Final Results of the General Assembly and Annual Conference of the Apostolat Militaire International in Split, Croatia, October 14 19, 2018 At the invitation of H.E. Archbishop Jure Bogdan, the Military Ordinary of Croatia, Sixty (60) members, delegates and friends of AMI coming from 15 different nations on 4 continents took part at the 53rd AMI Conference and General Assembly in Split, Croatia, to discuss together the theme of Reconciliation and all the aspects discussed in the recently published document regarding the vision of the AMI in the four year period 2018-2021 called "AMI Vision paper 2018-2021: expanding circles". The theme "Reconciliation" was approached through the five levels and perspectives of military life, starting with the most internal circle: personal level, family/friends, unit level/chaplaincy/defence perspective, national level and multinational level. All these levels impact military life and its culture of commemoration and the religious dimension of the reconciliation with God. Examples of such reconciliation included: (1) two cadets who presented their personal struggle to face God as they left seminary studies for military life; (2) a tool for reconciling returning military with their families; (3) stories from chaplains who were recently deployed on how to reconcile within their military units including the sacrament of reconciliation; (4) senior Croatian military describing reconciliation with their neighbouring nations after their achievement of independence, and (5) messages for the hierarchy on the action of God s grace in all steps of this process of reconciliation. The conference participants confirmed the dual approach of the AMI vision paper. On one hand in a pastoral sense placing the individual soldier at the centre of the AMI efforts and on the other hand reinforce the strategic level by advising the Holy See, Catholic NGOs and other multinational organizations. Additionally, and in accord with a recent document received from the Dicastery of laity,
family and life, our conference underpinned the importance of the guidelines given by Pope Francis as regards the protection of minors and the victims of sexual abuse and supports the Pope's reinforcements measures. In order to deepen the topics covered in the "AMI vision paper" we discussed these in the following working groups: strategic advice, strategic communication, structuring AMI/quarterly discussion and the mobile AMI application ( tweeting with god as a reference). Results and abundant suggestions emerged from everyone according to a shared and collegial approach in the real tradition of AMI. The first working group, strategic advice, agreed on the AMI vision paper and defined some focus points: intensify our relationships with the main stakeholders; increase the number of bi-lateral contacts to parallel agencies; assign dedicated strategic advisors. In particular, they deepened How can AMI, as the only Catholic organization representing soldiers, attract attention and make themselves heard? with the following proposals: - Proactive and reactive engagement with topics that could be made available to other NGOs, international organizations and the Holy See. Here we have to do work in which we could bring in our expertise as catholic soldiers. The goal must be to be heard in the future and to be asked for contributions. - Active participation should take place where topics affect a large number of the population in order to reach a broad mass. - There will be no accreditation associated with a permanent office due to lack of financial resources and lack of human resources. - Participation in the quarterly report to the Holy See. - Establishment of a liaison officer to the UN and Holy See in uniform, to make it clear that AMI is a lay organization for soldiers. - Establish a pool of advisors identified from AMI members who can cover specific topics. A publication of these specialists with the subject on the website is quite conceivable. The advisors also do not have to be present at every meeting. In Germany as well as in Austria there are already institutions which deal especially with the challenges to the soldier's profession. Here, the Institute for Religion and Peace in Vienna, the Institute for Theology and Peace in Hamburg as well as the Center for Ethical Education in the Armed Forces could also be mentioned in Hamburg. In order to meet our high standards, we must increasingly resort to such institutions. - If necessary, the work results must be transported to the highest levels such as the UN and the Holy See, but we must also provide assistance to the normal soldier. Here it is important to identify and use national organizational elements to transport these topics. - The high financial outlay could be made by setting up own AMI workshops that are funded by users / participants and could provide reserves. - Results of the AMI General Meetings must be brought together and prepared
