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C u l t u r a l Q u a l i t i e s o f F o r m a t o r - P . V a l i y a k u n n e l | 1

Duc in Altum-Formation of Formators -FAMC Intensive Formation Course for Formators

Franciscan Conventuals in Asian Federation - FAMC

23rd June - 02nd July 2013 - Seraphicum - Rome

Cultural Dimension of the service of Formation and Inculturation of Formation in Asian Context - Cultural Qualities of the Formator

From Inculturation to Interculturation in formation

fr. Prince Valiyakunnel OFMCap

27 June 2013

FROM INCUTURATION TO INTERCULTURATION

Thirty-four years have passed since the term “inculturation” first appeared in a Vatican document (Catechesi tradendae, n. 53, October 1979). Since then, the term and concept of inculturation have gained a prominent place in papal speeches on missionary action, evangelisation and intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

Since its birth the Church encountered a great many cultures. In the 20th century, the Magisterium of the Church welcomed the rapid rise of complexity and cultural pluralism, through reflection and analysis. The Second Vatican Council dealt with the relationship between faith and culture in the constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS. 53).

Gradually, the term inculturation took its place alongside concepts like “acculturation,” “transculturation,” “enculturation,” and “interculturation”. Acculturation refers to the meeting of cultures and the changes it generates. Transculturation refers to a set of elements present in all cultures or the ethnocentric and unidirectional transfer of some elements from one culture to another. Enculturation refers to the process whereby an individual learns the requirements of the culture in which one is steeped. It is the process by which culture is passed on from one generation to the next. In this sense, enculturation is synonymous with “socialization”.

In 1975, the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi had already addressed the relationship between Gospel and culture. John Paul II used the term “inculturation” to highlight the fact that the Gospel transcended all cultures because it was experienced by men and women always immersed in specific cultures.

Borrowing from the Special Assembly of the Synod in 1985, Pope John Paul II defined inculturation as “the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity and the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures” (Redemptoris Missio, 52). Here inculturation is characterized by a dual movement - a dialogic movement towards cultures via the incarnation of the Gospel and the transmission of its values, and a movement towards the Church that involves the incorporation of values that come from the cultures the latter encounters. Therefore, a fruitful cross-fertilisation can follow.


Here inculturation raises two related problems, that of the evangelisation of cultures and that of the cultural understanding of the Gospel. This movement led John Paul II to say in 1982 that “The synthesis between culture and faith is not only a requirement of culture, but also of faith ... Faith that does not become culture is not fully accepted, nor entirely reflected upon, or faithfully experienced” (Speech to the participants of the national congress of the Movimento Ecclesiale di Impegno Culturale, 16 January 1982). This means that inculturation is not an action but an active gradual process based on mutual recognition and dialogue, a critical mind and insight, faithfulness and conversion, transformation and growth, renewal and innovation.

To really understand the process of “inculturation”, we need to clarify the relationship between faith and culture, and see how the Christian faith spreads around the world when it comes into contact with all cultures, we must first ask ourselves what culture means. What is culture? As a starting point, we can say that culture is the set of means used by mankind to become more virtuous and reasonable in order to become fully human.

The issue of cultures’ opening to universal values was developed by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in Faith and Interculturation, a paper released by the International Theological Commission in 1988. A variety of meanings came to be attached to the concept of inculturation. They include not only the efforts by the Church to make the Gospel enter every socio-cultural context, but also its influence on cultures to which is linked “the idea of growth, the mutual enrichment of people and groups, by virtue of the meeting between the Gospel and a given social environment.”

In 1993, in a speech to the bishops of Asia, then Cardinal Ratzinger said, “We should no longer speak of inculturation but of the meeting of cultures or ‘inter-culturality’.” For Benedict XVI, interculturality “belongs to the original form of Christianity” and implies both a positive attitude to other cultures and the religions that constitute the soul of these cultures. The work of purification and the “courageous stance” are indispensable for every culture that wants to remain open and alive.

DYNAMICS OF INTERCULTURATION

Culture, by nature, is not static. So too is intercultural encounters. It is always subject to change, depending on its interactions with other cultures and the inner dimension or the interiority of culture.

Several cultures may coexist in the same society; several societies may share a common culture. Though they are theoretically distinguished, they are closely intermingled. It involves a challenging and probably never-ending process of development through interaction between members of different cultural groups. It means more than mere ‘living in peace’ with one another, ‘equal but separate’. It cannot be reduced to cultural interaction. It cannot be imposed by creating an artificial unity which suffocates all differences. Denial of the existence of differences does not foster unity. Interculturation comes as the result of the integration of contributions from various cultural expressions to form something NEW without diminishing the value of each cultural component.

