A few days ago, on May 20, we went with eighty youths to the place where Fr. Salvatore was killed on May 20, 1992, for our annual visit and prayer on the place of his martyrdom.
This year, for the first time, we were able to share to the youth the testimony of Prof. Yusuf Morales, a commissioner of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos who accepted our request to give a testimony related to the killing of Fr. Salvatore. For the first time, we publish in this Oasis News, choosing the central part of the testimony.
A life of social anger is not easy to temper. It experiences tumultuous events, challenges and experiences. Anyone who bears such anger has a hard time managing it. As a former activist and militant, this has been a long journey into the path of understanding…..
I have engaged myself as one of the participants in a Silsilah Intensive course which is two week course where we thrust in the midst of discussions of understanding different faiths, Christianity, Islam and understanding the discipline of dialogue. Concepts were easy to learn and master as a progressive thinker, but it was the immersion and engaging part that was hard…..
While I was intent in mastering this discipline, what caught my attention were references by many Silsilah old timers (I was a newbie then) to a friend of Fr. Sebastiano (Fr. Seb), someone they called Fr. Salvatore. I heard about him during my younger days as an activist, and I was intrigued and decided to know more about both Fr. Seb (as Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra as known) and his friend, the late Fr. Salvatore.
In my conversations with many people, both my elders in the MNLF and in the civil society community, I have found out that Fr. Seb worked together with both Subanen and Kalibugan communities in Zamboanga del Norte to the extent that although a Christian Priest, he was welcomed as part of the community and was accorded great respect among the MNLF fighters in those areas. His friend, Fr. Salvatore was an avid conversationalist who was the heart of every meeting and was always open to many who wanted to see him.
The image of Fr. Seb and Fr. Salvatore evoked many emotions, mixed and conflicting at times. Many Muslims welcomed openness for both Fr. Seb and Fr. Salvatore in meetings with both Muslim tribal and religious leaders, which led many to be either happy to have a new friend or uncomfortable to have a priest to be a special confidante.
It was during this era where, the seeds of intolerance and religious distrust were slowly being sown, where certain religious leaders then were preaching intolerance and unwelcoming towards two people who were sincerely trying to invite people into dialogue and spirituality.
The pressure was so much during those days to bear for people who had not yet experienced religiously influenced violence and threats. And so the fateful day had come, wherein one of them was shot, Fr. Salvatore. There were many versions of the story, many said it was a mistaken identity, others saying he was targeted for liquidation together with Fr. Seb.
And as they say, only the dead dare speak the truth.
I decided to continue in digging while I was also in the midst of my journey, as to what may have triggered the violence against Silsilah and against Fr. Salvatore. In my conversation with some individuals, some who have passed away, some who were relatives and close kin of those who knew this unfortunate affair, I have come across several things:
- People were not yet open to the idea of dialogue between faith traditions, of knowing, understanding and respecting spiritual diversity.
- People were afraid that if the idea of dialogue would become prevalent, their claim to be the bearer of the only path to spiritual truth would be shattered, and this would weaken their claim to religious ascendency.
- They have made many warnings both to members of Silsilah, to Fr. Seb and to Fr. Salvatore, and all of them simply said, it was the mission, the mission to do dialogue, the dialogue of life.
- Because of the consistency of the action and devotion of Silsilah as a movement and Fr. Seb’s and Fr. Salvatore’s persistence to continued dedication to dialogue, an operation was hatched and as a result Fr. Salvatore was killed……
Life in dialogue, I have found out in this episode was simply engaging in dialogue with others but also accepting that there are things that have happened and that you may have to be at peace with yourself, so that you may also dialogue accepting the painful things that have happened.
Today, the Martyrdom of Fr. Salvatore is still alive and inspires many of us in Silsilah in this 35th anniversary of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement that we are celebrating guided by the theme: “Silsilah, a sign of hope in the midst of divisions and conflicts”.
We are not called to understand now the mystery of the variety of cultures, religions and languages, rather we are called to be faithful to what we believe and move together as pilgrims of dialogue for God’s peace.