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July/August 2009
J/P Alert is the newsletter of the Justice and Peace office of CMSM. It is intended to inform and stimulate discussion and involvement among the members. Its contents do not necessarily represent official positions of CMSM.
Resources for study of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical "Caritas in Veritate"
The text of the encyclical can be found on the Vatican's web site.
Jim Hug, SJ, of the Center of Concern has provided a helpful précis of the encyclical. In addition, there is an ongoing series of articles and analyses available from the subscription service Education for Justice.
Resources from USCCB are available on the web pages of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development.
Catholic Relief Service has also developed a page to consider the important international solidarity themes of the encyclical.
Two commentaries from the Jesuit Social Institute at Loyola University-New Orleans are available in their e-newsletter JustSouth.
Letter to Congress from Bishop William Murphy, Chair of the USCCB Domestic Policy Committee, on Health Care Reform [excerpts]
[The complete text of the letter is available at www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/2009-07-17-murphy-letter-congress.pdf.]
...
As Congress begins debate on health care reform the Catholic bishops of the United States offer the following criteria for fair and just health care reform. Health care reform needs to reflect basic ethical principles. We offer these as a guide:
- a truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity;
- access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of legal immigrants;
- pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of conscience and variety of options; and
- restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of payers.
Two of these criteria need special attention as Congress moves forward with health care reform.
Respect for life and dignity: As we renew our longstanding support for reforming our nation's health care system, we must also be clear that we strongly oppose inclusion of abortion as part of a national health care benefit. We would also oppose inclusion of technologies that similarly fail to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life. No health care reform plan should compel us or others to pay for the destruction of human life, whether through government funding or mandatory coverage of abortion. Any such action would be morally wrong. It also would be politically unwise. No health care legislation that compels Americans to pay for or participate in abortion will find sufficient votes to pass.
…
Access for all: Reform efforts must begin with the principle that decent health care is not a privilege, but a right and a requirement to protect the life and dignity of every person. All people need and should have access to comprehensive, quality health care that they can afford, and it should not depend on their stage of life, where or whether they or their parents work, how much they earn, where they live, or where they were born. The Bishops' Conference believes health care reform should be truly universal and it should be genuinely affordable. …
After health care reform is implemented, some individuals and families, including immigrants, will still lack health insurance coverage. We have a responsibility to ensure that no one is left without the ability to see a doctor when he or she is sick or get emergency care when his or her health is at risk. Therefore, we urge Congress to ensure sufficient funding for safety-net clinics, hospitals and other providers serving those who will continue to fall through the cracks of a reformed system.
The Catholic bishops renew our appeal to provide equity for legal immigrants in access to health care. This can be accomplished, in part, by repealing the five-year ban for legal immigrants to access Medicaid; repealing the applicability of "sponsor-deeming" for Medicaid and CHIP; and ensuring that pregnant women in the United States, who will be giving birth to children who are United States citizens, are eligible along with their unborn children for health care regardless of their immigration status. Immigrants pay the same taxes as citizens and their health needs cannot be ignored. Leaving them outside a reformed system is both unfair and unwise. …
Cry of the Poor, Cry of Human Societies in Conflict and Ill, Cry of the Planet: A Franciscan Response
[June 22, 2009 – a press release from the General Administration of the Order of Friars Minor]
We have learned this past week from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that more than one billion human beings in our world are hungry and seriously malnourished. One in every six human beings goes to bed hungry each day. One in six children in the world suffers the horrible consequences of malnutrition, robbing them of future possibilities for a healthy development and locking them into the vicious cycle of poverty. One in six human beings are part of what development specialists call the "Bottom Billion," human beings who are locked into a series of traps that condemn them to a life of grinding poverty, hunger, increased vulnerability to violence and conflict, HIV and AIDS and other diseases, and to the consequences of environmental degradation and the warming of the planet.
We Friars Minor, Franciscans, cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of our brothers and sisters who have a fundamental right given by God to each and every human person: the right to adequate food, shelter, proper health care, security, and freedom of movement and freedom of ideas and association. We Franciscans are committed to link our lives and our energies, through the work of our justice and peace offices in the more than 110 countries where we live and work, to defend the rights of our people, to promote just economic, political and social structures that do not always respect the needs of the people but promote only the interests of the few, to encourage greater care for the environment, most especially in those regions of the world where uncontrolled exploitation has led to the destruction of the world's rain forests, the ‘lungs' of the planet.
