JPIC REPORTVolume 11, Issue 1

Spring 2010

Inside this issue:

A publication of the OMI Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation Office

From the Director:

Without justice and love,peace will always be thegreat illusion.

- Archbishop Hélder PessoaCâmara

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Book NookCongressional Updates

News & HappeningsResources

The first signs of springare already obvious in theplant life around theOblate house inWashington. After awinter that saw recordsnow fall in the area, withschools, businesses andgovernment offices closeddown or interrupted formany days, theseharbingers of spring aremost welcome.

Two massive and terriblydestructive earthquakes inHaiti and Chile,sandwiched around thewinter Olympic Games inVancouver, turned ourattention to the movementof the tectonic plates thatform the earth’s surface.They remind us at the sametime of the precariousnessof our journey on earthand of the awesomepower latent in the naturalorder. Scientist tell us thatthe diving of the Pacificplate under the Chileanplate some twenty milesbelow the surface of theearth may have shifted theearth’s axis and ever so

slightly shortened the hoursof daylight that weexperience.

Our immediate attentionturned to the incredibledestruction of buildingsand tremendous loss oflife, especially in Haiti,caused by theseearthquakes. At the sametime, we have witnessedthe generous response insolidarity from across theworld to both tragedies.We have seen and heardnumerous stories of heroicrescues and survival,alongside descriptions ofthe loss and suffering thathave interrupted so manylives and will continue to doso for years.

The feverish debate andhardened differences thathave emerged in theUnited States around theissues of health care,climate change, financialregulatory reform, jobsand immigration, rightlyrecede into thebackground when suchtragedies occur, but theydo not go away. Theongoing search forpolitical solutions to all of

these very difficult andcontentious issues serves toremind us of the messywork that often goes intomaking our and othersocieties work, and thedifficulty of finding aworking consensus.

As the church walks alongthe Lenten-Easter journeyand the Oblate congrega-tion prepares for a Gen-eral Chapter in Septemberfocused on the theme ofconversion, we can all takeadvantage of these invita-tions and opportunities forreflection. We can ask howwe can better participatein the collective process ofbuilding up the many com-munities of which we aremembers. On a globallevel, the question becomeshow we can more effec-tively realize our commit-ments to be in solidaritywith the far flung commu-nities across the world whodepend on our solidarity,and who reach out to us forsupport in times of tragedyand disaster?

The Hard Road to Reconciliation:The Sri Lankan Scene

The Search for FinancialRegulatory Reform

A Central American Pilgrimage:Reflections on Martyrdom

At the United Nations

Saving the Forest for the Peopleof Bangladesh

Domestic Human Rights Updates

Eco-Tips

Immigration Reform

Haiti: The Long Road to Recovery

Page 2 JPIC REPORT

News and HappeningsThe OMI Justice andThe OMI Justice andThe OMI Justice andThe OMI Justice andThe OMI Justice andPeace/ Integrity ofPeace/ Integrity ofPeace/ Integrity ofPeace/ Integrity ofPeace/ Integrity ofCreation Office Creation Office Creation Office Creation Office Creation Office coordinatesthe advocacy efforts of theMissionary Oblates of MaryImmaculate on behalf of theinterests of the poor andabandoned in the U.S. and in themore than 65 countries wherethe Oblates are in mission. Theseefforts include serving as aresource for province member-ship, supporting the communityorganizing efforts of the Oblatesin the United States, and co-ordinating the Corporate Respon-sibility Program to insist on justpractices and policies bycorporations in their worldwideoperations. Our work alsoincludes advocacy with theUnited States government andother international institutionson a variety of justice and peaceissues.

U.S. JPIC CommitteeU.S. JPIC CommitteeU.S. JPIC CommitteeU.S. JPIC CommitteeU.S. JPIC Committee

Rev. Bill Antone, OMIRev. Walter Butor, OMIRev. John Cox, OMIRev. Seamus Finn, OMIGary HuelsmannRev. John Lasseigne, OMIRev. Bill Morell, OMIPatti RadleRev. Bob Wright, OMI

JPIC StaffJPIC StaffJPIC StaffJPIC StaffJPIC Staff

Rev. Séamus Finn, OMIDirector

Christina C. HermanAssociate Director

Mary O’HerronAssociate for GAJPIC Serviceand Corporate Responsibility

George Kombe NgolweAdvocacy Associate

JPIC ReportJPIC ReportJPIC ReportJPIC ReportJPIC Report is a publicationof the OMI Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation Office391 Michigan Avenue NEWashington, DC 20017

Tel: 202.529-4505Fax: 202.529-4572www.omiusajpic.org

The CSA at LaVista

The Community Supported Garden at La Vista has a new farmer for the2010 season! Eric Stevens and his family have moved to the Godfrey,Illinois area, and Eric is hard at work getting seeds started in the greenhouseand planting spring greens. The CSA at Godfrey has been wildly successful, both interms of providing produce to the many subscribers to the CSA, but also in the creationof community and connecting families - especially children - with the source of their food.

