Pax Christi Florida is a regional section of Pax Christi USA and Pax Christi International.

PRAYER

Prayer-Study-Action          E-Newsletter 

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POPE FRANCIS' PRAYER FORJUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY

Jesus the Christ,you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Creator,

and have told us that whoever sees you sees God.Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;

made Peter weep after his betrayal,and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.

Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”You are the visible face of the invisible Creator,

of the God who manifests God's power above all by forgiveness and mercy:let the Church be your visible face in the world, risen and glorified.You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness

in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from God,

and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,

and restore sight to the blind.We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,

you who live and reign with the Creator and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.Amen.

Note:  The above prayer was adapted to accommodate Pax Christi Florida's commitment to inclusive

language.

STUDY

A World Without WarWhy It's No Fantasy

 

Last July Pope Francis spoke about the hundredth anniversary of World War I to a crowd gathered for the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square. He used the occasion to exhort his listeners to abolish war: “Never war! Never war! I think most of all about children, whose hopes for a dignified life, a future, are dashed, dead children, wounded children, mutilated children, orphans, children who have the leftovers of war for toys, children who don’t know how to smile. Stop it, please! I beg you with all my heart! It’s time to stop!”

   Read the Article

 

Racism Is a Faith Issueby Jim Wallis

 

I applaud InterVarsity's support for Black Lives Matter, which the group announced at its Urbana15 gathering. Racism is indeed an issue of faith that the church must address. It's an issue of missing the imago dei within each and every one of us. This excerpt from my forthcoming book America's Original Sin looks at the depths of that faith issue and how interwoven it is with our American story. I hope you'll use it as a resource as we continue to have these important conversations.

To put this in a religious context: overcoming the divisions of race has been central to the church since its beginning, and the dynamic diversity of the body of Christ is one of the most powerful forces in the global church. Our Christian faith stands fundamentally opposed to racism in all its forms, which contradict the good news of the gospel. The ultimate answer to the question of race is our identity as children of God, which we so easily forget applies to all of us. And the political and economic problems of race are ultimately rooted in a theological problem. The churches have

too often "baptized" us into our racial divisions, instead of understanding how our authentic baptism unites us above and beyond our racial identities.Do we believe what we say about the unity of "the body of Christ" or not?READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Faith in ACTION

GOV. SCOTT ORDERS 2 DEATH WARRANT!(Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty)

 

Less than 24 hours after the execution of Oscar Bolin, Gov. Rick Scott has ordered the state killing of Mark Asay for March 17 at 6:00 pm. Mike Lambrix is scheduled to be executed on February 11 at 6pm.The U.S. Supreme Court is to rule sometime before June if Florida’s death sentencing scheme is unconstitutional. It is unconscionable that executions would be carried out while awaiting the high court’s decision. Florida’s death penalty program is the most mistake-ridden in the nation. Since executions resumed in the 1970’s, Florida has executed 92 people while at the same time 26 people were exonerated and released from Death Row. That’s a rate of more than one exoneration for every four executions. Contact Gov. Scott and ask him to suspend ALL executions.Phone: (850) 488-7146Email: Rick.scott@eog.myforida.comThe statewide coalition to end executions needs your help now.  Please make the work possible by making a donation today. 

Sent by:Mark ElliottExecutive DirectorFloridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, fadp.orgFADPP.O. Box 82943Tampa, FL 33682Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is a coalition of organizations and individuals united to abolish the death penalty in Florida

Conference and Action on DRONE Warfare3:00 PM to 6:00 PM   - Sunday, January 10, 2016 

Royal Palm Christian Church9600 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, FL 33065 

www.royalpalmchrisitanchurch.org    

Suggested Donation for event  $12, $8 with membership (see below)     Medea Benjamin National Director, Code Pink and Author of Drone Warfare, Killing by Remote Control Signed copies will be available at the event.  

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (U.S. Army ret.) Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy, Secretary of State Colin Powell's Chief of Staff (2002-05)  

Cain Westmoreland  Former Drone Operator & whistleblower will speak to the conference via Skype.

WORKSHOPS! ACTION!  Housing Available. Please indicate if you need a bed or couch and any special

dietary needs.

Co-sponsors: Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare and POWIR; People’s Opposition to War Imperialism and  Racism    Sign up on our web site...click here.           Contact us at: 610-220-0223  or peacehome.campaigns@gmail.com 

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Stop President Obama's Plan to Deport Hundreds of Central American Refugees of War

 (Interfaith Worker Justice)

Most people who see the word ‘refugees’ these days will probably think of the war in Syria, the brash bigotry of some presidential candidates, or the fight between the president and some Republican governors over where to settle Syrians fleeing violence at home.But just as he opens the doors to refugees from Syria, President Obama is preparing to send hundreds of families fleeing violence in Central America right back into the war zones they risked their lives to escape.  As people of faith and goodwill, we are compelled to honor and respect the inherent dignity of every human being. We challenge President Obama honor the values of his own faith and stop tearing families apart.

