Observer Mail
Monday, January 17
By DO
Jan 17, 2005, 11:42

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Folks I am trying to search the debate between Samuel Gibba and Bishop Cleary's. I hope the church have the right to speech about the state of matters in our country. I do't know what is wrong with Mr Gibba? Re: Disapproval of Bishop Cleary’s call for civil strive



Editor,
Reading the above captioned letter published in your January 10 edition and authored by Samuel Gibba in Surrey, UK, I observed that he has made a lot of fallacious claims that rendered the work unintelligible.
Also, the foul language used in the work betrayed the sentiments of the writer. In my judgement, the article is a gross portrayal of ignorance on the part of the author concerning the topic he set out to address. I therefore view this piece of writing as a conspiracy against a constituted ecclesiastical authority, character assassination of the person of the Bishop Michael Cleary and anti-clerical propaganda against the Catholic Church in The Gambia.

Samuel’s article is disgusting, because he has made a sweeping statement on a sensitive issue of security that he needed to be specific with authentic fact. The burning questions that tend to block my throat are: which of Bishop Cleary’s statement is a call for civil strive? What is Samuel’s definition of civil strive? Why the violent vocal attack on the man of God instead of facing the real issue - the brutal murder of an innocent journalist in a country renowned for its peacefulness? This was an act the whole world condemned as evil. Mind you what is evil is evil no matter where it takes place. The Bible says "Woe to those who call evil good."
Let me remind Samuel that the Church has a vital role to play in the transformation of society and the promotion of social justice, especially in Africa, where justice and human rights are often not guaranteed without much sweat, tears and blood. Social justice, inter alia, means that government must provide citizens with personal protection and protection of property. It also means that government must provide a conducive environment that will enable citizens to exercise their inalienable and fundamental rights, and that citizens should fulfil their obligations and duties to the state for the survival of all and the protection and management of the common resources.
The issue of social justice is central to the Church's social teaching and it comes in various dimension. Since the bishops represent the Church in all matters of faith and moral, it is incumbent on every bishop to speak, teach and act on behalf of the local Church when it is faced with serious issue such as the murder of an innocent human being and a loyal citizen.
In fact, the Synod of Bishops in 1971 was more explicit and daring when it declared that, " Action on behalf of justice, and participation in the transformation of the world, appear to us a constitutive dimension of preaching the Gospel."
Today, the Church lives in the conviction that evil does not have the final word in human affairs. Consequently, it must confront all forms of evil with the tool of the gospel. As Bishop Cleary rightly said in his Christmas eve homily, evil triumph when good people do nothing.
The untimely and brutal death of Deyda Hydara on December 17 is evil enough to warrant some action of concern and solidarity by fellow citizens and the state. The massacres and summary executions of people in many countries of Africa as a result of political conflict and infighting are forms of evil that we all must confront.
Bishop Cleary's call was for the civil society, men and women of good to rise up in defence of human life. He should be commended for his good will and courage to challenge evil. A good sense of history should remind you of the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and how he took on the demon of apartheid; of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Bryzynski on how they resisted and overthrew Communism in Poland; Heldr Camara, the harmless Archbishop of Recife who fought against the Americans and the structures of sin they erected in his native Brazil; of Camillo Torres who laid down his life for fighting for the freedom of his people, of Rev Martin Luther King Jnr, who preached non-violence resistance to the oppression of Blacks in America; or Oscar Romreo and Archbishop of Salvador, who preached and died in the struggle for the liberation of his people.
It should interest Mr Samuel to know that Jesus was a perfect model of peace as well as liberation from evil. Therefore, Jesus calls us today not only to believe but also to take actions on behalf of justice in our world. “Faith without good action is dead, James 2:26”.
Rev Fr Francis Eyo, MSP
Diocese of Banjul




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