Earth Literacy Program: Exploring the Sacred Universe6:00 pm Tuesday, Aug. 3 through 1:00 pm Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010

All around us evidence is mounting that the currentindustrial perspective is harmful both to Earth and tohumans. The needed corrective includes not onlypractical lifestyle changes, but also a shift in our basicunderstanding of what it means to be human on thisrare and lovely planet.

Join the staff of the Oblate Ecological Initiative thissummer and explore Creation’s integrity for a week along the bluffs with a communityof learners. Together we will explore the profound shift in understanding evoked by thestory of an evolutionary universe. As we sit with the wonder, awe and newness of theUniverse Story, we’ll also critically examine the perceptions that currently fashion ourcultural worldview.

This week-long program includes:

· guided activities and instruction· immersion in direct experience of the natural world· practicing skills for a more ecologically-conscious life· contemplating the story of an evolving Universe· examining the perceptions that fashion the current cultural worldview· deepening our appreciation for the inherent spiritual· dimension of our sacred universe

Registration information will be sent upon request - call 618-466-5004; Cost: $550.Overnight programs must be pre-registered. Overnight retreats must be paid in fullwith registration due 14 days prior to the retreat. If you are unable to attend, 75% ofthe cost is refundable up to two weeks prior to the beginning of the retreat.

2010 Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN)Conference & Lobby Day:

Justice in Africa - On Whose Terms?

The conference is scheduled for April 17- 19, 2010, with a keynotespeech by Fr. Peter Henriot, S.J., from Zambia. Some of the themes

to be discussed are: Obama’s Africa policy, Restorative Justice and Food Security, andtwinning practices between Catholic parishes in United States and Africa.

Join hundreds of faith-based advocates in shaping U.S. policy towards Africa. Oblateshave an AFJN organizational membership. More information at: www.afjn.org

Volume 11, Issue 1 Page 3

Resources

Keeping Healthy, Protectingour Communities:

GoodGuide™ is a website thatprovides reliable information on thehealth, environmental, and socialimpacts of products and companies.GoodGuide’s mission is to helpconsumers find safe, healthy, andgreen products that are better for theindividual and the planet.

The initiative began as a UC Berkeleyresearch project, and is now anindependent “For-Benefit” company.The aim is ultimately to shift thebalance of information and power inthe marketplace. To see the ratings onthe things you eat and use each day.visit www.goodguide.com/

Transition Movement US

The Transition Movement is “part of avibrant, international grassrootsmovement that builds communityresilience in response to the challengesof peak oil, climate change and theeconomic crisis. …” It seeks tostrengthen communities against theeffects of these challenges, leading tomore abundant, fulfilling, equitableand connected lives. Learn more atwww.transitionus.org/

The Transition movement first gained‘official’ status in Denver, Coloradoand has expanded to 60 towns andcities across the country. If you areinterested in moving your communityto a more sustainable future, thewebsite offers excellent resources andsuggestions on organizing.

The Environmental WorkingGroup is a highly-respected groupthat has been working for the past 17years to inform the public about thehealth effects of chemicals andhazards of commonly used products.If you’ve ever wondered about whatchemicals are in your food, or howmuch radiation your cell phonedischarges, check out their website atwww.ewg.org/. It is a trusted andindispensible resource that covers a lotof ground.

G r e e nAmerica

Do you wish itwere easier topurchase green,sustainable andequitably pro-duced goods andservices?

Join Green America (formerly CoopAmerica). You will not only receivetheir National Green Pages, a com-pendium of over 2,000 green busi-nesses around the country, but also asubscription to Real Green, their bi-monthly newsletter on green purchas-ing and investing.

Center for the Advance-ment of a Steady StateEconomy (CASSE)

“Perpetual economic growth is neitherpossible nor desirable. Growth, espe-cially in wealthy nations, is alreadycausing more problems than it solves.Recession isn’t sustainable or healthyeither. The positive, sustainable alter-native is a steady state economy…”

Learn more about what a steady stateeconomy would look like – check outthe CASSE website at:http://steadystate.org/

Dr. Herman Daly, respected ecologi-cal economist is on the CASSE Execu-tive Board and is contributing to a newblog on the CASSE website (click onTrack). Daly is particularly interestedin the intersection of economics, ethicsand sustainability. Along with theolo-gian John B. Cobb, Jr., he coauthoredFor the Common Good: redirecting theeconomy toward community, the en-vironment and a sustainable future.Daly is considered revolutionaryamong economists for placing theeconomy within the physical environ-ment on which it depends for its ma-terial inputs. The environment, ofcourse, is a place of limits: limits on rawmaterials and limits on places to storepollution. Daly shows that the economymust observe limits too.

