News Archives » oblates
Haiti : Vatican Radio Interview March 1st, 2010
In an interview with Vatican Radio, Séamus Finn, OMI – Director of the US Oblate JPIC Office – talks about the situation in Haiti and re-development needs of the devastated country. The Oblates are the largest male religious congregation in the country. In the interview, he touches on important Haitian realities: the poverty, the stranglehold of Haiti’s debt and a process for re-building.
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Oblates Join Broad Coalition in Call for Reform of Financial Markets February 8th, 2010
Commodity Markets Oversight Coalition and Americans for Financial Reform Call for Reforms that Could Have Prevented Economic Crisis and Commodities Bubbles
The Missionary Oblates, long active in shareholder advocacy, have been pressing for major reforms in derivatives trading and commodity speculation in their dialogs with major banks and other financial services institutions. Recently, the Oblates joined a broad coalition calling for needed reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat of last year’s financial meltdown.
Advocates for financial reform have formed a powerful partnership with business interests ranging from heating and motor fuels retailers to cotton marketers, and trucking companies to airlines, and this new alliance is calling on Congress and Federal Regulators to bring derivatives out of the shadows and into the daylight.
Read the Coalition’s “Joint Statement of Shared Principles for Needed Reforms in the Futures/Derivatives Markets.”
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Zambia: Oblate Bishop Paul Duffy Attacked for Speaking on Behalf of the Poor January 21st, 2010
Oblate Bishop Paul Duffy of Mongu diocese, who has been doing missionary work for the last 25 years in Zambia’s Western Province, called on the Government of Zambia to help the poor by fulfilling a campaign promise to rebuild the main road and provide more economic opportunities for local people.
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Victory after Long Fight to Save Bangladeshi Indigenous Villages and Forest January 20th, 2010
The indigenous Khasi people of Bangladesh have won a significant victory after a long struggle to protect the forest on which they depend for their survival. The indigenous community organized against rampant logging from a local tea estate owner who had secured permission to log the forest allegedly through his political connections. Thousands of trees and many Khasi villages will be saved as a result.
The Oblates have been supportive of the efforts to protect the forest, with Fr. Joseph Gomes, OMI working closely with the Khasi people. APRA (Adibasi Poribesh Roskhya Andolon or Save Indigenous Environment Movement) of BAPA (Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon or Bangladesh Environment Movement). Fr. Gomes was joined by Sharif Jamil, National Coordinator, APRA, Joint Secretary, BAPA in successfully arguing on behalf of the Khasi people before a government panel charged with investigating the logging controversy.
The People of Haiti Need your Help January 14th, 2010
Port au Prince is Devastated; Food Supplies are threatened elsewhere in Haiti
Most Oblates are believed safe, but news is still minimal.
Relief aid is urgently needed. Donatations are being accepted by the US Oblates – click here.
While the US is responding vigorously, policy changes are still needed.
– Official assistance needs to be in the form of grants, NOT loans.
– All of Haiti’s debts need to be cancelled;
– Temporary Protective Status (TPS)should be granted to undocumented Haitians in the US.
Learn more – Read our Action Alert on Haiti for more information and suggested action.
