The Words of the Kajikuri Family
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The Words of the Kajikuri Family |
Kook Jin Nim gave the following eulogy at the Seonghwa Ceremony for Rev. Gentaro Kajikuri, president of the church in Japan, who passed into the spiritual world after a long illness on December 26 at the age of seventy-five.
I'd like to offer my condolences to Church President Kajikuri's family. You all have known President Kajikuri much longer than I, and with him you fought many battles for the sake of the development of the world-wide Unification movement and church financial soundness. You have all have known President Kajikuri to be a warrior, a man of principle, righteous spirit, without fear for his own personal situation or even personal safety.
Yet, I did have a chance to work with President Kajikuri in probably his last fight, the most difficult fight. In 2009 when our church was facing the most difficult time in its entire history here in Japan, Father asked me to come here and to advise the church and to advise him on how to overcome this situation. Even at that time, Kajikuri san's body was broken and diseased and he was dying.
But, given the situation, we had to make some very difficult decisions. If we were to overcome the challenges that we faced, there were going to be tremendously difficult fights to come. So, at that time, President Tokuno, who was then the president, acted very courageously to take personal responsibility] for the moral disturbance in society even though he himself had done nothing wrong.
I reported to True Father that even though this man's body was dying, his spirit was what the church in Japan needed to overcome the challenge. Despite many concerns from many people all throughout the church -- not just in Japan -- Father made the courageous decision to appoint Kajikuri president of Japanese church.
From Day One of his appointment, he conducted himself with courage and honor. He worked in two areas, of course to reform areas where we needed reformation as a church, but also to stand up for righteousness and the dignity of our church members in Japan, to fight for the right to be free, to be free to believe in the religion of your choosing, to be free from the violence of kidnapping. President Kajikuri stood up courageously for these fundamental and basic human rights and the dignity of our brothers and sisters. For his courage in the face of adversity all the members of the Unification Church will remember him as a hero of the providence. [Applause]
As we go forward as a community and as a church, we must be ever mindful of the sacrifices of our predecessors. Regarding President Kajikuri, a leader in this community, who has died in office, we should remember what he fought for, what he died for. We have pursued very clear policies, and these policies should continue. We have worked to harmonize with society, but that does not mean we have surrendered. We are vigorous and must fight to defend the rights of our brothers and sisters and their human dignity.
As a community, we have worked to fight for the dignity of our brothers and sisters against all enemies, external and internal. We have a responsibility to all members of our community, to understand their burdens and their troubles, to feel their pain. We, as a community, must understand and address those issues, to lighten the burden of our brothers and sisters who have carried the weight of this providence on their shoulders.
The leadership must understand that as leaders we hold the public trust and that that trust requires us, as leaders, to put the people's welfare before our own. This is the heart with which President Kajikuri conducted his duty in his public office. This is the heart which our leaders from now on must conduct themselves in their time in public office, to stand for righteousness, for justice, not only for yourself, but for all.
So I hope that our new leader and leaders to come will lead this church being always mindful of this lesson: conduct yourselves with honor in a way that people of the Unification Church may be honored, in so doing, we may honor the memory of President Kajikuri. Thank you very much.