Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People

People on the Move

N° 101, August 2006

International Solidarity after the Tsunami*

Archbishop Agostino Marchetto

Secretary Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care

of Migrants and Itinerant People

December 26, 2004. A strange silence. Suddenly the playful little waves on the sandy white beaches of South and Southeast Asia loosed their wrath. They broke in like monsters into coastal towns and villages, causing havoc, destruction and death: tsunami in the Indian Ocean. It came and, just as fast, it went, leaving behind, widows, orphans, displaced people, distress, debris and mud.

People all over the world, incredulous, watched the rebellion of the forces of nature. The victims were helpless people, guilty of being there at that moment, but a stronger force rushed from the hearts of those who were looking: solidarity. Money started pouring in. International organizations sent representatives to the tsunami-hit areas of Asia and Africa to size up the situation and determine what they could do to help. Governments set aside funds for emergency aid. The Holy Father arranged for concrete help to be sent to those areas. He appealed to the faithful, both individuals and communities, to give generous support to the work done by their local Churches and Charitable Organizations in bringing relief to the severely affected populations. Ecclesial Movements and Associations mobilized their forces to be able to respond concretely to what was needed. We, too, at the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People did our best to do what we could in terms of coordination and support, in the various sectors of our Dicastery (Apostleship of the Sea, Tourism, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, etc.). 

Temporary dwellings were put up, continuous medical care, social and psychological assistance. Volunteers came to be of service. In Thailand, for instance, Catholic priests and religious women came and lived in makeshift shelters to be constantly close to the needy, a great majority of whom were Buddhists and Muslims. In India, the Focolare Movement collaborates with two Hindu organizations. In this context, I would like to stress that even a catastrophic event can be an occasion for people to overcome religious differences and prejudices. This is particularly meaningful for us, here, in this meeting organized by the Sant’Egidio Community. 

As the Holy See Observer to the United Nations said, at the Plenary Meeting of its General Assembly, last January 18th, “The extraordinary impact of the power of nature in a radius of thousands of miles has elicited an equally extraordinary response from the peoples and governments of the whole world in an outpouring of sympathy and solidarity rarely seen in recent times. … It is clear that there exists – regardless of things that separate us – a deep sense of our shared humanity and fragility in the face of such terrible events.” 

Being an emergency which he expected would “last through the medium and long term”, he then expressed the hope “that the solidarity of private citizens and governments alike will not die down once the world recovers from the initial shock of the calamity.”

Nine months have passed since then. The mass media have turned off their spotlights from the Indian Ocean. In fact, a Louis-Harris survey, conducted in France, revealed that 81% of the French people are still following the consequences of the tsunami, but 74% of them are not happy about the information given by the media and 62% are not satisfied with the feedback given by the Associations. Nevertheless, far from the notepads of news reporters and the cameras of television operators, the tsunami tragedy is still strongly affecting the lives of numberless individuals and families, who have lost some of their loved ones and practically everything they owned. Solidarity cannot stop. Rather, it has begun, at the moment of emergency, and must go on.

In fact, helping hands have continued to be extended. Let me mention here, in this meeting, as an example, what Sant’Egidio Community, together with “Tuttoscuola” Publishers, launched, and that is, an initiative called “Let us adopt a school in Indonesia”, geared to help the school system in the country. The tsunami did not only include a great number of children among its victims, but also destroyed schools, which governments could not afford to repair. But children cannot be deprived of schooling, especially if they are to be protagonists in their country’s development. Schools also help them overcome the psychological consequences of the tsunami.

In any case, there are many ongoing initiatives of Groups, Associations, Governmental and Non Governmental Organizations, etc., but we cannot enter into the details of solidarity now. It is however enough to consult the worldwide web to have an idea of what is going on.

I would, nevertheless, like to give you an idea of the debate that has come up after the tsunami.

So I would like to mention a note introducing a new book which deals with solidarity and strategies related to the tsunami catastrophe in Asia. What struck me was the opening paragraph: “A race of solidarity ensued after the tsunami invested Asia. Was it motivated only by the ‘good heart’ of the donor countries? Or does it hide the will to redefine the geopolitical and economic equilibrium in the area?” Some weeks ago, I also came across a remark made by A.T. Ariyatne, founder and president of the “Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement”, allegedly the oldest and most widespread organization in Sri Lanka, concerning the enormous amount of aid coming into the country. Well, he wrote: “How can we guarantee that these funds would be spent according to the intentions of the donors? It is necessary to have control and check mechanisms, like those proposed by the United Nations.” Oxfam (a British humanitarian organization), in fact, reports that, in Banda Aceh, reconstruction funds have mostly been given to landowners and entrepreneurs, thus increasing the gap between the rich and the poor in the area. Another voice came from a press commentary: “In the case of Southeast Asia, the task of international cooperation is not so much collaboration in re-building houses, roads, hospitals and schools, but to do this avoiding that the pursuit of political, ideological, economic or public image advantages may prevail.”

Here and there we can see indications of doubt concerning the solidarity in the heart of those involved in acts of solidarity. At this point, I believe a definition of solidarity is in order.

In effect, the principle of solidarity is a pillar of the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI defined it as follows: “Man must meet man, nation must meet nation, as brothers and sisters, as children of God. In this mutual understanding and friendship, in this sacred communion, we must also begin to work together to build the common future of the human race.”[1]It is therefore not something that we are called to carry out in emergency situations alone, but is a continuing cooperation, common efforts and projects done together for a better future for all men and women on this planet. And not only solidarity, but the culture of solidarity[2]must be promoted – as Pope John Paul II called for – , solidarity which is often solicited by the Magisterium of the Church, especially by the Second Vatican Council[3]. And our recent Instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi (The love of Christ towards Migrants) – no. 9 – carries one of its latest reminders. 

This explains the last part of the address of the Holy See Observer to the United Nations that I have already cited earlier, and I quote: “As well as strengthening emergency relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction …, the world’s nations should seize this opportunity and the good will generated by the world’s peoples so as to further important humanitarian goals on the broader agenda at this time. There is a sense of humanitarian momentum and we should not let it slip by.” 

I should also like to mention that even those hit by the tsunami are capable of solidarity. In Banda Aceh, a house was offered free of rent to four members of the Focolare Movement who went there to help them re-build their boats.

To conclude, allow me to express the hope that solidarity may not be expressed only in generous acts in moments of emergency, but that it may become a way of life, for us Christians, certainly as one body in Christ, and for all men of goodwill, a culture of solidarity, as members of one single human family.