A symposium on child protection in the Church, titled “Toward Healing and Renewal,” was held in Rome in February. The Gregorian University, which hosted the gathering, is developing resources for further training that will be available on their website. They propose a 30-hour training in child protection for students and professors from across the world. The content will be in four languages.

For more information, visit The Pontifical Gregorian University Centre for Child Protection. The internet portal offers information and training for all those dealing with child protection in the Church.

Sacred Heart parishioners in St. Paul pray the Stations of the Cross in Spanish on Good Friday. Photo by Jim Bovin / for The Catholic Spirit

For an interesting analysis of the impact of the growing Latino population in the US on the Catholic Church, this blog on Huffington Post is interesting.

Click here to read the article…

Two weeks ago, I traveled to Zambia to speak at conference co-sponsored by Catholic Relief Services and CAFOD on Extractives in Southern African. My task was to speak about ICCR’s work and run a session on Shareholder Advocacy. However, I had a few days to explore the region, visit, before the conference began.

That first weekend, I went to Mongu in the Western Region. This is the poorest region of the country. After a 7-hour bus ride from the capital, I arrived and went to visit the Diocese of Mongu Development Centre (DMDC). When this opened in the early 70′s, its focus was providing nutritional assistance to the local residents, specifically children. Today, it focuses on local food sustainability.

To meet that goal, DMDC provides everything from farmer training; to running a distribution center for seeds and equipment; and operating a rice-polishing machine, free for the community to use. DMDC is even exploring technologies with bio-diesel. One of the greatest benefits of all their work is how earnestly they commit to sustainability. They teach people how to grow rice for sustenance as well as for sale at the market. All the rice seeds sold to the local farmers are organic. Rice husks and residual powder are given purposes such as fertilizer for local crops and road cover. Trees are grown at the center and then planted to restore deforested areas.

Also at the Center, the plant jatropha is being grown for biodiesel. This is a non-edible, native plant, that when pressed creates oil for use as biodiesel. But just like the rice, DMDC works to ensure that byproducts are also used. The briquettes left by the plants used for bio-diesel are made into pellets to be used in fires instead of charcoal and the additional byproduct is used for making soap.

Not only did I learn practical lessons and witness great project, like what DMDC has to offer, I learned some life lessons. In the capital of Lusaka, there is a large Chinese embassy being created. The one university in the entire country is in the capital, and many local students do not get in due to the high competition. However, Chinese students are given free education. As Chinese companies continue to seek a presence in Africa, by buying land or other ventures, I think we must be mindful. In the worst-case scenario, this can be the re-colonizing of Africa, but instead of it being foreign nation states, it is private companies, with less accountability.

By this time, I had toured much of Mongu, but was struggling about why I was seeing these things. As I was thinking about “Could I donate money, or could others? Could I help fix some of these issues? I felt compelled to act”. Fr. Michael gave me the greatest gift: the reminder of my purpose in this trip. He told me to share the story of Mongu. He did not ask me to take action; he did not ask me to find funders for their wonderful programs. He asked me to tell others of the poverty, but also the wonderful hope and programs that do exist. His message was wrapped up in his quick statement “Be a mouthpiece, Kate”. And I think that is what we are collectively called to do with this work- be a mouthpiece and lift up the stories.

The rest of the week I spent In Lusaka at the CRS/CAFOD Conference, which was incredibly well run. There was such excitement over this work, and it brought over 100 people from 13 countries together to strategize on such a complex, yet crucial issue of extractives. As we know, the issue of conflict minerals is still a serious issue. Nevertheless, there have been positive developments such as the Dodd Frank legislation requiring the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to write new rules for public companies requiring them to certify that they are not sourcing conflict minerals from Africa.

Praying for Peace in the Congo Elections

On November 28, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will hold elections. A delegation of Catholic bishops from the Congo Catholic Conference was recently in Washington D.C, to urge the international community to increase the number of international observers monitoring the forthcoming elections and to ensure that minerals and resources of the DRC are not used for illicit purposes. The elections are being vigorously contested, with 11 candidates vying for the presidency, and nearly 19,000 for some 500 parliamentary seats. There are 32 million eligible voters in the country.

Forty-one faith-based, humanitarian and human rights organizations issued a press release in October expressing concern about the high level of political tension and the deteriorating security situation. They have called upon all Congolese and international actors involved to take urgent measures to prevent electoral violence, better protect civilians and ensure credible, free and fair elections. Amongst those who signed onto the press release is Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN) whose members are mostly Catholic Religious or Missionary Institutes working in Africa and Europe. Missionary Oblates maintains membership at the AEFJN. Also, the Missionary Oblates have significant present in the Democratic Republic of Congo where they work in parishes, education and operate development projects.

