9 Points to Ponder on the Paris Shooting and Charlie Hebdo by Omid Safi

As a person of faith, times like these try my soul. Times like these are precisely when we need to turn to our faith. We turn inward, not because the answers are easy, but because not turning inward is unthinkable in moments of crisis.

So let us begin, not with the cartoons at the center of the shootings at the office of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, but with the human beings. Let it always be about the human beings:

• Stéphane "Charb" Charbonnier, 47 (editor)
• Bernard Maris, 68 (economist)
• Georges Wolinski, 80 (cartoonist)
• Jean "Cabu" Cabut, 78 (cartoonist)
• Bernard "Tignous" Verlhac, 57 (cartoonist)
• Philippe Honoré, 73 (cartoonist)
• Elsa Cayat (columnist)
• Michel Renaud (a guest)
• Frederic Boisseau (building maintenance worker)
• Franck Brinsolaro, 49 (a police officer)
• Moustapha Ourrad (copy editor)... It’s not Muslims vs. cartoonists, as long as there are Muslim cartoonists.
• Ahmed Merabet, 42, (police officer)... A Muslim who died protecting the cartoonists from Muslim terrorists. Muslim vs. Muslim.

And brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, and Hamyd Mourad — the shooters, with a legacy of crime behind them.

I try to resist the urge to turn the victims into saintly beings, or the shooters into embodiments of evil. We are all imperfect beings, walking contradictions of selfishness and beauty. And sometimes, like the actions of the Kouachi brothers and Mourad, it results in acts of unspeakable atrocity.

So how do we process these horrific news? Let me suggest nine steps:

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An Uncommon Path to Justice

On December 6, 2014 misogynic comments including a poll requesting opinions about sexually violating female classmates were posted on the internet by male dentistry students. Within the following days the ungentlemanly behavior of, members of “The Gentlemen’s Club”, male students in their final year of dentistry at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia has been made public. These budding professionals had been posting degrading photographs and violent sexual comments about their female classmates on Facebook. Reaction from the professors, public, and fellow students has been swift and negative. The response of the targeted female classmates has been different. They proposed dealing with the issue through a process of restorative justice. Dalhousie University President Richard Florizone met with the women to seek confirmation that they truly wanted this course of action before complying with their request. President Florizone was tearful throughout his announcement and obviously had been emotionally affected by “listening to the voices of those directly harmed” by the behavior of the male students.

Since President Florizone’s announcement public reaction has been mostly negative. 5600 people added their names to a petition demanding expulsion of the thirteen male students. Two hundred students staged a public protest and several faculty members have requested an investigation. Numerous negative responses have been posted in response to newspaper reports about the restorative justice initiative. There are concerns that the process is inadequate, that the larger issue of misogyny throughout the campus is not being addressed, that the female victims are being pressured into accepting an inadequate process. President Florizone has stated that the process with involve the offenders, the women who have been harmed, and university officials. Decisions made through this process must meet the agreement of all parties; expulsion of the students has not been ruled out.    

Restorative justice practice could be a farce.  It is possible that offenders see it as an easy alternative to the legal process and enter into it for the purpose of avoiding justice, that community members pressure victims to “cooperate”, or that decisions made fail to bring about effective change in offenders or the community.  However, restorative justice can be very effective in bringing about change in offenders and healing in victims and the community. Frequently, as a member of a community justice committee in northern Canada, I would have emotional reactions similar to the protesters of the Dalhousie project as I read police reports of the offenders appearing before the Committee. As the hearing unfolded, I, other Committee members, victims, and offenders would be changed as we listened to each other. Offenders ‘caught’ how their actions had affected others, including their own families, their victims, and members of the community. Victims came to see the offenders as fellow human beings who genuinely regretted having caused harm and who were willing to try to somehow make up for the harm their actions had caused to themselves and to the community as a whole. For restorative justice to work the offenders had to accept responsibility for their bad behavior. President Richard Florizone’s difficulty in speaking after “listening to the voices” of the women dental students was obvious. I have observed how very difficult it can be for an offender to listen to the pain of persons he or she has hurt. Punishment cannot obliterate offenses, resulting pain, or the offender’s responsibility for his or her actions. Victims can choose to stay stuck in anger or revenge or to accept the fact of having been wounded, accept the wound as part of their life and move forward.

When restorative justice works well, it brings about unity and reconciliation in offenders, victims, and the community. It is more likely to bring about true and lasting change in offenders than would legal procedures focused on punishment. It is also a more difficult process that calls forth courage, honesty, and willingness to change. I congratulate the women dental students who have proposed restorative justice and I sincerely hope that all involved participate in a manner which will achieve the aims of the process. Trust, however, is restored more slowly after a serious offense. How long will it take and what must the offenders do to demonstrate that they have changed? How long will it be before the female classmates, university administration, patients, and the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario judge that the male students are fit to be trusted as professional dentists? Perhaps this will be a staged process taking place over time.