The FAQs and Myths and Realitiessections of the CASSE website (click onDiscover) are particularly informative.

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Book Nook

The Mayor of Denver encouraged a vegetable

garden to be planted in front of the City and

County Building in Denver’s Civic Center Park

Public Produce: The NewUrban Agriculture

Darrin Nordahl. Island Press. 2009.177 pages. Reviewed by MaryO’Herron

With full and detailed attention to thehistory of food production in the U.S.,Mr. Nordahl argues that public spacescould provide a new agricultural shiftwithout compromising theirattractiveness. In seeking viablesolutions for hunger, he examines notonly publicly-owned and maintainedareas, but also some privately-owned ‘publicly-occupied’ areas likehospitals, churches, parks or shoppingareas. Much effort, water, fertilizer,etc., is expended to produce areasthat are aesthetically-pleasing, butthat could instead be put to betterpractical use.

Nordahl describes vividly how, afterWorld War II, people in the USbegan moving to the suburbs fromfarm and city areas. Suburban landbecame more decorative than useful,encouraged by zoning laws whichprohibited farm items, especiallyanimals, and actively discouragedgrowing produce as the perfect lawnand neat plot became increasinglyimportant.

As the distance between farmsand living areas grew and thefarms themselves became vast,the food production system hasbeen transformed into anindustrial model. Today, mostpeople don’t have any realconnection to the sources of theirfood. Food typically ispackaged - the fact that it comes fromthe earth gets lost.

At present, food production is highlydependent on fossil fuels. Cheap oilhas made possible low-labor, high-tech agribusiness, as well as theincreased distance from farm tomarket. In one startling statistic,Nordahl says that it often takes 10calories of fossil fuel energy to get 1(one) calorie of food to a U.S.supermarket.

Other issues raised in the book include“food security” and “food justice.”Food security refers to when foodprocessing is so centralized that thefood supply could be easilypoisoned; It already is vulnerable todeadly outbreaks of e coli andsalmonella. “Food justice” is an issuebecause processed and fast foods,which are generally cheaper than

fresh food, have a higher fat andcarbohydrate content which isdistinctly related to the rise in obesity,especially among low incomepeople. Poor areas tend to have fewif any grocery stores, making freshfood unavailable to them, unlikeunhealthy fast food.

In looking for workable solutions tothe problem of hunger in the US, Mr.

Nordahl sees hope in creative andindustrious people and municipalitieswith a drive to plant and grow edibleplants for the general public to enjoy.Nordahl makes a compelling case forusing public land to grow food as animportant contribution to the problemof hunger.

A good example of the use of publicspace for growing food can befound in Denver, Colorado. There,Transition Denver (see entry onp.3), in partnership with business andcivic organizations, founded the GrowLocal Colorado Campaign to promotelocal food production. Their goal in2009 was the planting of 2009 newgardens.

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Congressional Updates

Comprehensive ImmigrationReform Legislation Introduced

On December 15, 2009, USCongressman Luis Gutierrez (D –Illinois) introduced the ComprehensiveImmigration Reform for America’sSecurity and Prosperity (CIR ASAP)Act of 2009 in the American Houseof Representatives. CIR ASAP (H.R4321) has already earned morethan 90 co-sponsors.

The Oblate JPIC office praises thisproposed legislation as a vital stepin addressing the broken immigrationsystem and asks for your help ingetting it passed in Congress. Welook forward to seeing legislationfrom the United States Senateaddressing this critical issue, and weurge the Obama Administration toprovide the leadership needed tomake comprehensive immigrationreform a reality in 2010.

The CIR ASAP bill, if passed, wouldstrengthen border security, andprovide an earned legalizationprocess for undocumented workersand qualified undocumented youngstudents.

Major aspects of the CIR ASAPlegislation include:

Border Security Enforcement:

Focus on ensuring adequate trainingand equipment for border agents;security of ports of entry; and

combating drug, firearm, and humantrafficking. CIR ASAP sets strongmedical and other standards forhandling immigrants held in detention;bars separation of families indetention except in exceptionalcases; requires alternatives todetention and repeals the 287(g)program which has been abused intargeting the undocumented. CIRASAP would create oversight throughthe courts and an Ombudsman.

