A prophet for our time
Don Helder Camara had strongly impressed me as he has done to many others. To him, Christians are made to be free and Christianity can only be liberating. His life was simply the Good News. A Gospel's life written with the poor.
Meeting Don Helder at Sao Paolo, I remember him reporting some facts with a lot of hand moving: " Some Christians came to me horrified about what has happened. In our church, they said, the tabernacle door has been forced, host's were spread on the floor and the ciboriums were stolen" For such a blaspheme, these Christians asked me to say a mass of expiation in their church. After having listened to them, I gave them my agreement: " I will come for this mass of expiation" but I added immediately " when you meet people overwhelmed with misery, victims of injustice, don't forget that Christ is equally present. In these poor, Christ is scorned and humiliated . As much as horrified by these situations of injustice, come to ask me to say a mass of expiation "
Don Helder made the choice for the poor. His fight against injustice was a light of hope for the people. He did not hesitate to inform us about the exploitation of the poor, recognizing the right for them to self-defense.
Firmly attached to non-violence, he helped Christian communities ("communaute de base") to take care of their own future. The friend of the poor was subversive: " When I help the poor, they say that I am a saint, when I work to make the poor responsible and able to act by themselves, they say that I am a red bishop!"
The bishop of the favellas has known the difficulties and the threats of the dictatorship. He has suffered by the Church. His successor at Recife took the opposite course for religion teaching and dismantled all he had set up including the seminary to which he was so devoted.
The one who spoke so well as a prophet all over the world through multiple journeys and conferences was later on compelled to silence. But one cannot stop the sound of a great voice. His life has given hope to many.