Read the full press statement (PDF) by NGOs expressing concern on the deteriorating security situation in DRC and call for action.

]]> http://omiusajpic.org/2011/11/15/pray-for-peaceful-elections-in-congo/feed/ 0 http://omiusajpic.org/2011/11/08/vatican-suggestions-for-financial-reform-debated/ http://omiusajpic.org/2011/11/08/vatican-suggestions-for-financial-reform-debated/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:50:31 +0000 christina http://omiusajpic.org/?p=10240 Fr. Seamus Finn argues in The Wall Street Journal that global regulatory changes suggested by the Vatican could help the global financial system function more fairly:

“Robert A. Sirico’s “The Vatican’s Monetary Wisdom” (op-ed, Oct. 27) correctly praises the analysis of the causes of the financial crisis that was included in the Vatican’s statement on reforming the financial system. His summary dismissal of the suggested responses in the document clearly states that no sovereign or international regulatory authority is up to the task of regulating the major actors in the financial sector. Are we then to believe that they will do it themselves?

Haven’t we just experienced the consequences of deregulation, regulatory arbitrage and the capture of elected officials and assemblies by banks and industry associations? Greater cooperation, coordination and collaboration among sovereign regulators and authorities, as the Vatican suggested, is a step in the right direction if the public is to have a safe, stable and fair financial system that is worthy of their trust and their transactions.”

The Rev. Seamus P. Finn OMI

In this June 25, 2011 photo, marchers leave a park in Birmingham, Alabama, during a protest against the state's new law cracking down on undocumented immigration. (AP photo)

Leaders of the Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist churches of Alabama filed suit in federal court on August 1st to stop the enforcement of Alabama’s new Anti-Immigration Law because it prevents the free exercise of religion. The bishops called the new law “the nation’s most merciless anti-immigration legislation.”

Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi, of the Mobile Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Alabama, Bishop Robert J. Baker, of the Birmingham Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Alabama, Bishop Henry N. Parsley, Jr., of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Alabama and Bishop William H. Willimon, of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church have joined together as plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit. Some 338,000 Alabama residents are members of Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist churches in the state.

Archbishop Rodi said “that ‘the love of Christ impels us’ (2 Cor. 5) to live our Christian faith. No law is just which prevents the proclamation of the Gospel message, the baptizing of believers, or love shown to a neighbor in need.”

Members of Alabama’s Episcopal, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches are committed to welcoming strangers. They engage daily in hundreds of ministries throughout the state providing meals, housing, transportation and educational activities such as daycare, English language classes and other services. Bishop Baker noted that the new law “interferes with the Biblical imperative of hospitality which our churches have adopted and encoded in various documents of governance. It aims to shut the doors of our churches and social ministries, against our wills, to a whole class of people, denying them access to such basic human needs as food, clothing, shelter, and, most importantly, worship of God.”

Bishop Willimon said, “To forbid members of Alabama’s faith communities from providing these charitable services will violate their sincere religious belief in helping others without reservation.”

“We do need sensible immigration reform,” said Bishop Parsley, “but the new Anti-Immigration Act criminalizes the Church’s mission.”

The arrival of the refugees-laden ship has generated controversy within Canada. Canadian Tamils, the largest Tamil community outside Sri Lanka and India, have urged authorities to accept the asylum seekers, saying that the minority group faces continued discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s high commissioner to Canada has asked the country to reject their refugee status due to alleged links to the Tamil Tiger separatist movement. The Tamil Tigers or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) as the military wing of the separatist Tamil movement and was brutally wiped out in the spring of 2009. Tens of thousands of Tamils are believed to have died in the final months of the conflict, trapped as they were between the two warring armies. War crimes are reported to have been committed by both sides.

“Keep the dignity of Tamil refugees in mind during immigration debate”

Statement by Archbishop J. Michael Miller who served on the Vatican Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants.

August 25, 2010

The arrival of 492 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka has generated much discussion about Canada’s immigration policy and the appropriate means of dealing with the men, women and children who recently came by ship.

Some of the reaction has focused on the desperate individuals who have arrived on our shores, smuggled here to flee persecution in their homeland. There has been outcry, much of it hostile, about queue jumping, abuse of the system, and the need to keep Canada from being overrun with would-be refugees. It is critical at this time to keep in mind the fundamental dignity of each human person, particularly these new arrivals. In his own life and ministry, Jesus identified himself with refugees and other marginalized groups: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35).

Catholic Social Teaching is uncompromising on the rights of refugees, and these men, women and children must not become scapegoats in otherwise relevant debates over immigration policy, enforcement and reform.

While it is incumbent on responsible governments to establish the identities of newcomers so as not to open a door to potential security risks, the Catholic Church maintains that people who are victims of armed conflicts, misguided economic policies or natural disasters, as well as “internally displaced persons,” must be recognized as refugees and offered international protection. Canada has a well founded reputation as a nation of immigrants and refugees, and a long history of welcoming those seeking a haven from injustice.

It has been well documented in recent years that one of the global consequences of overly restrictive immigration and refugee policies by industrialized countries has been an increase in human trafficking, particularly of women and children.

The United Nations has called people-smuggling the fastest-growing form of transnational organized crime.

Pope John Paul II warned against the tendency of affluent countries to “tighten their borders under pressure from a public opinion disturbed by the inconveniences that accompany the phenomena of immigration. Society finds itself having to deal with the ‘clandestine’ men and women in illegal situations, without any rights in a country that refuses to welcome them, victims of organized crime or of unscrupulous entrepreneurs.” (Pope John Paul II, Message for World Migration Day 2000, n 4.)

While the state must ensure immigration policy is subject to the requirements of the common good, such control must not inspired by selfish attitudes or “restrictive policies.”

It is only just that as we discuss federal immigration policy, we keep in the forefront the men, women and children currently in detention – all of whom have risked their lives to escape persecution back home.

Before coming to Vancouver, Archbishop Miller served on the Vatican Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants, established by Pope John Paul II in 1988 to minister to the spiritual welfare of those who no longer are or who never have been members of a parish.

Missionary Oblates JPIC Applaud Immigration Speech. More can be done.

The Missionary Oblates JPIC office applauds President Obama’s commitment to immigration reform. President Obama’s speech on Immigration reform is a step in the right direction to fix the immigration system. However, there are actions that the Obama administration can take in the interim as we wait for Congress to act. Halting raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants (those without criminal records) would send a big signal of commitment to reform of the immigration system.

Fixing the broken immigration system is a top issue for a majority of Americans and they are frustrated with the political delay and inaction in Congress. Polling shows that a majority of Americans support comprehensive immigration reform which includes creating legal status for undocumented immigrants already in the country, securing the border and better managing future immigration.

What you can do to Support Immigration Reform:

Thousands of people of faith across the country are praying, fasting and serving as a public witness and nationwide solidarity with immigrants, particularly those living in Arizona. The Justice for Immigrants postcard campaign is an opportunity for you, your community and your parish to participate in the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ campaign for comprehensive immigration reform. You can find more information at the Justice for Immigrants website. This site has coverage of the JFI postcard campaign, as well as links for supporters to send electronic versions of the postcards to Senators and Representatives encouraging Congress to act.

Fr. Finn emphasizes the need both to avoid incurring further debt in the re-building and to involve Haitians in the rebuilding of their country. He discusses ways in which the Nuncio, the Catholic Church and Oblates of the USA along with generous donors are working with the Haitian Bishop’s Conference to help Haiti rebuild. Fr. Finn also addresses the need to address the trauma – the psychological scars from the massive earthquake: the loss of families, homes, work, schools, churches…..

Listen to a podcast of the interview…

http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=359945

The archbishop underlined the Church’s moral teaching on nuclear weapons, based on its commitment to protect human life. Drawing on the principles of just war teaching, Archbishop O’Brien stated, “Nuclear war-fighting is rejected in Church teaching because it cannot ensure noncombatant immunity and the likely destruction and lingering radiation would violate the principle of proportionality.”

He added that “the continuing possession of nuclear weapons undermines non-proliferation efforts and contributes to the danger of loose nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists.”

“Every nuclear weapons system and every nuclear weapons policy should be judged by the ultimate goal of protecting human life and dignity and the related goal of ridding the world of these weapons in mutually verifiable ways,” the archbishop pointed out.

He continued: “It will not be easy. Nuclear weapons can be dismantled, but both the human knowledge and the technical capability to build weapons cannot be erased….But humanity must walk this path with both care and courage in order to build a future free of the nuclear threat.”

The February summit in Paris was designed to lead up to the Global Summit on Nuclear Security in April, called by U.S. President Barack Obama, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference the following month.

Read the full text of the Archbishop’s remarks…

Learn more about the USCCB teachings on nuclear weapons…