Earned Legal status for theUndocumented:

Creates a program providingconditional non-immigrant status forundocumented workers (and theirspouses and children) in the U.S.,which is valid for six years. Theapplicant/s must first pass abackground check, have no seriouscriminal conviction, and pay a $500penalty. Immigrants with conditionalstatus would have permission to workand travel. They could apply forgreen cards if they work, study, orcontribute to society through militaryor community service, pay taxes,keep a clean criminal record, andmeet English and civics requirements. CIR ASAP includes the Dream Actwhich creates a pathway to citizenshipfor thousands of young students whowere brought to the United Statesyears ago as children.

Protection of All Workers:

Incorporates the AgJOBS Act (H.R.2414), which provides agriculturalemployers with a stable, legal laborforce while protecting farm workersfrom exploitative working conditions.Unauthorized farm workers wouldbe able to legalize their status.Establishes stricter requirements to

protect American workers, forexample by prohibiting participationin the H-2B visa program ofemployers who have conducted amass lay-off in the past year, and byexpanding requirements forrecruiting American workers beforehiring foreign nationals.

Improving Detention Conditions:

Requires Department HomelandSecurity to meet minimumrequirements to ensure the humanetreatment of detainees with medicaland mental health screenings,protection from sexual abuse, carefor victims, and reports andinvestigations of abuse. Createsindependent immigration detentioncommission to investigate and reporton detention compliance.

TAKE ACTION: Now it’s Time forCongress to Step Up

- Urge your Member of Congressto co-sponsor the CIR ASAP Act.Dial 202-224-3121 and ask foryour Representative’s office.

- Call the White House and askthe President to keep his immigra-tion 2010 reform promise. En-glish: 866.584.0773 | Español:866.974.8813

- Joining the mobile action net-work by texting the word ‘justice’to 69866.

Questions? Contact George Ngolwe,gngolwe@omiusa.org

Page 6 JPIC REPORT

The Hard Road to Reconciliation – The Sri Lankan Scene Oswald Firth, OMI

The Presidential Election in SriLanka, considered by many to bea turning point for a nation recentlyembroiled in a thirty year war, anda harbinger of a lasting peace, hasleft the country further dividedalong ethnic lines.

Since its independence from theBritish in 1948, Sri Lanka, a re-splendent island nation reputed forits natural scenic beauty and leg-endary hospitality, is home to over14 million Sinhalese and some 4million Tamils, out of a total popu-lation of 20 million inhabitants. Therest are an assortment of minoritygroups who live peacefully amongthe two major communities. TheTamils, who form a majority in the

North and East of the Island, havealways felt that they were nottreated equally by consecutivepost-colonial governments that havebeen predominantly Sinhalese.

Non-violent political efforts by Tamilleaders to obtain equal rights fortheir community - whether in termsof language or self government –failed. This led to segments of theTamil youth resorting to arms in or-der to carve out a separate state

combining the North and the East –considered by Tamils to be their‘traditional home-land’. This sepa-ratist effort was crushed in May oflast year in a bloody defeat of theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) and the death of most of theirleadership.

The recent Presidential Electionhas offered no solution to

longstanding Tamil grievances.

The country is now in a post-war,post-presidential election mood.With only 20% of the Tamils votingin the North, the writing on the wallis clear that the Tamils do not trustthe Sinhala politicians in the Southto guarantee their regional au-tonomy and self-rule. 63% of thosevotes went to retired GeneralSarath Fonseka and 24% to the in-cumbent, not because they lovedthe army commander who routedthe fierce Liberation Tigers more,but because they loved PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa less. The mes-sage is that they have not forgot-ten or forgiven the ‘war without wit-nesses’. Last spring, over 350,000innocent civilians were cornered ina ‘no war zone’ where at least20,000 of them were mercilesslymowed down and massacred.Those who managed to flee weretreated like common prisoners andherded into camps surrounded bybarbed-wire from which they wereunable to leave until the campswere opened in early December2009. These incidents are still vividin the minds of the Tamils.

People in the north are facing fa-tigue and apathy. Having deniedthose in the camps vital medicalassistance and especially freedomof movement, any attempt from thegovernment towards reconciliationthat lacks a political solution will berejected. They feel their fate ofbeing a neglected community hasbeen sealed. Healing and recon-ciliation will necessarily involve trustand confidence building, a journeythat is bound to be slow. If it is tohappen at all, it must be a peopleto people effort. Both Tamils andSinhalese have lived together forages without the intervention ofpolitical figures who now dissemi-nate racial dissension and divisionfor political expediency.

Reconciliation will be difficult, andefforts will need to begin at the

community level.

The Oblates have given the lead inthe needed work of rebuilding shat-tered relationships. Last year, theyformed small teams of religious sis-ters – Sinhalese able to speak Tamil– to enter the camps and minglewith the Tamil women and their

IDPs learn how to avoid mines in theirresettlement areas.

