By Fr Antonio Moreno SJ, Provincial of the Jesuits in the Philippines
The visit of Pope Francis animated and consoled our people. Sadly, right after his visit, we were broken as a nation in the wake of the horrifying events in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. These are trying times for us as a nation. I pray that we may never despair in the face of complexities and challenges, and strongly encourage the Jesuit communities, ministries and mission partners to consider these “talking points.”
In view of recent events that have been unfolding since the tragedy which transpired in Maguindanao on January 25, 2015, the Society of Jesus Social Apostolate (SJSA) shares this ‘talking points’ document for everyone’s prayerful reflection and guidance—in constructively and creatively e1ngaging with the complex and multi-layered issues and intricacies this tragedy has brought to the peace process in Mindanao.
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F O R E W O R D
“Now, at the end of my visit to the Philippines, I commend you to Him, to Jesus who came among us as a child. May He enable all the beloved people of this country to work together, protecting one another, beginning with your families and communities, in building a world of justice, integrity, and peace," said Pope Francis during his visit in the Philippines.
The Society of Jesus Social Apostolate (SJSA) joins the whole nation in conveying our deepest sympathies to all who died and were injured in Mamasapano. Specifically, we extend our condolences and support to the families of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) men who lost their lives in their mission of neutralizing notorious terrorists hiding in that remote area of Maguindanao. We recognize that true to their motto, they offered their lives “to serve and protect” the country. We are deeply moved by, and are truly grateful for their sacrifice. We also duly recognize and acknowledge with sadness the deaths of members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF); they, too, are our brothers, and they, too, have left their families grieving. And we honor and remember the civilians, including a child, who died in the fields of Mamasapano. As always, the innocent are victims of war and this was no exception.
But like many other Filipinos who mourn, we cannot deny our feelings of hurt and doubt, even anger and fear. We are desperately looking for sincerity! We ask both the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front: How did this happen? Why are we killing each other when we have already been talking to one another? Who are responsible for this loss of so many lives? And how can we pick up the pieces and continue, despite all odds, to work for peace? No, it is not easy even to say, let us move on and push for the new peace legislation as scheduled. Deep in our hearts, we are committed to support the whole peace roadmap. But our minds have questions that search and long for honest answers—beyond the initial defensive statements of both camps, beyond the knee-jerk reactions of many. Our communities cry out for truth, without which there is no justice; our communities seek peace, even as we demand accountability. And in all these, we are challenged to be sincere.
In this call for sincerity as a quest for truth, justice and peace, we in the SJSA would like to share this “Talking Points” document. This is the fruit of our own struggle for peace participation and can serve as a possible guide for the members of our network, our collaborators, as well as for other like-minded organizations and individuals. Our aim is to identify and propose principles and action points to guide our members, both as institutions and individuals, as we critically and creatively engage with this crucial development in Mamasapano that so threatens peace in Mindanao.
We are inspired by the prayer of Pope Francis that, in this endeavor, we will all be empowered by the Lord “to work together, protecting one another, beginning with (our)families and communities, in building a world of justice, integrity and peace."