Whispering hope for the poorest of the poor

My Dear Mahinda Aiya,

Ayubowan, Wannakum, Asalam Aleikum and best wishes as your dreams of plain sailing go as high as castles in the sky with the opening of the Rajapaksa International Airport in Mattala today.

While the airport is clouded with controversies and contradictions ranging from the nearly 210 million dollar commercial loan for the project to ego factors. Initial reports indicate there will be only about 20 arrivals a week, meaning three flights a day. Economically and in terms of distance there are as many minus factors as plus factors while the big question is whether a future government-if there will be one- will continue to maintain what the opposition sees as a borrowed white elephant.

At present the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake has about 200 arrivals and departures a week.

Amid the fanfare and the personal glory, your regime faces its moment of truth in Geneva this week when the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) takes a vote on a tough resolution relating to alleged human rights violations, war crimes and accountability issues.

Broken promise after promise along with a load of lies, damn lies and distorted statistics have brought your regime to this crisis where an independent international investigative team may be appointed to probe the charges.

With most of Sri Lanka’s diplomatic missions being headed by pigheaded political appointees instead of skilled career diplomats, your regime has dragged itself and the country into one of our gravest international crises.

What happens in Geneva and after Geneva may decide the fate of your nepotism-filled regime and unfortunately the whole country also.

While you and a huge delegation had been living in luxury and extravagance in one of Japan’s most expensive hotels, assign of contradiction and prophetic proclamation came from the Vatican when the cardinals of the Catholic Church elected Argentina’s Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the 266th Pope. He took the name of Francis as a tribute to one of the greatest and most revolutionary saints, Francis of Assisi. The heir of a wealthy family, Francis of Assisi renounced all his wealth and possession and like the Lord Jesus Christ decided to live a simple and humble life in jungle monasteries. History tells us that when Francis of Assisi was praying in a dilapidated church one day he believed he heard the voice of the Lord telling him, “Francis, rebuild My church.” He first thought that the Lord was telling him to rebuild the old church but later he realized that his mission was to transform the whole church worldwide and to make it the church of the poor just as the Lord Jesus Christ willingly and voluntarily gave up all he had to become poor and unite with the poor.

Pope Francis, when he was appointed Archbishop of Buenos Aires had renounced the luxury of the Archbishop’s palace. He lived in the third floor room of a nearby apartment, where he cooked his own meals and went to work by bus or on the metro. He was known as a crusader for social justice and worked courageously to restore the human dignity of millions of dispossessed people.

After his election last Wednesday, Pope Francis-the first non-European Pope since St. Peter-- gave a clear indication of his simplicity and humility. He showed the path he would take and hopefully a path which other religious and political leaders will sincerely follow.

Traditionally a newly-elected Pope comes out of the Sistine Chapel balcony and gives his first blessing to the huge congregation at St. Peter’s Square and to the world. Instead of doing this Pope Francis came out, bowed his head and asked the people to pray for him. Then he prayed and gave a blessing to the people and to the world.

At his first holy mass for the Car-

Amid the fanfare and the personal glory, your regime faces its moment of truth in Geneva this week when the UNHRC takes a vote on a tough resolution relating to alleged human rights violations

dinals and others, Pope Francis wore a simple vestment and thankfully the cardinals also followed his example. His first sermon to them was powerful and prophetic. He said that the church faced the danger of becoming just a pious idea or a compassionate Non-Governmental Organisation if it did not repent and if the church was not renewed to become the church of the poorest of the poor according to the gospel values of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The hope and prayer of billions of people--caught up in the selfishness and greed of the globalised capitalist market economy- is that Pope Francis will bring about a revolution and major structural changes beginning in the Vatican and then in the whole church and the world.

When the Pope acts justly, loves with mercy and walks humbly the cardinals, the bishops, the priests, other clergy and all Christians will be inspired to follow him and the gospel vision of building a church of the poor or the dispossessed will come closer to becoming a reality. When this happens in the church other world leaders will come under pressure from their people to enter into a simple and humble lifestyle or alpechchathavaya, which has been a hallowed dimension of our civilization for more than 2500 years.

Hopefully what happened in the Vatican last week will be a turning point for a wicked world where there is a monstrous gap between the rich and the poor and where hypocrites and self-righteous, sanctimonious humbugs are in power for personal gain or glory, popularity and prestige.

Just some months ago prophets of doom were predicting that 12/12/2012 or 22/12/2012 might mark the beginning of the end of the world based on Mayan calendars and related mumbo jumbo. But now it seems we may see the beginning of a new world and a new world order based on love and justice. Viva Il Papa!