Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation in Tanzania
(4 Missionaries of Africa take part in this meeting)
On the Journey to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace
The first three days of the Seventh Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation, convened in Tanzania's capital city, Dar es Salaam, have been devoted to a stock taking of the social, economic, cultural, political and religious challenges faced by the populations of the more than 80 countries in which the member institutions of the CBF are active in biblical pastoral ministry.
The sharing of personal observations on a regional and on a cross cultural level has been complemented by more systematic analyses provided by four experts: Fathers Raymond Goudjo from Benin (reflections on the process of re-establishing justice and achieving reconciliation in the "Fon", a tribe in the south of Benin), Felix Wilfred from Madras (the situation of extreme poverty and injustice in Asia) and Ayoub Chahwan from Lebanon (commenting on the international conflicts, the problems of intercultural and inter-religious relations and the question of the Palestinian refuges in the Middle East), as well as retired bishop Cabezas Aristizábal Alfonso from Columbia (speaking about the basic Christian communities in Latin America). This exchange has contributed to a growing awareness of the widespread injustice in multiple forms and the non respect of basic human rights throughout the world, but also to a deepening solidarity among CBF members in the midst of living conditions all too often marked by despair and resignation in many parts of the planet.
Two biblical texts have received extensive commentaries in an attempt to address these problems marking the path of reconciliation, justice and peace from the perspective of the Old and the New Testament. The first text, the concluding chapter of the so-called second Isaiah, was presented by professor Paulin Poucouta of the Catholic Institute of Yaounde. Set against the historical context of the Babylonian exile, Isaiah 55 presents the word of God as a powerful and creative word, questioning the habitual human understanding of values, government and justice, and proposing a liberating divine intervention of gratuity and pardon for those suffering servitude. The Beatitudes in the version of St. Matthew's Gospel were chosen as the New Testament text because of its depiction of the human attitudes necessary for seeking the justice of the Kingdom of God. Father Ralf Huning, svd, reflected on Mt 5:1-12 with the help of three hermeneutical approaches (the direct, unmediated reading of Scripture, especially by the poor and the suffering; the liturgical-institutional approach; and the methods of scientific exegesis). His presentation benefited from the experiences of 15 Bible groups with participants coming from 13 different countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.
The Tanzanian assembly has also been the setting for the presentation of a "Joint Statement on Partnership in Biblical Ministry" between the Catholic Biblical Federation and the United Bible Societies.
After an intensive day of contact with African Catholic communities on Sunday, the plenary assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation will take up the process of planning its agenda for the next six years.
(Thomas P. Osborne, Dar es Salaam)
Catholic Biblical Federation
General Secretariat
Postfach 10 52 22
D-70045 Stuttgart
Germany
tel: +49(0)711-169240
fax:+49(0)711-1692424
e-mail: gensec@c-b-f.org(4 Missionaries of Africa take part in this meeting: Richard Baawobr 1st Assistant General, Quinbert Kinunda, Laurent Balas and Aloysius Ssekamatte )
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