Photo © Basil Rolandsen (http://bouvetmedia.com)
Dom Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Bishop of Dili (East Timor aka Timor-Leste), 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. I took this picture back in June 1995, the Norwegian Nobel Committee later adopted it as the official photo of Bishop Belo, and it hangs in the Nobel Institute Gallery in Oslo, Norway.
I just remembered this picture, as I searched my bookshelf for a book and found myself leafing through the official Nobel book “Les Prix Nobel 1996” (The Nobel Prizes), which I got a copy of as contributor (the above photo). I was never particularly happy with the print results, and decided to make a better black & white version…
The book contains the Nobel Lectures of the Laurates, and I started to re-read Dom Carlos’ speech, given during the award ceremony in Oslo 10 December 1996, when he received the Nobel Prize for Peace together with (now East Timor President) José Ramos-Horta “for their work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor”.
In his lecture, Bishop Belo quotes: “As man, as human being, I cannot remain indifferent in face of what concerns man.” This describes the priest who, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council for many years put defense and promotion of the rights of his people before his own safety. A great admirer of the work of Mahatma Gandhi and his creed of non-violence in the movement for change, Bishop Belo praises the Nobel Committee for rewarding the East Timor people’s non-violent struggle for an end to their suffering. Remembering many places in the world where injustice prevails and peace is yet to be established, he quoted Amos of the Old Testament: “Let Justice roll down like waters” – regrettably, the situation has not yet changed too much in many of the places he refered to.
The Nobel Prize is given to great persons, and Bishop Belo is one. We need more like him, if the world shall be a better place. Meeting Dom Carlos has been an honour for me, and I hope that he one day soon may be back in East Timor. Much progress has been made in this new nation, but it is easy to see the need for a civil movement empowering the people and helping them identify the errors of politicians and others in power. I have seen the Church do this in the Philippines, and have always imagined this a role for the East Timor Church. Bishop Belo could (again) be a catalyst here…