Today we receive with great joy in our Office of Communications in the Curia P. Opeka, who arrived recently in Rome to receive the Van Thuan Prize 2008, Solidarity and Development. This award was given on the 10th of December 2008 by the San Mateo Foundation at the Solemn Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was organized by the Pontifical Institute for Justice and Peace.
Interview with F.Opeka (Click to see the video)
After Luch Speech (Click to see Video)
See the Vatican photos at the bottom
Fr. Pedro, how did you find the ceremony of the awarding of prizes?
Well, it was really exciting, first of all because it was in the Vatican, the Holy See; then also, because the award was named after Cardinal Van Thuan, who was an extraordinary man of faith, suffering, perseverance and was an example of the Church’s fight and struggle for justice and peace; and also it was given on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. These are three reasons. A fourth would be the presence of Father General together with the Councillors and members of the Curia. This brought great joy because the award is for all missionaries – there are in fact many missionaries who do extraordinary work but are oftentimes not recognized by the media.
We all feel represented in you. Thus, we have here a photo of St. Vincent distributing bread to the poor and sharing the Gospel. For indeed what good will it do to accomplish so much work if we do not make the (poor) realize that the material bread goes hand in hand with the bread of the Word of God!
Exactly. I think about the work of evangelization and the social work that so many of us do as members of the Congregation of St. Vincent de Paul, as religious and as lay members of the Vincentian Family – well, this was a little bit for all. For indeed the work that we Vincentians in all parts of the world do in favor of the poor is what St. Vincent himself did, what Jesus in fact did. And that is why I am truly happy thinking about those missionaries because the work has to continue. The award comes in a moment, a very short moment, but the work with the poor requires much perseverance.
It brings great joy to hear you talk like that, because one hears Pedro Opeka, Pedro Opeka, but in truth at the back of Pedro Opeka, in the heart of Pedro Opeka lies a great love for the Congregation and a great support of the entire Congregation. We saw the confreres from Slovenia, as well as your sisters who came from Argentina, and Father General and the Curia together with you.
And also the Bishops and Cardinals of Argentina who came to congratulate me. For this I think we have to be humble just as Jesus Christ was, as St. Vincent was – he who was in touch with the Queen and the highest levels of society, yet remaining in his heart so close to the poor. In a way this is the particularity of the Vincentians, that as we succeed in having good relations with the media or with important persons, all this is simply in order to better serve the poor.
In any case, we would like to think that as you come to the Curia you are coming to the whole Congregation, because in a way the Curia represents the entire Congregation. Thus, we not only feel honored in Pedro Opeka, but we also want to support Pedro Opeka with our prayers and our help.
Thank you very much. I feel very much within the Congregation and am really happy to see my confreres, whether in France, in Spain, in Slovenia, in Latin America, in Madagascar. . (Thank you for) the help I receive with your prayers, the courage that you give me, and your words of encouragement. In the struggle against poverty, the media is very important, and providence has exposed me a bit more to public opinion, and I am very happy to know that behind me are my confreres who help and support me, above all the Curia and Father General.
Well, this small Office of Communications of the Congregation also feels honored with you and committed with you.
Thank you very much and may God bless on Christmas this year and on the New Year 2009 all the Provinces of the Congregation, and all Sisters and members of the Vincentian Family.
After this interview Father P. Opeka, with his sisters and Mde. Leonor who hosted them in her house, ate lunch with the Curia community.
After Luch Speech (Click to see Video)
At the end he spoke thus:
I would like to express my gratitude to Father General, all the Council and the entire house of the General Curia, for having attended personally the ceremonies at the Vatican when I received the award. This award is for all, for the whole community, for all the Vincentian missionaries, Daughters of Charity and the entire Vincentian Family. For indeed there are so many people, so many missionaries who do extraordinary work but are left unrecognized by the media. I myself worked for 15 years in the forest and no one knew about me, but on the day I set foot on the garbage dump in the capital city, they started to speak about my work. It is providence that wanted it this way.
I can only say, many thanks to the community, the Congregation, the General Curia, and to all the confreres wherever I go, for all the support, for the encouragement. Tomorrow I go to Slovenia where the Episcopal Conference will give me another award. (Applause) Well, I say this to providence – I only work here. But if it serves for the glory of God, for the Reign of God . . . I also recently received from the Episcopal Conference of Argentina a note congratulating me,and expressing how happy they were that an Argentinian has received this award. Well then, confreres, Father Gregory, thanks first of all to you, for the support that you always give. He has visited Akamasoa twice, has seen thousands of children. But when the Bishop comes or when the Superior General makes a visit, it is a big fiesta, and no one sees the problems. Then they leave and the problems are left for us to take care of. But little by little we are solving these, thanks to the power of prayer, the Gospel, the grace of God, we move forward.
I wish to thank you, and I am very happy to have come together with my two sisters, whose plane fare was paid for by the government of Argentina, the ministry of religion; otherwise they would not have been able to come. It was a big surprise for me. I wish to thank also Leonor and her family, and Elvira who form part of the friends of Monaco who help us, who have hosted us in their house. But I wanted to come here with my sisters to thank you for all that you do as Vincentians, as sons of St. Vincent, for the good of the Church and for God’s Kingdom. I thank you very much and I say this simply that although the media speak about me, I am only a simple priest, one more number, the last of the priests, but if I can speak, I will not keep quiet before the media, because we need to speak, because the people need hope and a sense in life. I see, for example, the documentaries made by the French television and shown several times during the year, at two or three in the morning. There are people who see them at three o’clock in the morning, because they tell me, “Father, I saw you in the television.” And you have to tell them, “Well and good, if this brings you encouragement, hope, courage, joy in life, thanks to God.” We are only instruments of providence.
Thank you, Father General, thanks to the Councillors, and thanks to the community.
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