Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Red Wednesday 2023
Our Lady of Dolours, Chatswood
A good friend of mine is from Juba in South Sudan. He and his family have endured violent attacks, religious discrimination, and life-threatening persecution for years.
At the height of his personal suffering, he fled over 200 km south across the border into Uganda. When I asked him why he went to Uganda, he replied that it was safe.
I was shocked, because travellers to Uganda are advised to exercise a high degree of caution due to the threat of terrorism and violent crime, and the risk of civil unrest.
About 60% of the roughly 12 million South Sudanese are Christians, and yet negative social attitudes towards Christians meant that those who choose to follow Jesus Christ are still vulnerable to extreme persecution from both their communities and their own families, particularly if they have converted from Islam.
Converts may face sexual assault and domestic violence in their homes, as well as being vulnerable to imprisonment and brutality.
The impoverished rule of law combined with unreasonable beliefs and the dislike of other people who have different beliefs, or a different way of life has meant that Christians in South Sudan, even though they are the majority of the population, they are among the most vulnerable people in that country.
We must pray for peace to prevail in South Sudan. We must pray that God will raise up leaders who will create a culture of lasting respect for human rights.
Likewise, we must pray for the shepherds of the Church to engage with their Muslim counterparts – for constructive dialogue on how to bring true change to all parts of the community.
Some years ago, I trekked the Copper Canyon in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the state of Chihuahua in northwestern Mexico.
Possessing some of the most breathtaking landscape and natural beauty imaginable, it was quite a shock to discover gun carrying banditos surveying my movements, especially when I occasioned upon a drug plantation nestled in the mountains.
Mexico’s 128 million people are 95% Christian. However, there are an estimated 150 organised crime gangs in Mexico, financed by powerful drug cartels.
The predominately Christian population living in their territories are constantly at risk. Catholic priests in particular as well as Christian community leaders are often viewed as a threat to a gang’s authority and stability because of their denunciation of criminal activities and because communities view them as moral authority figures.
When Christians refuse to comply with demands made by the gangs, or if they speak out against crimes, their community of the church is soon in the firing line.
The economic might of the drug cartels coupled with national political instability foster a culture that deprives the Christian people of justice and peace.
Catholic priests and Christian pastors are kidnapped, held to ransom, badly beaten, or killed.
We must pray for a return of law and order in Mexico, where violence and crime currently destroy life.
Might we also pray for God’s wisdom and courage for Christians who resist the criminal gangs who are perpetrators of domestic Christian persecution.
At the recent Synod in Rome, I was blessed to be able to speak and pray with Cardinal Charles Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon in Myanmar. Of the 54 million people in Myanmar, just 8% are Christian, 1.3% are Catholic.
The plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in Myanmar was already dire but has further declined since the military took control in February 2021.
Civil unrest and fighting has meant that more Christians than ever have become internally displaced people or refugees and are living in camps or churches without adequate food and healthcare.
One of the daily struggles for the Christian people of Myanmar is that they are not afforded the same rights and legal protection as the Buddhist majority.
Christians are regularly victims of violent attacks, and Christian aid workers and pastors are being killed.
Government forces attack Christian villages and churches, while Buddhist monasteries remain largely untouched.
We must pray for reconciliation between religious groups in Myanmar and for an end to the habitual discrimination and persecution of Christians.
Can we also pray for the protection of the thousands of vulnerable people who are now refugees or internally displaced due to the ongoing conflict.
My brothers and sisters, these three examples of Christian persecution are real. They are examples of violent persecution inflicted upon Christians by Muslim extremists, nominally Christian drug lords, and belligerent military dictators.
At the heart of the Christian Gospel is the covenant of love between God and humankind. It is a promise to be with us always, it is a promise of fidelity, it is a promise of mercy.
The love of God brings joy to the human heart and the fruit of joy is peace. As Christians, we are custodians of God’s love, joy, and peace.
This does not mean that we are the sole recipients, rather it means that we have the responsibility of being the heralds of God’s love, joy, and peace.
Over the past year more than twelve thousand Christians were murdered, Christian communities attacked, and Christian women and men forcibly detained.
Once more we turn to God in prayer asking for divine love, joy, and peace in our world.
We pray for God’s protection over Christian women in Norther Vietnam who are vulnerable to trafficking; for a more open and tolerant society towards Christians in Indonesia; for an end to the violence inflicted by militant groups across Nigeria.
Let us be mindful of our Christian brothers and sisters who have fled to neighbouring countries and pray that they will be led to places where all their needs are met.
Let us pray for tolerance of all faiths especially in North Africa, and for Christians to have the freedom to gather together.
We pray for peace and stability to come to Iraq so Christians can return home, and for the church in China, which continues to see remarkable growth, despite intensifying persecution.
Let us pray for persecuted Christians, that they may enjoy God’s love and joy and peace.