1st Working session-«Christian - Muslim Dialogue in Our Ministry

Speaker: Fr. Markus Solo, SVD

Curriculum Vitae

The following is biography of Fr. Markus Solo, SVD

I am Markus Solo Kewuta (Dr. Lic), born on August 4th 1968 in Lewouran on the Island of Flores, Indonesia.

From 1975 to 1981: Primary School in my village, Lewouran.

From 1981 to 1984: Middle School in Lewotobi, the neighbour village of Lewouran.

From 1984 to 1988: Minor Seminary San Domingo of the Diocese of Larantuka in Hokeng, Flores, completing Secondary Studies.

1988: Join the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) and Study of Philosophy on Flores Island, Indonesia.

From 1992 to 1993: Study of German Language in the Goethe Institute of Vienna, Austria, completed with Certificate.

From 1993 to 1997: Study of Theology at “Theologische Hochschule” of SVD, St. Gabriel, Mödling, Austria, completed with the degree of Master of Theology.

From 1997 to 1999: Serving as Curate in the Parish of Saint Maximilian in Bischofshofen, Austria.

From 1999 to 2002: Study of Fundamental Theology at the Leopold Franzens University of Innsbruck, Austria, completed with the degree of Doctor of Fundamental Theology.

From 2002 to 2003: Study of Classical Arabic and Islamology at the Dar Comboni Institute in Cairo, Egypt, completed with Certificate.

From 2003 to 2005: Study of Classical Arabic and Islamology at the PISAI-Institute (Pontifical Institute for Studying Arabic and Islamology) in Rome, Italy, completed with the degree of Licentiate.

From 2005 to 2006: Serving as Curate in the Parish of the Most Holy Trinity in Vienna, Austria. At the same time assigned by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn to work in the interreligious dialogue with the Moslems in Vienna.

From 2006 – 2007: Serving as Rector of the Afro-Asian Institute of Vienna, Austria.

From July 2007: Official at the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue - Desk Christian-Muslim Dialogue, Vatican City.

Ir. Maria Mendes, SSpS

Words of Welcome by the Provincial of SLO at the meeting of JPIC in Nitra, March 31 – April 04, 2008

Dear Sisters and Confreres!

I am very happy to welcome you all to Nitra and to our province. We feel honoured to host the meeting of JPIC coordinators of our European Zone. If I am not mistaken, it is for the first time ever that this meeting is being held in Slovakia.
For some of you it may be also the first time ever to visit our country that suffered greatly for 40 years under communist government. Even though the communist regime tried to convince the international community that it was striving for justice and peace in the whole world, in reality it was suppressing political and civil rights and liberties of its citizens and persecuting Churches, members of religious congregations and believers.
Just shortly after the communist took over in former Czechoslovakia, in 1950 all male religious congregations and orders were banned, their property confiscated, their members taken to camps of forced labour and some of them even sentenced to years of imprisonment. This was also the fate of our congregation, our houses and our confreres. This mission house in Nitra that was built by our congregation in 1928 and served as a centre of missionary animation and formation of missionaries for the whole country was taken away and transformed into the Faculty of Mechanisation of the University of Agriculture.
This period lasted 40 years during which we prayed to God that justice and freedom would be restored. God heard our prayers and we were able to get back at least some of our property and start anew.
Our looking into these last 60 years of our recent history is not, however, marked by any kind resentment. We understand this period as a time of trial that strengthened our faith and our fidelity.
Now the situation has changed. We are living in a democratic, free-market society. But we can observe and experience more than ever that the society, which became global is far from the image of the Kingdom of God presented in the Bible.
So, this “uphill task” – as one of our missionaries in Kenya, Fr. Martin Cingel, who survived the recent outburst of violence in this “oasis of peace” – calls it, this uphill task of working for peace and justice must continue.
Yesterday we closed the Octave of Easter. During this Octave we got accustomed through the word of liturgy to the Easter greeting of the Risen Lord: “Peace be with you”. This is the greeting of Jesus through which he addressed his disciples.
It is interesting that also the Muslim cultures use a greeting with the connotation of peace: “As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum”, which means: “Peace be upon you”. It is similar to the Hebrew greeting of “Shalom aleichem”.
Since the topic of this JPIC meeting is dialogue with the Islam, I would dare to use this greeting and on behalf of all members of our pProvince wish you a peaceful stay and a fruitful meeting and welcome you all: “The peace of the Lord be with you – As-Salamu ‘Alaykum.

