Forgiveness News
Even Bishops Couldn’t Jump the Queues
In a follow-up to the 50th International Eucharistic Congress held in Dublin (see the June 9 post below), The Irish Times, Ireland’s daily newspaper, gave special attention to the forgiveness workshop conducted by Dr. Robert Enright, founder of the International Forgiveness Institute. Of the more than 160 workshops held during the Congress, Dr. Enright’s session was singled out by The Irish Times reporter who wrote:
There was a bewildering array of topics on offer, everything from reaching lapsed Catholics to justice for the developing world. It is unfair to pick just one, but I was really moved by Dr Robert Enright’s talk. Based at the University of Wisconsin, he is the acknowledged pioneer in the scientific study of forgiveness.
One of his fascinating pieces of research concerns heart attack survivors. Practising forgiveness enhanced their cardiovascular function.
He has also worked with survivors of incest and chronic pain sufferers. His talk cannot be summarised, but take a look at www.internationalforgiveness.com.
Richard Moore, blinded by a rubber bullet, provided a living example of forgiveness in his testimony in the arena.
Without Forgiveness, Bitterness Remains
KHOU.com, Houston, TX. A man whose wife and son were murdered has forgiven the killer–his other son–and is now spreading the word about the power of forgiveness.
Kent Whitaker says he was consumed with anger when he learned that his son Bart had committed the murders nine years ago in order to get the family inheritance. But Whitaker said he’s turned his anger into a message–one he hopes can convince others to forgive, no matter how badly they’ve been hurt.
“If we don’t forgive, then the bitterness that comes from the result of the event stays with us forever,” he said.
Even though Bart has been forgiven by his father, he has not been forgiven by the state. He received a death sentence for the murders and remains on Death Row, but his execution date has not been set. Read the full story and watch a video.
Former Student Leader Forgives on the 23rd Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre
The Gospel Herald: Global Chinese Christian News Service – On the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, one of the student leaders at the time, Chai Ling, proclaimed her forgiveness toward those responsible for the tragedy.
“Two decades ago, the Chinese government’s crackdown in Tiananmen Square left hundreds of my fellow students dead,” she explains. “Since then a new generation has grown up in China, and many of them are kept in the dark about what happened on this day in China’s history.”
Describing her forgiveness, she says, “I forgive Deng Xiaoping and Li Peng. I forgive the soldiers who stormed Tiananmen Square in 1989. I forgive the current leadership of China….”
“I pray that a culture of grace will arise in China, giving all people dignity and humanity…” Chai Ling said. “I pray that those who have suffered under oppression will not seek vengeance – like King David’s soldiers did when they killed Absalom – but have the courage to forgive. Forgiveness does not justify wrong, but rather yields the power of judgment to God.”
Dr. Enright to Speak at 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin
Dr. Robert Enright, founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, is one of the featured speakers at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) being held in Dublin, Ireland, from June 10-17.
A Eucharistic Congress is an international gathering of people which aims to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church, to help improve understanding and celebration of the liturgy, and to draw attention to the social dimension of the Eucharist. Read more about the IEC.
In his session at the IEC on June 14, Dr. Enright will share a pathway to forgiveness that can help reduce anger and sadness and increase happiness despite injustices suffered in the world. This is the second consecutive year that Dr. Enright has been invited to present at the IEC. Read a description of Dr. Enright’s presentation.
Together with Prof. Geraldine Smyth, OP, (Irish School of Ecumenics, Dublin) Dr. Enright also presented “Becoming Eucharist for One Another through Forgiving” on June 7th during the Theology Symposium held at the Pontifical University of St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Ireland. The Symposium, held the week prior to the Eucharistic Congress, features scholars from across the disciplines of theology (scripture, systematics, moral theology, liturgy, pastoral studies, missiology, and ecumenics). Read more about the Symposium.
Rwandan Bishop Calls for Forgiveness Regarding Tutsi Genocide
AllAfrica.com. Bishop Rukamba of the Butare Catholic Diocese on May 20 encouraged people to forgive as they came together to commemorate the 1994 genocide against Tutsi victims.
“Forgiving is to let go of the grudge….forgiving makes our hearts relax and eases the pain we feel,” he said.
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days, more than 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate. Estimates of the death toll have ranged between 500,000 and 1,000,000, or as much as 20% of the country’s total population. It was the culmination of longstanding ethnic competition and tensions between the minority Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority Hutu peoples, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959-62 and overthrown the Tutsi monarchy.
Read more about the recent calls for forgiveness in Rwanda.