accordingly so that they can continue to be worked on at national level. - From the point of view of the reputation of AMI and the desired assistance to the soldier, the objectives of AMI should in future be to send laypersons in uniform from the member countries. Only in this way can we meet the challenges of a Catholic lay organization for soldiers. The second working group reviewed the draft of the strategic communication plan, drew up a four year action plan and formulated specific themes to work on for the coming period. In particular, they listed a number of activities for each year: Year 2018 - each member finds additional volonteers and a POC - prepare content for an AMI version of Tweeting with God/AMI app - Find funding for a national member page in the AMI app - Make an inventory of national activities - Prepare Lourdes activities in the military camp - Skip DVD/booklet, choose for usb stick and website for the feedback of the yearly conference - Start inventory contribution AMI members to the STRATCOM committee Year 2019 - make AMI banners with the AMI crest - approach new AMI members. Each country one new candidate - Prepare digital Handbook - Lourdes activities: AMI stand, reception, approach military bishops being at the tentcamp, La Solitude with young soldiers? - Realise AMI app at AMI conference in Kenia - Start AMI email newsletter - Devellop videoclips/slideshow to promote AMI - Check crowdfunding possibilities - Evaluate the STRATCOM plan Year 2020 - launch AMI app in Lourdes? - Review website - Carry on Operation Lourdes, new way of the vip conference, with young soldiers - Start quarterly discussions (video confereces) - Planning AMI book for the 60th anniversary - Evaluate the STRATCOM plan Year 2021 - the Pope should have the AMI app on his smartphone - Review/ evaluate the STRATCOM plan
The third working group, focusing on the structuring of AMI, renewed the importance of the associations of lay Catholic soldiers within each Military Ordinariate and gave even more prominence and emphasis both to the young soldiers coming to the international military pilgrimage in Lourdes - the main event for military catholic community worldwide - and to relationships with various UN organizations and NGOs. Concerning quarterly discussions, all agreed to stimulate a growth in faith through the support of specific group discussions using social media that can develop a vision on certain topics. In short, it was defined the following points: - It is necessary to establish a point of contact (POC) in every country (members of AMI or associated members, or friends of AMI). This should be a high ranking officer (experienced staff), willing to contribute and collaborate on our AMI project. - On the other side we need a POC from the church (Military Diocese or Ordinariate). - Without access to the military and official church authorities in our countries at home, we will not have a chance to be successful. Therefore we need also high ranking officers representing their countries as head of delegations at the AMI conferences. Only with their support we find this access I have mentioned before. - We should give more prominence and emphasis to the International Military Pilgrimage in Lourdes, the main event for military catholic community worldwide. In the military camp in Lourdes there is wonderful option to explain our message about AMI to the youth and tell them about tweeting with GOD. We should establish an AMI meeting during the pilgrimage, inviting the countries from AMI to have talks and an exchange of experiences. - Mutual reinforcement, targets, purpose, etc., (what do we want to reach, how do we succeed from AMI) in relation to the different countries, to the military Chaplaincy and to the Vatican. This should be visible in relevance on top level. - WHAT IS the OUTPUT OF AMI? In some armed forces nobody knows about AMI. We have to work on that to change this situation. - Tweeting with GOD is a perfect instrument. AMI should have its own way through apps and getting to soldiers. Chaplains should be trained active in social media. - Try to gather young soldiers, cadets all around the globe with similar experience so they could exchange experience and find solution to reaching out to youth in military. The cadets from Croatia are ready for: We would like to try to gather at least a small group of cadets or young soldiers from around the globe with similar experiences as youth and as Catholics, so when we get back to our academies and troops (as soldiers), we could try to reach for them, in our case our colleagues will definitely ask me what we have been doing there, so we think that as cadets or young soldiers we have most influence on people of our age, because when chaplain would say something they would look on it as -he had to say that-. - AMI should ask Vatican to give advice to find solution and help AMI with important questions PROACTIVE!!!-sharp focus to offer military expertise to the Vatican- so
Vatican could report back to AMI (Input should come from contact person from every country in AMI). - It s important to make personal connection between chaplain and soldier believe in spiritual welfare..ami should be ready to answer on questions that are actual at the moment as well, as for civilians and for soldiers too. - We will start Quarterly Discussion Through e-mail, Skype, Facetime or regional groups who can meet each other on a regular basis. Quaterly information should be created from the AMI Executive Committee via the AMI Secretary General to the national contact persons. INTERACTION- they send feedbacks or reports. Concerning the AMI app, the fourth working group succeeded in making an overall design of the mobile AMI app. The development of a dedicated AMI-app figures prominently in the AMI Vision Paper 2018-2021 and the AMI Strategic Communications Plan. These documents distinguish five expanding circles: first the individual soldier, second their network of family and friends, third the military ordinariates and chaplains, fourth nations, and fifth multinational organisations. The AMI-app will directly serve the first three circles and indirectly demonstrate AMI s concern with the grassroot level to the fourth and fifth circles. The aim of the AMI-app is to empower people in the first circles to live and grow in their faith, to find answers to questions related to the faith and/or the military, to pray and find encouragement, to share their faith with others... This applies both to the individual soldier and their network of family and friends. Furthermore, the AMI-app aims to give