Philippines | The Village of Harmony
On the Muslim-majority island of Mindanao, a Catholic missionary and a Muslim intellectual have founded a village of dialogue
(by Paolo Affatato)
When one enters the “Village of Harmony,” on the outskirts of Zamboanga del Sur, a city on the Philippine island of Mindanao, one has the feeling of entering an oasis.
Overlooking the Sulu Sea, a crown of small islands, Zamboanga sits at the end of a thin tongue of land, the western offshoot of the island of Mindanao, and is a port frequented by traders, fishermen, sea nomads, people and travelers of every language, ethnicity and culture who ply the South Seas.
In this area, there are the provinces that make up the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), or the territory that is home to a substantial Muslim population of about six million souls. The region represents a distinctive feature of the southern Philippines: followers of Muhammad in it are the majority, while in the archipelago as a whole-which has a population of more than 100 million and is 90 percent Catholic-they are a minority of about 6 percent.
A 14-hectare estate (a village, a forest, cultivated fields), located on a hill 7 kilometers from the city, houses a special village full of quiet places for meditation, a Christian house of prayer, a Muslim house of prayer, a kindergarten, a library and a conference hall.
The sign “Village of Harmony” that greets the visitor is promising. Indeed, as soon as one arrives, one is greeted by smiling people who guide those who wish to enter that verdant oasis. Along the entrance driveway, one is accompanied by signs offering the “prayer of harmony”…
READ MORE ON MISSIONI CONSOLATA
Source
- Missioni Consolata (01/31/2025)