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Protect the Amazon for the Achuar May 25th, 2012
Two Oblates are working among the Achuar people who live in the Peruvian Amazon. They have been holding meetings with the people to get to know their culture, their traditions and to learn from them about their relationship to the land. The Achuar don’t celebrate Earth Day once a year, every day is EARTH DAY.
Their life is deeply connected to their land and nature. What a sad day it would be to lose all they have learnt from the land and not hear again the sound of the birds and enjoy this lush forest and beautiful waterfall that inspires dreams. Petrol companies would destroy this natural beauty and the ways of life of this peaceful loving people forever.
Oblate Questions JP Morgan/Chase CEO Jaime Dimon May 16th, 2012
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI representing the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at the JP Morgan/Chase AGM yesterday in Naples, Florida, made pointed comments about the latest heavy losses at the company. He questioned Dimon’s opposition to the Volcker Rule and the bank’s lobbying in opposition to other aspects of the financial regulations being developed at the SEC in response to the Dodd-Frank legislation.
He was quoted today by Maureen Dowd in her NY Times column:
The Rev. Seamus Finn, representing shareholders from the Catholic organization Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, did gently press the boss: “We’re wondering, Mr. Dimon, given what we’ve learned, do you still believe a company can self-regulate when trading on their own accounts?” He added: “Furthermore, should our company really be spending shareholder funds on, some $7 million last year alone, on lobbying efforts to thwart the Dodd-Frank legislation and the work of regulators to write the rules stemming from that legislation?” The priest concluded that the shareholders, “weary of mistakes” and pledges to reform, wonder if Dimon is listening.Fr. Finn was also quoted in The Guardian, on CNBC.com, The Telegraph, Crain’s New York Business, and the timesfreepress.com
Faith Groups Call for Increased Poverty-Focused Foreign Assistance May 11th, 2012
The Missionary Oblates joined 35 multi-faith U.S.-based religious institutions in urging Congress to pass a faithful budget that increases funding above current levels for poverty-focused international development, humanitarian assistance and global health programs in the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. The letter points out, “Using less than one percent of the federal budget, poverty-focused foreign assistance saves lives, lays the groundwork for economic growth around the world and fosters global human security. Its programs alleviate hunger and malnutrition, help communities access clean water and sanitation, facilitate rural development, educate children, combat deadly but preventable diseases and promote global health.”
Read the full letter (Download PDF)
Impacts of Mining Exhibit at the UN hosted by VIVAT International May 1st, 2012
The Missionary Oblates and VIVAT International will host a multi-media exhibit on the impacts of mining operations on people and ecosystems around the world on May 8th at the United Nations. This unique exhibit will be up for viewing from 11:00-3:00 pm in the Chapel at the Church Center for the United Nations. May 8th is the second day of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the theme of which is the Doctrine of Discovery. The exhibit organizers have reached out through their global faith-based networks for stories and images from local communities affected by mining operations. If you are in New York on May 8th, please attend!
Goals of the exhibit include:
- Bearing witness to the suffering of the Earth and its peoples as a consequence of extractive industry abuses;
- Underscoring the necessity of industry standards in preventing mining abuses; and
- Revealing the courageous resistance of peoples all over the world to inadequate extractive industry standards.
At 2:30, there will be a special 15 minute commemoration of those who have been murdered around the world as a result due to their community resistance against the consequences of extractive industry on their communities.
Developing a Multi-Faith Global Statement on Extractives Industries April 27th, 2012
On April 24, Philippine Bishop Dinualdo Guttierez, D.D. and Bishop Bejoy D’ Cruze OMI from Bangladesh joined the JPIC staff in attending a conference designed to develop a multi-faith global statement on extractives industries. The meeting was held at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.
Participants came from major faith groups and leading international NGOs from all continents. A multi-faith global statement on extractives will serve as a shared common document that people of faith can use when dealing with issues of extractives. The meeting was initiated and facilitated by the Bank Information Center and the Oblate JPIC office.
Participants in the April 2012 Multifaith Conference on Extractives Industries