During our 2009 General Chapter focusing on the Evangelizing Mission of the Church, we discussed the relationship between the demands of our faith and those of human beings, and fundamental human rights that we as men of the Gospel and as ‘brothers to the poor and to all people' must proclaim and defend. For this reason, we took up the cause of the poor during our meetings and addressed a letter to the G8 Ministers. In our letter, we called attention to the plight of the poor and hungry of our world, the need for greater regulation and management of economic systems to ensure that the production of goods and wealth are not to enrich a small group of people but must be used for the well being of all people. We called on the G8 leaders – and we call on all world leaders – to promote peace and reconciliation among their people and to take immediate steps to end the illicit and immoral sales of arms, which lead to unparalleled human suffering and to failing or failed states. We also called on the G8 Ministers to commit greater resources to the creation of alternative and sustainable forms of development that do not lead to further environmental degradation and which are within the reach of the poor and those most in need. We shared this message with the G8 Ministers because we see on a daily basis in the more than 110 countries where we live and care for those most in need the consequences of poverty, hunger, poor health care, violence and war, environmental degradation, and abuse of human rights and the dignity of human beings.
We Franciscans will continue to attend to the poor and most vulnerable through our work in health care and education, our care for those living with HIV, our programs of trauma healing and creation of micro-industries for women, girls, and other vulnerable groups, and our outreach to the poor and marginalized who number more than 15 million living in the ‘developed' world. We also will continue to promote peace and reconciliation through our presence in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin and South America, Europe and North America.
Through the work of our Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office in Rome, and work of similar offices throughout the world, we raise the voice of those who are most affected and defend their fundamental human rights. Through our work with Franciscans International at the United Nations, a work that involves all branches of the Franciscan movement worldwide and with a collective voice of more than 800,000, we work with the international community in order to promote economic, political, cultural and social systems that respond to the needs of human beings and contribute to world peace and greater care for the environment. We are not silent when human rights are violated anywhere in the world. We do not stand by when governments or corporations engage in unethical use of natural resources. Nor are we silent in the face of the more than 600,000 human beings, primarily women, girls and children, who are bought and sold – trafficked – for commercial sex or degrading labor. We are not silent because the Gospel and the invitation of St. Francis of Assisi, and that of the Church, require this of us as ‘brothers' to all of humanity and to creation.
Archbishop O'Brien Calls for ‘Path to Zero' Nuclear Weapons
WASHINGTON— "Our world and its leaders must stay focused on the destination of a nuclear-weapons-free world and on the concrete steps that lead there," said Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of Baltimore in a July 29 keynote talk at the first Deterrence Symposium, hosted by U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
The symposium brought together academic, government, military and international experts to explore the full range of deterrence thinking. Archbishop O'Brien sits on the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and served as the Archbishop for the Military Services prior to his appointment to Baltimore.
In his talk, Archbishop O'Brien drew on longstanding Catholic teaching that nuclear deterrence is only acceptable to prevent others from using nuclear weapons and as a step along a path to a world without nuclear weapons. He cited the Second Vatican Council, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and the U.S. bishops.
He said that deterrence, in the words of the U.S. bishops, is not "a long-term basis for peace" and added that "…the spread of nuclear weapons and technology to other nations, and the threat of nuclear terrorism, which cannot be deterred with nuclear weapons, point to the need to move beyond nuclear deterrence as rapidly as possible."
Archbishop O'Brien outlined several concrete steps toward total nuclear disarmament supported by the Catholic Church, including the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, and the revision of military doctrines of nuclear weapon states to "renounce the first use of nuclear weapons" and "declare they will not be used against non-nuclear threats."
"Religious leaders, prominent officials, and other people of goodwill who support a nuclear-weapons-free world are not naïve about the task ahead," Archbishop O'Brien said. "They know the path will be difficult and will require determined political leadership, strong public support, and the dedicated skills of many capable leaders and technical experts. But difficult is not impossible."
The full text of Archbishop O'Brien's talk, "Nuclear Weapons and Moral Questions: The Path to Zero," can be found online at: www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/nuclearzero.shtml.
More than 100 Organizations from the International Community Demand an Exhaustive Investigation of the Murder of Gustavo Marcelo Rivera
San Salvador, El Salvador. One hundred and eight international organizations sent last Friday July 24, a letter to the Salvadoran Acting Attorney General, Ástor Escalante Savaria, demanding an exhaustive investigation of the kidnapping and brutal murder of Gustavo Marcelo Rivera Moreno. Among the signatory organizations are the Salvadoran American National Association (SANA) and the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA). Gustavo Marcelo Rivera was from San Isidro, Department of Cabañas. He disappeared on June 18th and his body was found 11 days later with signs of terrible torture according to a forensic report.
