An Action Alert from the USCCB's Office of International Justice and Peace & Cahtolic Relief Services:
SUPPORT PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND THIS NEW YEAR: SIGN AN ECUMENICAL LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA BEFORE JANUARY 16!
TAKE ACTION NOW! Thanks to the incredible efforts of Catholics around the country, our Church has provided more than 2,300 signatures to date to an ecumenical letter signed by Most Reverend Howard Hubbard, Bishop of Albany and Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Ken Hackett, President of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) that urges President-elect Barack Obama “to make achievement of Israeli-Palestinian peace an immediate priority” during his first year in office. But there’s still time to act in support of peace.
Visit http://www.cmep.org/letter now to add your signature before January 16.
WHY IS THIS ACTION IMPORTANT NOW? As we start the New Year, we renew our hopes for the day when our sisters and brothers can live in peace in the Holy Land. As the conflict in Gaza reminds us, violence cannot bring peace; what is needed are negotiations. With the incoming Obama Administration, there is a renewed opportunity for the United States to help achieve a just and lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During his campaign, President-elect Obama promised to work for peace between Israel and the Palestinians from the beginning of his Administration. Given the global financial crisis and the many challenges facing Americans today, the President-elect will be balancing many competing priorities when he is sworn in on January 20, 2009. It is therefore critical that he hear from us now in large numbers that Holy Land peace cannot be delayed and that we fully urge his leadership in resolving this long-standing conflict.
WHAT DOES THE LETTER ASK PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA TO DO? The letter we are asking you to sign was circulated by the Churches for Middle East Peace, an ecumenical coalition of churches and faith-based organizations. The letter urges President-elect Obama to provide immediate diplomatic leadership toward the clear goal of a final status agreement establishing a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. The opportunity for achieving a two-state solution is supported by majorities of Israelis and Palestinians as the best way to end this tragic conflict. However, the prospects for this solution are narrowing and must be seized soon.
The deadline for signatures is January 16, 2009. A version of this letter signed by national Christian leaders was sent to the Obama transition team on December 1, 2008. The final letter signed by leaders and individual church members, such as us, will be delivered to President Obama upon his inauguration. Sign the letter now.
WHAT DOES PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND HAVE TO DO WITH MY FAITH? Our Catholic faith teaches us to be peacemakers. The U.S. Bishops wrote in their 1983 pastoral letter, The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response, “Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus.”
Pope Benedict XVI reiterated the Catholic Church’s commitment to peace in the Holy Land when he stated that “it is necessary to explore every possible diplomatic avenue and to remain attentive to even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation if long-standing conflicts are to be resolved. When all the people of the Holy Land live in peace and harmony, in two independent sovereign states side by side, the benefit for world peace will be inestimable […]” (May 12, 2008)
WHAT IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DOING TO PROMOTE PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND? In 2005, the USCCB launched the Catholic Campaign for Peace in the Holy Land to promote understanding and support for a just resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. CRS has worked in the Holy Land for nearly 50 years, supporting peace with justice for all people, while responding to the humanitarian and sustainable development needs of Palestinians. To learn more visit: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/mideast.shtml and http://crs.org/Jerusalem/.
For more information contact:
Dr. Stephen Colecchi, Director
International Justice and Peace
USCCB
scolecchi@usccb.org, (202) 541-3196
Tina Rodousakis, Grassroots Advocacy Manager
CRS
trodousa@crs.org; (410) 951-7462
Monday, January 5, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 World Day of Peace Message
"FIGHTING POVERTY TO BUILD PEACE"
An excerpt:
One of the most important ways of building peace is through a form of globalization directed towards the interests of the whole human family. In order to govern globalization, however, there needs to be a strong sense of global solidarity between rich and poor countries, as well as within individual countries, including affluent ones.
Read Pope Benedict's entire message HERE and see the following link's call to action by our U.S. Bishops:
Bishops Urge Catholics to Act on Pope's World Day of Peace Message
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt:
One of the most important ways of building peace is through a form of globalization directed towards the interests of the whole human family. In order to govern globalization, however, there needs to be a strong sense of global solidarity between rich and poor countries, as well as within individual countries, including affluent ones.
Read Pope Benedict's entire message HERE and see the following link's call to action by our U.S. Bishops:
Bishops Urge Catholics to Act on Pope's World Day of Peace Message
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Justice & Peace Have Kissed
November 4th, 2008
In gratitude and hope for a future of greater Justice & Peace in this country and throughout the world!
P.S. This blog has been on temporary hiatus due to overwhelming work demands this semester. It will reactivate (hopefully) with the new Liturgical Year. Thank you for your patience.
Katie
Monday, September 1, 2008
Labor Day 2008
An American Catholic Tradition, [pdf] the U.S. bishops’ 2008 Labor Day statement calls for “renewed vigor as we seek to build together a society that cares for its own, reaches out to the poor and vulnerable, and offers true hope to all.” Read more HERE
Some additional thoughts for Labor Day reflection:
The shopping mall, the school, the kitchen table, the courtroom, the factory, and the office can be altars of sorts . . . places where the mundane labors of life may be offered up, blessed, and transformed into things of beauty and holiness.
Awareness that humanity's work is a participationin God's activity ought to permeateeven the most ordinary everyday activities.
Some additional thoughts for Labor Day reflection:
The shopping mall, the school, the kitchen table, the courtroom, the factory, and the office can be altars of sorts . . . places where the mundane labors of life may be offered up, blessed, and transformed into things of beauty and holiness.
from Sprituality@Work by G. F.Pierce
Awareness that humanity's work is a participationin God's activity ought to permeateeven the most ordinary everyday activities.
On Human Labor Pope John Paul II
Through work we not only transform the world, we are transformed ourselves.
On Human Labor Pope John Paul II
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Don't Miss it -- John Carr Faithful Citizenship talk is tonight!
"Dangers and Directions for the Catholic Voter"
WHAT: A special and very timely talk by John Carr, Secretary of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Developmentof the U.S. Conference of Catholic BishopsSaturday.
WHEN: TONIGHT August 23, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: St. Francis Cabrini Parish Hall, 3201 E. Presidio Rd., Tucson
John will outline the mission of the Catholic Church in political life and the message of the U.S. Bishops’ statement "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." [pdf] He will examine the political and ecclesial context for Faithful Citizenship as well as the assets the Catholic community brings to public life. He will suggest some dangers and directions for Catholics who take seriously the challenges of Faithful Citizenship in this election year. John’s talk is sponsored by the Diocese of Tucson and is open without charge to the public.
For more about the speaker, John Carr, see: http://www.diocesetucson.org/Carr.html For more on Faithful Citizenship, see: http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
August 6th: Hiroshima Day of Remembrance
Today on the Feast of the Transfiguration, we mourn over the global transformation that took place in 1945 when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
For prayer and reflection, here is a powerful litany, written by Susan Adams, a missionary in Japan for 13 years, courtesy of the United Church of Christ:
Remember and Transform: A Responsive Prayer on Hiroshima Day (pdf)
. . . . and from our U.S. Bishops, more to reflect on and pray about:
We oppose the continued readiness of the United States to use nuclear weapons, especially against non-nuclear threats, and the potential development of new weapons for this purpose. . . Our nation should lead in the challenging task of envisioning a future rooted in peace, with new global structures of mediation and conflictresolution, and with a world order that has moved beyond nuclear weapons.
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Statement on New Nuclear Treaty and U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy, 2002
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)