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families. This was called a ‘ministryof presence’ and it has been verysuccessful. The religious sistersgradually set up about twentyMontessori type schools for the kidswithin the camps. With some100,000 people still living in thecamps, these schools are very im-portant. They are currently teach-ing some 750 children. Hardenedhearts have begun to melt. Tensionand fear have begun to ease. Tenu-

ous strains of trustare emerging.Last December,the Oblates and

nuns brought their La-Kri-Vi children(known as kids with valiant hearts)from the South to spend Christmasin the camps. Kids of both commu-nities exchanged gifts, sang songsand acted skits. When the timecame to depart, it was a scene of

laments and tears. The wounds arebeginning, gradually, to heal -through children.

The Oblates are taking a lead inpromoting needed reconciliation.

The leadership of the two Oblateprovinces – Colombo and Jaffna –in one of their joint sessions, decidedto re-establish the Oblate pre-no-vitiate in the North (once the sceneof relentless war). There, prospec-tive candidates to the Oblate wayof life will live and learn togetherto be missionaries to the poor ofboth communities. This decision willmark a further vigorous step to-wards advancing a spirit of har-mony and dialogue between thetwo communities. One resulting im-perative of this decision would befor the Sinhala recruit to become

conversant in the Tamil language,and vice versa, so that he couldbecome, as John Paul II once saidin a Peace Day message “a crafts-man of a new humanity”.

The local Church, where all ethniccommunities with their deep rootedcultural values and time-tested tra-ditions form parts of the living bodyof Christ, must take the lead in ad-dressing the legitimate grievancesof these communities in the quest forpeace. In this context, the Oblates,with over 150 years existence totheir credit and the largest men’sreligious body in the Island’s Churchhistory can become a visible signand a standard bearer to otherreligious congregations who maybe inclined to seriously engage inthis timely ministry of national peaceand reconciliation.

War Refugee Resettlement: Report from the field

The camps for IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in the north - opened in early December of 2009 - still containover 100,000 refugees. Those who have left have either resettled or have been taken to other camps. Therefugees receive a food ration and are able to move in and out of the camps; with permission they can stayoutside several days. There is a shortage of teachers, as they have been asked to return to their schools in theresettlement areas. About 750 children are in a Montessori program set up by Sisters working with the Oblates.

In Kilinochchi, people are slowly resettling. Priests and Sisters are already operating in some parishes. Damagedchurches and mission houses all need significant repairs. The Sisters are living in their own convents, under difficultcircumstances. Oblates have moved in and are carrying out repairs in OBTEC, in Kilinochchi, and in Mulankavil,the location of the Orphanage.

Refugees who return to Kilinochchi are first kept in the school where they are registered. They are then taken totheir places of origin and asked to identify their homes. If the land mines are cleared, then they are allowed toput up a hut for which the government provides 5 tin sheets and some rafters. They are given a ration on aweekly basis, but apart from that are expected to find their way. If their places are not yet cleared of mines,then they are asked to put up huts in some common areas until their own places are cleared for them to return.

The Army forms a large presence in the north, with cordial interactions reported. Yet, there is also fear andinsecurity. There is no electricity, but water is supplied. Some have cleaned up their wells and are using that water.Some NGOs have been given permission to help with the resettlement program, but under strict conditions andmonitoring by government forces.

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The Search for Financial Regulatory Reform Seamus P. Finn, OMI

The fallout from the financial crisiscontinues to felt by many across theUnited States and around the world.I recently asked someone in Dublinwho has been a teacher for morethan 25 years about how the collapseof the Irish economy is affecting herlife. She told me she has takenan 800 Euro a month pay cutand the money she has beensetting aside for a pension allthese years is now worth only theactual amount she saved andnot the amount anticipated bythe fund managers. In middleincome and poorer countriesthere are imminent signs of areturn to the kind of spiraling debtcrisis that has plagued many of thesesame countries for the last 40 yearsand continues to have a strangleholdon those classified as least developed.

Losing homes and losing jobs within thecontext of a lackluster economicrecovery offers little hope in the livesof many. There is no telling how manypeople have had to put plans on holdor seen their dreams shredded duringthis crisis. The story of the precarioussituation of many retirees whosepension savings were battered in themeltdown has been told in manyplaces. The prospect of deferredretirement and diminished resourcesis forcing many to rethink their nextsteps which were thought to be secure.

