Stories of Solidarity: Pius Ncube addresses the livesimply network (19 Sep 2008)

Pius Ncube, former Archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and the prophetic voice of Romero in our Church today, addressed the latest livesimply Network Forum Day.

The livesimply Network Forum day assembled more than 50 people from the majority of the Network to listen to three speakers, Pius Ncube, Louise Zanre at JRS and Susy Brousard at CAFOD before working on Community Challenges in the afternoon.

Pius spoke from his own experiences of the instability and poverty in Zimbabwe, and said that people should not forget those in Zimbabwe, a country of 13 million, with no fuel and where people are taken to hospital in wheelbarrows.

He warmly applauded the people of Britain, where he has been staying recently, for their global view of the world.

Firmly based in the Scriptures, Pius spoke of the need to seek the Kingdom of God, to tune our hearts because "The Kingdom of God is within you" (Lk 17:20), and that we must develop that.

In a world of sensationalism, we should listen to Scripture, others, by taking heart from the vast amount of good around us for ourselves and our own happiness, for the glory of God, for the good of humanity.

"Jesus decided to be simple" he said, reminding the Forum that he had "no place to lay his head".

Drawing from his vision of priesthood as being of service (and quoting Mt 20:28 "not to be served but to serve"), Pius spoke his desire to return to his people in Zimbabwe, a land of 38,000 child-headed households.

"It's our calling to empower people, to bring ourselves to be with others", he said, reminding the Forum that "If I have no love I am nothing", to paraphrase Corinthians.

So many things we think are necessary aren't and come between us and others and God, the Day was told.

livesimply is a way to make space in our lives, confident that God is talking strongly to us, and we must make the time to hear what he says because he will reveal himself. "Seek first the kingdom of heaven and everything else will be given" (Mt 6:3), Pius said.

Feet to Walk

The Forum Day was also addressed by Louise Zanre from Jesuit Refugee Service and Susy Brouard from CAFOD.

The focus of UK Government work is on how refugees arrive, rather than why. Louise told a story from a refugee: you're in a room with one window and one door.

A fire breaks out between you and the door, so you jump out of the window. Emergency services are below, "Did you leave by the door?" they ask. "No", you reply. "Well go back, leave by the door, and then we'll help you".

Louise spoke of destitution of asylum seekers as "the default policy position" of the UK Government, and the ways in which refugees can be helped.

JRS provides limited hardship grants, a successful if overstretched supermarket voucher exchange system, and brings together 150 refugees a week to share their stories in a safe environment.

For Louise, solidarity is being caught up in the flow of people's lives and accepting it for what it is.

Susy spoke of her recent trip to Nigeria where she took livesimply and a group of Adult Education Advisors to a 3-day mutual learning workshop.

But what could livesimply give to a country where 1 in 5 children die before they are 5 years old, or where life expectancy is 46? Where only 48% have access to safe water?

Participants in the workshop began to understand livesimply as about renewal in the Church, and to see themselves as agents for change.

They saw Catholic Social Teaching, at the heart of livesimply, as a sleeping beauty that needs to be woken up, as a treasure, and as our best kept secret.

As Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos said, livesimply gives theology feet with which to walk. Susy reported that the Archbishop is theming his Bishops' Conference meeting all about livesimply.