Reprinted from The Common Good, No 9, Spring 1998

www.catholicworker.org.nz

 

Editorial - The Hikoi - A defining moment

 

It was a frosty Sunday night in August, around 6pm. I was walking around in the Cathedral Square in the heart of Christchurch when he came into view. He shuffled rather than walked, which is probably why I noticed. Stopping by the rubbish bin, he began to sort bits of food, putting selections into his mouth. Obviously he was hungry. I moved over to him, quietly. Cold chips, discarded leftovers from someone else’s dinner, was his fare. They looked pretty soggy to me.

I asked if he was hungry. We were right outside the Cat’s Pyjamas - formerly the Dog Box - a food bar in the north west corner. He paused, his head down, very cautious, apprehensive, fearful. He appeared to be about 20 years old, a Pakeha, not a street kid. Just homeless and hungry. And ill. He mumbled he was hungry as I pressed some coins into his hand so he could get a feed. He nodded gratefully, then shuffled off in the direction of the food bar.

Putting a face on the harsh reality of mental illness and destitution is always a salutary reminder of the ‘other side’ of life in New Zealand. So many do not have a warm home, supportive friends, a regular income. There are loads of things most take for granted which insulate us from the harsh reality of life for so many. Yet everywhere I go I am seeing people juggling less and less income, facing more and more needs. Dental care is one such need and one of the first to be neglected. The number of people I know who never ever go to the dentist because of the cost is enormous. Recently one such person stayed for a few nights. She said she had had toothache for months but just lived with it. She said that when she felt the tooth was finally rotten, she’d get it pulled. I compare that to the option I have to pick up a phone and get a dental appointment within a day.

My encounter in the Square was one that could have taken place any hour of any night in any of our major cities. Here at the margins of society one finds the true indicators of how the economy is going, what the long term affects are of permanent unemployment and what happens to the mentally ill when the support systems fail. These are much more accurate indicators than the Dow Jones index or the latest BNZ figures.

It is also where you find Christ suffering against the cold, against indifference, against narrow self interested social policy, against ‘the principalities and powers’ who would give them no shelter, no place, no dignity.

I know a feed at the Cat’s Pyjamas was only a token. But it certainly gave me a sharp reminder of the society we have created. And it set me thinking about the type of Church we are. I wonder why it is that so few parishes have a lively St Vincent de Paul group? Why even fewer have social justice groups? Why these groupings find it so difficult to recruit members? Do we not claim that by drawing on God’s power, we can change these conditions? I guess I remain somewhat puzzled at what seems to be a certain apathy.

The Anglican Church’s visionary effort to witness publicly to the teachings of Christ and the social teachings of the Church, should be applauded and supported by every caring person in the country. The Hikoi of Hope offers us all a chance to come together with other Christians and demand justice. The nation’s largest Church is talking justice on a large scale. This could well be a defining moment for them in their search for identity in the coming century. Justice for all. What a powerful voice they could be. They are showing just the sort of leadership many have begged from the Churches for years. The Hikoi creates a great opportunity for them to bring much needed co-ordinated impetus to the movement for social justice in their Church.

But they will need to develop the infrastructure to maintain the impetus. That will be no easy task. It requires real commitment, skilled personnel and finance. Twenty years ago, the Catholic Church led the nation’s Christians in social witness. At that time they had the infrastructure which helped produce these leaders. The CYM, YCW and CFM had produced several generations of socially active Catholic leaders who in time created a strong justice and peace organisation. When the latter was restructured, the impetus was lost. Sadly, the Catholic voice is now more muted.

But the demands of the Gospel remain as needed today as ever. Another chance beckons. Let us pray that through this fresh initiative new grace, new energy, new networks will create the climate for a new way forward, both for our Churches and for our country.

Jim Consedine