In recent months the dramatic eventsof September 2008 have beenreviewed in Congress, examined innumerous talk shows and written aboutin countless books and articles. Thesearch for a formula that “makes sure

that this does not happen again” hasbeen going on for months and is stillthe subject of strenuous debate inmany forums. Many of the issues andproposals that are being consideredare confounded by distracting claimsabout the excessive intrusion ofgovernment and bureaucrats intofinancial markets that function best

when lightly regulated (or so arguesWall Street), as well as by the politicalclimate in an election year. Theoccasion provides much to ponder forall of us, whether regarding our ownpersonal financial planning andactivities, the institutions andorganizations that we are either activein or responsible for, or ourparticipation in the political debatethat is moving towards the adoptionof a reformed financial framework.

On the international level, the majorgroupings of countries (G7, G20,G77 and the United Nations) havegathered on several occasions toconsider the global dimension of thecrisis and to propose ways to addressit. Their major challenge has been tocome up with a framework thatrestores confidence in the system byputting in place specific regulatoryreforms, while not ceding anyparticular advantages their individualcountries may have to attract

companies and capital. They are alsoforced to wrestle with the fact that thefinancial system operates from aglobal platform on which numerouscorporations have come to rely, yetthe regulatory framework for thesystem is a patchwork of domesticlaws and regulations supported byvoluntary codes and principles that theindustries themselves create andmonitor. Hence the squabblingbetween different financial centersin Europe and the United Stateswhen it comes to specific reforms.

Catholic Social Teaching traditionis replete with references to thecommon good, and a renewedcommitment to the fulfillment of itsdemands can serve to guide all of ouractions in this challengingenvironment. In the recent encyclical,Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVIpoints out the specific responsibility ofgovernments in this area: “Economicactivity cannot solve all socialproblems through the simpleapplication of commercial logic. Thisneeds to be directed towards thepursuit of the common good, forwhich the political community inpar ticular must also takeresponsibility.” (#36)

As the encyclical reminds usrepeatedly, the common good shouldalso serve as a measuring stick andbenchmark for the conduct andevaluation of financial activities in allarenas and for the activities of allbusiness enterprises. The socialpurpose and ecological impact of allthese activities can be measured, andought to be considered before theyare implemented. This includes the

Volume 11, Issue 1 Page 9

Haiti: The Long Road to Recoverydecisions of trustees of pension funds,the fiduciaries of endowments andtrusts, consultants and moneymanagers, investment schemeinnovators, and the financial activitiesof wealthy individuals and investors,including music, film and sports stars.

New regulatory reforms should belegislated, and enforced withimproved government regulation.Strong codes of conduct and ethicalbehavior by corporations andindividuals involved in the financialservices sector, though, will also becritically important in the eliminationof irresponsible and excessive risktaking.

For each of us who participate in thefinancial sector in any number ofways, it may be a good time toconsider criteria we use in makingpurchasing decisions, small andlarge: our banking and credit cardservices, i.e., do they have codes ofconduct; how are our personal funds,pension funds, or the funds oforganizations or institutions that wesupport invested; are the investmentsconsistent with what we believe orvalue?

The commitment of individualsengaged in the financial markets -through their own investments orpension schemes - to a philosophythat is ethical and embraces thecommon good can be both a witnessand a prod to the broader financialsector. Together these groups canmake a contribution to the restorationof confidence and trust in the financialsystem as they bring the well beingof people and the earth to the centerof the system’s framework andactivities.

Christina Herman

The massive earthquake that tookso many lives in Haiti left the country’spolitical and economic centerdevastated. Damage from theJanuary 12th quake has beenestimated at between $7.2 billionand $13.2 billion.

Through the Church in Latin AmericaOffice and Catholic Relief Services,the USCCB has directed tens of millionsof dollars in private donations to reliefand reconstruction. Fr. Andrew Small,OMI, recently appointed Director forthe Church in Latin America, hasaccompanied two delegations of USBishops to assess the needs of thestricken Church. Religious groups,including the Oblates, have alsoraised significant amounts to feed,clothe and care for the orphaned anddisplaced.

The death toll, estimated at over200,000, included many churchleaders. Haitians lost their belovedArchbishop Joseph Serge Miot andBishop Charles Benoit, Vicar Generalof Port-au-Prince as well as over 115religious. The Oblates lost one student,Scholastic Brother Weedy Alexis.

Many churches, schools, clinics andother buildings were damagedbeyond repair and will need to bereplaced. The Oblate scholasticateand the complex in Fondwa (“Fondd’Oies”) a parish in the mountains nearthe epicenter of the quake, werecompletely destroyed. The ProvincialHouse in Port au Prince was also badlydamaged.

There were stories of near-misses, likethat of Fr. Ray Lacasse, and the two

w o m e ntravelling withhim as theearthquakestruck. On theroad southout of Port auPrince, hugeb o u l d e r s

Port au Prince Cathedraltumbled ontothe road,narrowly missing their vehicle.Fortunately, they arrived safely at theOblate compound in Les Cayes.

