His view about
immigration, poverty, diversity, globalization, politics, social injustice and
about the faith itself, is very insightful. This book is his conversation with
a French reporter Dominique Wolton who interviewed the Pope in a very non
formal manner at Saint Martha’s House, beside Saint Peter’s Basilica at Vatican
City.
In the
interview session, the Pope is so natural. He replies seriously, but sometimes
punctuated by laughter, too. All topics are discussed, and all are serious
topics, including the issues of war that causes people are displaced from their
country and flee as refugees. He criticized the countries that close its door
to get the refugees in.
“Our theology
is a theology of migrants. Because we all are, since the call to Abraham, with
all the migrations of the people of Israel, and Jesus Himself was a refugee,
and immigrant, and existentially, by virtue of our faith, we are migrants,” the
Pope said.
Having said
that, the Pope also see that the problem begins in the countries that the
refugees come from, because of a lack of work, or because of war.
When talking
about diversity and tolerance, the Pope tells his story, “When I was a child,
they used to say that all Protestants went to hell – all of them. I was four or
five, someday I was walking in the street with my grandmother, and, on the
other side of the pavement, there were two women from the Salvation Army, with
their hat with the insignia. I asked, “Tell me, Grandma, who are those ladies?
Are they nuns?” And she replied, “No, they are Protestants. But they are good
people.” So, the first time I heard an ecumenical speech, it came from the
elderly person. My grandmother was opening up the doors of diversity to me.
What she did was a political act. She taught me to open the door.”
In some
occasion, someone asked the Pope, “Where is God in Auschwitz?” Probably the
question came from those who don’t believe God, or disappointed to God why God
let the most brutal genocide happened. But the Pope replied, “I haven’t seen
God in Auschwitz. I have only seen the work of man without God.”
In his very
busy activities with an enormous duty and responsibility, addressing views and
speeches in front of international forum and country leaders around the globe,
in fact, what makes the Pope truly feels happy since he has been Pope actually
is meeting people, a simple happiness that he embraces.
He believes the
world becomes better if everyone takes a dialogue with respect, dignity and
trust as the first thing rather than power to solve every problem. He asks us
to build bridge and more bridges. There are borders, yes, but there are must
also be bridges. So that a border doesn’t become a wall.
“Building
bridges, not walls, because walls fall,” the Pope said.
***
Serpong, 1 May
2021
Titus J.
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