by Kalpit Parajuli

Jesuit Father William Robins has lived in Nepal for 36 years: "The situation in the country has improved, but we have to work even harder to transform our example into a seed that will lead to vocations and interreligious respect. Experiencing Christian joy is the key to transforming society, still too rooted in superstition and discrimination. "

Kathmandu ( AsiaNews) - Helping Nepal enter into the Kingdom of Christ. This is the dream of the Jesuit Father William Robins (see photo), who for 36 years has lived and worked in education in the eastern country. Born into a Catholic family in Canada, Fr . Robins completed his studies in his home country and then in the United States: moved by the joy and witness of life of the members of the Society of Jesus , he decided to join them. He now says: "Even and especially we who are priests in non-Christian countries must be witnesses of that joy and that fairness."

Fr . Robins arrived in South Asia in 1971. After a few years of service in Bhutan, in 1977 he joined the Jesuit community in Nepal. Speaking to AsiaNews he reports: " The Jesuits are few in number, but they do a lot for this country . To increase this number, we set an example: when a young Catholic sees us living in a joyful and hardworking manner, enjoying life in service to God he is attracted to joining us. Living a model life is the key. "With this example, today 10 young Nepalese are undergoing a vocational experience in the Company.

Community Superior in 1991 and teacher at the Institute St. Xavier, the priest dreams of ushering Nepal into the Kingdom of Christ : "Many Nepalis practice today practice "Afno-Manche" culture [ literally ' nearest and dearest ' -ed].  It is a culture that discriminates against the marginalized and those who live in need, since it prioritizes those 'closest' in opportunities that should be available to all. There are 7 billion of us on earth, but we should all be Afno -  Manche, as we are all equal before God . "

"When all the people of a nation are equal before the law - he said - enjoy equal consideration from political parties and of the mechanisms of the state and have the same economic rights , then we come close to the Kingdom of Christ. When there is freedom for all religions, democratic rights , human rights, opportunities and hopes that are accessible to all, then people live in happiness . "

Regarding rights and freedoms, the priest recalls his experience during the regime led by the Hindu monarchy: " We were free to practice our faith, but there was no freedom for those who wanted to convert.  The laws are still the same today, despite the government being secular: Six Protestant friends were sentenced to 6 years in prison on charges of forced conversion. Indeed there have been no fundamental changes: secularism is mentioned in the interim Constitution, but is not yet institutionalized".

Regarding the current security situation in the country, Fr. Robins adds: "We do not live under constant threat, but we still have to be very careful because some Hindu fundamentalists have already attacked us. Remember the bomb in the Cathedral of the Assumption in 2009 and the murder of Fr. John Prakash, in 2008. The Nepalese people are very generous and good, but we must be careful here, as elsewhere, because of the few fundamentalists who are still around".

In Nepal, he stresses, "the population does not understand the value of secularism. This concept creates religious freedom and equality for all: even more important in a society such as Nepal , where superstition and discrimination still prevail . We would all be much more content to see a truly secular state, except for a handful of Hindus who fear losing their political power and their economic privileges".
In this sense, interfaith dialogue assumes a "huge" dimension: "We have done a lot but we must do more . Leaders of different religions should sit together, pray and preach love and mutual respect in order to strengthen inter-religious solidarity. We need to talk about the message of God to all. This is also true in the dialogue between Christians of different confessions , which is becoming an increasingly urgent need in the country".

From a Catholic point of view, Fr. Robins is convinced that things "will certainly improve. The number of believers will grow, because we serve God with honesty. We never choose easy conversions but expect people to come to us, attracted by our service. Currently there are about 60 Jesuits in the country, engaged in education, healthcare and peace building. We want to continue to serve the population to improve their quality of life, especially that of the most needy. We are at the forefront of proclaiming the Gospel , and we are proud".

From the political point of view, however, Catholics are at a crossroads , "Many Catholics say that Nepalese politics is ' dirty ', that it has no ethics. Perhaps this is why they tend not to consider a career in public life. So we have no Catholic party or Catholic political leaders, and finding a representative who embodies our values ​​is not easy. I invite people to vote for candidates who have shown they want to do good for the country".

 

• nepal
• catholic
• church
• jesuit
• missionary
• vocations