The Augustinian Friars in Britain
Our Hearts are Restless until they Rest in You, Lord
A group of 12 friars, one sister and two lay people, including myself, arrived in Paris on 1 September from all over the world for the annual course on Augustinians at the UN. Organised by the friars who represent the Order at the United Nations in New York in conjunction with two Little Sisters of the Assumption, the two weeks included attendance at the annual Department for Public Information/Non-Governmental Organisations (DPI/NGO) Conference, as well as lectures on Catholic Social Teaching, presentations from other faith-based NGOs and the Augustinian vision of Justice and Peace.
We were all accommodated at the General House of the Little Sisters of the Assumption in the 15th District, not far from UNESCO. This meant we were able to get to know each other easily as we shared meals, morning prayer as well as Mass with the sisters in their Chapel.
The DPI/NGO conference entitled ‘Reaffirming Human Rights for All’ was held at UNESCO in Paris for the first time, a departure from its usual location at the United Nations in New York in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in Paris in 1948. Opened by, among others, Simone Veil – the celebrated former French politician and human rights defender who was deported with her family to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen – there followed three days of talks, workshops and discussion groups.
It was a great privilege to be attending the conference. I slowly began to understand the relationship of the NGOs to the UN and how they act as lobbyists, making sure that the voice of civil society and grassroots experience influences UN policy. Workshops and break-out groups allowed more discussion on the main topic of morning. One particularly inspiring midday workshop entitled ‘Young People as Agents of Human Rights’ was organised by various youth organisations who demonstrated that with the right kind of adult support, young people can take control of their own lives and make decisions about their future for themselves – particularly apt for these young people who had themselves been in care homes for most of their childhood. It made me think about how we support young people in Youth Ministry and how perhaps we might do more to encourage young people into leadership roles.
On another occasion, thinking I was attending another workshop relating to young people, I ended up in the wrong room and found myself listening to a presentation on ‘Human Rights in Post-Conflict Situations’. A young, extremely articulate Bosnian woman told of the situation after the war in the early 1990s and the trauma experienced by people living side by side with neighbours who had killed members of their family but who denied their crimes. Another young Rwandan Catholic Priest told of how some of those killed in the genocide in 1994 would pay to be shot rather than suffer the slow death inflicted on many of the victims, some of whom were buried alive. It was hearing personal stories like these that made me feel how important it is to have an organisation like the United Nations – imperfect though it is – that has the authority to intervene in situations of global conflict and human rights abuse. It often fails, of course, but it seems a noble thing that humanity has created an organisation that strives for those ideals.
The final talk of the conference was the much-anticipated speech – live from New York - by Ingrid Betancourt, the French/Colombian presidential candidate captured by FARC in 2002 and released only in July this year. She spoke movingly about the important human rights work carried out by NGOs and of what she believed to be the most important right of all: the right to express oneself through the power of speech. This, she believed, was the only way to resolve conflict and to denounce human rights abuses – including her own captivity. Her repeated use of the phrase, ‘la parole’, was intriguing because it could also be translated as ‘the word’ – the significance of which would not be lost on anyone familiar with the Gospels.
For the second week of the course we were joined by five more participants and we started again on Monday with an excellent talk by Fr Gabriel Nissim OP, a Dominican, who asked ‘What do we mean by Human Rights?’, followed by Fr Emeka Xris Obiezu OSA who introduced us to the ‘Nature and Dimension of Christian Social Responsibility’. After each presentation there was time for discussion, and none of us shied away from exercising our right to freedom of expression! In this we were greatly aided by our hard-working interpreters who made sure no-one was left out of the debate.
Fr Alejandro Moral OSA and Fr John Szura OSA presented three Social Teaching encyclicals: Populorum Progressio, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis and Pacem in Terris, while Fr Michael Di Gregorio OSA gave the Augustinian perspective on human rights, relaying the history of the Augustinians in this area through decisions taken at various Chapters, including its decision to take up the ‘preferential option for the poor’. Fr Jesús Guzman OSA and Fr John were able to fill in the practical details of how this worked out in New York. These were all useful for grounding what we had learned in an Augustinian experience.
On the Wednesday, the group paid a visit to the CCFD, a Catholic NGO working in the area of development. This and a presentation by the Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network in the afternoon were good opportunities for the Justice and Peace Secretariat to find out more about how NGOs might collaborate to further their aims. Thursday morning was a chance for everyone to present what was happening in their circumscriptions regarding Justice and Peace. It is clear that there are a huge number of projects taking place, and it is also clear that much of it is happening unbeknown to the Curia/J&P Secretariat. Fr Alejandro pointed out that while it is important for the circumscriptions to read and take notice of what is sent out from the Curia, it is equally important for them to have feedback so they can get a picture of what is happening around the world. There are, for example, a number of Augustinian NGOs already in existence (at least four in Spain it turned out). It is important to have local NGOs that respond to particular needs in the various countries, but the benefits of working together on joint projects are also apparent.
On the penultimate night, after much hard work and discussions most of the group braved the only night of rain to go on a boat trip by night on the Seine. Finally, after a presentation by another Catholic NGO, Pax Romana, on Friday morning it was time to receive our well-earned certificates of participation in the course presented by Fr Jack Deegan OSA, who had done most of the work to get us into the conference at UNESCO.
The two weeks were an excellent introduction to the work of the Augustinians at the UN and NGO work generally. It was also a good opportunity for me to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching; I wonder how many more Catholics have not read these documents, which seem just as relevant as ever today with their discussion of terrorism, international trade and misuse of natural resources. It was an excellent opportunity to be exposed to the Justice & Peace work being done by the Order and it would be fantastic if more people could hear about this and have opportunities to get involved in some way. The potential for an international religious Order to have a positive influence in this area is surely very great indeed and this can only truly flourish when people around the world are aware of what is happening and are able to work together. Of course, in this regard we participants can help by sharing what we have learned on our return home.
Michela Notarianni