In defence of...

Nov 01, 2024

Reminiscing Church - Richard Chia
In 1991, Emeritus Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing (then Fr Paul Tan), wrote a book titled In DEFENCE of ... a follow-up from his first book Straight to Catholics. Why I Believe in What I Believe was published in 1984 by the Catholic Research Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

In his first book, Fr Paul Tan addressed many of the common Catholic beliefs, namely, the sacraments, papacy, infallibility of the Pope, devotions to Mother Mary, communion of saints, salvation, Bible and traditions of the Church. In his second book, he delved into the sensitive topic of interreligious dialogue (something very new in the 1990s). Fr Paul Tan was a founding member of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST). He answered the attacks from a Muslim scholar of the Christian Bible, published in the 1980s.

Fast forward thirty years, many of these issues remain, if not worsened. The attacks against the Christian world have intensified manifold. It is no longer just a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysian issue. Today, it has become a global attack at magnified proportions. Countries are at war over religious differences, mass riots and protests are occurring everywhere, sparked by some mere viral message about ethnicity and religion.

The challenges to Christianity today are not just about religion, but come from all angles: secularism, materialism, commercialism, pro-choice versus pro-life, same-sex affiliations and globalisation. All these are replacing the “fear of God”, “belief in God” and “the love of God”, taught to us in catechism.

In his article titled On Not Being Defensive (HERALD, May 28, 2023), Fr Ron Rolheiser wrote that the Christian Church need not be hard and defensive against the numerous local and global attacks and criticisms against it. His rationalisation is “that our 2.5 billion Christians in the world, with 2,000 years old tradition, a universally accepted Scripture and 2,000 years of doctrinal entrenchment and refinement, have massive centuries old institutions that are strong, stable, blessed by God, and is hardly a reed shaking in the wind”.

Fr Ron’s article is about “the Church in much of the secularised world where we live in a climate that is anti-ecclesial and anti-clerical”. In short, a world that places individualism, freedom and free-to-do whatever one wishes, being the norm. He also acknowledges the faults that the Church is also guilty of and how it has healthily humbled us towards a more courageous internal purification.

All these are valid, as the Church has undergone tremendous reforms in the wake of the many scandals, abuses and internal conflicts happening at the highest level of the Church hierarchy. However, how much of these reforms have trickled down into our grassroots laity? The Church’s response in most times will be in the form of papal encyclicals and pastoral statements, worded in deep theological jargon. How many of our lay faithful can comprehend or are aware of such responses?

In the Final Document of the Asian Continental Assembly on Synodality released by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) dated March 16, 2023, there is no mention of the need to defend the faith against anything or anyone, except the need for the Church to defend the voiceless, the powerless and the environment. What is highlighted are the tensions of living in a Christian community, leadership and decisionmaking, the decrease in priestly vocations, women’s involvement in the Church, and pastoral priorities for the youths, the poor and religious conflicts.

Christianity is only a minority religion in Asia, and thus the Church has always strived to live harmoniously with the people around us. Tensions and challenges between traditional values and modernity, and the inclination towards individualism, are not sufficiently serious to invoke a defence.

In article #130, the FABC document articulates one of the challenges, that “interreligious dialogue remains an integral characteristic of the Church in Asia. Despite bridge-building efforts, we noted that religious and social intolerance was on the increase, which leads ultimately to persecution and the worsening conditions of the lives of the people, especially religious minorities”. It highlights the gaps inherent in the Asian region, care for our common home – planet earth, the environment, the land and its people, sharing of resources, youth, family, marriage, corruption, the poor and the indigenous people of the land.

The Asian bishops opted to take a positive and affirmative response, rather than a defensive approach. It prioritised six pastoral responses: namely, formation – ongoing formation at all levels, inclusivity and hospitality – the women, youths, the poor, the marginalised, migrants, the wounded and all, missionary disciples – to be witness to the Gospel in our everyday life, accountability and transparency, prayer and worship, and care for our common home – our planet, environment and Mother Earth. Returning to Fr Ron Rolheiser’s article, he proposed that “the primary task of the Church is not to defend itself, or ensure its continuity, or protect itself from being crushed by the world”. Quoting Jesus’ life, he goes on to say that “at the very heart of the Gospel lies a call to risk beyond defensiveness, and to absorb unjust criticism without fighting back. Forgive them, they know not what they do”.

The Church in Malaysia is no stranger to criticisms and attacks. Instead of merely waiting for the Church hierarchy to respond, perhaps it is time for the lay faithful to stand up. Not in open rebellion or mass protests, but by deepening our faith, getting more involved in societal issues and making a difference in local communities, not as Christians, but as citizens of the world, living our Christian values.

Quoting from a speech I remember given by Emeritus Bishop Paul Tan in the early 1980s, he said “When you see a swimming pool that is dirty, we can choose to find a clean pool, or we can jump in to help clean it”. Individual efforts may seem futile, but collectively, with each person playing a small part, will create ripples.

(Richard Chia shares his experiences on the journey of the Church in Malaysia in the past forty years. Its challenges and achievements as it moves towards synodality.)