2017 Oasis News

Today there is the temptation to reduce Christmas to an external celebration that is not the real message of Christmas. There is also the temptation to ignore the faith differences between Christianity and Islam about Jesus. Both cases have to be properly considered. Indeed we are different in faith in this specific celebration. For the […]

Following the annual tradition of Silsilah to send a message to Christians on the occasion of Advent and Christmas time and to the Muslims on the month of Ramadhan, Silsilah focuses this message now to the Christians in this special time and to the Muslims who journey together with the Christians, especially in Mindanao. This

Since 2007 when the open letter (A Common Word) of 138 Muslim scholars was sent to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders of the world, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement welcomed the initiative and spread the message publishing the book “ A Common Word Between Us and You” (Silsilah Publications) with the full text of

This is a special time for us in Mindanao. On one side there is the fear of an increasing terrorism and the spread of the ISIS and Maute “ideology”. On the other side, the initiatives of Christian – Muslim dialogue are more visible also among Muslim religious leaders who condemn the “terrorism” and the use

I write this open letter as a friend in solidarity with you who suffer for what is going on in our beautiful land of Mindanao. I dare to say “our beautiful land” even if I am Italian, but I have been in Mindanao since 1977 and I am still here in Zamboanga. This gives me

I stand before you to express my gratitude to you all, for the countless blessings that God – the Creator has allowed me to experience. Indeed, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement (SDM) is a gift to my life as a Filipino Marist priest. It has opened me a space and opportunity to understand and experience what

The Manuel Luis Quezon University is the pioneering school in Manila that opened the door for the SilPeace organized by Silsilah for the Inter religious program of the parish of Quiapo in Manila. One of the things that the SilPeace Manila is being challenged into these coming days is to assist in the team building

The new conflict in Mindanao that started last May 23 in Marawi is becoming one of the most challenging problems in the recent history of the Philippines. The high number of victims, the destruction of the city, the people who have been forced to leave their houses, the martial law, the fear and hatred among

We are happy to share this story of goodness coming from the Silsilah Forum Coordinator of Davao who is a Maranao. There are also many other stories coming from our Silsilah forum members and coordinators of Iligan, Cagayan, Marawi and other places. Silsilah reminds all not to get discouraged. Goodness is still in the hearts

The siege in Marawi is a new sad experience that we can not ignore any more. The first question that we have to ask is why the Maute groups chose to start from Marawi, the Islamic City of the Philippines, a kind of visible presence in Mindanao after years of preparation. The answer is difficult.

Marawi is a beautiful area in Mindanao with the beautiful lake populated by Maranao people, most of them Muslims. I recall a play of many years ago presented by a Maranao group with the title “Kalilintad, anda ka?” (Peace where are you?). It was a great presentation on the Maranao culture and conflicts among tribes

On June 6, 2017, Pochong Abubakar passed away in his sixties. Relatives and friends went to his house in Pasonanca, Zamboanga City to pay their last respect. I was among the few Christians and the only Priest in the crowd of hundreds of Muslims who, in silence, witnessed the prayer and the rituals that are

The holy month of Ramadan for the Muslim Ummah is a special time of fasting, prayer and solidarity. Following the tradition of Silsilah Dialogue Movement to address every year a message to the Christians during the Advent and Christmas seasons and to the Muslims on the occasion of the month of Ramadan, we focus this

Thirty years ago, in the area of Sta. Catalina, Zamboanga City, a poor area composed of Muslim and Christian residents, a simple experience started of lay Catholic women who consecrated their lives to the Lord as lay consecrated living together among the poor. This group is part of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement, living the same

Twenty five years ago, Fr. Salvatore Carzedda, PIME was killed in Zamboanga on May 20, 1992. He was the first martyr of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement. Silsilah, this year, remembers his martyrdom in the spirit of Padayon (move on) with courage to continue in the midst of new threats of violent radicalism that is now

In the 20th century, the world has been deeply wounded by the First and Second World Wars with all the atrocities and divisions recorded in history. From those sad experiences emerged a sign of hope – the formation of the United Nations in 1945, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and on the

In response to the Worldwide Life Fund for Nature (WWF) for many years already, there is an initiative called “Earth Hour” to deliver a powerful message on the need to help the Earth in its greatest challenge being confronted today – Global Warming and Climate Change. Today, March 25, in many parts of the world,

For many years, Silsilah has given especial attention to the Zamboanga City Jail. The place is located at the center of the city and the inmates today are about 2, 200 men and 250 women. I have been there many times since I arrived in Zamboanga City in 1983. In this Oasis News, I focus

From January 16 to 20, 2017, Manila welcomed delegates from forty countries for the WACOM4. The participants from the Philippines and other countries where around five thousand. This big event is part of a growing Catholic devotion and movement well known in the world and “Divine Mercy Chaplet” In this occasion, the organization also invited