Welcome to our special program on the Year of Faith, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, a series
on the lives of Inspiring People and Witnesses of faith in the Catholic Church from
around the world. These are people who lived their ordinary lives in extraordinary
ways. They are examples of great fortitude and virtue. Their unique stories inspire
us to be rooted in our faith. God calls each one of us today to inspire our brothers
and sisters and to be witnesses of our faith. The Faithful Witness of this week
is Benedict Rogers, a London-based
activist, and member of the Anglican Church, who was received into the Catholic Church
by Bishop Charles Bo of Yangon on Palm Sunday this year. Benedict Rogers is
a journalist and human rights activist. He was born in London, and worked as a team
leader for the East Asia team of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). xxxx
Our program, the Faithful Witness today, presents the story of Benedict Rogers,
a London-born journalist and a human rights activist, who recently became a Catholic
after two years of preparation in the Catechumenate. The ceremony was held in Yangon,
Myanmar, presided over by the local archbishop Charles Bo. In fact, Archbishop Bo
played a key role in his decision to convert to Catholicism, matured over time after
a long period of study and reflection. The ceremony was attended by Catholics, Protestants,
ethnic minorities, agnostics, atheists and Buddhists. It confirmed the strong link
Rogers established with the people of Burma and the many others active in the nation.
And as reflected by his story, the most obvious sign of the grace received was the
"smiles" of friends, which prompted him to write thus: "it seemed to me that even
God was happily smiling." He himself wrote his story for the Rome based News Agency
‘AsiaNews’ which published it on 3 April this year. Let us now listen to him R: On Palm Sunday,
just over ten days after the election of Pope Francis 1, I was received into the Catholic
Church in a ceremony at St Mary's Cathedral, Rangoon, Burma, by the Archbishop of
Rangoon Charles Bo, with British Parliamentarian Lord Alton as my sponsor. Friends
who joined the celebration included Burmese Buddhists, Baptists from the Karen and
Chin ethnic group, a couple of Western lapsed Catholics and several foreign friends
who are non-religious, secular, agnostic or atheist. On every count this was a unique
occasion. Q: Why did you become a Catholic, and why in Rangoon? R: So why did
I become a Catholic, and why Rangoon? In 1994, I became a Christian, as a result of
a one-week mission on my university campus led by Methodist preacher Donald English.
For 19 years, I have worshipped in evangelical, charismatic Anglican churches. But
I have always had a deep respect for the Catholic Church, and have been inspired by
many Catholics with whom I have worked over the years. R: I work for the international
human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which specializes
in religious freedom. I have worked on Burma for 15 years, travelling more than 40
times to the country and its borders, to visit dissidents, activists, refugees and
internally displaced peoples and to document their stories. I have crossed the borders
into the conflict zones many times, and I have been deported from the country twice.
I have written three books about Burma, including a biography of the former dictator
Than Shwe. Q:
Over the years of mission in the various countries of Asia, Benedict Rogers has met
with prominent personalities of the Catholic view, including Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister
for Religious Minorities in Pakistan, murdered by Islamic fundamentalists in March
2011 for his firm opposition to the notorious blasphemy laws. He says: R:
I have also worked on East Timor, Pakistan, China, Indonesia and North Korea, among
other places. The suffering of the people and the courage of those who try to change
the situation has been a constant source of inspiration. In Pakistan, the Federal
Minister for Minorities Affairs, assassinated two years ago, was a good friend of
mine. We travelled together several times, when he was a grassroots activist. We shared
my experiences, including missing a bomb by five minutes, and meeting a seven year-old
Christian girl who had been raped. Another friend in Pakistan was Shahbaz's mentor,
Group Captain (Rtd) , a leading human rights campaigner. In East Timor, I worked with
an amazing nun, Sister Lourdes, and her Secular Institute of Brothers and Sisters
in Christ (ISMAIK), as well as with Father Fransisco Maria Fernandes, the first East
Timorese to be exiled by Indonesia in 1975. In Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen's boldness
impressed me. My friend James Mawdsley, who spent many months in a Burmese jail for
pro-democracy protests and is now a seminarian, encouraged me along the way. And Lord
Alton's integrity, courage, conviction and conscience inspires me in politics. I have
had the privilege of working with Lord Alton for a decade, and travelled with him
to Pyongyang in 2011. R: Sub-consciously, therefore, I have long been drawn to
the Catholic Church. But until two years ago, I had no intention of changing my affiliation.
I was content to be an Anglican, benefiting from the best of all worlds - appreciating
the good things of the evangelical and charismatic traditions, while respecting Catholicism.
All that changed during a series of conversations with Archbishop Bo in Rangoon. Q:
when did you meet Archbishop Bo and what happened afterwards? R: I first met Archbishop
Bo five years ago. I was instantly impressed by his understated courage, his quiet
determination to take a stand against injustice in Burma, his warmth, generosity of
spirit, hospitality, humility and humour. He is not a rabble-rouser, he is not someone
who would take to the streets, and he has wisely navigated his way to being a voice
of conscience, without getting into trouble with the authorities. Read any of his
homilies over the years and the message of justice and freedom is clear, without always
being explicit. His combination of boldness and wisdom is impressive. Q: That was
Benedict Rogers sharing his faith experiences. You can listen to the second part of
his conversion experience next week. xxxx You have been listening to
THE FAITHFUL WITNESS our weekly series based on the lives of Inspiring People and
Witnesses of faith in the Catholic Church from around the world. If you have a faith
experience to share with us, let us know. Visit our website radiovaticana.va.