Fr. Peter Dusicka SVD, Provincial

JPIC Meeting of Coordinators SSpS/SVD in Nitra, Slovakia

Minutes at the JPIC Meeting of Coordinators SSpS/SVD in Nitra, Slovakia

Christian-Muslim Dialogue in our Migrant Ministry

Monday, 31/03/2008
Day of Arrival
- In the evening welcome-address of the two provincials Sr. Veronika Theresia Racková, SSpS and Fr. Peter Dusicka, SVD (A 1)
- Self-introduction and social get together

Tuesday, 01/042008
- Spiritual impulse by Sr. Yuvensia Daso SSpS, Slovakia
Giving and receiving is a basic precondition for any kind of encounter and dialogue.

- Input by Fr. Markus Solo SVD on “Christian-Muslim Dialogue in our Migrant Ministry” – What unites us – what separates us? Is theological dialogue possible? (A 2 ppt)
At present, Fr. Solo works in the Vatican at the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID).
After a short overview of the present situation in Europe regarding its Muslim population, Fr. Markus stressed the new attitude in the Catholic Church since Vatican II manifested in Vatican documents and post-Vatican Church writings. “All people who are in search of God have the same dignity; therefore, they should share the same freedom, the same respect.”

Several SSpS Sisters from the Slovak province including the novices were attending Fr. Markus Solo’s lecture as well as some SVDs from the provincial house.

- Statements of those who work or are in contact with Muslims in one way or the other.
Sr. Benedikta Böckelmann, JPIC Coordinator of the SSpS provinces in Europe, gave a prolonged statement on problems of Muslim women and girls especially on arranged/forced marriages and murder for the honour of the family in Germany. There was actually not enough time for the topic on women and Islam as well as trafficking of human beings especially women and children for prostitution. The number of questions indicated that there was a great interest among the participants.
Suggestions: Could not SVDs and/or SSpS do something in the line of raising of awareness or prevention in the countries where most of those affected by human trafficking come from?

Sharing in groups about the following questions:

1) What help has today’s talk and discussion offered to my concrete ministry with migrants in Europe?

2) What could we as SSpS and SVD do together in this field of dialogue and how can we set up a European network?
Results: See A 3

Wednesday, 02 April 2008
Spiritual impulse prepared by Sr. Sujata Sawarimuthu, SSpS.
Move us from the fringes of fear and indecision into the centre of your will.
- Msgr. Dr. Petrus Bsteh, brother of Fr. Andreas Bsteh, SVD, gave a lecture on “Dialogue with Muslims“ (A 4)
Fr. Bsteh is a diocesan priest and has been rector of Kontaktstelle für Weltreligionen [Contact point for world religions] in Vienna for some years.

He talked mainly about the history and general preconditions of encounters between Christians, Jews and Muslims as sons and daughters of Abraham. But he stressed that there is nowadays so to speak a “burning” necessity for interfaith dialogue but this is only possible on the fundament of mutual respect, authentic belief and prayer.

Group sharing
Questions for group work:
1) What questions do Christians ask Muslims normally at their encounters?
2) What questions do Muslims ask Christians normally at their encounters?
3) How can we deal with the questions and answer them?
Results of discussions: A 5

Discussion in the plenary on the topics of the two inputs with the two resource persons:
1) Request for some information about the role of women in Islam.
Women are lower than men in the Islam e.g. when it comes to the heritage.
Violence against women is legitimized in the Koran. That is a fact but in every day life women react to this fact differently in urban and in rural or remote areas. (These are combined answers of both lecturers.)
2) For what reason do we enter dialogue? What is the purpose of our dialogue?
Do we prefer dialogue to encounter?
Whatever we call what we try to do, encounter or dialogue:
No communication among men when God is not in it and no communication with God without communication among men. This holds true especially for the three monotheistic religions. Relationship creates unity. The deeper we believe something the more competent our actions will be. Act out of piety, true commitment to God and all the rest follows suit. The most important basis is belief and prayer: we do what we are not vice versa. (According to Msgr. Bsteh)

Fr. Markus Solo, SVD, final statement:
Happy for the interest
Dialogue, encounter with Muslims is an act of knowing the others better from outside but much more from inside. If we know them better from inside: personal formation.
1) knowing about Muslims
2) official studies Arabic and Islam, inter-religious dialogue
We do not have many members neither - SVD nor SSpS - educated that way and engaged in this dialogue. Encouragement: to do something in this field either ourselves or other sisters or confreres.
1) Interreligious Dialogue means: Bearing witness
2) Djihad: struggle: big: against egoism etc.
small: fight people: defensively responding
to attacks from outside
3) Dialogue of life
4) Prayer:
Inter-religious prayer: one formula of prayer for all participants
Multi-religious prayer: followers of different religious come together and pray together one after the other according to their religious traditions.
5) Abraham as a very important person in our religious relationship:
1) Hospitality of Abraham: accusation of Muslims against Christians in
Europe
2) Faith of Abraham: being rooted in one’s own faith to be able to make
dialogue with others.