We have no guarantee that the Dalhousie restorative justice initiative will be absolutely successful in achieving its goals. Neither can we be certain that harsh punishment will change behavior and attitudes.  Much time, money, and effort has gone into the education of the thirteen students and their futures too are a consideration in deciding how to respond to their admittedly disgusting actions. Whatever choice is made affects the future of these men and cannot be made lightly. Nor can the harm done to their victims, the university, and our society be dismissed as unworthy of efforts to bring about healing and restored relationships.

Patricia McKeon, CSJ

My favorite Christmas story is ...

My favorite Christmas story is from Father René Fumoleau, a Catholic priest in Lutselk’e, Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada.  [He recounts it in a lovely audio CD of his stories, “They Gave Me a Chance”].

As a young man, Father Fumoleau was sent to a small Dene community in the NWT for his first assignment as priest for a local congregation there.  One of the first things he decided he wanted to do was make the church more reflective of local Dene culture.

As part of this exercise he went to visit a local Dene artist. Fumoleau said to the painter, “I’d like to put a painting of the Nativity Scene into the church; but I’d like the painting to be done with references to Dene culture.”

The painter nodded and so Fumoleau went on: “I was thinking we could paint the Nativity Scene as if it took place up here. Maybe having Joseph and Mary–instead of going into Bethlehem– paint them coming into a Dene village maybe by dog team? And they went from door to door being turned away until they come to the Dene equivalent of the manger, a barn, the building where Jesus is born. What do you think?”

The painter nodded noncommittally.

So Fumoleau said, “Well it’s summer time now, it’s a long ways to go before Christmas. Think about it and I’ll come back and check out on you later.”

A few months later, in the autumn, Fumoleau went back to visit the painter.

“How’s the Nativity Scene going? Have you painted it?” The painter shook his head, and said, “No.”

Fumoleau said, “Well there’s still some time. I’ll check back later.”

A few weeks before Christmas, he visited the painter again.

He asked, “How’s it going? Have you made any progress in painting the Dene Nativity Scene?” The painter shook his head, and said, “No.” Fumoleau said, “You’re not going to paint one are you?” The painter said, “No.”  Fumoleau sighed and asked, “Why not?” And the Dene painter answered, “Because I can’t paint it the way you ask Father. If Joseph and Mary came to a Dene village, the first door they knocked on would take them in.”

Originally posted, December 15, 2010  on Derek Dharma’s Blog.

All We Need is Love

Upon my arrival in the Miami International Airport, I soon set foot on the convenient moving sidewalk.  Gently moving along, I spotted what appeared to be letters, at least five feet high, on the wall beside me. They were carefully decorated with brightly coloured flowers. The first capitalized word was LOVE.  It intrigued me. As I continued to move along the walkway I tried to read this message backwards.  There were three exclamation marks in a similar decorative pattern. As I continued, I was trying to guess what the next words might read.  “ALL WE NEED IS LOVE ! ! ! “   LOVE

I was returning from Guatemala where our group, Guatemala Hope, had received much love from the villagers in these small towns along a portion of the Pacific Coast. Our deepest hope was that in our interactions with the people of those villages that they had felt our genuine love and support. Their love was expressed in preparing our meal after our long journey from the capital city, in welcoming hugs, in words of appreciation and thanks. Yes, I was returning from Guatemala, however, my thoughts were on the media stories that I had been hearing prior to leaving Canadian soil. These stories were filled with the violence of war, bombings, assaults, fraudulent activities, and the increasing worldwide fear of Ebola. Those thoughts about the world resurfaced as I was heading home to Windsor, Ontario. The unique message, “all you need is love”, gave me hope and reminded me of the awesome prayer of Pope Francis that we might “create a world of brothers and sisters”.

Mabel St. Louis CSJ

From the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

When Jesus was born, I don't think Mary or Joseph thought about anything but the joy of having and holding the child. At that blessed midnight moment, the future did not exist: the rejection, betrayal, misunderstanding, the violence of scourging and crucifixion. There was only joy and gratitude. We all need times like that - midnight moments - when the wonder of the present fills our being and the past and future cease to exist. (Carmelites of Indianapolis, Hidden Friends, p. 15)

This Christmas,

May God's blessing of Joy satisfy your heart.

May God's blessing of Peace quiet you soul.

May God's blessing of Love refresh your spirit.

May all the blessings given to us in Christ fill your Christmas and the coming year with many reasons for rejoicing.

Painting: Nativity by Gari Melchers (1860-1932, American)