The point of departure for true intercultural encounter is the awareness of one’s own culture and its limits while striving to reduce the prejudices and blind-spots which affect one’s way of viewing and interacting with members of other cultures. Here one needs to work hard to understand others and delve into the meaning of their symbolisms. One needs to learn to recognize and respect their value-systems.

This move beyond one’s cultural limits begins with an attitude of listening to one another. Listening takes time and effort. Judgments need to be suspended. Willingness to risk is involved. Trust must be created and maintained if cross-cultural understanding is to take place.


Transcendent values are found in the hearts of all people and cultures: solidarity based on justice, yearning for peace, value of life in its various stages, education toward an integral humanism, challenging call to forgiveness and reconciliation, healing of memories. These are the motivators already existing on a human level in our pursuit of universal brotherhood.

The authenticity of each human culture can be measured to the extent by its commitment to the human cause and by its capacity to promote human dignity at every level and in every circumstance. The ultimate goal of human longing is to arrive at a civilization of love and peace.

Interculturality firmly roots one in one’s particular tradition with a critical attitude and can counter the bad effects of both globalization and cultural affirmation. Here both globalization and the static traditions are challenged.

The level of influence in the dialogue between cultures depends on whether a change is on the external aspect or the internal aspect of culture. The external aspects are more easily affected by change, but such change is superficial. The inner aspects at the core of a culture are not easily permeable to other cultures. However, if they do change they have profound influence on the entire culture.

Religious experience is one of the most important inner dimensions of culture that affects profound influence on the culture through intercultural encounters. Thus any change in religious experience affects the whole culture, religion and philosophy of life.

Eg. St. Francis’ visit to the Sultan – both are enriched by their mutual presence. (Bonaventure, Major Legend of Saint Francis, XI).

Intercultural integration leads one neither to suppress nor to forget one’s cultural identity. Rather, it helps us to relive authentically the Christian doctrinal tradition and to root ourselves in authentic and living cultural traditions of our ethos.

VOCATION IN ASIA: CHARECTERISTICS

The world is becoming what Asia has always been – a multicultural, multilingual, multiethnic and multi-religious society. Asia is the cradle of the major religions of the world. For centuries, people of various religious traditions have coexisted and interacted not only in what concerns matters of belief but also in mundane questions. In Asia to speak of religious pluralism is to recall its culture, traditions, ways of life, modes of education etc. It is to recall Asian civilization.

This Asian experience teaches that there is no room for cultural isolationism in an authentic culture. As we have already seen, the very nature of culture demands this intercultural communication of ‘give and take’. The survival of any culture depends on its capacity to encounter new forces, in dynamic continuity with the past, and arrive at ever new syntheses. The intercultural encounter causes for the enrichment of the culture and for the removal of the dehumanizing factors that are operative in each culture. Here the inculturating community discerns the chaff of false hopes and false values from the wheat of genuine growth.

Following are some of the specialities of the vocations to religious life Asia.

1. Deep desire to follow Christ:

The candidates come with the ardent desire to follow the poor, humble and crucified Christ in the footprints of St. Francis. The committed life of our elder brothers and sisters lived in our cultural diversity serve as an example to the youngsters to choose a Franciscan mode of consecrated life. Formators are to facilitate this desire of the youngsters by living an exemplary life.


2. Attraction to consecrated life:

Asia is the land of religions and home to many sages, rishis, gurus, and swamijis. Such religious figures are held in high esteem in the Asian culture. There is a spontaneous desire in people to live a simple and austere life dedicated for the common good. The consecrated life lived by the formators become an example for the candidates in formation to fulfil their desire to live the dedicated life.

3. To render loving service:

With the desire to render loving service to the needy, thousands of Asian Franciscan brothers and sisters have committed themselves as missionaries, preachers, teachers, evangelizers, and social assistants etc. They find the fulfilment in their vocation by rendering loving service the needy beyond the limits of race, caste, creed and colour. The formators need to transmit this great value of loving service.

4. Attraction to the simple life:

In fact the simple style of Franciscan life, the modest housing, spirit of service, the availability do any service, the humble dealings etc are all qualities that attract the youngsters to live the Franciscan way of simple life. The formators need to be aware of the same and give the good example of simple life.

5. Franciscan joy:

The life evangelical simplicity gives the Franciscans the internal joy which is again the point of attraction for the youngsters to join our way of life. The formators need to be the witnesses of this internal joy through an evangelical life.

6. Franciscan Brother/Sisterhood:

Fraternity and Minority are the two pillars of Franciscan life which make it essentially relational. In a society that craves for titles and degrees, the youngsters are attracted to the Franciscan brotherhood and sisterhood which considers everyone and everything as brothers and sisters, created by the same God. The formators too need to live and share the same experience.

7. Franciscan Minority:

The minority makes Franciscan to be closer to people and helps them to be available to all those in need. The formators need to imbibe and transmit the value of minority.

