Japan, mission in the midst of fear and hope

Yamaguchi (AsiaNews) - The people of Japan "need everything from basic necessities to a reconstruction plan. But also and above all prayer, the only weapon capable of healing the wounds that the victims and survivors will carry for a long time. " The Jesuit Arun D Souza sj is about one thousand kilometers from the capital of Japan and spoke to AsiaNews about his testimony on the ground, pointing out: "Now is not the time to give in to fear."

Fr Arun is at university  and involved in missionary activity in Yamaguchi, but the priest is a native of Karkala, Udupi district, India. He is part of the Jesuit province of Karnataka and at present is studying at the Faculty of Theology of Sophia University in Tokyo. The Land of the Rising Sun, meanwhile, is still counting the victims – now in excess of 15 thousand - and looks with apprehension to new levels of radioactivity from Fukushima, 30 times higher than safety standards.

People, says Fr Arun, " are united in grief, very supportive and encouraging and helping each other, but the fear of radiation has taken control of people. Japan has already experienced two atomic tragedies and they do not want to take any more risks. They have suffered enough for decades. Right now an atomic explosion from the plant would be a big challenge and undesired at this point. It should be also considered that the country has just recovered from the financial crisis: it was still 2 or 3 years from full recovery, but at this point it will take much longer".

Catholics in Japan, he says, "are 0.5% of the total population. In the diocese of Sendai, the epicentre of the atomic nightmare, are the prefectures of Sendai, Miyagi, Aomori, Iwate and Fukushima. According to initial reports from the area, no Church property in the area suffered major damage to the tsunami, given that most of these are inland and not on the coast. In reality, the earthquake did not cause massive devastation: the tidal wave instead caused the disaster. However, like all others, even Catholics have lost everything: family, property, business, but also food and clothing”.

However, aid is highly regulated: "One thing is clear that the church cannot directly get involved with the rescue operations like distributing food or clothing or medicines. Everything has to pass through the local government and civic authorities. Japanese law is very clear on this point. Reasons could be many such as to avoid further complications due to spread of diseases. Obviously, however, the Church has already launched a collection of humanitarian aid for the survivors".

Parishes all over Japan, he explains, "were asked to hold fundraisers for basic necessities in the short term and, later for reconstruction. The dioceses and religious congregations have agreed to use Japanese Caritas for fundraising and donations. In many Christian schools around the Japanese territory all extracurricular activities have been cancelled, and the children have decided to save their pocket money to donate to the needy. "

Personally, said Father Arun, "I think there prayer is needed above all. Of course, material aid is essential for the resumption of the nation and the areas affected, but only prayer can heal the deep wounds that these people carry for a long, long time. "