In the letter the organizations vehemently reject the statements that prosecutor Rodolfo Delgado gave to the media, expressing that the hypothesis of the crime is that Rivera was killed by gang members after a disagreement. According to the organizations, by attributing the motives of the crime to common violence, the prosecutor is discarding a priori the existence of intellectual authors of this assassination.
Rivera was a renowned leader in the struggle against mining in El Salvador and in addition he played a key role at denouncing the electoral fraud that resulted in the suspension of the municipal elections in San Isidro in January 2009. For this reason the international organizations consider that there is enough evidence to suggest that that the crime was committed for political reasons and that "the failure to investigate this motives , including the slow response of the police in the initial search for Marcelo constitute serious irregularities that need to be investigated and corrected."
Therefore, as representatives of the international community, the 108 organizations call on the Office of the Attorney General to carry out an impartial, exhaustive, and effective investigation in order to bring to justice the intellectual and material authors of this horrendous crime, and prevent these tragedies from happening again. It is alarming that in the last weeks, several activists including three young reporters from Radio Victoria have received death threats for publicly denouncing the mining activities. This shows the urgency for a through investigation. The international organizations state that "If Marcelo's murder is left in a state of impunity, it will generate a climate of intimidation and uncertainty for social leaders and activists, undermining the advances in the democratic process in El Salvador."
Background information:
El Salvador's Gold Fight
First victim of the anti-mining struggle
Faith leaders letter to President Obama on Sudan
To sign on, use this link: Moved by faith: A call for peace in Sudan
Dear Mr. President,
We, the undersigned faith leaders write to express our support for your work to achieve lasting peace in Sudan. We urge you to continue those efforts that will bring peace to millions that live in violence and fear while lacking the basic services essential for survival. Our shared humanity connects us to people in need, and our faith leads us to shed light on situations of injustice. For decades, the citizens of Sudan have been plagued by war, famine and marginalization. Our faith inspires us to work for justice throughout the world, and we know that the leadership of the United States is critical if holistic peace, development and equality are to be realized in Sudan.
Four years after the U.S. helped broker the pivotal 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), it is clear that peace between the north and south remains extremely fragile, and fears of renewed civil war are on the rise. We thank your administration for recent efforts to address the current state of the CPA along with representatives of Sudan and the international community. We ask that you continue, along with the signatories of the agreement and the international community, to ensure that all aspects of the CPA are fully implemented to help achieve a just and lasting peace for the people of Sudan, including the people of the Three Areas-South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei.
In Darfur, after more than five years of violence, displacement, and rampant insecurity, millions of people now depend on humanitarian aid and are forced to live in makeshift camps. We urge your administration to continue working with the international community and key actors, including civil society, to help bring a sustainable peace agreement that will restore security and allow the Darfuri people to freely return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
The rarely discussed conflict and lack of development among the Beja in Eastern Sudan must also be resolved to ensure sustainable peace in Sudan. We urge your administration to play a role in ensuring the 2006 agreement is upheld.
While we represent diverse faith traditions, we are united in our work for peace, justice and the well-being of all God's people. As we lead our communities in action and prayer, please know that we support you in your work and believe that your strong leadership is critical in realizing peace and justice in Sudan.
Bishops call on President Obama and Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform
SAN ANTONIO—Cardinal Francis George of Chicago called on President Barack Obama and Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform before the end of 2009. He called for this action June 18, at the Spring meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in San Antonio, Texas. The statement follows:
On behalf of the United States Catholic Bishops, gathered in San Antonio, Texas, at our annual spring meeting, I would ask President Barack Obama and congressional leaders of both parties to work together to fashion and enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation before the end of the year.
It has been clear for years that the United States immigration system requires repair and that reform legislation should not be delayed.
We urge respect and observance of all just laws, and we do not approve or encourage the illegal entry of anyone into our country. From a humanitarian perspective, however, our fellow human beings, who migrate to support their families, continue to suffer at the hands of immigration policies that separate them from family members and drive them into remote parts of the American desert, sometimes to their deaths. This suffering should not continue.
Now is the time to address this pressing humanitarian issue which affects so many lives and undermines basic human dignity. Our society should no longer tolerate a status quo that perpetuates a permanent underclass of persons and benefits from their labor without offering them legal protections. As a moral matter, we must resolve the legal status of those who are here without proper documentation so that they can fully contribute their talents to our nation's economic, social and spiritual well being.
Only through comprehensive reform can we restore the rule of law to our nation's immigration system.
We urge President Obama and congressional leaders to meet as soon as possible to discuss and draft comprehensive immigration reform legislation, with the goal of making it law by the end of 2009. The Catholic bishops of our country stand ready to assist in this effort.
