Catholic Church in Afghanistan

The Catholic Church in Afghanistan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church. There are very few Catholics in this overwhelmingly Muslim country—just over 200 attend Mass in its only chapel—and freedom of religion has been difficult to obtain in recent times, especially under the former Taliban regime.

Kandahar, Afghanistan (Dec. 23, 2001) -- U.S. navy chaplain commander Joseph Scordo of Pleasantville, NY, performs catholic mass for U.S. military personnel at a forward operating base in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Earlier Christians in Afghanistan were members of the historical Church of the East or the Armenian Oriental Orthodox Church, and there had been no sustained Catholic presence in Afghanistan until the 20th Century. From starting in 1921, the Italian embassy in Kabul was allowed to build the first and only legal Catholic chapel to serve foreigners working in the capital, but not open to local nationals.[1] On 16 May 2002, Pope John Paul II established a mission sui iuris for Afghanistan with Fr. Giuseppe Moretti as its first superior, presently Fr. Giovanni M. Scalese (both Italian Barnabites). In 2004, the Missionaries of Charity arrived in Kabul to carry out humanitarian work.

History

Early Christianity

See also: Christianity in Afghanistan

Legend from the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas and other ancient documents suggests that Saint Thomas the Apostle preached in Bactria, which is today northern Afghanistan.[2] The Nestorians planted Christianity in the area, and there have been nine bishops and dioceses in the region, including Herat (424-1310), Farah (544-1057), Kandahar, and Balkh. This early establishment of Christianity was overcome by Muslim invasions in the 7th century,[3] though the territory was not substantially controlled by Muslims until the 9th and 10th centuries.[4] In 1581 and 1582 respectively, the Jesuits Montesserat of Spain and Bento de Góis of Portugal were warmly welcomed by the Islamic Emperor Akbar, but there was no lasting Jesuit presence in the country.[5][6]

20th century

Italy was the first country to recognise Afghanistan’s independence in 1919, and the Afghan government asked how it could thank Italy. Rome requested the right to build a chapel, which was being requested by international technicians then living in the Afghan capital. A clause giving Italy the right to build a chapel within its embassy was included in the Italian-Afghan treaty of 1921, and that same year the Barnabites arrived to start giving pastoral care.[7] The actual pastoral work began in 1933 when the chapel international technicians had asked for was built.[8] In the 1950s, the simple cement chapel was finished.[9] On January 1, 1933, Fr. Egidio Caspani, CRSP, inaugurated the provisional chapel. His appointment was a personal request of Pope Pius XI to the Barnabite Superior General. Fr. Caspani had been the Rector of the Barnabite Seminary in Rome. To accompany him on this journey one of his students was ordained and sent with him, not publicly as a priest, but as his Diplomatic Courier and assistant Chancellor at the Embassy. Thus Mr. (really Fr.) Ernesto Cagnacci also began this new mission in Kabul.[10] "At the time the Catholic residents numbered in the hundreds, the majority of them in the capital, members of embassies or contractors employed by the Government of Afghanistan; others were dispersed throughout the country and were generally technicians and specialized workers, that lent their skills to the construction of various public works that marked the progress of the country."[11] In addition to his pastoral work, Fr. Caspani kept detailed notes of the politics, culture and geography of the land. These observations were later published in an Italian volume published in collaboration with Fr. Cagnacci entitled, "Afghanistan, crocevie dell'Asia".[12] Over the years a number of Barnabites have served as chaplains. After Fr. Caspani there was: Giovanni M. Bernasconi, 1947-1957; Raffaele Nannetti, 1957-1965; and Angelo Panigati, 1965 - 1990.[13]

Soviet invasion period and Taliban insurgency

Pope John Paul II called for a "just solution" to the Soviet–Afghan war in the 1980s.[14] Fr. Giuseppe Moretti first came to Afghanistan in 1977, and stayed until he was shot when the Italian embassy was attacked in 1994 and was forced to leave the country.[15][16] From 1990 to 1994 he was the only Catholic priest in the country.[17] After 1994, only the Little Sisters of Jesus were allowed to remain in Afghanistan, as they had been there since 1955 and their work was well known.[18] An official from the last pro-Communist government of Mohammad Najibullah went to see Fr. Moretti in 1992 with a sketch for a small compound that would be guaranteed immunity. However, nothing came of it as the political situation in Afghanistan unravelled—the civil war escalated and the Taliban came to power.[8] Fr. Moretti again was forced to flee but he later returned.[16] Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Catholic Relief Services sent clothing, food and bedding to returning refugees and internally displaced persons. They also bought school supplies for children returning to school.[19]

