Page 25 - Reflexions of African Bishops and Priests

debt). The same scenerio is everywhere but, all of a the form of monopoly, to the lenders’ nationals. The
sudden, someone (Louis Even) says: “I discovered a beneficiary countries mortgage their natural resour-
light (Social Credit).” ces. The inhabitants, from generation to generation,
When we look at this light, after reading, seeing are locked in and kept prisoner for many long years.
and hearing the experiences from all over — from To reimburse these threatening and inexhaustible
Switzerland, Poland, Canada, the great island of debts, like the sword of Damocles over the heads of
Madagascar and many others — we start dreaming. states, the “debt service” weighs heavily on the na-
And this dream is not a utopia! This dream is some- tional budget, to the tune of 40 to 50% of the Gross
thing that is concrete: we will come through!... I am National Product.
happy to see young people; the young people will Thus tied up, the country has trouble breathing;
bring victory, that is certain! it must tighten its belt to investments, the necessary
When Mr. Marcel Lefebvre came to the Ivory Coast costs for Education, Health, and general development.
he stirred up enthusiasm; many people had read the This debt further becomes a political screen to not
10 lessons (on Social Credit). It was the young people satisfy legitimate requests, with their parade of frus-
who spoke about it with most enthusiasm. I had at trations, social problems, etc... The national debt ap-
least thirty adults read this book (the 10 Lessons on pears to be like a sickness programmed by specialists
social credit). One of these people was the President of worthy of courts who judge crimes against humanity,
the National Assembly of the Ivory Coast. He thanked evil conspiring to suppress entire populations. John
me and told me: “We will have the occasion to speak Perkins (in his book Confessions of an Economic Hit
about this in depth, because it is a tablet of hope!” Man) described what is behind international aid very
We should not become discouraged. Since I came well: that it is never effective in terms of lasting de-
here (to Rougemont) there have been many changes velopment. The key problem today is the lack of the
in the mentality and these revolutions will continue to desire, the will to abolish all slavery.
happen, we will go very far. Here is what I had to tell Upright generations, young boys and girls in cer-
you. Do not sit there and say: “Ah, it will never hap- tain developed countries and those in countries of the
pen…” It is coming already! And at the end of the tun- Third World, have become conscious that to change
nel, at the very end, there is Someone standing, who the world, its myths and fantasies, is a realistic and
is as luminous as on Mount Tabor: His name is Jesus possible project. Some NGOs emerge to protect the
Christ and thanks to Him, we will go with the Virgin material environment and defend the rights of op-
Mary to the feast! pressed peoples.
Financial assassins For the Church, light of the world, to play her
After the Congress, Cardinal Agre continued to prophetic role she should concretely commit herself
spread our message. For example, here is what he in this fight with a view to finding the truth.
said in Rome on October 9, at the Synod of Bishops The experts have known for years that most of
for Africa: the debts have been effectively reimbursed. To pure-
Like any organized country, the young nations ly and simply cancel them is no longer an act of char-
of Africa, South America, etc... had to call on inter- ity but one of justice.
national banks and other financial bodies to realize Thus today’s Synod should be able to take into
the many projects for their development. Very often consideration this problem of the cancellation of
we are not suspicious enough of our inept political debts that weigh too heavily on the population.
leaders. They fell into the trap of those that the people For this not to be a merely sentimental whim, my
in the know call “financial assassins” (economic hit proposition is that an international commission made
men), the jackals sponsored by severed organisms up of experts of high finance, notified pastors, men
in the market of subterfuge aimed at enriching inter- and women of the North and South to take this dos-
national financial organizations deftly supported by sier. This Commission would be entrusted with the
their states or other instances drowned in the plot of triple mission:
silence and lies. 1. To study the feasibility of the operation because
The staggering profits go to the financial assassins, it is obvious that it is not uniform everywhere.
to the multinationals, as well as to some powerful na- 2. To take all possible steps to not fall into the
tionals who act as screens to the foreign negotiators. same situations again.
Thus the majority of nationals continue to drown in
poverty and the frustration it generates. 3. To solidly watch over the transparent use of
The “financial assassins,” the bearers of plethoric sums, saved and used effectively for all the elements
of the entire social pyramid: rural and city. To avoid
financing, organize with their local partners so that the falling again into this juicy manna of the century would
large sums lent with compound interest can never be be beneficial for both local and foreign peoples.
reimbursed quickly or entirely. The contracts of exe-
cution and maintenance are regularly assigned, under + Bernard Cardinal Agre

www.michaeljournal.org 2009 session 25