HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH ANSWER
GLOBALIZATION?
First Honduran Cardinal, a Salesian, Gives His
View
ROME, FEB. 23, 2001 (Zenit.org).- In the face of the challenges
posed by
globalization, especially in Latin America, the Church's
answer
must be to "globalize solidarity."
So says Cardinal Oscar Andrés
Rodríguez Maradiaga, archbishop of
Tegucigalpa, and the first cardinal in
this nation's history.
The 58-year-old cardinal is a Salesian with a
solid formation in
theology and human sciences, and a great love for
classical
music. He leads the Church in a country with just over 6
million
inhabitants, 5.67 million of whom are baptized.
His naming
last month as a cardinal was a surprise; he is among the very
few archbishops
chosen by the Pope whose See is not
traditionally a cardinalate.
"It
is as if Brazil had won the world soccer championship," the cardinal
said.
"Honduras felt that the Pope's eyes rested upon
our land." In fact, the
Honduran Congress has named the cardinal a
"Favorite Son." Popular
celebrations for his appointment
have lasted a month.
In this
interview, he began by referring to the Holy Father's appeal to
the cardinals
to help Peter's Successor, particularly in
promoting Church
unity.
Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: "The Pope underlined this
aspect
throughout the Jubilee, highlighting the concept of unity.
As
archbishop of Tegucigalpa, I have opened the doors to
separated
brethren, talking with Episcopalians, Orthodox and a
small
Jewish community. Only the sects told me that dialogue was
dangerous."
--Q: In "Novo Millennio Ineunte" John Paul II forcefully
relaunches the
topic of communion. What do you think of
this?
--Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: I believe that communion
and
collegiality are the strength of the Church. The Synods have
been, and
are, very important, also because of ... [the need] to
surmount the
geographic limits of the diocese and exercise
ecclesial co-responsibility
over a region, over a continent.
From this point of view, it is important
to relaunch the role of the
laity, as the Pope also does in the post Jubilee
letter.
--Q: Can a united Church respond better to the challenge of
economic
globalization?
--Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: Yes, without
forgetting that the
globalization of the Lord's initial plan is called
catholicity. It is
more than the Church's presence in all the continents and
refers,
precisely, to universality with the object of communion.
--Q:
In what way are the effects of globalization being felt
in
Honduras?
--Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: The Central American
countries are six
dwarfs in face of a gigantic world. As cardinal,
I
believe I will be able to serve there by promoting the integration
of
the Central American countries because, taken together, the
six
countries have 50 million people and together we can construct a
better
future.
--Q: Could the cancellation of Latin America's foreign debt lead
to
definitive economic recovery?
--Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: A
third of our GNP is allocated to what
is euphemistically called "servicing
the debt."
Honduras, like other countries of the continent, has not been
suffocated
by the foreign debt but by the interest that has
accumulated
over the years.
The hope is that the sensitization brought by the Jubilee
might create a
collective consciousness, which will make possible
and
encourage creditor countries to interrupt this painful
spiral.
--Q: Do Latin America's economic difficulties weaken its
democracies?
--Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: The continent's democracies
are weak
because there is generalized corruption. Often
presidential
elections represent a business in which the candidates,
supported by pressure
groups of different kinds, invest for
the purpose of enriching themselves,
once they attain the highest state
office.
However, I don't think the
problem is strictly economic. Latin America's
worst plague is the lack of
education, and ethical and
moral values. This is also the origin of the
subculture of violence that
has invaded the entire region.
--Q: The
Church has criticized negative aspects of globalization. How
can it bring
about change?
--Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: We must not only denounce
but also
proclaim. As the Pope has said, the Christian answer is:
to
globalize solidarity. There is no solidarity in our cultures.
Capitalist
individualism, with the temptation to "save yourself if you
can," is the
exact opposite of solidarity. We can all do something.
On Jan. 21 we
organized a special collection for those affected by the
earthquake in El
Salvador; in the history of the
archdiocese, there was never such a large
collection of funds. This is
the call:
solidarity.
