Close to the last

To “tune in” in order to identify “our commitment for the coming years”. This is the purpose of the first Social Week of Moldovan Catholics according to Msgr. Anton Cosa, bishop of Chisinau, where the Week will be held October 11 to 14. “The courage of growing with the last” is the theme of the days. A few days before the opening of the Social Week, SIR Europe had a dialogue with bishop Cosa. It’s the first time that the Moldovan Church celebrates the social Week: what are your expectations? “As we near the day that marks the celebration of the Patron Saint of the Diocese – Mother of the Good Counsel, October 14 – and we approach the anniversary of the institutional presence of the Catholic Church in Moldova, we decided it was important to reflect, as a community, on our true commitment in this land, on the things we have accomplished and on what remains to be done. Over the past decades we have witnessed major events, which comprise not only the fall of a political system but also closer ties with Europe, migration flows, an impoverished social fabric and the rarefaction of those values that we hold dear as Catholics, notably faith, the family, the youth, the respect of life, child education. We felt the need to tune in to Church Magisterium, to Catholics committed in their faith, to wise educators, so as to identify our commitment for the coming years in the light of the Gospel”.Growing near the last: why was this theme chosen?“Moldova is a poor country. As recorded and described in international statistics, it is the poorest country in this area of the world. This is confirmed by the reality of every day life, which reminds us of our duty to be near the forlorn, most of whom are old people and youths. Our commitment to be near the ‘last’ brings us wherever there is the need of God’s love, that loves, serves, listens heals and fulfils the beautiful miracles of charity. In Moldova poverty is the loneliness of old people and of emigrants’ offspring. The last are the women, young women most of the time, who are exploited and subjected to violence. The last are ill people who don’t have the possibility of accessing treatment. The last are alcoholists and inmates detained in run-down prison compounds. The last are those craving for materialism, those who forgot God. We want them to know that the Gospel and charity are the solutions to such human misery”. What is the social reality of the country?“Owing to legal and illegal migration, 25% of the population has left, and now there are approximately 3.800.000 inhabitants. 36% of all resident population lament a condition of poverty, while only 12% enjoy comfortable living conditions. The rest live in a scarcely situation, especially thanks to the remittance of migrants, that account for most of the GDP. Moldova has no resources and it thrives on agriculture and on the tertiary sector. The latest elections, held in 2008, called into question the communist government with the affirmation of a centre-left coalition, which hasn’t yet reached an agreement on the name of the candidate to national presidency. There remains the difficult situation of the separatist territory of Transnistria, whose solution, despite the ongoing negotiations, is still far away. In fact, this Country feels projected towards Europe, it borders with Romania, but it also has close geographic, economic and cultural bonds with Russia”.Could you tell us about the religious dimension? Does the aftermath of the Communist period still linger on? “93% of the overall population belong to Christian Orthodox tradition, most of them are close to Moscow’s Patriarchate, while a minority identify with the Patriarchate of Budapest. Catholics are amount to less than 1%, followed by Jews, Protestants from different areas, and a very few Muslims. In the Communist years a large part of the population turned atheist, even those from practising Catholic households, such as those with Polish background. Communism has always instilled in the population a strong diffidence, that often grew into an opposition against all forms of religious expression, and the traces of that behaviour linger on also nowadays”.To what extent does the Catholic presence in Moldova have an impact on society? “Catholics have always been there. The Church once also had a lot of property, which was requisitioned by the regimes. Today we hope that at least part of that property will be returned, as Pope Benedict XVI recalled upon receiving the credentials of the new Moldovan Ambassador to the Holy See. It is a valuable presence, as is valuable the commitment in the works of charity and social services. To this contribute the parishes, the religious communities, and most of all, the Church carries out her commitment with her works for the population as a whole, that is greatly comforted by the charity of a Church that is close to the forlorn”.