Following
Our Lady to Russia
Interview With Father Erich Fink
For Father
Erich Fink, bringing about the conversion of Russia is a
lifelong dream -- one that began when he was working in the
fields of Germany at only age 10.
Now the priest does pastoral work in Berezniki, in west
central Russia. He says that the call made by Our Lady of
Fatima -- to pray for Russia's conversion -- is still
pertinent today.
Father Fink spoke with the television program "Where God
Weeps" of the Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN)
in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need.
Q: Father, Russia was a childhood dream of yours. Why?
Father Fink: I think it was a call of Mary of Fatima. I knew
about Russia through my father. He was in Russia for seven
years as a young man during the war; three years as a
soldier and four years as a prisoner of war. He always
talked very fondly about the Russian people. He spoke of the
Russian women who would throw bread over the prison wall to
them, knowing that it was illegal and punishable by death.
He later returned to Germany and married my mother.
We suffered greatly during those early years. As children we
looked for how we could help our family in these
difficulties and we discovered the Fatima prayer. Our Lady
of Fatima promised to alleviate especially family problems
so we started praying the rosary. It was during this time
that the message became clear to me: World peace was
dependent on the conversion of Russia. I then decided that I
wanted to work there.
Q: How old were you?
Father Fink: I was 10 years old. Within five years I knew
clearly that I wanted to become a priest. And already at
that time, I wanted to go to Russia and assist in this
conversion.
Q: Was there a particular person that inspired you?
Father Fink: No person inspired me. I remember I was in the
fields; we were farmers, and I had this inspiration and I
knew then that at some point in time I was going to become a
priest and the desire to go to Russia was very strong. I
used all possibilities for this to happen. I heard that
Tatiana Goracheva was coming to Germany. I looked for and
met her…
Q: Tatiana Goricheva was a Lithuanian dissident who was
imprisoned for many years and told her conversion story …
Father Fink: Yes, she was an atheistic philosopher and she
converted. She then started to preach and give testimony of
her newfound faith and as a result she was arrested and
exiled. I met her and told her that I wanted to work as a
priest in Russia. She said: "It is unrealistic and in your
lifetime Russia will not change."
Q: What was the greatest challenge that you encountered when
you first went to Berezniki?
Father Fink: My greatest problem at that time was the
language. I only knew the alphabet and I could not speak
even a sentence.
Q: What are the challenges you face while working in Russia?
Father Fink: From the morning to the evening people come to
me and ask for spiritual and material help. At every moment,
I have to decide, however, how to provide help and ask
myself this: "Is it a sincere desire for spiritual help?
What is the right way for us to provide social assistance?"
I also have to help the people, to lead the people to be
independent in making decisions and finding their own
solutions in improving their lives. These are the great
challenges.
Q: What would you say is the biggest challenge facing the
Catholic Church in Russia?
Father Fink: We must give a testimony of the divine dignity
of every human person. This is the greatest need in Russia.
We have so many problems: alcoholism, drug addiction and
children on the streets. Every person has a divine dignity.
This dignity can be nourished with a holistic approach that
not only involves social works but also has to involve
spiritual nourishment. The Catholic Church has the
possibilities to do this. The Orthodox Church has less
experience in these social works and we -- Catholics -- can
help. We, however, have to understand the Russian mentality
in order to be able to provide the right help and at the
same time we must understand and love the Orthodox Church.
We have to understand that we are guests and the conversion
and renewal of the faith can come only through and in the
Orthodox Church. In order to help the Orthodox Church we
must understand the Church.
Q: Father, if you were to make an appeal now to Catholics,
what would your appeal be?
Father Fink: My appeal is to have an understanding for
Russia. I see, especially in Europe and the West, that there
are so many doubts: It’s not a democratic system and so on.
This doesn’t help. Russia must be a strong country in order
to solve all her problems, and it’s on the right track.
Russia needs moral support from all the faithful and that
they be joyful at the developments. But we need not only
understanding, we need prayers. In Fatima when Our Lady
asked that all Catholics pray for the conversion of Russia
we knew that Communism was finished. Many now are thinking
that it is not necessary to continue praying for Russia. We
need prayers and spiritual support now more than ever
because Russia is, only now, starting her conversion; she
has not been converted yet.
* * *
This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for "Where
God Weeps," a weekly television and radio show produced by
Catholic Radio and Television Network in conjunction with
the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in
Need.
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