News Archives » Asia
Fr. Sinnott, SSC released by his Kidnappers in the Southern Philippines November 13th, 2009
Mick Sinnott, SSC, the missionary priest who was kidnapped in the southern Philippines a month ago, has been released and in good health. He was kidnapped not by a Muslim group as was initially suspected, but by a group of Lumad Mindanao, an indigenous group that was trying to raise money to draw attention to their plight. They have lost nearly all of their land to settlers from other parts of the Philippines over the past century
When it was clear that no money would be forthcoming from either the Irish government or the Society of St. Columban, the group released him, but asked that a message be gotten out to the international media. “They want to convey that they are the original ‘Lumad of Mindanao’ who lost their homeland and everything else when the merchants came”, Fr. Sinnott explained.
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Clergy Resources for Advent on Torture November 10th, 2009
Torture is a Moral Issue…
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture has created excellent materials for clergy to use during Advent. Advent 2009: Resources for Christian Clergy provides commentary on the scriptures and sermon notes that help connect the scriptures with today’s national dialog on the use of torture.
Learn more and download the resource…
Worrying Signs for Global AIDS Funding November 6th, 2009
An international non-governmental organization has warned that rich donor governments were showing signs of retreating on their commitment to increase access to life-saving treatment for AIDS patients. In a new report by the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF): Punishing Success: early signs of retreat from commitment to HIV/AIDS care and treatment, two major funders of AIDS treatment in poor countries – the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) were reported to be considering either scaling back or freezing their funding levels.
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Sri Lanka War Crimes Report Released October 30th, 2009
The US State Department released its Report to Congress on Incidents During the Recent Conflict in Sri Lanka on October 22. The report details violations of the laws of war committed by both government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from January through May 2009.
The report is a sobering chronicle of the horrors of war and points to the need for a more thorough independent, international investigation.
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October Action Alert: Update on Columban Priest Kidnapping and Action Urged on Climate Legislation October 22nd, 2009
The Columban Fathers are now asking that groups refrain from action in the case of the kidnapping of Fr. Mike Sinnott, due to the delicate nature of the situation. Your prayers for his safety are requested instead.
In addition, we urge your support of climate legislation pending in the Senate.
