come out strongly on their side. They (the monks) were at least an authentic homegrown resistance. The minority Church is often under suspicion for being 'western'. The monks did not need that burden.
MYM is part of our Region. It is only right that we should read up a little about it and understand it. Some provinces in our region are doing their utmost to help. The NCR article, negative though it may be, spurs one to read up and understand something of the circumstances, but it must be kept in balance. If you are interested in the several written reactions to it, I can point you in the right direction. Just ask.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2010 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
