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Peace and Justice

Thought for September - and beyond!
	Discussions on the future of the United Nations, are now taking place The encyclical 'Peace on Earth' is even more relevant to this now than when written over 40 years ago by Pope John XXIII, the UN being under threat of being reduced to chaos See below for one quote. The whole document develops the theme that not only is such a body vital but that it must be founded on the principles of cooperation and mutual, not rival, interests.
Sunday 10 September Racial Justice Sunday 'Do not ill-treat or oppress a foreigner; remember that you were foreigners in Egypt.' . Exodus 21 v.23 In his parable of the unjust servant Jesus is referring to any kind of offence against our neighbour, personal or national. Inequality between nations is often the result of past colonial exploitation which still continues even when they have gained so-called independence. One current example is the way aid is tied to privatisation, opening the way to further exploitation by multinational firms. It was and is a means by which the richer nations and controlling elites acquire and maintain their wealth and power. Catholic Association for Racial Justice CARJ page for use in school
from Psalm 82 How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Fair Trade and Traidcraft Justice is not just up to governments Trade agreements make it hard for 3rd world countries to earn enough to escape the poverty trap Are we ourselves paying enough for our goods?

from Psalm 146 Happy is the man who has the God of Jacob to help him and who depends on the Lord his God, the Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them. He always keeps his promises; he judges in favour of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free and gives sight to the blind. He lifts those who have fallen; he loves his righteous people. He protects the strangers who live in our land; he helps widows and orphans, but he ruins the plans of the wicked.

Digging for Survival This website has a resource pack suitable for students	Newspaper articles and Fact Sheets on child labour and the use of children as young as three in mining	Human rights abuses especially of children
"Let the little children come to me..	Street Children in Africa Catholic Action for Street Children in Ghana	..for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
50% of Africans are under 16	34 of 42 poorest countries in the world are in Africa	42% of Africans live in towns and cities
	3 million+ children live on the streets in Africa Many are 2nd and 3rd generation street children 20,000 children and 6000 babies live on the streets in Accra, Ghana

Some challenging reading
Pontifical Council on Justice and Peace Catholic News - an independent website with UK news and articles on topical issues: e.g.. *Stewardship and responsibility - the myths surrounding GM crops and their impact on peasant farmers were discussed at the AGM of the Catholic Institute for International Relations' on October 9th 2004 *Church leaders expressed alarm at Tory pledge to withdraw Britain from the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees. "It is absolutely alarming and dangerous, that the Tories could even contemplate refusing to protect desperate, frightened and often violently abused men, women and children." *8 October 2004 - Vigil outside the Zimbabwean Embassy to "keep up international awareness of the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, which has seen a quarter of the population forced into exile." (The situation is even worse now in 2005!) Catholic Information Network St Charles Church in Arlington, Virginia has many useful resources on the issues of War and Peace: Pope Paul VI : "If you want peace, work for justice!" Catholic Communications Library - documents from the Curia Catholic Communications Service (Briefing1) Catholic Communications Service (Briefing2) The latest news - Vatican and general Catholic involvement in Justice and Peace	Interest - this is OUR problem whether we like it or not Information - we need to understand the problems Involvement - solutions depend on everyone, not just a few enthusiasts The Trade Justice Movement St Catherine's Directory - an excellent source of information UK Dioceses: Salford, Clifton Pax Christi "If you want peace, work for justice!" 16 October, 2004 - EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM (14 -17 October 2004) Seminar: AN ECUMENICAL and INTERFAITH PERSPECTIVE FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION : a challenge to create new north-south relations and alternatives to violence and war, at Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill Plus many more planned events in the coming months around the country... Corrymeela - the peace community - pioneers in Northern Ireland Duncan Morrow on the challenge of a shared future for Northern Ireland Resources for Religious Education - the environment This week in CAFOD - Bangladesh Cafod North-West - from the Regional Office in Preston Catholic Association for Racial Justice Churches together for Racial Justice
Far more remains to be done - "Lord, make us a means of your peace!"

Racial Justice
What you can do!

Repent	of any prejudice and self-seeking which hinders us from standing up for justice and making restitution for all known sin
Examine	the structures and practices of organisations and identify any exploitation and discrimination
Work	to establish and affirm fellowships so that believers from all backgrounds feel valued and loved and are able to offer themselves
Develop	a mission and community life which affirm social justice
Oppose	practices and policies which are racist and unjust
Express	pastoral concern for people suffering through racism
Encourage	communities to learn from the experiences of refugees, asylum seekers and travellers and endeavour to create a Europe for all people

The World Day for Peace
instituted by Pope Paul VI to begin on 1 January 1979

John Paul II in his address on 16 December 2003 for World Peace Day 2004 reiterated that:

The church does not tire of repeating that peace is a duty....
It must be built on the four pillars indicated by Pope John XXIII in his encyclical, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth)

TRUTH

JUSTICE

LOVE

FREEDOM

'Peace on Earth' is such an important document that quotations which appeared for its 40th anniversary on our Notices last year will be repeated here, while emphasizing that the document should be studied in its entirety.
(available from the Catholic Truth Society, 38-40 Eccleston Sq. London SWIV 1PD)

Peace on Earth The encyclical 'Pacem in Terris' on Human Rights and Duties. 95. It must be made quite clear that it is a gross violation of justice to do anything to reduce the vigour and growth of such minorities; all the more so if the abominable attempt is made to exterminate them. 96. The way to secure justice in such situations is for governments to take effective steps to improve the human conditions of these ethnic minorities, particularly as regards the use of their language, the preservation of their native genius, their ancient customs and their enterprises and activities in the economic field.'

Note : When this is a translation from the Latin, the words 'man' and 'men' are replaced here by 'people' or another suitable word to represent the meaning of the Latin 'homo', mankind, both men and women, rather than the exclusively masculine 'vir'. This is not 'political correctness' but justice - for the sake of all those oppressed women throughout the world who are bought and sold and have never known freedom or dignity.

Peace and Justice Calendar

June 12th 2005 World Day Against Child Labour

September 29th Feast of St Vincent de Paul - a servant of the poor (See the Catholic Calendar for brief biography)

October 4th Feast of St Francis of Assisi - - he identified with the poor (See the Catholic Calendar for brief biography)