8. Franciscan spirit of Dialogue:

The spirit of dialogue is to be developed in three levels: dialogue with the people, especially with the marginalized and impoverished; dialogue with the cultures that involves contextualization or interculturation; and dialogue with religions known as inter-faith or inter-religious dialogue.

9. Spirit of Poverty:

Franciscan spirit of poverty and detachment are source of inspiration for many. One needs to understand and practice poverty as a loving and responsible use of goods and should have the ability to renounce them with great interior freedom. Poverty ensures that one remains available to be sent wherever his work will be most useful and needed even at the cost of personal sacrifice. Poverty, as a witness of a total ‘honesty’ in the administration, helps one to stand beside the underprivileged, to practice solidarity, to be more sensitive and capable of understanding, to promote a preferential option for the poor, and to have a gentle approach to the poor, sinners and the marginalized of the society (Pastores dabo vobis 30).

9. Missionary Motivation:

Franciscan commitment to the Missions is well known as we are involved in most of the mission work in all over the world. The Asiatic continent, the largest and most populous continent, still


remain as mission for evangelization. In a ‘reverse mission’ many Asian churches send missionaries abroad, especially to the West, where there is a shortage of clergy and religious. The missionary spirit is to be instilled in the candidates.

10. Call to Sanctity:

St. Francis of Assisi, St. Antony of Padova, St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Padre Pio, St. Alfonsa, are the Franciscan saints known to the Asiatic world. Many youngsters are attracted to our family due to these saints. Formators have the duty to direct them in the positive manner through their accompaniment.

SOCIO-CULTURAL CHALLENGES TO FORMATION

We live in an epoch of change that is rather fully different from the classical models of formation that existed in the Church and in religious life. The ‘classical’ models appear to be inadequate to the present needs, because the society is almost fully changed and continues the process of fast and unstoppable change. Today people are unable to catch up with the fast changes in its various levels and dimensions and especially in the socio-cultural reality. The Church, the religious life in particular, is not different from the fate of the present society.

There are many phenomenons that in a more or less significant way impress in a small or big manner the individuals, cultural groups and institutions. Let us mention some challenges that are more significant to the religious formation.

1. Migration

We live in a ‘mobile, cord-less’ society. Movement is one of the characteristic of the present society. Individuals and groups easily change their location than earlier. The presence of multiple cultures has become an increasingly common phenomenon in many countries in the world as a result of migration due to tourism, higher education, research, occupation, other diplomatic mission etc. This migratory movement causes for more meetings, encounters and exchanges between various cultural realities. The increasing number of migration has profound significance and effects on the society, the Church and the religious life. It is a complex phenomenon, caused by many factors like socio-cultural, economic, political, juridical, religious, vocational and pastoral. It has its positive and negative aspects.

Ban Ki-Moon, the General Secretary of UNO said: “The migrants contribute to the human development, enrich the societies by bringing along with diversity of cultures, exchange of knowledge and technology; as well as they safeguard the demographic equilibrium contrasting the progressive aging of the population”. Thus migration becomes a determinant factor of change in society at its various levels. After the Second Vatican Council, there was a ‘migratory movement’ within the Church and the religious life causing demographic changes within.

In the developing and underdeveloped countries the birth rate is more where as in the developed nations the death rate is more. This demographic variation in the society affects the life of the social physiognomy, culture and geography of the Church and religious life. As one can note the number of vocations to religious life is on increase in the African, Asiatic, and Latin American countries where there is increase in population where as there is tremendous decrease in the Europe and North America. Migration in religious life should contribute to the cooperation in the encounter between the cultures. But the migration and the change along with it causes for certain challenges:

At the personal level: Individuals have better opportunity to come out (from oneself and one’s environment), opportunity for movement, for change, for having other experiences, for entering in


contact with other realities, people, cultures, and for sharing one’s talents in the intellectual, affective, rational level.

At the interpersonal or communitarian level: There exists a great richness in the exchange, in the life style, in communication, and in relationship. But there exists also the risk of closing and hiding oneself by forming one’s own prejudices and judgments etc. This can lead one to grow up with the sense of refusal, conflict, encounter, competition and rivalry.

At the institutional level: Migration can cause for cultural variation and more plurality. It is always open to challenges of unity and communion in the plurality of expressions, styles, needs and projections.

Thus the phenomenon of migration obliges one to interculturality in various levels. As formation is a dynamic process of growth, interculturality in formation offers an opportunity to live the Gospel in a concrete, realistic and daily manner.

2. Globalization

Today the Church and the religious life face a situation which is becoming increasingly diversified and demanding, in the context of "globalization" and of the consequent new and uncertain mingling of peoples and cultures (John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 40). “Globalization, in itself, is neither bad nor good. But its impact will depend on the decisions made by the individuals” (John Paul II, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, 27 April 2001, 2).