chaplains a powerful tool in reaching out to every individual. One of the main concerns of military chaplaincy today is the scarcity of chaplains vis à vis the great number of soldiers, combined with the fact that today s social situation calls for a reaching out to individuals rather than to Church members collectively. The AMI-app desires to reach individuals and to empower them with tools for living their faith. Rather than replacing the chaplains, the AMI-app and the extra material of #TwGOD are a way to empower them in their important task. In the realisation of the app, AMI will work closely together with the global interactive multimedia initiative Tweeting with GOD (#TwGOD). #TwGOD starts with real and existential questions asked by people around the globe, and subsequently helps them to find an answer to these questions by presenting logical arguments and reasoning. The aim is to help people grow in faith rather than just passing on intellectual knowledge, and thus help them cope with difficulties, overcome fear, pray alone or together, know that God is always near... The extensive content in the #TwGOD-app will fully integrated in the AMI-app: - Answers to 200+ existential questions about faith and modern life; - Videos about the questions and answers, and links to social media;
- Suggestions for further deepening quoting the Catechism, popes, Church Fathers...; - A wealth of the most common Catholic prayers in 15+ languages; - The Order of Mass, allowing the faithful to participate in the celebration; - Eucharist in 15+ languages (Latin and Byzantine Rite), and priests to concelebrate; - A scan-function allowing a smooth passage to the book Tweeting with GOD. The AMI-app will offer a specific Military zone, containing: - Words of encouragement. Brief Tweets from papal documents, prayers, testimonies, inspirational quotes, homilies, reflections...; - Military questions. Specific military-related questions will be accessible here, with themes as sword/bible, guilt, shame, bullying, sacrifice, act and lead as a Christian...; - AMI-news, membership, donations...; - Local contact with Military Ordinariates/chaplaincies interested in spreading the AMI-app with the local contact details of their chaplains. Given that, most of the material for the app is pre-existing. It is realistic to aim at an internal launch of the AMI-app at the General Assembly 2019. The external launch can take place during the military pilgrimage to Lourdes in 2020. While most of the existing #TwGOD app will be maintained as it is in order to reduce the investment for AMI, it will be adapted to answer better to the use in a military context: - All main functions will be made available offline; - The graphic environment will be (slightly) adapted to correspond to military use; - Where desired, AMI can help with the translation of the app into new languages; - A new button in the main menu will give access to the specific AMI content. As regards financing, the AMI-app will be available for free to every individual and every ordinariate/chaplaincy. The great strength of the #TwGOD-app is that it has proved to work in nations all around the world, and that it exists in many languages, which would be very costly if AMI were to develop something similar by itself. Still, the investment is too high for AMI alone. Individual AMI members are therefore invited to help with the costs for both development and yearly maintenance: in return they will be able to insert their contact details, news, etcetera into the app (through their existing website), so that it becomes a powerful tool for the local chaplains. Users will be able to choose both their language and their nation. More than just an app. Thanks to the integration with #TwGOD, the AMI-app offers more: - The book Tweeting with GOD contains 200 burning questions, and exists in 20+ languages.1 The book offer more extensive argumentation than is possible within the app. The innovative scan-technology directly links the book to the AMI-app. - Specific military-related questions will be presented in a similar way (thus more extensively than in the app) and made available to AMI members upon request. One option is to provide soldiers with the book Tweeting with GOD plus the additional
military questions, together in a robust cover. - A Manual explains step by step how to use the material in a faith-reflection group, empowering individuals to be a moderator also without a chaplain present.2 - The website www.tweetingwithgod.com contains the questions in a logical order, so that ordinariates/chaplaincies and others can insert deep-links to specific questions. - The social media and videos of #TwGOD can be used by individual users and chaplains. #TwGOD is not limited to Twitter, and expands to all large social media. The 2018 AMI General Assembly has unanimously welcomed the idea of developing an AMI- app in collaboration with Tweeting with GOD. The proposed add-ons for the AMIapp are the direct results of one of the four working groups considering the near future of AMI s work. Also the other working groups frequently mentioned the importance of such app, which makes this possibly the most important AMI-tool for the coming years. May it serve solely ad maiorem Dei gloriam. 1 M. REMERY, Tweeting with GOD. Big Bang, prayer, Bible, sex, Crusades, sin, career..., Ignatius Press: San Francisco 2014. 2 M. REMERY I. SPRUIT, Tweeting with GOD Manual. Exploring the Catholic Faith together, Ignatius Press: San Francisco 2015. Overall, we experienced an active, lively and fruitful conference which provided insights in the complex theme of reconciliation and will activate AMI in delivering effects all in the spirit of our good faith. More information can be obtained by the AMI Secretary General.