There’s a lot of resistance to forgive and forget – Girasoli

There’s a lot of resistance to forgive and forget – Girasoli
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Wednesday, July 08, 2009 5:13:22 PM

VATICAN Ambassador to Zambia Nicola Girasoli has said there is a lot of resistance to forgive and forget in Zambia.
Delivering a homily at Chilalantambo Parish in Choma over the weekend, Archbishop Girasoli said true forgiveness included to forget.

"Many are ready to forgive, but not to forget. If we are not ready to forget, we shall never forgive. I see in Zambia a lot of resistance to forget: this touches all level of civic, social and political life," he said.

He said one of the main obstacles to forget was jealousy.

"In fact, jealousy is based on selfishness, and it is against Christian love. Jealousy destroys relationships and any kind of social partnership. Jealousy can lead to crimes and sins. I invite all Zambians to put aside any kind of jealousy and prejudices and to look and to judge people not from where they come from, or to what they belong, we need to look at each other in a spirit of a truly brotherhood, rooted in the same nation, having a common goal: to improve the lives of all and to reduce poverty," he said.

Archbishop Girasoli said the Catholic Church was not an association that desired to promote a specific cause.

"The cause of the Church is the risen Lord and the predication of his gospel and also the 'integral human development' the development of every person, especially of the poorest and the most neglected in the society. Sanctity flows throughout unity - unity and sanctity bear catholicity, apostolicity, making our faith universal. So it is unity the source of our belonging to the Catholic Church. If we are not united, we cannot grow in sanctity and be fruitful in our apostolate," he said.

Archbishop Girasoli said the Catholic Church would always promote and defend the unity of the Church at all levels from a single parish to Rome.

He said unity could not just be a feeling or something abstract.

Archbishop Girasoli said there was need to be united through the discovery of common wounds and scars.

He said it was only through the unity of all people that sustainable results would be achieved in the eradication of poverty as well as the common effort to overcome life's challenges.

Archbishop Girasoli said the mission of the Catholic Church was to give light and to help and a Catholic should never be upset.

He said Love could not be based on human reason.

"Love is love, and not calculation. Love is not mathematic.

Love is to break the wall of indifference and to work for others. This is why for us as Christians there is no love without forgiveness. People of Chilalantambo, People of Zambia look always forward, the mistakes of the past are already behind us, we all need to look forward," said Archbishop Girasoli.