Estimar des de la memòria

Bishop Joan Febrer of Menorca described the distinction between toxic and redeemed memory in a reflection on how people process the past. Writing for the Diocese of Menorca, Febrer noted that while personal memory provides continuity in a person's life, collective memory through celebrations and memorials connects people to a larger community.

Febrer referenced a meditation written in April by Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, regarding the situation in Jerusalem. Pizzaballa described toxic memory as a tendency to claim the narrative of events like a territory to be defended by questioning the historical memory of others. Febrer stated that this type of memory acts as a tool for exclusion and can lead people to repeat the negative actions of the past.

To avoid these pitfalls, Febrer suggested that people must distinguish between actual facts and their own interpretations. He wrote that instead of viewing themselves only as victims or winners, individuals should recognize the suffering of others and admit if they have been complicit in wrongdoing.