Latest OMI JPIC News
US Judge Acquits Catholic Anti-drone Activists November 1st, 2013
Acquitted Catholic Worker anti-drone activists; Image courtesy of The Nuclear Register
In an historic decision, five Catholic Worker activists were acquitted of disorderly conduct charges for blocking the main entrance to Hancock Air Base outside of Syracuse NY, in a protest against drone strikes that have killed hundreds of civilians. Hancock Air base, home to the 174th Attack Wing of the Air National Guard, is a Reaper drone hub whose technicians pilot weaponized drones over Afghanistan.
As reported in The Nuclear Resister, “After the verdict was announced, the D.A. objected, and the judge said to him that he hadn’t found ‘mens rea,’ Latin for ‘guilty mind.’ The five defendants, with powerful eloquence, convinced the judge that their intent was to uphold, not break, the law. This acquittal marks a major breakthrough by those who have sought to strengthen international law, and stop U.S. war crimes, including extra-judicial murder by the illegal drones.”
The drone strikes, responsible for killing hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere, have increasingly been condemned by human rights advocates, as well as by Jesuit Superior General Fr. Adolfo Nicolás and Ben Emmerson, UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism. Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban and survived, and who now speaks out globally for peace, urged President Obama in a meeting to stop the deadly U.S. drone attacks on Pakistan. She said they are killing innocent civilians and turning many ordinary people against the U.S. and onto the side of Taliban.
Recent Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reportshave detailed how U.S. drone strikes kill innocent civilians in Pakistan and Yemen, contrary to President Obama’s assertions. According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as many as 1,000 innocent civilians, including as many as 200 children, have been killed in as many as 376 U.S. drone strikes since 2004 in Pakistan alone, a nation with which the United States is not technically at war.
Learn more. Read the National Catholic Reporter article…
Congress Urged to Protect Humanitarian Assistance and Poverty-focused Programs November 1st, 2013
The US Region of the Missionary Oblates was one of 140 non-governmental and faith-based organizations that urged members of the Congressional Budget Conference Committee to protect international humanitarian assistance and poverty-focused development programs. The groups also urged that the blunt tool of sequestration be replaced with a balanced deficit-reduction plan.
InterAction, a coalition of groups working on international relief and development, was responsible for organizing the letter. An identical letter was sent to all members of the Budget Conference Committee, which is responsible for reconciling the significant differences between the budget bills passed by the House and the Senate.
Letter to Rep. Paul Ryan, House Budget Chair (Download PDF)
Letter to Sen. Patty Murray, Senate Budget Chair (Download PDF)
Isaiah Fund Certified as a Community Development Financial Institution October 31st, 2013
Low-income housing in New Orleans built through the Isaiah Fund
The Isaiah Fund recently became a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), an important milestone for the interfaith initiative. The Isaiah Fund is a multi-faith-based permanent disaster response loan fund that provides long-term investment in the revitalization of disaster-torn communities.
The OMI USP is an investor in the Isaiah Fund, which targets rebuilding in low-income communities. The Oblate US Province Sharing Fund has also supported their work.
With CDFI certification, the Fund should be able to grow, attracting new investors, which will enable it to broaden its reach to the poor and marginalized, who suffer most when natural disasters occur.
Certification by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) is an important milestone for the fund and has been many years in the making. It will now make Isaiah eligible to apply for competitive Financial Assistance funds from the CDFI Fund as well as investments and equity from banks, insurance companies, and other investors.
The need for rebuilding after major disasters continues – in New Orleans, more than eight years following Hurricane Katrina, and in New Jersey and New York one year following the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. The Isaiah Fund continues its work to deploy loans and mission deposits where they are needed most in these communities.
World Bank Group President and the Pope Discuss Ending Poverty October 28th, 2013
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and His Holiness Pope Francis met on October 28th at the Vatican to discuss their mutual efforts to end extreme poverty and provide greater opportunities for the poor and vulnerable.
“I was so grateful to meet with the Holy Father and was inspired by his passion and commitment to help the poor, the sick, and the hungry,” Kim said. “We talked about ways we could work together with faith leaders to make a preferential option for the poor, so they can have greater opportunity and justice in their lives.”
Kim thanked Pope Francis for his strong statements encouraging humble service to the less fortunate, as well as his support for better education, health care, environmental protection, and jobs with fair wages to help the poor lift themselves out of poverty.
Following the 20-minute meeting, Pope Francis and Kim agreed to explore ways to work together to end extreme poverty.
“At the World Bank Group, we have set a goal to end extreme poverty in less than a generation, and to boost shared prosperity for the bottom 40 percent of people in developing countries,” Kim said. “Pope Francis and I agree on the urgent moral imperative to lessen the suffering of over 1 billion people and to end the scandal of poverty. We share a vision of a world with greater compassion for all people in need.”
Celebrate Human Rights Day: December 10th October 28th, 2013
On December 10, 2013, the world community will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the adoption and proclamation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On this day, we are being encouraged by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) – as people of faith, who acknowledge the dignity of every human being – to reaffirm the Universal Declaration’s statement that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture’s theme for Human Rights Day 2013 is “Confronting Solitary Confinement in an Age of Mass Incarceration.” NRCAT developed a Human Rights Day toolkit to help congregations and religious organizations observe the day. The 2013 toolkit includes:
- A bulletin insert with educational material and an interfaith prayer
- A poster for the promotion of Human Rights Day
- Talking points for integrating the reality of solitary confinement into sermons and prayers during worship
- Links to other worship resources, as well as to educational and advocacy activities that congregations can do to commemorate Human Rights Day
We encourage you to observe Human Rights Day during worship services, as a part of your religious education efforts and through advocacy activities during either the weekend of December 6-8, December 13-15, or another time of your choosing. If your congregation plans to commemorate Human Rights Day in any way, please let NRCAT know.
Access the NRCAT Human Rights Day Toolkit (Download PDF)
