The Gospel & human rights in Chile:
Hehir, J. Bryan
'BREAD, LIBERTY, JUSTICE!' The Gospel & human rights in...
...the truly exceptional support to the Vicariate since its inception...
...Those who find the human rights to an exorbitant salary scale...
...Solidarity in the life of Chile since 1976...
...and the crowd was made up predominately of young people desirous to take their future in their own hands...
...we were given a list of those being systematically expelinstitutional aspects of the Vicariate modestly -support the led from their homes because they can't meet minimum paydedication and work of a remarkable assembly of lay people ment of rent...
...But the bers...
...Kissinger was alleged to have said conscious of the stakes there...
...As an outsider one can only hope that the U.S...
...consistency is one test of value-based policy...
...the political parties which are not reflected in the U.S...
...crowd spilled into the street outside the cathedral, manned at Representatives of youth, the unemployed and the women who both ends by the Chilean army...
...Catholic Conference...
...Father Cristian Precht...
...It would be an equally enticing knighthood for similar artistic considdifficult to conceive of the Vicariate without the impetus erations...
...Most of all, where any human government should be: it has initiated small the Vicariate is the community of the poor: it is their Vicariate, scale industries and handicrafts in an admirable but overit works for them and through them, and is defined in terms of whelmingly difficult task of trying to meet the most basic their lives...
...Two characteristics stand out: a people starved devastated by the success of the Friedman model for Chile...
...The lay executive secretary Javier Luis Egana blends the unions...
...the competition or in conflict with the perceived short-term politi- present scale reflects only a portion of the true cost of presentcal and economic interests of the U.S...
...the company's Latin American church, the upcoming Puebla conference will brilliant English conductor for the past 20 years, has forfeited provide a moment of choice and opportunity...
...In San Paulo, Brazil...
...it is first and carefully planned visits to the homes and neighborhoods of necessary to have a sense of the role of the Vicariate of the poor, the unemployed and the families of the disappeared...
...The Buckley column was accurate about the macrofinds a community of commitment and a field of action in the level of the Chilean economy, but it was silent about the fact of Vicariate which shapes a vocation as demanding and fulfilling who is paying the price...
...Their Santiago and the Vicariate of Solidarity, the church sponsored well-staffed research and legal departments are unmatched an International Symposium on the church and human rights anywhere else...
...in the words of the 1974 tee through an agency of his own diocese, the Vicariate...
...in climactic moment of the three days was the closing service in the person of Dr...
...The entire Symposium was permeated by two characteristics of the post-Vatican II church...
...With Cardinal Silva presiding and ing burden of the present economic plan in Chile...
...Their courage and resourcefulness in keeping Latin America, the church is the only institution which can this issue alive is matched only by the callous cynicism of a support these activities in the face of an authoritarian govern- government which is trying to close the book on the fate of the ment which has suppressed the normal channels of democratic disappeared by a legal device which would absolve the junta process, from peaceful redress of grievance to public assembly from acknowledging what has happened to these men...
...Synod...
...the workers not only have no jobs, they are now and religious who obviously have given their lives over to this deprived of any institutional form of representation through work...
...The program combined scholarly papers with moving liturgy To understand the International Symposium...
...In any case...
...B & B AT NEW YORK while expressing doubts, did acknowledge that the policy has BARYSHNIKOV MEETS BALANCHINE been effective in providing space for people to speak and act in a continent marked by repression...
...In a situation of oppression the Chilean church has found a way to weave these two ideas into the fabric of a living faith...
...and the Catholic and Protestant leaders, men and women, playing plight of the families of the disappeared...
...from November 22-25...
...The International Symposium gathered a remarkable asI attended the Chilean observance, where Bishop Lawrence sembly of human rights advocates (U.N...
...At the present moment in Chile, as in other places in the disappeared...
...the international solidarity of other churches...
...become convinced that protection and promotion of The bulk of the Committee's early work dealt with the human rights is central to her ministry...
...second, that the work of justice, peace and human rights is central to the ministry of the church...
...the ernments (Alessandri, Frei and Allende...
...The value acknowledged in Carter's policy leads...
...The Vicariate was thus able to focus more on the perduring • In Paraguay, in the face of the longest reigning dictator on problems of unemployment, hunger and malnutrition, medical the continent, the embattled Commission for the Defense of care, etc...
...This soon grew to Methodist Bishop James Armstrong of the Dakotas and I were pan, libertad, justicia-"bread, liberty, justice...
...a la Silva and ponsible path" for the political future of their country...