Globalization affects the ‘whole’ reality: not only economy, finance, politics, communication, technology but also can cause for more insecurity, fear, criminality, terrorism, injustice, violence, war, corruption, poverty, environmental pollution etc. As globalization is ‘managed’ by the individuals, groups and institutions with the self-interest, the general tendency is to develop more violence, poverty and misery than peace and solidarity.

At the personal level, globalization deals with the identity of the person (being) and his personality (mode of thinking, feeling, behaving, and relating).

At the interpersonal-community level, globalization offers the possibility to enter in contact with the diversity and brings unity through the capacity of true dialogue, respect, appreciation, acceptance, empathy, responsibility, solidarity etc.

At the institutional level, globalization offers the possibility for greater inter-connections and inter-dependence that helps one for the capacity to organize, coordinate, collaborate, promote, and for mutual exchange with different cultural realities.

Those directly involved in the field for formation have the responsibility to know not only the globalized world as something ‘outside’, but also to be aware of how much this reality is ‘within’ the persons, in the interpersonal and communitarian environment, and in the religious institutions. “Globalization must not become a new form of colonization. It must respect the diversity of cultures and the universal harmony of people.” (John Paul II, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, 27 April 2001, 4).

3. ‘Liquid’ Modernity

In this techno-digital virtual world there are no fences or walls, no limits or boundaries. It transcends time and space. Everything seems provisory. The world of relations and interpersonal communication is becoming all the more virtual. The effects of ‘liquid technology’ are clearly visible in the sphere of intercultural formation and in the digital generation that is to be accompanied in the formation. It inevitably touches the various aspects of the person in formation: his mind, his affective world of emotions and sentiments, his behaviour and actions, his relations and communications, his corporality and spirit, his dreams and reality. There is the risk of fragmentation, dissolution, liquefaction of his deep ‘I’, of the personality structure, of his identity and membership.


4. Secularised society:

Asia is not exempted from the clutches of universal phenomenon of secularism. Though our society is fundamentally traditional and conservative, the tsunami wave of secularism is devastating our countries. The wealthy increases in wealth even though millions of people live below poverty line. The gap between the rich and the poor is on rise, so too the level of illiteracy. This factor of the changing society affects the religious life and the formation.

5. Media and communication:

Asia is one of the greatest producers and consumers of electronic world. Use of internet and mobile phones bring along with it the benefits and dangers, especially for the youngsters. Interesting and at the same time harmful materials are easily available in the internet and the media that can steal the time which could be dedicated for the good purpose.

6. Racial and Cultural Differences:

The racial and cultural differences pose a great challenge to the formation as the customs and practices are different from group to group. This makes the intercultural dialogue and formation complex. Cultural differences often remain as a stumbling-block in the formation houses where the members are of different races and cultural backgrounds.

7. Linguistic differences:

Language is the communication bridge. Linguistic differences make the intercultural formation complicated and uneasy. The formators as well as those in formation find the difficulty in understanding and communicating each other in the spiritual, moral, philosophical and theological matters. This makes the spiritual accompaniment as well as the academic teaching process difficult until a common language is mastered by the whole group.

8. Increasing rationalism and individualism:

Rationalism renders human reason insensitive to transcendence and divine revelation, while it makes a desperate defence of personal subjectivity. This leads to individualism. It makes true human relationship rather impossible and causes for loneliness.

9. Distorted sense of obedience and freedom:

Obedience is not understood as obedience to the objective and universal truth. Freedom is considered as a blind acquiescence to instinctive forces and to an individual’s will to power. On religious level such a situation causes widespread indifference and results in a life as if God did not exist.

10. Crisis of Faith:

With the increasing economy the society has passed from the difficulty to the comfort, from deep faith to secularism, from devotion to deviation, from prayer to action and from silence to noise. The family prayer is often substituted by TV programs, cell-phones, computer games and musical gadgets etc. The life has become more of pleasure and enjoyment. The number of participants in the liturgical celebrations is slowly reducing. In this situation of the faith crisis the formators have the duty to transmit the true and authentic values to those in formation.

11. Carrier-oriented life:

Competition and success are the two things that are instilled into the mind even from the childhood by the parents. Fight and defeat to achieve a carrier to increase the status in life. But here the desire for a religious life dies. This happens also in the field of religious formation.

Formation is to be value oriented than role oriented. Often religious life is equated with a series of social roles such as community leader, presider of liturgy, comforter of the bereaved, catechist,


teacher, nurse, editor, chaplain, lecturer, social worker and so on. Priestly or religious vocation finds its meaning and identity in values rather than roles. When roles prevail over values, one’s perseverance and effectiveness are likely to suffer negative consequences. Here one’s motivations will tend to be based more on external factors and feedbacks of the ‘performance’ than on internalization of values and being a man of prayer.

