News Archives » Peace
Archbishop Miller Issues Plea on Behalf of Tamil Refugees in Canada August 30th, 2010
Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver Diocese issued a statement on August 25, 2010 on the situation of the 492 Tamil refugees that arrived in Vancouver in early August seeking asylum.
The arrival of the refugees-laden ship has generated controversy within Canada. Canadian Tamils, the largest Tamil community outside Sri Lanka and India, have urged authorities to accept the asylum seekers, saying that the minority group faces continued discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s high commissioner to Canada has asked the country to reject their refugee status due to alleged links to the Tamil Tiger separatist movement. The Tamil Tigers or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) as the military wing of the separatist Tamil movement and was brutally wiped out in the spring of 2009. Tens of thousands of Tamils are believed to have died in the final months of the conflict, trapped as they were between the two warring armies. War crimes are reported to have been committed by both sides.
“Keep the dignity of Tamil refugees in mind during immigration debate”
Statement by Archbishop J. Michael Miller who served on the Vatican Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants.
Click here to read more »
World Youth Conference in Mexico: August 23-28, 2010 August 23rd, 2010
The World Youth Conference opened today in Mexico City. It is an initiative of the Government of Mexico, in partnership with the United Nations system and civil society organizations designed to bring together government representatives and civil society organizations to identify priorities of action on youth to be addressed in the international development agenda beyond 2015. With five years to go before the deadline set by the international community to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, Mexico, in partnership with the United Nations system, has invited all countries to participate in the World Youth Conference 2010.
For more information please visit: http://www.youth2010.org/
Unprecedented Governance Agreement Signed in Peruvian Amazon August 17th, 2010
The Oblate parish in Santa Clotilde, in the Peruvian Amazon, organized a gathering of political authorities and leaders from nearly 50 communities – religious, health, education, indigenous – for a three day workshop on the upcoming elections. At the end of the meeting, a “governance” agreement was signed by all, including the candidates for the upcoming elections. In this statement, it was agreed, amongst other things, that all civil society and indigenous groups would monitor the work of whoever is ultimately elected. The agreement is the first of its kind in Peru!
For more information see our post in Spanish
Elders Speak Out on Sri Lanka August 17th, 2010
The Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity have recently issued a statement of concern about Sri Lanka.
They are alarmed that since the brutal end to the twenty-five year civil war in May of 2009, Sri Lanka has made no real progress on reconciliation and that the government’s “persecution of critics is ‘terrifying’.” Additionally, the group feels that “Sri Lanka’s disturbing actions [have been] met by ‘deafening global silence’. According to Kofi Annan, a member of the 12-person group, “The international community cannot be selective in its approach to upholding the rule of law and respect for human rights. Impunity anywhere is a threat to international peace and security everywhere.”
Read the Elders’ full statement on Sri Lanka here…
Congo Catholic Bishops Praise U.S. Law on Conflict Minerals August 17th, 2010
The Congolese bishops have welcomed the passage into law of the Congo Mineral Conflict and Extractive Industries Transparency via amendments to the US Financial Reform Bill. The president of the National Conference of Bishops of Congo, Bishop Nicolas Djomo said during a press conference in Kinshasa that the Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo is determined to campaign for the newly enacted law on conflict minerals so that it becomes useful in the extractives industries in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bishop Djomo said that the legislation will help restore peace in the Democratic Republic Congo and that more actions are needed to strengthen good governance, support the legal economy, encourage peace and reconciliation, create a legal framework to revive the judicial system, and encourage citizens to engage in public life.
Bishop Djomo, who also serves as the Bishop for the diocese of Tshumbe in Kasai Oriental Province, thanked the America people and praised the American government, the U.S. Congress, faith based groups and other concerned groups who helped in passing the provisions on conflict minerals.
Conflict minerals, especially in Eastern Congo, provide the source of funding that allows armed militias to continue acts of terror, particularly widespread sexual violence and rape, while causing countless deaths.
