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JPIC Staff Visits Bangladesh May 3rd, 2013
Christina Herman, JPIC Office Associate Director, visited Bangladesh in late March/early April. Her daughter, Emma, accompanied her, taking thousands of photos and copious notes. Fr. Joseph Gomes, OMI graciously hosted a ten day trip around the Sylhet region of NE Bangladesh, which provided a fascinating look at the lives of the indigenous Khasi people and the issues confronting their villages. The Oblate mission in Bangladesh started in the Sylhet region, and there are a number of parishes among the indigenous peoples of the area.
Frequent national strikes (or hartals) called by a political opposition determined to undermine the government made the trip challenging, but the group covered a lot of ground.
Sharif Jamil, Buriganga RiverKeeper
In Dhaka, Christina teamed up with the Bangladesh WaterKeeper, Sharif Jamil, in an examination of environmental and labor issues related to the leather and garment export industries. They visited the Buriganga River, leather tanneries north of the city, a massive garment factory, and had a number of informative meetings with factory owners and managers, labor union organizers, and environmentalists.
Polluted Water from Leather Tanneries flows into the Buriganga River
The tanneries are a large source of pollution for the main river flowing through Dhaka, a megacity of an estimated 18 million people. Millions depend on the rivers for bathing, washing clothes, and transportation, yet they are heavily polluted with industrial and human waste. Human Rights Watch recently issued a study of the health impacts of the tanneries, which matched the findings of this trip. Untreated industrial waste flowing from the garment factories is common. A huge factor in the pollution is the lack of adequate sewage treatment for the city’s burgeoning population.
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California Catholic Bishops Call for Immigration Reform May 3rd, 2013
Catholic Bishops in California have announced their support for immigration reform legislation, outlining key elements essential in any legislation to protect the rights of undocumented immigrant workers and their families in the U.S. The Most Rev. Gerald Wilkerson, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and president of the California Catholic Conference, released a statement on May 1 in recognition of the historic introduction of bipartisan immigration reform legislation in the US Senate. Rallies in support of immigration reform have been taking place throughout California.
Here is the full text of the Bishops’ statement:
The California Catholic Conference of Bishops, in solidarity with all the bishops of the nation, applauds the introduction of U.S. Senate bipartisan legislation to reform the broken U.S. immigration system. Throughout our dioceses, as pastors called by the Good Shepherd to care for those in need, we are sharing our own immigration stories and teaching the principles found in our Catholic Social Teaching. For many years we have advocated for comprehensive reform of the nation’s immigration laws. Our country has a right and responsibility to protect its borders, and effective immigration laws are part of that enforcement. Right now, however, the current system fails both the nation and those seeking to contribute to American society. We believe that the necessary elements for reform ought to include:- An earned path to full legal status, and eventual citizenship, that is reasonable and attainable;
- Provision for immigrants brought here as minors to swiftly gain legal status to continue their education and enter the workforce;
- The reduction of immigration application backlogs so that families may be united more quickly;
- A temporary worker program that is safe, workable for families, and fair to all workers, immigrants and non-immigrants, alike;
- Restoration of due process protections restored for all immigrants involved with the immigration justice system;
- The protection of refugees and unaccompanied immigrant children; and
- A way of addressing the root causes of immigration.
Oblate working in Brazil with Street Children interviewed on NPR May 1st, 2013
Street crime by children in Brazil has been in the headlines, due to a recent spate of violence. Fr. John Drexel, OMI was heard talking earlier today on the NPR program “All Things Considered” about his work with street children in Sao Paolo. The program which he founded some 40 years ago is designed to give street kids a more stable and nurturing environment, but he says things have changed in recent years. Many of the kids coming into the program now have already been exposed to criminal behavior, and the use of crack cocaine on the streets is a real problem. Fr. Drexel says the answer is not for the government to increase the penalties for young offenders, but rather to provide desperately needed housing, healthcare and education.
Missionary Oblates Join Other Institutional Investors in Calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform May 1st, 2013
Missionary Oblates joined more than 70 institutional investors in a letter calling on Congress to take immediate action and pass common-sense immigration reform. The organizations consist of investors representing $890.5 billion in assets on behalf of major pension funds, non-profit organizations and socially conscious and faith-based investors.
The investors’ letter says, “We believe comprehensive reform must be developed and implemented consistent with the human rights of all concerned, must value the integrity of families and must prevent immigrant workers be they temporary or permanent from being subjected to second-class employment standards.”
Read the letter (Download PDF)
Learn about Oblate JPIC Work in Zambia! April 30th, 2013
Fr. Chibesa Chishimba, OMI recently visited the JPIC office in Washington DC where he talked about JPIC work in Lukulu, Zambia. Fr. Chibesa is the priest in charge of Sancta Maria Catholic Church in Lukulu. In this video interview, he talks about their work to support children into schools, promote tree planting and advocate for better public services.