12. Breakup of Family:

Breakup of families for various reasons like, job, education etc. also causes for the instability in the family where often doubts and misunderstandings arise. Young families moving away from the parents and other relatives become over-exposed to secularism and irresponsible freedom. This causes for the disappearance of the values of brotherhood, respect for the elders, spirit of sacrifice and sharing.

13. Diminution of birth rate:

Asia is the most populous continent with 60% of the world population. Most of the families were numerous. And the children grew up in the presence of grandparents and parents etc imbibing the values of fraternal sharing and forgiving love. The parents reserved one or two children for God.

Now the families are nuclear families. The parents are employed and the children grow up in abundance. They do not have the ‘homely’ atmosphere to grow up cultivating the basic human values. The parents do not encourage the children for consecrated life but want to have them for their security and care in their old age. This causes for the over attachment to the house and reduces the commitment of the candidates, at least in some cases, to the formative community. With the diminishing number of vocations, the formators have the great task of instilling these human values.

14. Reluctant Formators and other negative factors within the Church:

The worrying and negative factors within the Church have a direct influence on the vocations to religious life. Formators with firm conviction, motivation and austere living example are needed for the service of formation. For this formators are to have self awareness, the positive and negative aspects of their personality. This helps to avoid the projection of the same on others. Integrated, mature and consistent formators can accompany the candidates to maturity.

15. Franciscan Counter-witness:

We need to admit also that the impression created by our elder brothers and sisters is undergoing a great change. The secular values have entered the enclosures. The lifestyle of the religious has changed and is still changing. It can happen that a counter-example lived by the formators who are directly or indirectly involved in the formation can cause for crisis in the candidates. The atmosphere of prayer, poverty, austerity, simplicity, availability etc. have given way to prosperity, noise, occupations of the elite group etc. This counter-witness can happen in all the fraternities, even in the formation houses.

INTERCULTURAL FORMATION TODAY

Life is a dynamic formative process. Human being, from the mother’s womb to the moment of death, is in the journey of continuous formation. It is fundamentally a process of relationship with God, with oneself, with others and with the creation. This process is to be lived and developed daily in personal life.

Every real intercultural encounter is formative. Something new is born. Some change takes place in both the parties. Only in such case, the process of intercultural formation affects the whole person. Or else it remains as a multicultural relation.


A free and responsible person can better, change, grow, learn and form himself through his various relationships renewing his decisions always with true motivations, intentions and willingness. In this process each one can favour or obstruct, can open or close oneself. And this should be the aim of true formation – to form free and responsible person.

‘Interculturality’ in religious life and especially in religious formation, is great challenge, a problem to be faced, to be learned and to be dealt with while it positively contributes to the extra-ordinary richness as it refers to the relationship of meeting ‘the other’, a meeting ‘between’ people who are culturally different.

In the complex situation of the present day, the fundamental question is ‘How can we form friars who are truly able to respond to the demands of our times and capable of evangelizing the world of today by living the Franciscan charism? In the midst of these above mentioned ambivalence and contradictions, difficulties and potentialities, negative elements and reasons for hope, obstacles and alternatives, an interpretation of the situation is required.

What do the documents say?

In the past, formation often followed the style, methods and programmes imported from the West (Ecclesia in Asia 22). But now ‘There is great demand for the evangelization of cultures and the inculturation of the message of faith. This should enter more broadly and carefully into the formation.... In the present circumstances... Christian religion is considered as something foreign to cultures.... in the whole intellectual and human formation the dimension of inculturation be seen as necessary and essential… The problem of inculturation can have a particularly great interest when the candidates to the priesthood are themselves coming from indigenous cultures…. They will need to find suitable ways of formation, both to overcome the danger of being less demanding and to strengthen their weaker education in human, Christian and priestly virtues, and also to make proper use of the good and genuine elements of their own cultures and traditions.’ (Pastores dabo vobis 55).

“Institutes of Consecrated Life are increasingly characterized by cultural, age and project differences. Formation should prepare for community dialogue in cordiality and charity of Christ, teaching to see diversity as richness and to integrate the various ways of seeing and feeling.” (Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Starting afresh from Christ: a renewed commitment to consecrated life in the third millennium, 18).

In the above mentioned context, intercultural formation is not only obligatory and necessary, but also urgent and very demanding. This leads us to intercultural dialogue.

Intercultural dialogue:

In the Asian context, dialogue is of primary importance for the future of Christian mission, since it has to do with millennia-old cultures and religions. The Church in Asia, therefore, must enter into ever deeper dialogue with the great religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Traditional Religion without falling into syncretism, eclecticism, or a relativization of the Christian faith (Synod of Bishops - Special assembly for Asia, Lieneamenta, 33).

Priest must be a man of mission and dialogue (Pastores dabo vobis 18). The crisis of vocations to the priesthood has deep roots in the cultural environment and in the outlook and practical behaviour of Christians (Pastores dabo vobis 36, 37).