Oblates in that city, about100 milessouth of Port au Prince, run the largestorphanage in Haiti. In the weeksfollowing the quake, they added 100kids from hard-hit Leogane to theirgroup of 650 abandoned children.

People streamed out of Port au Princeafter the quake, and many haverelocated to the countryside. Butbecause so much of the food andother supplies have always beenchanneled through Port au Prince, thecountryside has experienced realshortages. This disruption has beenworsened by the endemic poverty. Arecent Catholic Relief Services reportsays many families that have taken inrefugees are subsisting on little morethan one meal a day.

Governments are reducing Haiti’sinternational debt, a step to beapplauded. But donors must becareful not to lay on more debt duringHaiti’s rebuilding. In addition, therehas been talk about the importanceof de-centralizing the economy andpolitical power, but the developmentmodel that is ultimately adopteddepends on who is at the table whenthese larger questions are decided.

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Warren A. Brown, OMIA Central American Pilgrimage: Reflections on Martyrdom

In the recent memory of the Churchthere have been numerous instancesof martyrdom for the faith throughoutthe world. Some of the more tragicbut inspiring stories of those who diedfor the faith were written in CentralAmerica during the past thirty yearsor so. I was privileged to participatein a pilgrimage/retreat this pastJanuary 11-22, 2010, sponsored bythe Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.Along with twenty priests anddeacons, I visited some of themartyrdom sites of those who dieddefending their faith in El Salvadorand Guatemala.

We walked on the ‘holy ground’where men and women who spoke outon behalf of the poor anddisenfranchised - many of whom wereindigenous and campesinos - weremartyred. As martyrs, they gave theirblood for speaking out for the faith inthe gospel. Those whose stories weshared and whose world we enteredwere Archbishop Oscar Romero, Fr.Rutilio Grande, SJ, Jean Donovan, Sr.

Dorothy Kazel,OSU, Sr. ItaFord, MM, Sr.Maura Clarke,MM, Fr. IgnacioEllacuria, SJ,Elba and CelinaRamos, Fr.Stanley Rother,Fr. Bill Wood,Bishop JuanGerardi, Sr.Diana Ortiz,OSU, and manyother men andwomen whosenames have not been forgotten bythose who knew them and theircourage.

The retreat team for this pilgrimageincluded companions, colleagues,fellow ministers and friends of thosewho had suffered and died. Ourretreat masters were those who haddied or suffered, but whose life storyand spirit spoke louder and moreeloquently than any retreat homilybecause it was written with the loving

and courageous action of liveswhich followed the path ofJesus the Savior. As wetraveled to the different siteswe were accompanied byveteran men and womenMaryknoll missioners whothemselves had many storiesto tell of faith, witness andcourage in the face ofviolence, torture and fear.

Many of the missioners wemet along the course of the

in which they are involved include: anAIDS clinic, a soy milk distributioncenter, a farmers’ cooperative, anda Catholic Worker house for youthtrying to escape gangs, among manyothers. The testimony of the martyrsgives new vision and focus to theseefforts of current missioners.

Any pilgrimage is an opportunity forreflection on the journey of life as onetravels from one pilgrimage site toanother. In this particular pilgrimagewe were led to reflect on the bloodwhich was literally poured out againand again by those whose lives hadbeen full of the enjoyment of life, faithand compassion. One of these martyrs- Fr. Rother, of the archdiocese ofOklahoma City – was killed in 1981by unknown assailants in his rectory inSantiago Atitlan, Guatemala. It isthought that his murder was due to thefact that he was publicly supportiveof the indigenous peoples who werebeing mistreated and evenmassacred by the Guatemalan Army.After his death, an indigenous woman

The pilgrimage group with children from the local community ofSantiago Atitlan

Warren Brown, OMI, in front of scene of Lake Atitlanand surrounding countryside, Guatemala

journey continue to reach outto those most in need. Projects

Volume 10, Issue 1 Page 11Volume 11, Issue 1 Page 11

came and scooped up some of hisblood to be preserved in a jar alongwith his heart in a memorial altar inthe parish church. Ten years later whenthe heart and blood-filled jar wereremoved to be placed in a morepermanent memorial, the blood wasfound not to be congealed, butmiraculously fluid, as it was the day itwas spilled on the floor.

