Provinzial calls for commitment against right-wing extremism

In view of the success of the AfD in Germany and the probable re-election of Donald Trump as US President, the Pallottine Provincial, Fr. Markus Hau, has called on all Christians to work for a better and more humane world. Now is the time to decide to become a disciple of Jesus, said Fr Hau on the occasion of the memorial of the Order’s founder, St Vincent Pallotti, on 22 January.

Everyone is called to be an apostle in this world, as Vincent Pallotti demanded. In this context, Fr Hau expressly praised the fact that in recent times people have allowed themselves to be called to “stand up for democracy and human dignity, against right-wing extremism and against darkness”.

These are the things that make life worth living.

The world is going to change, the Minister Provincial warned, in the Church and in the world. Above all, he praised the courage of the people who are taking to the streets to defend democratic values. “Because you have to dare,” said Fr Hau. In a world that is falling apart, however, it takes people who have confidence to face this changed future with confidence.

“My soul is in a hurry”

It is important to focus resolutely on what is important, said the Provincial, quoting a poem by a Brazilian writer entitled “My soul is in a hurry”. Father Haus concluded: We no longer have time for trivialities, it is now about the essential. And this is also the tone of the Gospel of the Pallotti Memorial Day, when Jesus sends his disciples away with the words: “Take nothing with you”. Father Hau: “If you want to be a disciple, you have to be in a hurry”.

“The time for sitting on the sofa is over,” the Provincial stressed. We have entered a new era and we no longer have time to rest. He deliberately spoke these words to the Church, to the Pallottine community and to the world. In this time of upheaval, the disciples of Jesus must bring two things: Peace and the kingdom of God, which is a kingdom of justice and human kindness.

Report & Photo: Alexander Schweda

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