Disunity among followers of Christ is counterproductive to the mission of witnessing the Gospel message and evangelization, Cardinal Robert Sarah said recently at a symposium in Kenya.
Sarah, who served as prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2014–2021, in delivering the keynote address at the 2024 Theological Symposium organized by the School of Theology of Kenya-based Tangaza University College (TUC), warned that divisions among Christians expose them to “exploitation.”
“If we are not one, if we are divided, then our witness to Christ is divided and the world will not believe in the Gospel,” Sarah said Feb. 22, the first day of the two-day event.
Sarah urged followers of Jesus Christ in Africa to prioritize their adherence to the Gospel message, allowing the principles of the Christian faith to trump all other identities, including tribe, nationality, and race, among other affiliations.
“Seek unity first in Christian faith, and then with our fellow countrymen and fellow Africans,” he said in his address titled “Make Disciples of all Nations: The Missionary Mandate of Christ.”
To emphasize the need for unity among followers of Jesus Christ, the 78-year-old Guinean-born cardinal warned that divisions leave Christians “vulnerable to exploitation.”
“If we do not strive for unity in Christ then we are even worse off. The divisions among us — religious, ethnic, and political — are vulnerable to exploitation; they may be exploited by corrupt politicians or even foreign powers,” he said.
Sarah has previously expressed his opposition to Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) declaration that has elicited mixed reactions and deep divisions among the people of God in general and Catholic bishops around the world in particular since its release on Dec. 18, 2023.
In a Jan. 6 reflection that he shared with Settimo Cielo, an Italian blog, Sarah maintained his previous stance of not opposing the Holy Father.
“We do not oppose Pope Francis, but we firmly and radically oppose a heresy that seriously undermines the Church, the body of Christ,” Sarah said, clarifying his opposition to the recommendations of Fiducia Supplicans, permitting members of the clergy to bless “same-sex couples” and couples in other “irregular situations.”
Persons practicing homosexuality are “in the prison” of sin and in need of the truth of “the word of God” to liberate them, he said, adding: “The truth is the first of the mercies that Jesus offers to the sinner.”
“The freedom we must offer to people living in homosexual unions lies in the truth of the word of God,” he said. “How could we dare to make them believe that it would be good and desired by God for them to remain in the prison of their sin?”
The DDF declaration’s lack of clarity “has only amplified the confusion that reigns in hearts, and some even seized it to support their attempt at manipulation,” Sarah wrote in his Jan. 6 reflection, referring to divisions caused by Fiducia Supplicans’ recommendations.
In his Feb. 22 address in Kenya, Sarah linked unity of the disciples of Jesus Christ with progress. “Only together can we prosper,” he said.
According to Sarah, challenges hindering the mission of witnessing the Gospel message and the evangelization ministry can be addressed “by turning to God in prayer and fasting.”
“By turning to the Lord in prayer and fasting, by this means, God lifts us up. He frees us from selfishness and narrowness and reveals himself to us in one way or another. He disciplines us, so we do not allow mild differences to prevent us from working together in every permissible way,” he said.
The cardinal went on to emphasize the need to combine prayer and fasting, two of the three pillars of the Lenten season, alongside charity through almsgiving.
“Evangelization must involve prayer and fasting together, even with those of other religious traditions in response to evils that we recognize together. By praying and fasting, the obstacles to evangelization will be overcome,” Sarah said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.
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Monica Biboso and her employer, Ester Rot, while celebrating Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) in the dining room of Kibbutz Be’eri in 2022. “I don’t feel like a hero because I saved Ester” during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Biboso told CNA. “I would do anything to save her. I just treated her like my mother. Every child would do the same.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso
Jerusalem, Oct 7, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).
One year has passed since Monica Biboso, a 36-year-old Filipino woman who has worked as a caregiver in Israel for over 10 years, was suddenly awakened by the noise of bombs and gunfire in Kibbutz Be’eri, close to the Gaza border.
In a conversation with CNA, Biboso’s eyes moistened as she recalled that day. Hamas fighters surrounded the house, shattered the windows, and set the home ablaze. She still has nightmares and jumps whenever someone knocks on the door of her room at the David Dead Sea Resort by the Dead Sea, where she has been displaced for the past year.
An outing in Sderot of the caregivers who worked at Kibbutz Be’eri on Sept. 5, 2023. Biboso and her employer were transferred to a hotel on the Dead Sea, along with the surviving residents of Kibbutz Be’eri, after the attack on Oct. 7, 2023. About 10 of Biboso’s colleagues joined them, while two died in the attack and five returned to the Philippines. Credit: Monica Biboso
During the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel that took the lives of almost 1,200 people, 101 civilians were killed in Be’eri and 30 hostages were taken to Gaza, 11 of whom are still being held in captivity.
Biboso not only survived, but she also managed to protect the elderly lady she was caring for — Ester Rot, who is 81 and has dementia. They were the only two survivors from their neighborhood.