Interculturality in formation means the journey from multiculturality to the experience of Interculturality. It is a continuous journey of re-decision where each one with one’s own cultural identity is fully engaged in relationship with other persons or groups of different cultural identity. It is a call to “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household ...” (Gen 12:1). It involves cultural break up with the past life in all its aspects. It is a challenge for the formation, a task to be realized.


Interculturality demonstrates one’s character, experiences, convictions, emotions, sentiments and intercultural relations. It is an indicator of one’s disposition to change one’s mode of thinking and the style of life. All these do not take place with no sufferance and conflicts. All are not ready to face this process of change.

Dialogue is the fundamental key to come closer to know the cultural diversity and reciprocity. What bridges different cultural realities is the true dialogue characterized by clearness, meekness, trust and pedagogical prudence. It presupposes openness and comprehensibility. True dialogue proposes, but does not impose. It is not offensive but charitable and respectful. It is not proud, but it seeks to eliminate self-interest to foster confidence and friendship.

Intercultural experience begins when one changes his habitual context of life and is forced to enter in relationship with ‘other’ groups and cultures that are different from one’s own.

Each true encounter is formative. Some change takes place in the life of the person. The person grows and matures in relationship. But we need to mention also that there are relationships that deforms, where formation takes place in the negative and destructive sense of the term. In other words humanization or dehumanization takes place. To care, to educate, to form in the international and multicultural environment of religious formation become a great opportunity and at the same time a great challenge.

Violence or Conflicts in Diversity?

The presence of ‘diversity’ in a multicultural formative context causes for conflicts. The conflict involves the presence of at least two colliding entities that has the divergence, contrast, contrariness, opposition, critical resistance, bargaining, negotiation, and unsettled legal situation. This can contribute to growth in formation.

One needs to distinguish between violence and conflict. Violence is a more or less pre-planned and intended action that causes a physical or psychological irreversible destruction. Violence identifies the problem with the person and seeks to solve the problem by eliminating the person.

Conflicts can be constructive or destructive. In conflict the destruction is reversible. One has the intention to deal with the problem maintaining the relationship. Here the relationship continues in spite of the problem and the fatigue. There is still hope in conflict. In the multicultural formative fraternity the socio-cultural conflicts could be due to the contrast in actions and the methods used. To know to live and confront the conflict positively is part of service of formation. It is advisable that some skill in conflict management be taught as part of the formation program throughout the Order.

In conflicts ?

There are no ready-made recipes to face conflicts. In a multicultural context, the pedagogy of love could be the key to deal with the conflicts of daily life by overcoming the obstacles and difficulties in the socio-cultural environment.

To solve the conflicts in the multicultural context of formation one needs to:

- Correct the past ‘negative memories’ acquired in the course of life.

- Be aware of the cultural prejudices and face them with humility and truth.

- Speak of the prejudices, know its origin in us and accept them.

- Help others to know and to manage them.

- Avoid categorization of people based on similarities or differences.

- Learn the process of differentiation and identification.


- Have self control in the mode of thinking, feeling and behaving.

- Accept the various elements that cause for conflicts.

- Learn to understand, decode and interpret the elements that cause conflicts.

- Concentrate more on ‘how’ than on ‘why’ of the conflict.

- Learn to identify and differentiate the problem from the person.

- Wait for the right moment.

- Accept the reasons presented by the other.

- Make constructive criticism in a non-judicial manner.

- Look for strategies based on common interests.

There are no ready-made efficient guidelines or techniques for each situation or cases of conflicts. But one needs to take time, listen without escaping, collect the useful information, learn to be-with the conflict and thus learn to confront the conflict with wisdom and maturity.

Value-oriented religious formation:

Some roles are not chosen, such as being a man or a woman, infant, adult or old. But other roles are chosen, for example, being married or being a religious, being a doctor or a lawyer. Such choice implies values and ideals regarding a way of life and which constitute a choice of a state of life.

The choice of role can be role-oriented (role chosen as an end itself), or value-orientated (role is chosen as a means to the living of values which go beyond the role itself).

In role-orientation, the individual may be motivated above all by reasons intrinsic to the role itself. One is moved to live this role well as a consequence of the satisfactions offered by the role.

In the case of value-orientation, the main reason for the choice of the role is not the gratification which it offers, but the ideal modes of conduct which the role makes possible, and which serve to reach ideals and values which transcend the role itself for the sake of which the role is chosen. Here the role is a means to realize values which are both role-transcendent and self-transcendent.

Every role involves the renunciation of some satisfactions. Both marriage and religious life imply definite obligations which limit the possibility of certain satisfactions.

When role-orientation is prevalent, the gratification of the person’s conscious and subconscious needs can become prevalent in his life, at the expense of self-transcendent values. In such situation the individual comes to depend on external factors, like obtaining rewards, avoiding punishments, or maintaining a gratifying relationship with a person or a group.

