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Current Peace & Justice Concerns
Received, 7/3/2004:
Also please visit the National Catholic Social Justice website
www.networklobby.org for ideas
to work for peace and social justice. This is a suggestion of Jim Beck SFO our
P&J Commissioner and advocate.
Received, December 26, 2003
Dear FI-NA Sisters and Brothers,
Below please find a few items that may be of interest to you.
1. PBS special "Speaking to Power," on NOW with Bill Moyers
2. U.S. In Battle At ICJ Over Mexican Death Row Inmates
3. Citizen Delegation to Iraq Returns, with Recommendations
4. Final Draft Resolutions of the UN General Assembly Second Committee
As always, my apologies for cross-postings.
On behalf of all of us at Franciscans International, we wish you a most blessed
Christmas and a New Year filled with God’s justice and peace.
In gratitude for all you do and are,
Shell Balek, OSF
FI-NA Region Coordinator
http://www.fi-na.org/
1. PBS special "Speaking to Power," on NOW with Bill Moyers
In a climate where much of the world perceives American Christians as
fundamentalist conservatives, Manhattan's Riverside Church stands out as a
remarkable exception. In a December PBS special, "Speaking to Power,"
NOW with Bill Moyers tells the story of this extraordinary place of
worship and profiles its spiritual leader, Rev. James Forbes, whose candid
observations of contemporary public policy and religious doctrine stand in
marked contrast to fundamentalist Christianity.
Check local listings at:
http://www.pbs.org/now/sched.html
2. U.S. In Battle At ICJ Over Mexican Death Row Inmates
You may recall in August of 2002 we received an action alert from our Geneva
Office regarding a young Mexican national on death row in Texas.
He was executed. His case raised serious questions about the US’s respecting
binding international treaty obligations, especially the Vienna Convention on
Consular Relations, the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man and
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Mexico took the US to
the International Court of Justice over the cases of 52 Mexican nationals
currently on death row.
3. Citizen Delegation to Iraq Returns, with Recommendations
(From Global Exchange)
A delegation of military family members, Vietnam veterans, and other U.S.
citizens that visited Iraq early this month has produced a report
on their observations and recommendations for U.S. policy. In particular,
the group urges that the U.S. focus on elections to hand
over control of the country to Iraqis.
http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/iraq/familiesreport.html
4. Final Draft Resolutions of the UN General Assembly Second Committee
From the NGLS – the Non-Governmental Liaison Service
As you know, FI has been very active in the areas of Financing for
Development and Sustainable Development, as well as Human Rights issues
such as migrant rights.
On 16 December 2003, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN
General Assembly concluded its work on a number of draft
resolutions related to international trade, debt, finance, migration,
sustainable development and Post Conference Follow-Up and Implementation. These
final draft resolutions have been approved by the Second Committee and
will be forwarded to the plenary of the General Assembly for final adoption on
the 23 December 2003. The full text of a number of these final draft resolutions
can now be accessed via the NGLS website at the following URL:
http://www.unsystem.org/ngls/second_committee_resolutions.htm
Note: FI is Franciscan International, a Non-Governing Organization (NGO)
with the United Nations.
Received 11/30/2003 from National SFO Peace & Justice Network:
Trade Agreements can be Good News for the Poor
Dear Friends,
Without regard to our personal circumstances, most of us in the industrialized
countries have a great deal to be thankful for this holiday season. There is
also some good news for the undeveloped and formerly undeveloped countries. In
the last 25 years South Korea and some smaller Asian economies have made a full
transition to modernity.
The Chinese economy is making great progress, as are parts of India. Millions of
people have experienced an improvement in their standard of living.
According to Paul Krugman, Princeton Professor of Economics and International
Affairs, the economic successes achieved in the last 25 years have been based on
export led growth. International trade does have the potential to lift countries
out to poverty. No amount of foreign aid, no terrorism legislation, no first
strike invasions, no peace marches or demonstrations will do more to bring peace
in our world than the elimination of poverty everywhere. Paul VI is often quoted
as saying, “Development is the new name for peace.”
Export led growth is only possible if a country has something to export and is
allowed to enter the markets of countries that will buy its products. The
failure of the North American Free Trade Agreement to relieve poverty,
especially in Mexico, shows that the entrance of international corporations into
a country will not, in itself, raise the standard of living of the poor.
American subsidized corn has lowered the price of corn for some persons in the
cities of Mexico, but it has
destroyed the livelihood of Mexican farmers and increased the immigration of
illegal persons to the United States.
The National Peace and Justice Commission will continue to follow the progress
of trade agreements from the point of view of our Catholic and Franciscan
preferential option for the poor. We do not know if the World Trade Organization
will be able to get back on its feet after the falling down that happened in
Cancun. We will follow its progress as talks continue in Geneva. Regional Trade
agreements are being negotiated between and among nations in our
hemisphere. The Free Trade Area of the Americas talks continue, also.
Some might ask, “Why should we know about this? There is nothing we can do about
it. It is better for Secular Franciscans to pay attention to relieving the
suffering of the poor in our communities and, through our donations, in the
larger world.” That is true if one defines justice as the rich sharing their
abundance with the poor. The rich are acting in a just manner toward the poor.
However, if we define justice as an equal or fair distribution of the resources
of the planet, the rich acting justly is not enough. Our understanding of
justice should include charitable works and also the other aspect of justice.
The other aspect--social justice--is the revision and elimination of structures
that prevent equal or fair distribution the earth’s resources. Both aspects of
justice are always intertwined. Every act of charity has a justice aspect. Why
is this charity necessary? Every act of social justice has a charitable aspect.
How can we relieve the suffering of
persons who, at this time, are not receiving their fair share of the resources
of the earth?
Secular Franciscans have much experience with acts of charity. They can also act
in the area of social justice. First, they can understand that relentless
grinding poverty is not part of God’s plan for any person. It is human beings
who have created and who perpetuate abject poverty, not the Creator. When Jesus
said, “The poor you have with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever
you wish. . .” (Mark 14:6-8) he was describing conditions in the society of his
time. He was not giving a plan for all future time.
The second thing Secular Franciscans can do is talk about the
effect of trade agreements on poor countries to anyone who will listen. Then
they can let their elected representatives know that we should enter into trade
agreements that allow poor nations to sell their products to us. They should
also let their elected representatives know that Americans displaced or
disadvantaged economically by just trade agreements will need help, and the
government is required to give that help.
Part of the recent change in our government’s attitude toward the terms of the
Free Trade Area of the Americas Treaty was because Latin American
countries are beginning to resist unjust trade terms. Part of it, also, was
because Americans have lobbied their congresspersons about this
particular treaty for more several years. Speaking out is an action that is
effective, so long as one knows what one is talking about and expresses oneself
with gentleness and courtesy. For followers of St. Francis to whom gentleness
and courtesy are second nature, this is not difficult.
The National Peace and Justice Commission will continue to track trade
agreements for you. Expect to be informed at regular intervals about what is
happening with trade agreements when the partners to the agreement are the rich
and the poor.
Carlos suggested we download a document called "The Social
Agenda," - A collection of magisterial text, that lists and discusses many
current Peace & Justice concerns world-wide. The document is copyrighted
© Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace. Rather than pick this huge document (220 pages) apart
(which could take weeks), we will make it available to you as a .PDF file. In
order for you to open and read a PDF file you must have an Adobe™
PDF file reader.
 "The Social Agenda" |
