Promoting a Culture of Life in Africa Through Forgiveness. "Forgiveness must become an essential element of African culture." The words of Jesuit Father Adrien Lentiampa Sheng, speaking in Rome on 11…More
Promoting a Culture of Life in Africa Through Forgiveness.
"Forgiveness must become an essential element of African culture." The words of Jesuit Father Adrien Lentiampa Sheng, speaking in Rome on 11 January at a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
In his speech, the priest explained how African culture and tradition is regarded as a supreme value that translates not only into respect for the family, the joyful acceptance of the children and the promotion of fertility, but also in a cult of the dead and in solidarity. Injustice therefore comes to be seen as an attack not only on the life of individuals but also entire communities.
Here, therefore, in a land that is often the scene of bloody conflicts, is an opportunity to promote forgiveness, to help an offender recognize his guilt and "reaffirm in him the capacity to do good, creating a new opportunity to implement this capability". This must translate into an urgent effort, marked by a culture of life.
The conference was part of the process of reflection on Christian anthropology and the transformation of society, launched this year by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies in Religion and Culture (ISIRC) at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Father Adrien Lentiampa Sheng, Pontifical Gregorian University: "The idea is to show, first, that African culture is based essentially on life as a value. And this culture of life in turn should also address how that value can be lost. A notion of forgiveness is clearly of great importance in the current context, one characterized by many African conflicts. You can use, therefore, this concept of forgiveness when thinking about conflicts and how to solve them. "
"Forgiveness must become an essential element of African culture." The words of Jesuit Father Adrien Lentiampa Sheng, speaking in Rome on 11 January at a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
In his speech, the priest explained how African culture and tradition is regarded as a supreme value that translates not only into respect for the family, the joyful acceptance of the children and the promotion of fertility, but also in a cult of the dead and in solidarity. Injustice therefore comes to be seen as an attack not only on the life of individuals but also entire communities.
Here, therefore, in a land that is often the scene of bloody conflicts, is an opportunity to promote forgiveness, to help an offender recognize his guilt and "reaffirm in him the capacity to do good, creating a new opportunity to implement this capability". This must translate into an urgent effort, marked by a culture of life.
The conference was part of the process of reflection on Christian anthropology and the transformation of society, launched this year by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies in Religion and Culture (ISIRC) at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Father Adrien Lentiampa Sheng, Pontifical Gregorian University: "The idea is to show, first, that African culture is based essentially on life as a value. And this culture of life in turn should also address how that value can be lost. A notion of forgiveness is clearly of great importance in the current context, one characterized by many African conflicts. You can use, therefore, this concept of forgiveness when thinking about conflicts and how to solve them. "