At the San Pedro Claver party, Archbishop calls for not getting used to the new slavery

Yesterday, in the Cartagena Cathedral (Colombia) the Mass was held for the feast of San Pedro Claver with a call not to get used to the new slavery that threaten human dignity, especially the most disadvantaged.

The call was made by the Archbishop of Cartagena, Mons. Francisco Javier Múnera, remembering the Jesuit missionary who arrived from Spain in the first years of the seventeenth century to consecrate himself to the protection of black slaves.

“San Pedro knew how to restore the dignity and hope of thousands of blacks and slaves who came in absolutely inhuman conditions, full of dread, with all their lost hopes,” said Mons. Múnera.

In his homily, the president of the Colombian Episcopate also recalled the visit that Pope Francis made to the port city on September 10, 2017, and where he made a parallel between the Virgin of Chiquinquirá – whose picture shone miraculously – “with the action, testimony and mission of Pedro Claver”, which with his gestures and fact Africa ”.

As the Argentine Pope pointed out, said Mons. Múnera, “San Pedro Claver knew that the language of charity, of mercy, was understood by all.”

“María de Chiquinquirá and Pedro Claver invite us to work for the dignity of all our brothers, especially the poorest and dugrusted, they all have their dignity and are a living image of God,” he said.

Four centuries later, said the archbishop, this call to defend the dignity of the needy demands that “we do not get used to, that we do not normalize situations of discrimination, exclusion, abuse that passes around.”

“Unfortunately, slavery situations of almost 400 years ago are still perpetuated, not only in our city, but in so many latitudes of the world, in new aberrant forms of slavery, outrage and abuse of people’s dignity, especially the most disadvantaged,” he said.

The Archbishop of Cartagena culminated his homily recalling that, when he said goodbye, Pope Francis cited “Pedro Claver’s life slogan: ‘slave slave forever’, and left all Colombians the commitment to be slaves of peace forever.”

The life of San Pedro Claver

San Pedro Claver was born in Verdú (Spain) on June 26, 1580. At age 19 he was accepted in the company of Jesus and, with advanced studies and training, he was sent as a missionary to Nueva Granada (today Colombia), being ordered priest in Cartagena de Indias in 1616.

In America, the priest opposed institutionalized slavery, rejecting the theories that did not recognize the humanity of blacks brought from Africa. He also took an active part in the defense of the indigenous people, whom he evangelized with equal dedication.

The slaves who arrived in Cartagena were treated by Claver, who even organized days before the arrival of the Negreros ships to store provisions that he later gave to the Africans. In addition, it descended to the lower cameras of the ships to give them water and something to eat, and help the sick and dying.

However, these actions caused enmity among Spanish authorities and among slave merchants. Nor were the faithful who questioned their behavior, nor few misunderstandings between their superiors and Jesuit brothers.

Pedro Claver departed to the father’s house on September 9, 1654, after having spent his last years in oblivion, very sick. On the day of his death, the population of Cartagena took to the streets moved to meet his saint for the last time and give him due honors.

The Jesuit missionary was beatified on July 16, 1850 by Pius IX and canonized on January 15, 1888 by Leo XIII. He was proclaimed pattern of all Catholic missions among Africans on July 7, 1896.