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Tomas Vyhnalek, OMI Appointed as Representative of VIVAT International in Vienna August 30th, 2010

Fr. Tomas Vyhnalek, OMI has been appointed as an official representative of VIVAT International at the UN headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The UN in Vienna focuses on Drugs and Crime and Fr. Vyhnalek intends to focus on Human Trafficking, Migrant Smuggling, Criminal Justice, Prison Reform and HIV-AIDS. All of these are issues that are of prime interest to the Oblates as well as to VIVAT.

This July appointment to the UN in Vienna, coupled with that of Daniel LeBlanc at the UN in New York and the growing network of VIVAT Congregations with members in different countries, increases the opportunities for the “voices of the poor to be heard where decisions are taken affecting their lives” (CC.RR 9a) on the above issues as well as on the Millennium Development Goals. VIVAT has an International Executive Team working in New York and a regional office in Geneva.

Unprecedented Governance Agreement Signed in Peruvian Amazon August 17th, 2010

The Oblate parish in Santa Clotilde, in the Peruvian Amazon, organized a gathering of political authorities and leaders from nearly 50 communities – religious, health, education, indigenous – for a three day workshop on the upcoming elections. At the end of the meeting, a “governance” agreement was signed by all, including the candidates for the upcoming elections. In this statement, it was agreed, amongst other things, that all civil society and indigenous groups would monitor the work of whoever is ultimately elected. The agreement is the first of its kind in Peru!

For more information see our post in Spanish

Continued Call for AIDS Treatment at 2010 AIDS Conference in Vienna August 5th, 2010

This report comes from the 2010 International AIDS Conference which took place July 19-23 in Vienna, Austria. The Missionary Oblates JPIC offices were represented by Fr Tomáš Vyhnálek OMI, the JPIC coordinator for Europe based in Vienna. He also represented the Oblate JPIC offices in Washington D.C and the General office in Rome.

The 18th international Aids conference in Vienna ended Friday with one strong message: Despite the financial crisis the fight against HIV/AIDS must not decrease.

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Tribal Law and Order Act Awaits Presidential Signature July 22nd, 2010

The Tribal Law and Order Act was passed by the House on July 21!

H.R. 725, which includes both the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act and the Tribal Law and Order Act passed the House under suspension of the rules by a roll call vote with a 2/3 majority (326 yeas). This strong bipartisan support is welcome, particularly given the partisan atmosphere that has come to characterize both the House and the Senate.

The bill enjoyed bipartisan support in the House as it did in the Senate, and now awaits the president’s signature to become law.

The Tribal Law and Order Act (H.R. 1924), developed in consultation with Native Americans, takes steps to improve public safety across Indian Country, where the average crime rate is 2.5 times the national average. The Friends Committee on National Legislation was very active in promoting the legislation, coordinating advocacy through letters and visits. The Oblate JPIC Office actively supported passage of this bill and is delighted with the bill’s passage.

More information on the legislation is available on the FCNL website.

Oblate to attend 2010 International AIDS Conference July 14th, 2010

The XVIII International AIDS Conference is taking place in Vienna from July 18-23, 2010 . The Conference is a major gathering of those working in the field of HIV, government leaders, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the AIDS pandemic. It is convened by the International AIDS Society (IAS), in partnership with government, scientific and civil society partners in Austria, as well as international partners from civil society and the United Nations. It is a chance to assess the current state of affairs, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt, and collectively chart a course forward.

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Democratic Republic of Congo: Celebrating 50 Years of Independence! June 29th, 2010

On 30th June 2010, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence from Belgium. The DRC has been described as the ‘heart of Africa’ and is home to enormous natural wealth and resources. However, for the last two decades, Congo has been caught up in armed conflict described as one the world’s deadliest. The fighting in the eastern DRC is fueled in large part by conflict minerals which include coltan (columbite-tantalite), cassiterite (tin ore) and wolframite (tungsten). These metals are used in consumer electronics such as cell phones and laptop computers. The Congo conflict has left millions of people dead. Thousands of women have been victimized by rape and countless children have been kidnapped to serve as child soldiers.

Marking the 50th Independence anniversary during the annual meeting of the Catholic Bishops, Bishop Nicolas Djomo, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Congo, said that the independence anniversary is an opportune time to offer prayers of thanks to God for a sense of belonging to a united nation and to ask God’s forgiveness for omissions and opportunities lost. He went on further to say that the anniversary is a time to renew a commitment to promoting the common good and national solidarity.

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