Question 4.85

4.85 Are you not afraid of being misunderstood in employing this sort of distinction?

It is a lack of charity to shut one’s eyes. It is a lack of charity to remain silent in the face of confusing words and slogans!

We must not be afraid to assert that the Church’s battle to relieve human needs is inseparable from the Gospel. It will only make our struggle more intense. If you read the Latin text of Gaudium et spes carefully, you will immediately notice this distinction. Well, then, are they going to think me naïve? Certainly I can make a mistake. It is not always easy to distinguish a poor person from a crook who is disguising his wealth beneath his rags. … Nevertheless, if I really listen to the teachings of Jesus, I would rather be robbed than lack charity.

I remember an incident that I experienced at the beginning of my episcopal ministry in Conakry. A woman originally from Ivory Coast came to see me at my residence to tell me that she had been the victim of a robbery. I was in a hurry because I had to prepare a conference and I was getting ready to travel to Abidjan. She was weeping because her mission was to buy some loincloths to bring them back to her country. A large part of the sum of money belonged to friends of hers, women who had asked her to make similar purchases for them. If she brought back nothing, she feared that she would be suspected of having diverted the money to her personal use. I asked the diocesan purchasing agent to give her a sum that would set her mind at ease. The next day at the airport I again met that woman who was taking the plane, just as I was. She had assured me that she had nothing left; obviously she had fooled me. But if I had not responded to her tears, I would not have responded to the appeal of Christ, who asks us to help those in distress. I was certain that I had acted according to the words of Saint Paul: “Love. . . believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7). It was up to that woman to deal with her conscience. Indeed, discernment of the intentions of others must not prevent us from living a life of charity. In heaven, we will be judged on love, as Saint John of the Cross used to say. Let us never forget the words from the Gospel of Matthew: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40).