Situation is different when a role is maintained because a value has been internalized which transcends both the person and the role. Thus a relationship with a person or a group will be subordinated to an altruistic love having as its object what is important for the Kingdom of God rather than a search for personal gratification. What matters is the way in which the role is lived: whether or not it is motivated by self-transcendent values.

The problem of the identity of the priest or religious in general is the error of a religious or priestly formation which is prevalently role-oriented.

ROLE OF FORMATOR IN THE INTERCULTURAL FORMATION

The goal of religious formation is to help the candidate in one’s practical desire to be transformed by the values of Christ for the service and mission of the Church. The ultimate goal


of formation is the education of the self, the whole person. For this, formation must be able to address the concrete individual both in his vulnerability and perfectibility.

Priestly and Religious life requires an orientation to values more than to roles. During the formation one develops the natural potentials and orients oneself towards ultimate values by which one becomes good by choosing the good. And the purpose of an integrated formation is to enhance one’s capacity to internalize these values. Thus, formation becomes a continuous journey of conversion.

The role of the formator is not merely to educate but to form progressively the candidates. For this, the formator should be sufficiently prepared as not to be deceived or to deceive regarding a presumed consistency and maturity of the student. For this ‘common sense’ is not enough. An attentive and refined examination from a good knowledge of the human science is necessary to go beyond appearances and the superficial level of motivations and behaviour, to help the candidate to know oneself in depth, to accept himself with serenity, and to correct himself and to mature, starting from the real not illusory roots (Congregation for Catholic Education, Preparation of Seminary Educators, 57).

Second Vatican Council insisted that the formators ‘should be chosen from among the best’ and that they should receive ‘a careful preparation in sound doctrine, suitable pastoral experience, and special training in spirituality and teaching methods’. (Optatam Totius 5).

Towards an Integrated Formation

The basic aim should be that of forming formators who know how to integrate the forms of help that are necessary for acquiring the self-transcendent values of Christ, for growing in maturity of the attitudes to oneself and to others. This process of integrated growth can be accomplished only slowly and over a long period of time, by means of appropriate and frequent ‘vocational growth sessions’ offered to the individual candidates. In the integrated formation, it is the candidate himself who slowly builds up a vocational identity of his own, centred on the person of Christ, living by truth and in love, and seeking to grow in all ways into Christ. It is done in an atmosphere of understanding, mutual trust, and fraternal encouragement and help on the part of the formator.

In integrated formation:

Formator will be able to adapt the amount of help given to the needs and abilities of each person, and to adjust the proportion of the different kinds of help offered. The candidate is challenged by the presentation of self-transcendent values. This challenge can be adjusted to the candidate’s inner freedom to respond. Thus one avoids the harm that can result from either of two exaggerations. The integrated help will allow the candidate to free their energies for loving Christ. For this purpose the formators offer the candidates a mixture of different kinds of help combining different approaches such as theological, psychological, spiritual, social, etc.

Human weakness for the formators should not be underestimated. Candidates will be quick to notice differences of approach, real or imagine, between formators in a single group, and may make use of such differences to excuse themselves from a total commitment, possibly plying one formator off against another.

More frequent contacts with the candidates, even outside the ‘vocational growth sessions’ will better chance to know the habitual behaviour of the candidates and to offer better fraternal and personal assistance inviting the candidate to work more seriously and faithfully in his commitment to growing in his vocation with self acceptance and self-esteem even accepting one’s own unconscious limitations.


Candidates as a group could be enriched by the instructions and homilies and the introspective insights gained privately during vocational growth sessions. This will make it easier for the candidates to accept each other on a deep level, and will favour unity in community life.

It is not only the content of the values that is important, but rather the function of the values in the total dynamic of the person through the internalization of important-in-itself of the self-transcendent values rather than living for what is important-for-me.

The formator may help the candidate in three forms: the apostolate of example, the apostolate of service, and the direct help given to the candidate in solving possible personal problems.

The apostolate of example is the exercise of the virtues corresponding to the vocation. It is more important than the apostolate of instructing by spoken word as lived example can have a stronger influence that the basic truth of a doctrine.

The apostolate of service means the formator’s being completely and humbly at the service of the candidates. After the example of Jesus, to govern is to serve, the formator must not be governed by the criterion of giving what would gratify the candidates, but rather giving what will really help the candidates to grow in theocentric self-transcendence. It should be an apostolate of peace making in the sense of challenging, being spiritual leaders. At times they will inevitably cause conflict without seeking conflict for one’s own sake because of the kinds of choice which Christ demands (Mat 10: 34-39 – ‘I have not come to bring peace, but a sword...’). The formator who really wants to follow Christ will sooner or later be a ‘sign of contradiction’ (Lk 2:34) and will have to suffer (2 Tim 3:12).