“I have never stopped praying because I have always believed that God was there,” Biboso, a Catholic, told CNA. “All the time, I prayed to God and asked him that if my time had come, he would at least protect my children. But God did not want to call me yet, and I survived.”
Biboso is married to a fellow countryman she met in Israel who had returned to the Philippines just a few days before Oct. 7. The couple has two children, ages 7 and 5, who are growing up in the Philippines under the care of Biboso’s sister.
Monica Biboso with her family in the Philippines in April 2024: her husband, Roberto; her daughter, Sofya; and her son, Clarence. In the first few hours of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas, she managed to stay in touch with them, then her cellphone ran out of power. “When I was able to turn my phone back on, I found video messages from my children, crying, kissing and telling me to take care of myself.” Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso
In the first few hours of being locked in the house’s safe room, Biboso stayed in touch with her family, her Filipino colleagues in the kibbutz, and Rot’s children, but then her cellphone battery died.
“When I was able to turn my phone back on, I found video messages from my children, crying, kissing, and telling me to take care of myself,” she recalled.
Biboso, who was locked in the shelter with Rot for 16 hours, has been trying to forget the experience, but from the start it was clear it would never be possible.
“All the time, I carry my bag with my documents and important things. I am afraid of losing them again. Every night before going to sleep, I need to check outside and lock the door.”
For the past year, Biboso has been undergoing psychological therapy, which is helping her cope with the memories, fear, anguish, and nightmares — and to talk about what she went through.
“When I heard the sirens, I woke Mrs. Ester up, changed her, and dressed her quickly. I gave her her medicine and something to help her sleep, and we took refuge in the safe room of the house. I understood that the situation was serious, as I could hear the gunshots getting closer and closer,” Biboso recounted to CNA.
The closed caption television cameras that Rot’s children had previously installed in the house showed Hamas militants coming and going until they managed to break into the house.
Screenshot of camera footage from Ester Rot’s home at 10:51 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2023, in Kibbutz Be’eri, where Monica Biboso lived and worked as a caregiver for the elderly woman. Two armed men can be seen in the lower left of the screen near the home. Around 11 a.m., Hamas fighters managed to break into the house by blasting a hole with explosives. Shortly afterward they set fire to the house. Credit: Courtesy of Monica Biboso
“For the entire time I was locked in the shelter, I kept praying and saying to God, ‘Help us, I know it’s impossible to save us, but I know you can save us.’”
Around 11 a.m., the Hamas fighters broke into the house by blasting a hole with explosives.
“Maybe God heard me because they couldn’t open the shelter door. I was holding the handle from the inside. He gave me incredible strength.”
The door to the shelter where Monica Biboso and her employer, Ester Rot, were barricaded for 16 hours during the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, Oct. 7, 2023. The photo was taken by Biboso when she had the chance to return and check the situation in January 2024. “For the entire time I was locked in the shelter, I kept praying and saying to God, ‘Help us, I know it’s impossible to save us, but I know you can save us,’” Biboso told CNA. “Maybe God heard me because they couldn’t open the shelter door. I was holding the handle from the inside. He gave me incredible strength.” Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso
Then they set fire to the house.
“We could barely breathe, it was so hot. We had no water, no food, nothing. I thought we were going to die, but I kept praying.”
When asked how she was able to survive, Biboso said: “God saved me. No one was able to help us. I was weak, I couldn’t breathe, my body was shaking, and I was lying on the floor, but I kept praying. Because of him, I survived. I truly believe that. He was with me the entire time I was in the shelter. I could feel it. Without God, I wouldn’t be here.”
The living room of Ester Rot’s home in Kibbutz Be’eri, where Monica Biboso lived and worked as a caregiver for the elderly woman. The house was completely burned down during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The photo was taken by Biboso when she had the chance to return in January 2024. Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso
Biboso and Rot spent a day in the hospital, then they were transferred to a hotel on the Dead Sea along with the surviving residents of Kibbutz Be’eri. About 10 of Biboso’s colleagues were among them. (Two others died in the attack and five returned to the Philippines.)
“Together with my husband, we decided it was best for me to stay, at least for the time being. I could never have left Mrs. Ester or allowed her to end up in a nursing home after surviving all this. She is like a mother to me,” said Biboso, who lost her own mother at the age of 16.
“I don’t feel like a hero because I saved Mrs. Ester,” Biboso added. “I would do anything to save her. I just treated her like my mother. Every child would do the same.”
“I knew that if I wanted to have any chance of healing and overcoming this trauma, I could only do it here,” she said. “In Israel, psychologists could help me because they understand the context.”
Ultimately, economic reasons also motivated Biboso to stay. Currently, her salary is the only stable income for her family, whom she was able to reunite with for some weeks in April.
Life at the hotel follows a fairly regular routine. “When we get up, I help Mrs. Ester with breakfast, give her a bath, take her for a walk, and do exercises. After lunch, we rest. When I can’t sleep, I crochet. It helps me relax.” Sometimes the two walk along the sea, take a swim, and spend time with friends.
Four months after Oct. 7, Biboso visited Kibbutz Be’eri together with Rot’s children. “It was very hard. I couldn’t stay there for long.” The house was completely destroyed by the flames.
