Culture of encounter — creating a conversation

May 25, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: The phrase, “culture of encounter” embraces a wide range of possible meanings, but when studied in the context on the many occasions when Pope Francis has used it, he is speaking about “reaching out” and “fostering dialogue and friendship even outside the usual circles.” We can even say that “encounter” and “mercy” can be interchanged at times, because when the Holy Father uses the word encounter, he is placing emphasis on compassion and empathy as opposed to judgment and suspicion.

In fact, it is clear in many places of his talks, Pope Francis speaks of the culture of encounter in contrast to the culture of distance, exclusion and judgment. The culture of exclusion is the culture of prejudice, because it criticises, judges, and separates. It is a culture characterised by suspicion and mistrust and fear. It is a culture that divides and builds division and walls. It is a culture of conflict, that is, a situation in which two or more parties perceive that they possess the truth and therefore mutually incompatible goals, leaving a difficult situation at an impasse. The culture of exclusion is based in ideological stands, which dictates that my view is totally right and the other’s view is totally wrong. The culture of exclusion when left unaddressed will lead to further mistrust and suspicion, further distance and detachment.

A culture of exclusion is opposite of who we are as Christians, because we are who we are, not enemies, but sons and daughters of God, precisely because God has encountered us and we have encountered God. The great divide of sin and alienation has been torn down and as such we have become the People of God because of a relationship that God chose to have with us. We have been encountered by God and, consequently, we have become a people of encounter. Therefore, to set people aside for whatever reason, to decline to engage and meet others and so forth contradicts our identity as Christian.

In that context, we can say that, as Christians, our very nature is one of encounter, going to others, just as God has come to us. In order to create a culture of encounter, Pope Francis said in Korea on August 14, 2014, that what is needed is “to break down the walls of distrust and hatred and promote a culture of reconciliation and solidarity.”

The walls that divide us, wrote the Holy Father in his Message for the World Day of Communications (June 1, 2014), “can only be broken down if we are prepared to listen and to learn from one another. We need to resolve our differences through forms of dialogue, which help us to grow in understanding and mutual respect. A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive.”

This requires of us “time and ability to be silent and to listen. We need also to be patient if we want to understand those who are different from us.” As he wrote in that same Message: “People only express themselves fully when they are not merely tolerated, but know that they are truly accepted.”

For example, today there are many writers on the subject on inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-ethnic relations who are affirming that the time has come even to move beyond tolerance. Indeed, tolerance is understood as a cease-fire, a type of truce, basically “allowing the other to exist”, but keeping a distance and, even a divide, between the two. However, in human relations at all levels, that is never the goal, because it does nothing to educate people about one another, and through learning about others and with others we discover, yes, differences, but also the common elements of what it means to be a human being, living together, often side by side, in our common communities.

Instead, the culture of encounter has, as its goal, to accept others, to discover all that is positive in the other and to exchange in a respectful and calm manner views on areas of differences. In other words, it is necessary that we be humble enough with a concerted effort to look for something positive in the other’s attitudes and words.

Again, such an attitude requires the art of listening. “If we are genuinely attentive in listening to others, we will learn to look at the world with different eyes and come to appreciate the richness of human experience as manifested in different cultures and traditions. We will also learn to appreciate more fully the important values inspired by Christianity” (Message, June 1, 2014).

The Holy Father has affirmed on many occasions that “those who communicate, in effect, become neighbours”, because communication is, ultimately, about realising that we are all human beings, children of God. (Message, June 1, 2014).

“We have to be able to dialogue with the men and women of today, to understand their expectations, doubts and hopes, and to bring them the Gospel” (Message, June 1, 2014), which has the capacity to fulfill the yearnings of all people (Evangelii Gaudium).

“To dialogue means to believe that the ‘other’ has something worthwhile to say, and to entertain his or her point of view and perspective …. Engaging in dialogue does not mean renouncing our own ideas and traditions, but the claim that they alone are valid and absolute” (Message, June 1, 2014).

Trust is the only way to overcome the culture of exclusion in order to create the culture of encounter. The sole way to establish trust is to establish relationships. In other words, it means that we must sit together and come to mutually beneficial solutions, even when it involves yielding personal interests. Encounter leads to relationships, and relationships lead to trust.--By Archbishop Joseph Marino, Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia