The nearly 1,500 Americans surveyed include large numbers of Catholics and Evangelicals.
The study, Faith and Global Policy Challenges: How Spiritual Values Shape Views on Poverty, Nuclear Risks, and Environmental Degradation, also finds that a majority of “believers” consider addressing global poverty a “spiritual obligation,” and think that the United States should work cooperatively with other nations to reduce it.

“This research challenges common political stereotypes that pigeonhole religious Americans as liberal or conservative on environmental and nuclear proliferation issues,” says University of Maryland Public Policy Professor and study co-author John Steinbruner, who directs CISSM.

“These findings demonstrate the public’s strong moral impulse to address global policy challenges — an impulse that if applied properly could break the current impasse on these issues,” Steinbruner adds.

Though most believers in the study do not consider addressing environmental and nuclear risks to be spiritual obligations, they do understand these issues as a part of “good stewardship,” the study finds.

“While for many believers there is a tenuous connection between their spiritual values and issues related to the environment and the risk of nuclear war, they are nonetheless very responsive to the idea that there is an obligation to protect God’s creation, or to be good stewards of the earth,” explains study co-author Steven Kull, director of PIPA.

Read the Full Report (PDF)

On July 14th the General Assembly admitted the Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd member of the United Nations, welcoming the newly independent country to the community of nations. South Sudan’s independence from the rest of Sudan is the result of the January 2011 referendum held under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the decades-long civil war between the North and the South. Learn more…

World Population Nearly 7 Billion!

As the world population approaches seven billion, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed in July that ending global poverty and inequality is the key to unleashing the great human potential for prosperity and peaceful coexistence, while protecting the planet and safeguarding the natural resources that sustain humanity. “Later this year, a seven-billionth baby will be born into our world of complexity and contradiction,” Mr. Ban said in a message to mark World Population Day, observed annually on 11 July. Learn more…

UN Reports Progress Toward Poverty Alleviation

Some of the world’s poorest countries have made impressive gains in the fight against poverty, but the least developed countries still lag in efforts to improve living standards, the United Nations said in a report by DESA, showing significant overall progress towards achieving the global targets against extreme poverty.

Read the 2011 MDGs Report.

67 Million Children Deprived of Education

67 million school-aged children are deprived of education, mainly due to financial or social hardship, in many cases stemming from poverty or armed conflict. At the opening of the high-level segment of the ECOSOC Council’ Annual Ministerial Review on 4 July, Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose Migiro warned that “getting kids into school is only half the battle.”

More information…

Statement on Nuclear Weapons

Papal Nuncio to the UN, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt made a significant statement on the Church’s rejection of nuclear war and nuclear weaponry at the 3rd Session of the Prepatory Committee for the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Go to: www.holyseemission.org and click on press releases.

Read the story by IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis…

The 48th Session of the Commission for Social Development met at UN HQ in New York February 3-12. The theme was “Social Integration,” taking into account its relationship with poverty eradication, full employment and decent work for all. Learn more about the CSD…

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

The CSW, dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women, will take place March 1-12 at UN HQ New York. More information…

New Economy Working Group

The mission of the New Economy Working Group (NEWGroup) is to help reframe the economic policy debate to address the social and environmental imperatives and opportunities of the 21st Century and to serve as a virtual policy think tank and communications resource for the growing number of civil society groups concerned with economic justice, environmental sustainability, and peace. Visit the New Economy website…

Lenten Resources:

Lenten Carbon Footprint Fast Traditional Lenten practices include prayer, fast, and almsgiving. Here is a new view of fasting, prompted by growing awareness of the need to reduce our production of climate changing pollution. You are invited to participate in a Lenten Carbon Fast from Earth Ministry and share it with others.

Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center offers another Lenten resource, Stations of the Cross with All of Creation. These Stations provide an opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ Journey and the suffering of people and Earth today. Each Station includes: Scripture, Meditation & a Reflection Question. Cost: $2/copy. Order by calling 206.223.1138 or visit www.ipjc.org

Haiti

Historical Background on Haiti Jean Saint-Vil of Canada Haiti Action is interviewed for Straight Goods News regarding realities and myths about Haiti. Watch it in 3 parts on YouTube: Part 1; Part II; Part III

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…

Fr. Kabat fired his attorneys and decided to say his peace on the stand. In a written question during their delliberations, one juror asked why he wouldn’t rather just protest outside the perimeter of the fence peacefully.

“Why in the Civil Rights (era) did they march down the street when they said, ‘You can’t march down the street?’ Because it’s wrong,” Kabat answered. “I guess I think it’s up to us to try to get rid of these things.”

Deputy District Attorney David Skarka asked him simply, “Are you above the law?

Kabat replied: “All wrong law, yes. God’s law is above all these man-made things.”

Read more…

Father Carl Kabat, OMI was whose work has been marked by anti-nuclear activism has been arrested for entering a missile silo facility in Colorado.

Priest arrested for breaching missile silo (Greeley Tribune)

Anti-nukes priest here readies for next arrest (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Pictures of Fr. Carl Kabat at Plowshares Witness at N-8, August 6, 2009

Statement to the Press from Fr Carl:

“The Roman Catholic Church, of which I am a priest, at the close of its Vatican Council II in 1965 condemned nuclear bombs as a crime against humanity and are to be condemned unreservedly.

The World Council of Churches has proclaimed that ‘the manufacture, deployment or use of nuclear bombs is a crime against humanity.’

I support President Barack Obama’s desire and have attempted to do my little bit in his effort.

The nuclear bomb that is in the ground here is more than 20 times more powerful than the atomic bombs we dropped on the Japanese. Each of those bombs killed more than 100,000 people. At lest twenty times that number totals more than 2 million people.

The Bible says in the words of Isaiah. ‘They shall beat their spears into pruning hooks and their swords into plowshares.’

May the Holy One have mercy on us for not doing so.”

Fr Carl Kabat

Learn more… Download a PDF of the Pax Christi newsletter

Fr. Carl spoke first about the struggle of social justice as rooted in the principle of human solidarity. This solidarity has its foundation in the equality of all people and peace as preached by Jesus to all people of good will. For him, solidarity allows a response to the poor in society.

The United States, being a wealthy nation, has a moral responsibility in the manner in which it accumulates material wealth and deals with third world nations ravaged by debt, poverty and preventable diseases.

Wealth unfortunately comes with the desire of greed to oppress other nations in order to accumulate more materials. Fr. Carl cited the Iraq war as an expansion of the empire mentality to grab more oil. He compared the importance of Washington DC to Rome during the Roman Empire; decisions made in Washington have tremendous influence world wide. Hence social activism and nonviolent resistance must be part of any strategy against such oppressive institutions.

He is saddened by how irrelevant the United Nations has become due to the actions of the United States government. He recalled, when he was 12, how excited Americans were about the role of the U.N at the end of World War II. Today, the U.N is toothless and has no real power to stop wars sanctioned by the powerful United States of America.

Father Carl has nonviolently protested against nuclear weapons since he came back from Oblate ministry in Philippines. Those peaceful protests against nuclear weapons have lead Father Carl to spend about 17 years in prison. Nuclear weapons are a grave threat to humanity, he said. No reason can justify the expansion, use and storage of nuclear weapons.

Father Carl challenged that if you cannot use nuclear weapons then, there is no point in keeping such weapons. It is almost like keeping lethal AIDS viruses in a container.

Lastly, Father Carl expressed joy at visiting the JPIC office and said he is happy to see the positive level of Oblate work in global justice and peace work.