...The witness of realizing the price others have paid for a U.S...
...political For other churches, like our own in the U.S...
...Human rights-based policy is George Balanchine, he had to fit himself within the value-based...
...in Washington...
...William Thompson...
...but in this case not an entirely negative judgment either...
...moments of decision-making, as seems to be the case in Iran, It has, of course, raised its prices prudently but not greedily...
...the many hundreds of major roles, a biblical service of light and life moved toward a Chileans who have never been accounted for by the Chilean culminating moment when a massive candle bearing the government...
...Here to freedom of speech and thought...
...We policy...
...First, that the church is the people of God...
...President of the National Council of 19 January 1979: 15 Churches, reported the Council's wide-ranging activities in church in Chile has to assure its circle of freedom to function is defense of human rights domestically and internationally...
...Together, clergy and laity have placed the resources of the On Saturday...
...For the sacrifice...
...One assumes that Robert Irving...
...It is equally difficult to think of the for two decades and Baryshnikov's are only just beginning...
...mayor of New York in 1943 when the city acquired the Mecca To be sure, the suspicion of the Latins is not easily over- Temple, renamed it the New York City Center of Music and come as they watch certain dimensions of the human rights Drama and opened its doors to the theater-going public...
...The moral authority of the Cardinal is the shield which provides the freedom for the Vicariate to function...
...private and public funding sources and has resisted pricing But when the focus on rights is totally submerged at crucial itself out of the range of the intended audience...
...The World Council of Churches, for example...
...Buckley rightly contended that the Chilean transformed by words proper to the situation in Chile today...
...the anniversary of the Universal Declaration...
...the leadership of Christian Precht permeates the ministry of the Vicariate...
...the prevailing suspicions escalate rapidly toward open cyni- and when Baryshnikov decided he needed to work with cism about U.S...
...policy, for all its ambiguity, a positive initiative in both the The company as we see it today, with its predominant Congress and the administration (as I do) need to be thinking concentration on native talent and its still moderated ticket about how it can be expanded to include the larger...
...could not allow the Chileans to choose an "irres- that the wisdom and spirit of the Symposium...
...The Vicariate could not exist without the institutional church...
...The convergence was a happy one...
...A human rights policy, in a narrow sense...
...but in view of the cost of staging opera and ballet...
...Almost Arms, will be reflected in the decisions which will shape the all of the disappeared whose families we met were members of future of the Latin American church...
...has provided tremendous the cathedral...
...health care, a concern of all three preceding govcompetency and compassion in his eighteen-hour day...
...Bishop McNamara provided a sensitive FAT ER J. BRYAN HEHIR is Associate Secretary i f the Office of Inter- greeting from the U.S...
...specific and dramatic way how their lives have been directly then dispersed...
...the Symspectrum...
...The Vicariate has moved into the area as any religious community could ever provide...
...Commissioner Theo McNamara of Grand Island, Nebraska, and I represented the Van Boven, Niall McDermott of the International CommisU.S...
...however...
...The Vicariate has cember 8-10...
...libertad...
...Catholic and Capacity crowds attended all the public events, but the Protestant...
...inevitable prices, reflects the intent of the late Fiorello La Guardia, questions which follow it...
...Commonweal: 16 After the Chilean coup Mr...
...for the right of peaceful assembly had found through the Unemployment in the community affects over half of its memchurch a means of expression which the government couldn't suppress...
...philosophical framework-both artistic and monetary-of the Finally, we come full circle to what the Chilean example company...
...office than that of Mikhail "Mischa" Baryshnikov, amounts to limiting the damage which dictators wreak upon a who this past spring decided to transfer his formidable silent and defenseless populace...
...The general sessuccessor to the Committee of Cooperation for Peace, the sions blended broadly-based analysis of human rights today ecumenical body established just after the military coup in with pastoral testimonies from representatives of Catholic and Protestant churches...
...Catholic Church by drawing upon his national Justice and Peace o f the United States Catholic Conference experience in the Campaign for Human Development...
...BREAD, LIBERTY, JUSTICE!' The Gospel & human rights in Chile J. BRYAN HEHIR 1973 to work with political prisoners who had fled to Allende's Chile only to be caught in the repression of the coup...
...we witnessed...
...sense raises more substantive policy issues, more structural While an indecent amount of ink was spilled trying to calculate issues of U.S...
...definition of the Chilean church and of the Medellin churches is not simply what is "responsible" political choice...
...definition of how the choices of others are not legitimately in our hands to manipulate...
...Suspicion, yes...
...AT PRESENT there is no more potent name at the ballet box to further questions...