Catholic Relief Services resources for the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative
The Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative has been launched by the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services and CMSM is a Corporate Partner. If you would like to host a CCGP talk or find out more ways to get involved with the initiative, please contact CRS by email at globalpoverty@crs.org. The CRS regional staff are available to speak with you about ways to engage your communities and the communities you serve in this initiative. Some of the available tools are speaker tours, presentations, talks, and webcasts.
"Yes Africa Matters" Website Announced
The Catholic Task Force on Africa announces the new website www.yesafricamatters.org. The Task Force uses the occasion of the Second Special Assembly for Africa, popularly known as the Second African Synod of Bishops, to offer this website. The Synod will take place in Rome from October 4th to 25th. The theme of the upcoming Synod is "The Church in Africa in service to reconciliation, justice, and peace: You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world.
As an exercise in solidarity with the Church in Africa, the Task Force provides this website as a one-stop shop. On the site there is some background on the connections that exist between our churches and peoples, our shared values, the presence of Africa Diaspora here, and the many partnerships and twinning relationships that bind the USA and Africa. There is a listing of the many missionary communities from the USA that are present in Africa as well as a section that focuses on the Synod itself. It is hoped that there will be reflections from the Churches on the continent as the Synod nears. There are also resources and links with universities and other advocacy groups that can help readers better their understanding of and engagement with Africa.
With this website the hope is to put flesh on the two feet of Catholic Social Outreach: informing people of ways to exercise direct service/outreach to those in Africa as well as advocacy for systemic social change.
Put simply, Yes, Africa Matters! The more people know and share can only strengthen that belief. If after reviewing this website you have comments or additional contributions or links, send these to Fr. Rocco Puopolo (director@afjn.org).
Fr. Bryan Massingale to Receive 2010 Harry A. Fagan Roundtable Award
NEW YORK – The Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors recently announced Fr. Bryan Massingale, a priest in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and associate professor at Marquette University, as the 2010 Harry A. Fagan Roundtable Award recipient for his exemplary contributions to the achievement of the Catholic vision of social justice. The Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors presents the award each year to an individual whose work, through the tradition of Catholic social teaching, has led to significant progress towards greater social justice and dignity for all members of society.
Fr. Massingale, a Milwaukee native, received a bachelor's degree from Marquette University in theology and philosophy. He was ordained a priest in 1983 and began his priestly ministry as the associate pastor of St. Sebastian Parish in Milwaukee. He later studied at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and earned a doctorate in moral theology from the Academica Alphonsianum (The Higher Institute of Moral Theology) in Rome. After finishing his doctorate, Fr. Massingale taught at Saint Francis Seminary and continues to teach at Marquette University.
Fr. Massingale's work focuses on social ethics, especially Catholic social teaching, African American religious ethics, and racial justice. He has written extensively on contemporary social issues such as racial reconciliation, environmental justice and terrorism, as well as about the contribution of African Americans to Catholic social ethics and the challenge of peacemaking. In addition to teaching and writing, Fr. Massingale is a member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Theological Society and the Executive Committee of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium. He further serves as a theological consultant to the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and to the National Black Catholic Conference.
The Roundtable Award is named for the late Harry A. Fagan, who served as the director of Catholic Community Action in the diocese of Cleveland and later worked for the National Pastoral Life Center as staff for the Roundtable Association. Fagan also chaired the Social Concerns Department of the Ohio Catholic Conference and served on the board of the Catholic Committee on Urban Ministry. The award has been given annually since 1987.
Fr. Massingale will receive the Harry A. Fagan Award during the Roundtable's Annual Symposium on February 6, 2010, at the beginning of the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington D.C.
The new Jesuit Social Apostolate database
All are welcome to utilize this new site, www.jesuitsocialapostolate.org, which seeks to profile the breadth and range of Jesuit social action, analysis and advocacy across the world. Using data from the Universal Catalogue of the Social Apostolate (2008) as a primary source, the website arranges centers by their thematic focus. You may select from among 35 languages and then navigate the data by interactive mapping, keyword search or alphabetical/thematic listing. The site also includes blogging and calendar features for registered users and an easy link for authorized updates, revisions and new additions. Note: a center needs to maintain a website to be listed.
Wisconsin Provincial, G. Thomas Krettek, SJ, who envisioned the website, observes, "General Congregation 35 emphasized the universal dimension of the Society and the importance of effective networking. I am hopeful that this website might help to encourage our collective work and shared mission, increase our familiarity with one another and thereby advance common apostolic goals. May it familiarize us with the important contributions of the social sector and attract others to join us." (John Sealey jsealey@jesuitswisprov.org)
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
How
can the Justice and Peace Office help you get involved?
T. Michael McNulty, SJ, editor
mmcnulty@cmsm.org
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