In solving the personal problems of the candidates, any formator can be faced with four kinds of problems such as the difficulties in development related to chronological age up to the age of about twenty-five; the immaturity in the conscious level, involving sin and virtue, with or without problems regarding faith or morals; the subconscious immaturity related to the difference between the real and the apparent good; and the signs of psychopathology which can influence the vocational growth indirectly.

Two categories of formators:

Two categories of formators are needed. First category of formators includes the superiors, spiritual fathers, novice-directors etc who should deal with the problems related to chronological age and the spiritual problems. They should be able to perceive the existence of problems that limit the candidate’s ability to learn from experience and so to grow in internalizing the self-transcendent values of Christ. They themselves should have gone through the work of exploring, converting, and integrating their own personalities, through the kind of integrated formation. They should have overcome in themselves the limits on their freedom to internalize values.

Second category of formators includes priests or religious with responsibility for formation to provide the same kind of help as the formators of first category and should be able to help their subjects to overcome their vocational limits through ‘vocational growth sessions’ that involve a close and deep interaction between the person of the formator and each person receiving formation. It is a help requiring integrated skill and solid maturity in the person of the formator. ‘Well lived’ community life offers a great help for the formation.

CONCLUSION

In our multi ethnic, multi religious, multi linguistic, multi cultural Asiatic continent, in the midst of these challenges, we have the great task and great opportunity to live and teach the Franciscan evangelical values of life.


Formation is a mission entrusted to all of us – all are formators directly or indirectly and all are in formation. In our socio-intercultural environment we need to respect the elements from the local religious practice and culture that promote and enhance human life and dignity. In any culture or religious practice the dehumanising elements should be discouraged and eliminated, be it that of the Christian patrimony. An integrated intercultural formation is necessary for this.

The religious and cultural identities are constantly evolving, recreating, and transforming themselves through the continuous interacting movements of local religious and cultural experience with that of Christian culture and religious experience. Here arises the need of having formators who are deeply rooted and open to dialogue. Religious education through dialogue explains the truth that lies between both the beliefs.

Chapter XVI of Earlier Rule is the classic text to help us understand how we are to be missionaries and formators of missionaries in an intercultural context. It reads: ‘I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves... be prudent as serpents and simple a doves... live spiritually among the Saracens and non-believes in two ways. One way is not to engage in arguments or disputes but to be subject to every human creature for God’s sake and to acknowledge that they are Christians. The other way is to announce the World of God, when they see it pleases the Lord.’ (Earlier Rule, XVI).

It is in interculturation that something that was bitter in the beginning becomes sweet. Let such an attitude reign in our intercultural formative fraternities. Through the intercultural formation we, Franciscans from Asia, are to be not only to be Franciscans in Asia, rather we are to be transformed into Franciscans of Asia.

Formation is not imposed but inspired. Let us learn from Francis’ Letter to Brother Leo: ... In whatever way it seems better to you to please the Lord God and to follow His footprints, do it with the blessing of the Lord God and my obedience. And if you need and want to come to me for the sake of your should or for some consolation, Leo, come.’

Let our living examples as formators be the launching pad for our younger brothers and sisters in their preparation to be the future missionaries uniting all brothers and sisters with the cord of fraternal love and divine peace.

As formators let us remember: Being in the service of formation, the formators form themselves. Life is a journey of ongoing formation.

QUESTIONS:

1. What do St. Francis’ visit to the Sultan (Bonaventure, Major Legend of Saint Francis, XI) teach us today

regarding interculturation? What do we learn from Francis’ Letter to Brother Leo: (... In whatever way it

seems better to you to please the Lord God and to follow His footprints, do it with the blessing of the Lord

God and my obedience. And if you need and want to come to me for the sake of your should or for some

consolation, Leo, come). How can this be lived in our Asian Formative Context?

2. How can we form friars who are truly able to respond to the demands of our times and capable of evangelizing

the world of today by living the Franciscan charism?

3. What are the Cultural qualities of a formator to form the ‘Franciscans of Asia’?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lindor Alcides Tofful, OFM Conv., Interculturalità della formazione: alcuni presupposti fondamentali, in Formazione Francescana Oggi, ed. Albert Schmuchi, Bologna, 2012, 169-213.


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Peter c. Phan, Conclusion: Whither Asian Christianities? in Christianities in Asia, ed. Peter C. Phan, Singapore, 2011.

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Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Asia, 06.11.1999.

Pastores Dabo Vobis

Synod of Bishops - Special assembly for Asia, Lieneamenta, 1996.

John Paul II, Catechesi tradendae Apostolic Exhortation, 16.10.1979.

John Paul II, Speech to the participants of the national congress of the Movimento Ecclesiale di Impegno Culturale, 16 January 1982.

Congregation for Catholic Education, Preparation of Seminary Educators, 57