Post-Taliban

With the fall of the Taliban, Pope John Paul II requested that Fr. Moretti return to Afghanistan.[15] The first Mass in 9 years was celebrated on January 27, 2002, for members of the International Security Force and various members of foreign agencies.[9] On May 16, 2002, a mission sui iuris was created for all of Afghanistan. There is only one functioning chapel in the country, in the Italian Embassy in Kabul.[20] Projects of the new mission include a "Peace School" for 500 students that began construction in August 2003 and will be to "European standards".[17] Three religious sisters also work with those who have mental disabilities in the capital city, teaching those with cerebral palsy how to go to the toilet and how to eat on their own.[21] The small community went through a period of crisis during the kidnapping on May 17, 2005, of Clementina Cantoni, a member of CARE International, by four gunmen in Kabul as she walked to her car.[22] Sisters from the Missionaries of Charity had their house blessed on May 9, 2006, and have already started taking in street children. There had been fears that their distinctive blue and white habit would make them stand out and be harassed by Muslims, but their institute is generally respected.[23] Jesuit Relief Services has also applied to join the growing number of religious institutes in the country.[18] Jesuit Refugee Services has recently opened a technical school in Herat for 500 students including 120 girls.[24]

There have been efforts made to start inter-religious dialogue, with the Islamist head of the Afghan Supreme Court. Mullah Fazul Shinwari attended the inauguration of the mission and expressed a desire to meet with the Pope.[25]

The Catholic community in Afghanistan is mainly made of foreigners, especially aid workers, and no Afghans are known to be currently part of the Church, mainly due to great social and legal pressure not to convert to non-Islamic religions. Some Afghans have converted while overseas, but they keep it secret when they return.[26][27] Two Christian groups, Church World Service and Norwegian Church Aid, were accused of proselytizing while doing aid work in Afghanistan, which they denied, and 1,000 Afghans protested in Mazar-i-Sharif and burned the pope in effigy.[28] Despite this, the community has grown from only a few sisters to a full Sunday Mass of around 100.[20] Church attendance dipped in 2012 due to security concerns and less emphasis on religion among the foreigners in Afghanistan in recent years.[29]

Relations with the new democratic government of Afghanistan have been positive, such as Afghan President Hamid Karzai attending Pope John Paul II's funeral and congratulating Pope Benedict XVI on his election.[30]

The papal nuncio to neighboring Pakistan visited Afghanistan in 2005 and held a Mass in the Italian Embassy Chapel to an overflowing crowd, and Catholic officials hope that official diplomatic ties and a public Catholic church will be possible in the future.[31]

Mission Sui Iuris

The Mission Sui Iuris of Afghanistan (Latin: Missio sui juris Afghanistaniensis) is independent mission and a jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, immediately subject to the Holy See, covering the whole territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It is a “particular church”— that is to say, a portion of the people of God – likened to a Diocese (Can. 368). By the law itself, it possesses juridical personality (Can. 373). It was established by the Holy See and entrusted to the care of the Order of Clerics Regular of Saint Paul – Barnabites (CRSP). It is presided by an Ecclesiastical Superior (Latin: Superior ecclesiasticus), who acts as the Local Ordinary (Can. 134 §2).[32]

Foreign military

Members of foreign militaries (notably on NATO mission) are served by chaplains embedded within their units. In 2009, 17,000 soldiers from the United States stationed in eastern Afghanistan were served by 6 Catholic priests, including Catholic chaplains from other countries. Some bases have weekly Masses, while remote posts may only have Mass every 60 to 90 days.[33]

See also

• Catholic Church by country
• Christianity in Afghanistan
• Protestantism in Afghanistan

