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Pope Francis to launch “Food for All” campaign November 20th, 2013
On December 10, Pope Francis will launch a worldwide movement to respond to the needs of the poor and vulnerable by acting to end hunger. Access to adequate and nutritious food is a global problem of immense proportions, even for families in the U.S.
At noon local time, a global wave of prayer will begin in Tonga and will progress around the world until it reaches American Samoa some 24 hours and more than 164 countries later.
Please join Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services, and the network of Caritas Internationalis agencies providing relief to people suffering from hunger around the globe in participating in the wave of prayer. This is the beginning of a much larger campaign to combat hunger.
In addition, please check out the faith-based resource on poverty and hunger available from Catholic Rural Life, called Food Security and Economic Justice.
Philippine Plea for Action on Climate November 19th, 2013
In the wake of Supertyphoon Haiyan, Yeb Sano, Philippine delegate to the international climate negotiations in Warsaw, made an impassioned plea to take action and “stop the madness” that is climate change. Below is an edited video of his address, with scenes of the devastation in the Philippines alongside. It is a powerful video in this second week of the climate negotiations, a major focus of which is financing for climate friendly investments for developing nations.
Vatican Seminar on Human Trafficking November 15th, 2013
The following is taken, with our thanks, from the Stop Trafficking!, the newsletter opposed to human slavery supported by a broad coalition of organizations of Catholic Sisters.
Following a wish expressed by Pope Francis, the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and of Social Sciences (PASS) and the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC), organized a seminar entitled, “Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery. Destitute Peoples and the Message of Jesus Christ”.
The November 2-3, 2013 seminar, held in Vatican City, brought together some seventy delegates from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Guatemala, Ireland, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA. The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo from Nigeria, was among the twenty-two speakers.
The sixty observers in attendance were asked to contribute concrete proposals through which the global Church could better respond to the plight of millions of enslaved peoples.
Pope Francis was directly involved in combating modern day slavery in Buenos Aires, where he actively supported the work of the Fundacion Alameda, an Argentinian organization headed by Gustavo Vera, another of the speakers. The Pope’s first trip after his election was to Lampedusa to pay tribute to the hundreds who had recently died at sea, trying to reach this island half-way between Sicily and Tunisia where many victims of human trafficking end up.
Read more about this conference and efforts to stop human trafficking in the November issue of Stop Trafficking!
Nov 15th: America Recycles Day! November 15th, 2013
Thanks to the US EPA for this notice:
Learn how reducing, reusing, and recycling can help you, your community, and the environment by saving money, energy, and natural resources. Recycling programs are managed at the state and local level—find information on recycling in your community and quick tips for What You Can Do with our online toolkit.
Interested in receiving information about practical ways to protect the environment? Subscribe to the EPA Highlights eNewsletter. Click here….
Launch of Fast4Families: A Call for Immigration Reform and Citizenship November 12th, 2013
On Tuesday, November 12, faith, labor leaders and immigrant right organization launched Fast4Families to put pressure on the leadership in the House of Representatives to bring to the floor for a vote on bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill this year.
In Washington, DC the fast will run from November 12 to December 12 at the “fasting tent” on the National Mall. The fast will be in conjunction with dozens of local and solidarity fasts, events, and actions already underway in key congressional districts across the country.
If you can’t make it to DC, you are invited to stand in solidarity to fast and pray for comprehensive immigration reform. Let us know what day (November 12 to December 12) you will be fasting for comprehensive immigration reform.
More information on fast prayer samples, declaration and Fast4Families events within your state visit: http://fast4families.org/