“All my things were burned, everything was reduced to ashes,” Biboso recounted, “But my rosary didn’t burn. I found it beside my bed. It was a little burnt, but the beads were intact, and the cross was still a cross. My husband gave it to me and I used to pray with it every day before sleeping. I know I’m safe because of it.”
Monica Biboso’s rosary, the only one of her belongings left intact after the home of Ester Rot, the elderly woman she cared for and where she also lived in Kibbutz Be’eri, was set on fire by Hamas fighters during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. “All my things were reduced to ashes,” Biboso recounted, “but my rosary didn’t burn. My husband gave it to me and I used to pray with it every day before sleeping. I know I’m safe because of it.” Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso
To this day, every night, Bibosa prays the rosary before bedtime. “In the Philippines, when my mother was alive, every day at 6 o’clock we prayed the rosary together before having dinner. I kept doing it.”
After Oct. 7, a nun living in Tel Aviv called Biboso every day, and they prayed together. “She’s helped me a lot. If I can’t sleep, I call her, and we pray together over the phone.”
“Prayer is a big help to me in healing, lightening the burden on my heart, and freeing my mind from negative thoughts,” Biboso said.
Ester Rot, the elderly woman with whom Monica Biboso works as a caregiver, on the shore of the Dead Sea. After surviving the massacre carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, the two were displaced to the David Dead Sea Resort along with the other surviving residents of Kibbutz Be’eri. Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso
In mid-October, Biboso and Rot are expected to move to Kibbutz Hatzerim, where new housing units have been built for the Be’eri survivors.
“First, you need to have faith in God and be thankful for everything,” Biboso said. “You just need to trust him, and he will make a way to save you. This war will also end because of him. He will find a way to bring good out of it all.”
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We read: “Sarah has previously expressed his opposition to Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) declaration…”
And this “opposition” to facile novelty is, in fact, an affirmation of the unity of both the revealed and catholic Faith and the inborn and universal Natural Law. As in Veritatis Splendor (VS): “The Church is no way [!] the author or the arbiter of this [‘moral’] norm” (VS, n. 95).
Noticing, too, that the Natural Law and moral absolutes are now explicitly part of the Magisterium:
“This is the first time, in fact, that the MAGISTERIUM of the Church has set forth in detail the fundamental elements of this [‘moral’] teaching, and presented the principles for the pastoral discernment necessary in practical and cultural situations which are complex and even crucial” (VS, n. 115).
Cardinal Sarah’s warning is realism. We’re increasingly a divided Church, less so in Africa because of their far greater consistency in doctrinal faith practice, a legacy of the early missionaries and African recently acquired sense of deliverance from idolatry and witchcraft. A newer, fresher Church not having the hundreds of years to become excessive in its intellectual sophistication, and jaded, like the Western.
America however struggles to maintain a traditional revelation oriented posture in opposition to a presumably less rigid Christianity closer to heterodoxy, although ironically quite rigid in its contradictory idea of diversity limited to university. The unique brand of liturgy, interpretation of Christian mercy.
Sarah’s good Lenten message is a response to the dilemma by prayer and fasting. “Homosexuals are imprisoned”, true, although they are the prison keepers and wardens within the Church. There must be a willingness to resist this, which means disruption. Division insofar as witness to the truth in response to fabrications and lies an unavoidable reality.
What a wonderful statement by Cardinal Sarah.
We read: “Sarah has previously expressed his opposition to Fiducia Supplicans, the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) declaration…”
And this “opposition” to facile novelty is, in fact, an affirmation of the unity of both the revealed and catholic Faith and the inborn and universal Natural Law. As in Veritatis Splendor (VS): “The Church is no way [!] the author or the arbiter of this [‘moral’] norm” (VS, n. 95).
Noticing, too, that the Natural Law and moral absolutes are now explicitly part of the Magisterium:
“This is the first time, in fact, that the MAGISTERIUM of the Church has set forth in detail the fundamental elements of this [‘moral’] teaching, and presented the principles for the pastoral discernment necessary in practical and cultural situations which are complex and even crucial” (VS, n. 115).
Cardinal Sarah’s warning is realism. We’re increasingly a divided Church, less so in Africa because of their far greater consistency in doctrinal faith practice, a legacy of the early missionaries and African recently acquired sense of deliverance from idolatry and witchcraft. A newer, fresher Church not having the hundreds of years to become excessive in its intellectual sophistication, and jaded, like the Western.
America however struggles to maintain a traditional revelation oriented posture in opposition to a presumably less rigid Christianity closer to heterodoxy, although ironically quite rigid in its contradictory idea of diversity limited to university. The unique brand of liturgy, interpretation of Christian mercy.
Sarah’s good Lenten message is a response to the dilemma by prayer and fasting. “Homosexuals are imprisoned”, true, although they are the prison keepers and wardens within the Church. There must be a willingness to resist this, which means disruption. Division insofar as witness to the truth in response to fabrications and lies an unavoidable reality.