References

1. USSD Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2009). "International Religious Freedom Report 2009". Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2010.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. Merillat, Herbert Christian (1997). "Wandering in the East". The Gnostic Apostle Thomas. Archived from the original on 2004-09-27. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
3. "Asia at a glance". zenit.org. April 17, 2001. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
4. "Afghanistan". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
5. "Jesuits in Afghanistan?". SJ Electronic Information Service. June 17, 2005. Archived from the original on May 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
6. "After 400 years, Jesuits return to Afghanistan". Australian Jesuits. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
7. "Asia/Afghanistan - Barnabite Fathers 70 Years of Service in Afghanistan: Kabul Mission First Step for Growth of Local Church" Says Nuncio to Paskistan, Archbishop Alessandro D'Errico". Fides. September 29, 2003. Archived from the original on June 11, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
8. "A "public" church in Afghanistan? The past offers hope for the present (Overview)". Asianews.it. October 12, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
9. "Mass Celebrated Again in Afghan Capital". zenit.org. January 27, 2002. Archived from the original on March 6, 2002. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
10. Cagnacci, CRSP, Fr. Ernest; "Their establishment - Birth of a Shrine" in "Barnabites and North America", compiled by Rev. Ernest M. Cagnacci, CRSP; North American Voice of Fatima, Youngstown NY, 1977, p. 3.
11. Gentili, Antonio Maria, I Baranbiti, Roma, 1967, Ufficio Vocazioni, p. 435. (Translated by Rev. Peter M. Calabrese, CRSP).
12. Gentili, Antonio Maria, I Baranbiti, Roma, 1967, Ufficio Vocazioni, p. 436.
13. Gentili, Antonio Maria, I Baranbiti, Roma, 1967, Ufficio Vocazioni, p. 436-7.
14. "Pope Asks Afghan Solution". New York Times. December 29, 1983. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
15. Jessica Weinstein (2009-07-27). "Lone priest shepherds tiny flock of Catholics in Afghanistan". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
16. "Afghanistan May Now Be a Priestless Nation". zenit.org. November 8, 2001. Archived from the original on December 3, 2001. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
17. "The Sisters of Mother Teresa arrive in Kabul". Asianews.it. November 2, 2004. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
18. "Catholic presence expanding, Jesuit NGO and Sisters of Mother Teresa to arrive". Asianews.it. May 23, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
19. "Our Work: Afghanistan". Catholic Relief Services. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
20. Caffulli, Giuseppe (January 30, 2004). "A Church of the catacombs, made up of only foreigners". Asianews.it. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
21. "Nuns in 'civilian' clothes serving Jesus in Kabul". Asianews.it. June 15, 2006. Archived from the original on June 18, 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
22. "Caritas in Kabul: anguish but no panic, still standing by the Afghans". Asianews.it. May 18, 2005. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
23. "Sisters of Mother Teresa in Kabul". Asianews.it. May 18, 2005. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
24. "Catholic School Opens in Afghanistan". ewtn.com. June 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
25. "Draft Afghan Constitution Does Not Address Religious Freedom". zenit.org. November 20, 2003. Archived from the original on May 1, 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
26. Barker, Kim (March 22, 2006). "Afghan man faces death after leaving Islam for Christianity". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
27. Harman, Danna (2009-02-27). "Despite opposition, Afghan Christians worship in secret". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
28. "Afghans burn pope effigy over proselytizing claims". The Hindu. 2010-06-08. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
29. "Parish priest of Kabul: small seed of Christian witnesses of the resurrection of Christ". Asianews.it. 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
30. "South Asia welcomes new pontiff". BBC. April 20, 2005. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
31. "Nuncio to Pakistan visiting Kabul". Asianews.it. October 12, 2005. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
32. Scalese, Giovanni (June 24, 2018). "The INDEPENDENT MISSION OF AFGHANISTAN". Nasara, The R. C. Mission of Afghanistan Newsletter. No. 6 (Summertime): 4.
33. Weinstein, Jessica. "Afghanistan Chaplains Share Duties in Serving Troops", Catholic News Service. Published: 10 Aug, 2009; Accessed: 2 Feb 2014

Sources and external links

• GCatholic, with Google map and - satellite photo