...it poses the have long since lost those 90-cent tickets that many of us grew question of whether human rights will count when they are in up on...
...Is it too much to hope an event to be admired...
...is now nonexistent young woman who served as my guide during the three days for them...
...been the most complete and authoritative source of detailed • In Chile, led in a unique manner by Cardinal Raul Silva of information both on prisoners and -the disappeared...
...We have our own burdens to bear, our that one fruit of this awful cost will be that we will rethink our side of the justice-peace-human rights agenda to meet...
...Irving's contributions have been evident provided by Medellin...
...The logic of a human rights policy points toward a switch, the reason for the anticipated financial loss was comredefinition of political-economic relations, since exercise of pletely ignored...
...The situation was potentially operate the Vicariate soup kitchens rehearsed for us in the most explosive, but the chanting crowd marched back and forth...
...needs of the majority of people in metropolitan Santiago...
...One professional analyst...
...future of the church in Latin America without acknowledging This fall he made his first appearances with the company and the role Puebla will play...
...Chileans who were arrested, detained or fired from their jobs...
...No human rights policy ing the attractions...
...The theme of the Symposium inevitably provoked informal Dance discussions about human rights and U.S...
...Going beyond this narrow talents from American Ballet Theater to New York City Ballet...
...From Peace on significant pressure in 1975 to have it closed...
...political and economic relations with Latin precisely how much money he was foregoing as a result of the America...
...treated to a column of William Buckley praising the faithful The cathedral, filled to capacity with hundreds of participants adherence of the Chilean government to the advice of Milton holding burning candles, resounded with "The Ode to Joy" Friedman...
...One of the resources the again the experience of our interview clashed with a memory...
...The International Symposium appeared on public television's "Dance In America" series in themes arc very hopeful in the face of Puebla...
...we were provided the opportunity to meet Gospel and the stature of the church at the service of human with five women whose husbands or fathers or sons are among rights...
...as well as to continue pressing the government on Human Rights sponsored an ecumenical observance on De- the still unresolved issue of the disappeared...
...where Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns Gradually, the refugee problem was solved and most of the has fashioned a style of pastoral ministry around the theme of detainees (held without charges under state of siege) were human rights, a week's observance culminated on 10 De- eventually released...
...peso has a new standing in the international financial commuOnly when the liturgical event had finished did the massive nity...
...One could not sit through that interview without posium is both a challenge and an invitation...
...A heavy layer of suspicion covers any Latin American analysis of the Carter initiatives, but if the discussion is at all extended the picture becomes more nuanced...
...THE PAST YEAR was both the thirtieth anniversary of the The Committee, ecumenical in membership but principally Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the fif- protected by the stature and leadership of Cardinal Silva, was teenth anniversary of John XXIII's encyclical Peace on so successful in its work that the Pinochet government applied Earth...
...cember...
...intentions...
...Charles Harper...
...The Cardinal Earth through the multiple statements of Paul VI to Pope John agreed but immediately reconstituted the work of the CommitPaul II the universal church has...
...The Vicariate is the who form the constituency of the Vicariate...
...it also makes one Balanchine's "The Prodigal Son," the last ballet Balanchine 19 January 1979: /7...
...as the guests of the people of the Northern Zone of the Vicariate...
...While waiting for the plane to Santiago, I was themes of the Symposium was lighted in the center of the altar...
...He decided that his artistic growth required the says about the future of the church and human rights...
...The column was vividly before me on Friday afternoon as crowd begin a chant of libertad...
...foreign policy today...
...thousands of political refugees from other countries caught in No sector of the church has taken this theme to heart quite as Chile on September 11, 1973 and with the thouands more effectively as the post-Medellin church of Latin America...
...I offer less a newsreel account of sion of Jurists, Martin Ennals of Amnesty International, Carthe event than reflecions provoked by the moving celebration dinal Arns and theologian Jose Miguez Bonino of Argentina...
...The company raises the remainder from is conceived or implemented in isolation from such interests...
...The preeminent case in point is Iran...
...leader of the Vicariate, is a liturgist by professional training, The present work of the Vicariate is centered on two quesand the last event was a masterpiece of drama, blending tions: the fate of the working class which is bearing the crushsymbols, word and witness...
...It is the nature of New York City Ballet as a fundamental freedoms by the Latins will produce in time a call popular theatrical enterprise-that is available to the widest for new structures in their countries, in turn requiring new possible public at affordable prices-that has made it resistant relationships with the North...
Vol. 106 • January 1979 • No. 1