Reports from the JPIC Coordinators
Some of the reports were handed in to the participants in printed form but they will be sent to them via email as well. Please find them as attachments R 1 – R.7.

1) SVD Portugal Coordinator Fr. Valentim Oliveira Gonçalves
2) SSpS Spain / Portugal Coordinator Sr. Maria Mendes
3) SVD Spain Coordinator Fr. David Antona
4) SSpS Netherlands Coordinator Sr. Imaria; Sr. Yuliana Mamuk read
the text prepared by Sr. Imaria Niessen
5) SVD Italy Representative Fr. Elmer (Paulino) Bumanglag
gave a short overview over the JPIC work in the Italian SVD province
6) SVD England / Ireland Coordinator Fr. Finbarr Tracey
7) SSpS Austria Coordinator Sr. Felixine Kofler

Thursday, 03 April, 2008
Spiritual impulse Sr. Melina Polo
Prayer for Peace among Peoples together with the World’s living Religions

Zonal meeting of SVD and SSpS for about an hour (A 6 / A 7)

Reports continued
Please find them as attachments R 8 – R.12.

8) England/ Ireland SSpS Coordinator Sr. Sujata Sawarimuthu
9) Austria SVD Coordinator Fr. Patrick Kofi Kodom
10) Netherlands/Belgium SVD Coordinator Fr. Toon van Bijnen
11) Slovakia SSpS Coordinator Sr. Yuvensia Daso
12) Slovakia SVD Coordinator Fr. Pavel Kobliha

Afternoon:
1) Outing: sightseeing in Nitra
2) Visits to:
- Orechov Dvor on the outskirts of Nitra, a place for Roma and other people who did not pay the rents for their apartments; some information by vice mayor of Nitra Mr. Balaz. Present were as well the SSpS provincial of Slovakia Sr. Veronika Theresia Rackova and the two Sisters working with the children.
- Novy Svet, near Šurany city, a rehabilitation centre for people addicted to alcohol, drugs and/or gambling. Please, find more information in R 12, the report from the SVD Coordinator for JPIC in the Slovakian province.


Friday, 04 April, 2008
Spiritual impulse by Sr. Felixine Kofler
Bless, oh Lord, the whole creation.

Reports continued
Please find them as attachments R 13 – R 17.

13) SSpS Poland Sr. Yuvensia Daso read the report from Poland
14) SVD Poland Representative Fr. Jacek Gniadek
15) SVD Germany Euro-& German Coordinator Fr. Norbert Mushoff
16) SSpS Germany Euro- & German Coordinator Sr. Benedikta Böckelmann
17) SVD Coordinator from the Generalate Fr. Milan Bubak, gave some information on UNO and VIVAT International, on his role as JPIC coordinator: What is JPIC? (Both are Power Point Presentations)
Planning the next meeting:
Themes: Global warming: focus on Water
EPA Economic Partnership Agreement
Spirit of the Co-operatives
The roots of the problems of people we are living and working with
Fair world trade
Migration and refugees
The final decision is with the aerial coordinators.
Date: Time intervals in future: 2 or 3 years?
Suggestion: Next year in April/May? As an exception! The decision of the intervals in future will be made at that meeting.
Venues: Verona or Birmingham:
Since in Verona logistics are difficult and Birmingham, UK, is
not under Schengen, it is difficult to obtain visa for people from non-European countries.
Therefore the SVD Zonal Coordinator Fr. Anton Fencz invited the participants to St. Gabriel near Vienna: several migrants live in the SVD house; it is solar powered.

At a certain point of the discussion during the meeting, it was suggested to have a kind of document somehow manifesting the position of the participants. Sr. Benedikta together with Fr. Solo and some helpers prepared the text. It was accepted by the participants unanimously. (A 8)

The farewell address of Norbert Mushoff since he is leaving office was at the same time the official end of the meeting.

Ir. M. Mendes, SSpS