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Peruvian Archbishop Appointed to the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace October 11th, 2012
- Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno, SJ., Archbishop of Huancayo, Peru
Pope Benedict XVI last week appointed Monsignor Pedro Barreto Jimeno, SJ., Archbishop of Huancayo and First Vice President of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, as a new member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace of the Vatican.
This nomination is added to the responsibility that the Archbishop already performs as President of the Department of Justice and Solidarity of the Latin American Bishop’s Council (CELAM).
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Focus on Hunger this World Food Day: October 24 October 10th, 2012
October 21: Bread for the World Sunday
Bread for the World Sunday is an opportunity to engage your congregation in God’s work to end hunger. Through education, prayer, and worship, congregations commit themselves to the fight against hunger and poverty in our country and around the world. Visit Bread for the World for free resources, from Sermon starters and prayers to Hunger Facts.
October 24: Food Day
Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement toward more healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. The idea is to focus on issues as varied as health and nutrition, hunger, agricultural policy, animal welfare, and farm worker justice.
The ultimate goal of Food Day is to strengthen and unify the food movement in order to improve our nation’s food policies. You can join this push for a stronger, more united food movement by signing up to organize or attend Food Day events in your community.
Use the National Catholic Rural Coalition’s Faith-Based Study Guide on Poverty and Hunger
In addition, the educational and media campaign, “Food MythBusters: The Real Story About What We Eat” is being launched on Food Day, October 24th. Food MythBusters plans to harness social media and the power of word-of-mouth to reach millions and advocate for a more fair, healthy, and sustainable food system. Check out their video debunking the myth that we need industrial agriculture to feed the world.
Thanks to NCRLC for the information in this post. Please visit their website at www.ncrlc.com/
IMF Gold Sale Profits Benefit the World’s Poor October 1st, 2012
Jubilee USA Supporters Picket the IMF
The International Monetary Fund Executive Board has approved the final 2.7 billion dollars from recent gold sale profits to support the world’s poorest. The total gold sales windfall has now reached nearly 4 billion dollars to benefit the most vulnerable. One of the most powerful institutions in the world decided the right way because ordinary people cared – and acted.
At first, the IMF barely acknowledged the profit and assumed it could remain in their general reserves. Word leaked out about possible major renovations of the IMF office space in Washington, DC.
In response, Jubilee USA, of which the Oblates are a member, delivered tens of thousands of petitions and organized 60 global partners to push the IMF towards debt relief. At the end of February 2012, the IMF Board made a decision on the first distribution of 1.1 billion dollars after Jubilee, the ONE Campaign, ActionAid and Oxfam International met with the IMF staff.
These efforts pushed the IMF to approve the first 1.1 billion dollar distribution AND the second 2.7 billion dollar distribution to support concessional lending in the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and extend a 0% interest rate that will make this trust available for future generations beyond 2014. While many of us have concerns about IMF lending, this 0% extension on existing loans will mean real relief for millions of people and translate into direct support for low-income countries.
For more information about Jubilee USA, please visit their website – and get involved! Go to: www.jubileeusa.org
Elections 2012 September 24th, 2012
The Justice and Peace Office of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) sent the following election materials for our consideration:
USCCB Faithful Citizenship Guide and resources
Core Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
CMSM JPIC urges us to consider which party more consistently upholds the fuller range of Catholic Social Teaching as we seek to promote the Common Good and Reign of God:
- Libertarian: Platform and Principles
- Republican: Platform and Romney on Issues
- Democrat: Platform and Obama on Issues
- Green: Platform and Ten Key Values
They also provided this link to encourage the Republicans, Democrats, and television networks to open the debates to other candidates.
Father Gregorio Iriarte, OMI Honored for a Lifetime of Human Rights and Justice Work September 23rd, 2012
Rolando Lopez, secretary general of the Universidad Mayor de San Simon, said the highest distinction regarding the defense of Human Rights was awarded to Fr. Gregorio Iriarte omi, a priest with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He said this is a recognition of Fr. Iriasrte’s activity as founder of the Assembly of Human Rights and his contribution to the restoration of democracy in Bolivia.
Fr. Gregorio Iriarte said he was grateful though, he said, he did not deserve such an honor: “My contribution is relative. It is true that I wrote some books, but I can not say I’m a great researcher, I think I’m more of a popularizer, I try to simply translate what others do in science, politics, of economics “.
Fr. Iriarte was also honored with the Ana Maria Romero de Campero National Prize for Culture of Peace from La Fundación UNIR. He was the founder of the Permanent Human Rights Assembly of Bolivia, as well as UNITAS (Unión Nacional de Instituciones para el Trabajo de Acción Social – the Bolivian CSO network) and ERBOL (Educación Radiofónica de Bolivia) – an NGO based in La Paz, Bolivia dedicated to using radio as a means for providing education, social service and pluralistic news. Fr. Iriarte is valued for his tireless work in promoting and defending human rights and the establishment of social justice.
He is considered one of the main drivers of the “liberation church” and his primary contribution was working with basic Christian communities formed by poor people, in order to mobilize them in an attempt to improve their living conditions. Dictatorial governments labeled him as a “friend of the enemies of the government” and expelled him from the country several times. He remained committed to a deep conviction to work with the most needy. Born in 1925, in the Basque region of Spain, he arrived in Bolivia in 1964 and worked in the Llallagua mining center in the Potosi region. As head of Radio Pío XII, he worked to educate farmers and community members in this region.
Fr. Iriarte has published thirty books on the struggle for democracy, teaching values, and promoting principles of a peace culture claiming that education is a means of justice, freedom and solidarity. He has been invited to many national and international forums as a champion of justice and peace.
