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A Good Friday Reflection: End the Use of the Death Penalty March 14th, 2012

A brochure from Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Use of the Death Penalty is a resource we recommend to enrich Catholics during this liturgical season of Lent. The brochure offers educational, advocacy and theological reflections about the death penalty for Good Friday, which this year falls on April 6.

Download the brochure (PDF)

 

Invisible Children KONY 2012 March 13th, 2012

The “Invisible Children Kony 2012” video has gone viral. It is an impassioned plea to end the atrocities of Joseph Kony and his Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Invisible Children Campaign “KONY 2012” provides horrifying documentary evidence about the LRA.

Over nearly three decades the LRA has been responsible for unspeakable acts of brutality, including the abduction of children to work as soldiers. untold thousands have been maimed or killed by the LRA and hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced in northern Uganda, Northern Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Kony in 2005, but to date, no one has found him.

This video is a plea to take action to stop the atrocities of Kony and hold the LRA accountable in a court of law. An important issue raised by the video is the need for immediate international support, and protection of these children and their families from these terrible acts of violence. Organizations such as Catholic Relief Services are on the front lines helping the victims of Kony and Lord’s Resistance Army.

 

Victory in US Senate for Tax Justice! March 9th, 2012

This week, the Senate took a stand against one of the largest revenue drains facing developing nations today – tax avoidance. Members of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition, have been speaking out against the abuse of off-shore tax havens. And the Senate listened.

Amendment 1818, the Levin Amendment, passed the Senate last night and is a blow against corruption, secrecy, and tax avoidance that aims to end the use and abuse of off-shore tax havens. These tax havens help large corporations and corrupt individuals avoid paying a fair share of taxes to the nations in which they operate. An estimated $160 billion dollars is lost in tax revenue in developing countries due to the use of off-shore tax havens. The Levin amendment gives law enforcement officials tools to stop financial institutions in tax havens from aiding US tax cheats, and help put an end to developing country tax avoidance.

Jubilee USA and the Oblates are founding members of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition. Learn more about tax justice… 

 

Lenten Reflections on Water February 24th, 2012

The World Council of Churches offers a unique Lenten practice, in solidarity with half the world, for whom water is scarce, whose waters are polluted or who have difficult access to water. This resource is available through the WCC-sponsored Ecumenical Water Network, a network of churches and Christian organizations promoting people’s access to water around the world.

Praying, reflecting and acting for a just economy of WATER:

• 7 weeks for water
• 7 semaines du carême sur l’eau
• Siete semanas para el agua

 

Act to Stop Usurious Payday Lending! February 23rd, 2012

US Regulators receive letter from over 250 organizations and individuals on usurious loans.

Over 250 organizations and individual advocates – including the Oblates and other faith-based groups – have joined the call to stop banks from extending predatory payday loans. These loans carry triple-digit annual interest rates of as much as 400 percent.

Consumers can join the call for regulators to stop bank payday lending by signing a petition at: http://rspnsb.li/vZb3iH

Learn about the problem of predatory payday lending in this video from Center for Responsible Lending.

Click here to read more »

EcoLenten Series February 17th, 2012

The Passionist Earth and Spirit Center has developed a Lenten Series that focuses on God’s creation. Lent 4.5 identifies Christian Simplicity as a meaningful way to experience Lent and informs and inspires communities on how to use prayer, fasting and almsgiving to care for God’s creation.

The title “Lent 4.5” refers to our pattern of consumption in the sense that from 4.5 acres, each of us would have to find everything we need to support our life: food, home, energy, transportation, clothing, appliances, cars and gadgets. Topics such as Compassionate Living, Food buying and consumption, Water conserving and protecting, Energy efficient and clean, and Transportation, are offered as weekly themes. There are weekly handouts, discussion guides, as well as activities for teachers and children. For more information call: 502-452-2749 or email: lent@earthandspiritcenter.org or visit the website: www.lent45.org

 

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