Will you call the White House today at 1-888-907-2053 and urge President Obama to stop deporting refugees of war?

As worker justice advocates, we know that immigrants and refugees are the mothers, fathers and children who enrich the fabric of our communities, they are the diligent students and hardworking breadwinners who contribute so much of the work that makes our country great.

Click here to report your call.

In recent weeks the focus of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken to raiding private homes at all hours of the day, according to the LA Times.1

These raids are terrorizing communities across the country as families scramble to understand their rights when interacting with ICE. For example, many people aren’t aware that they can refuse ICE entry into their home if there is no warrant to enter or that they have the right to remain silent.This inhumane treatment of refugees of war must end. President Obama has already deported more than two million people during his presidency. To continue this abhorrent record by deporting children and families back to a warzone is unacceptable. Interfaith and religious groups have called out the Obama Administration for the “hemispheric bias in our refugee system” which welcomes some refugees and refuses others.2 Perhaps it is more politically convenient to accept some refugees and turn away others, but human rights should never be used as a political pawn. 

Call 1-888-907-2053 and tell President Obama to stop the raids and stop deporting refugees.

You can find a sample script for your call here. 

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COST OF WAR

THE COST OF THE WAR - JANUARY 9, 2016 

Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare. It calls for the courage to say yes to encounter and no to conflict: yes to dialogue and no to

violence; yes to negotiations and no to hostilities; yes to respect for agreements and no to acts of provocation; yes to sincerity and no to duplicity. All

of this takes courage, it takes strength and tenacity.    

- Pope Francis, Address of the Holy Father  Invocation for Peace, June 8, 2014     

Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Spring Action:  Tour to Turn Spotlight on Wendy's March 2-13!

Workers, consumers to take Fair Food message directly to Wendy’s corporate leadership in New York, Ohio, and Palm Beach;Tour to demand real, Worker-driven Social Responsibility from fast-food holdout, not more unenforced promises of human rights…This coming March 2-13, farmworkers and thousands of consumer allies will be mobilizing to bring Wendy’s — the lone holdout among the big five fast-food companies of Yum Brands, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Wendy’s — into the Fair Food Program! 

To learn more, click here.

IRAQ

Total Number of U.S. soldiers killed:                 4,495 Deaths – State of Florida:                                  196 Financial Cost to U.S. Taxpayers                       $819, 100,000,000                Every hour, taxpayers in Florida are paying $7,174 for Cost of War in

Iraq.

AFGHANISTAN

Total Number of U.S. soldiers killed:                      2379 Deaths – State of Florida                                       154           Financial Cost to U.S. Taxpayers:                          $724,600,000,000+ Every hour, taxpayers in Florida are paying $245,495 for Cost of War

in Afghanistan.

COST OF MILITARY ACTION AGAINST ISIS

Total cost of military action against ISIS to U.S. to taxpayers: $7,700,000,000+

Every hour, taxpayers in Florida are paying $37,732 for Cost of Military Action Against ISIS.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

I would like to make a threefold appeal to the leaders of nations: to refrain from drawing other peoples into conflicts or wars which destroy not only their material, cultural and social legacy, but also – and in the long term – their moral and spiritual integrity; to forgive or manage in a sustainable way the international debt of the poorer nations; and to adopt policies of cooperation which, instead of bowing before the dictatorship of certain ideologies, will respect the values of local populations and, in any case, not prove detrimental to the fundamental and inalienable right to life of the unborn.Message from His Holiness, Pope Francis for the celebration of the XLIX World Day of Peace on 1 January 2016 entitled, "Overcome Indifference and Win Peace"

 

PAX CHRISTI FLORIDA

PAX CHRISTI USA

 PHOTOS: The 2015 Year in PicturesImages and photos from throughout 2015, including Pax Christi USA members and groups in action…click here.

Pax Christi USA's Membership Newsletter(Winter 2015/2016)

Executive Director’s Letter Page 1 National Council elections, Executive Committee chosen Page 2 Official statements on Pope Francis’s visit to the USA, Oregon shooting

massacre Page 3 Climate change is a moral issue by Rev. John Rausch, glmy Page 4 The continuing need to address the root causes of forced displacement from

Pax Christi International Page 5 National, Regional, & Local Updates - Photos Pages 6-7

To read, click here.

PAX CHRISTI INTERNATIONAL 

Every month Pax Christi International issues a Newsletter, available in English, French and Spanish. This Newsletter contains updates on the activities of the PCI Member Organisations, and coalitions. The Newsletter contains links to relevant websites, publications as well as a detailed calendar of events.  To read Pax Christi International’s latest newsletter, click   here .  

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Copyright © 2015 Pax Christi Florida All rights reserved.Prayer-Study-Action E-Newsletter

Our mailing address is:Pax Christi FloridaMercy-on-the-Manatee505 Palm AvenueEllenton, FL 34222

Pax Christi Florida's CoordinatorNancy O'Byrne (obyrnen@bellsouth.net; 904-461-9216) 

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