News Archives » Central America & the Caribbean
Earth Day 2010! April 22nd, 2010
April 22nd marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future. Consumption patterns also pose a threat. Today’s consumption is undermining the environmental resource base and exacerbating inequalities.
Daniel LeBlanc, OMI – now in Bolivia for the Alternative Climate Summit sent the following for our contemplation and action on Earth Day:
Click here to read more »
New OMI JPIC Immigration Resource Available April 22nd, 2010
The OMI JPIC Office has launched a new resource on immigration. The 11 page booklet contains educational and advocacy tips about issues related to needed immigration reform. Now that health care is finally off the Congressional legislative agenda, representatives may be able to take up this pressing issue.
The booklet, “Oblate JPIC Immigration Resource: Immigration is Matter of Faith” is designed to offer insights useful in discussing immigration reform and exploring possibilities for solidarity with immigrants. Contents include:
- Faith communities concern for migrants; Questions for Reflections; Catholic Social Teaching on Migration
- Why Comprehensive Immigration is good; Current Immigration legislation in Congress.
- Principles for humane immigration policies and reasonable border control
- Talking Points on immigration and ways to express solidarity with Immigrants
- Quotes by Oblates reflecting about migration
Download the immigration resource here. (Download PDF)
Updates will be made as an immigration reform bill nears the congressional floor for debate.
World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth April 20th, 2010
This week, Bolivian President Evo Morales is convening the People’s World Conference on Climate Change, an alternative to the unwieldy and U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change that fell so far short of expectations last December. NGOs, scientists, activists, indigenous leaders, and representatives of 60 to 70 national governments are coming together for this alternative conference – in all, about 7,500 attendees from 110 countries.
Daniel LeBlanc, OMI – Oblate representative to the UN – is attending the conference and sent this update yesterday:
Cochabamba, Bolivia, 19 April 2010
The Conference officially begins Tuesday morning with President Evo Morales doing the honors.
However, today there were already several events and huge crowds. Fr. Gregorio Iriarte OMI was to give a talk at 4:30, along with 3 other panelists, and so I accompanied him to the stadium where credentials were given to those who had registered through the internet, as well as to those who had neglected to do so. I had already picked up my pass, and Fr. Gregorio is over around 80 years old and had to give a talk, so they let him through. Once they gave him his credentials, he was told that apart from the credentials for those who had already registered and those who had come later, 20,000 credentials had been distributed. There were still long line-ups out on the sidewalks – I estimate between 7 and 8 blocks long – and they had to send to the printer to get more passes printed – so attendance will be good, better than expected.
Please see on-line for much more information in Spanish and in English (choose language) at http://pwccc.wordpress.com/
Read a summary of the positions being advocated by Bolivian President Morales during the conference.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Promises New Immigration Bill in 2010 April 12th, 2010
Congress is back to work in Washington D.C. after the Easter recess, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised new legislation on immigration reform in 2010. Senator Reid, facing a tough re-election campaign, appeared elated by the crowd of thousands rallying for immigration reform in downtown Las Vegas last Saturday, and said he would start work on a new immigration bill when lawmakers returned from the Easter recess. “We are going to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” Reid told the crowd. “We need to do this this year. We can’t let excuses like a Supreme Court nomination get in the way.” Reid promised the legislation would include provisions to secure the north and south borders, revisions to a guest worker program, and provisions to deal with illegal immigrants already in the country.” As momentum to introduce a senate version immigration reform overhaul continues, it is important to know where your Senator and Representative stand on Immigration Reform….
- Find out where your Senator stands on Comprehensive Immigration Reform: View your Senator’s scorecard now.
- Find out where your Representative stands on Comprehensive Immigration Reform: View your House of Representative score card now.
Reflections on a Central American Pilgrimage March 30th, 2010
Warren Brown, OMI visited Central America in January of 2010 on a Maryknoll-sponsored pilgrimage. His moving description of the trip can be found here in its entirety. A shorter version was published in the spring issue of JPIC News.