The Central American pilgrimageinvited us to consider how we canmake the world a more peacefulplace to be today and how we canbe more conscious of the plight of thepoor and abandoned in our society.We were impressed by the numberof mission-minded men and womenfrom the United States who came tothe assistance of the people in CentralAmerica, but at the same time, werechastened by the fact that our USgovernment had supportedGuatemalan and Salvadorangovernments in wars in whichthousands of innocent people hadsuffered and died. These includedmany courageous men and women offaith who worked in solidarity withindigenous people and the poor.Knowing that the world is still far fromperfect, we were inspired to becomemore perfect witnesses of the faithand Christ’s love each day and toencourage our communities to be moreconscious of those living on the margins.

As one of the veteran missionariesshared with us, “You have to take yourmartyrs and saints where you findthem.” They are not up on somebeautiful pedestal, they are found inthe dust and ordinariness of life wherethe true measure of faith andcompassion is found, shared andtreasured.

The United Nations in Early 2010 …

This year has found us playing “catch up”. At the end of last year, globalgovernments failed to reach agreement at a major summit in Copenhagento prevent dangerous climate change. Many alternatives are now beingexplored in an effort to reach consensus by the end of this year at a follow-up conference in Mexico. www.un.org/wcm/content/site/climatechange/gateway

Meanwhile, Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, has called for a conference ofthe peoples of the world in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at the end of April. Theidea is to give voice to the concerns of ordinary people concerned aboutand affected by climate change in an effort to influence their governments.I will come back to this.

A major concern at the UN - and with just reason – continues to be theearthquake in Haiti and the huge loss of life and the destruction of a vitallyimportant part of the country – its capital. We Oblates, as always,accompanying the people, have lost much. The UN also has lost lives. Weare all committed to accompany those who have survived and to help themfind ways both to re-build their lives and to make a better world forthemselves.

As mentioned above, the “People’s World Conference on ClimateChange and Mother Earth’s Rights”, will be held in Bolivia, from April 19th

to 22nd. http://pwccc.wordpress.com/ Everyone is welcome. There are 16working groups that will be discussing different aspects and themes from allover the world. To participate in the discussion and be heard, whetheryou plan to go to the conference or not, just click on the link above, registeras if you might be going and decide in which of the discussion groups youwould like to make your views known. All comments will be taken intoaccount in the eventual preparation of a document which will then be givento all of the world’s governments. This document will serve to give ourpolitical leadership a sense of what people think about the question ofclimate change and what ideas people have come up with to help solve theproblem.

Amidst these ‘headline’ events, the usual work of the UN has continued. TheConference on Social Development, focusing on the theme of socialinclusion for all, concluded in mid-February. The Conference on the Statusof Women was held in early March and looked at the advances made inthe last 15 years since the momentous Beijing Conference. Toward the endof April, we will take a look at what is happening with Indigenous Peoplesat the annual UN Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York.

At the United Nations

by Daniel LeBlanc, OMI

(cont. on p. 13)

Page 12 JPIC REPORT

Christina C. HermanIndigenous Villages and Forest in BangladeshThreatened by Logging

Four indigenous vi l lages inBangladesh, with their 500 Khasiresidents, will be destroyed if log-ging by a local tea estate owner isallowed to continue. An Oblatepriest, Fr. Joseph Gomes OMI andother colleagues from the environ-mental community have been work-ing with the Khasi people to protectthe forest and their villages. TheWashington JPIC Office has askedthe State Department to raise con-cerns with the Government ofBangladesh regarding this situation.

Two years ago, four thousand treeswere chopped down on lands tra-ditionally controlled by the Khasipeople of the Sylhet region of northeastern Bangladesh. The owner ofa local Tea Estate was initiallygranted permission by the govern-ment to cut the trees. But the loggingcreated serious ecological damage,and threatened the very existenceof the Khasi inhabitants of the fourvillages. The indigenous communi-ties organized against the logging

spite years of paying taxes on them,leaving them vulnerable to this sortof exercise of power.

In a huge victory for the Khasis, thelocal Deputy Commissioner decidedin early January that no more treesmay be cut from any Khasi Punji (in-digenous vi l lage) in thearea. Unfortunately, this victory,which would have saved many vil-lages and thousands of trees on theTripura Border with India, has beenshort-lived. In response to a casefiled by the Tea estate owner, theBangladesh High Court in late Feb-ruary over-turned the decision tostop the logging.

Background: Khasis organize to pro-tect their forest

APRA (Adibasi Poribesh RoskhyaAndolon or Save Indigenous Envi-ronment Movement) is an organiza-tion that has led the movement tosave the local indigenous environ-ment. APRA is a member of the na-tional group, BAPA (BangladeshPoribesh Andolon or Bangladesh En-vironment Movement). Fr. JosephGomes, OMI, Regional Coordina-tor of APRA, has worked with theKhasis in a major struggle to savethe forest against powerful and wellconnected interests. Numerous local,regional and national protestevents, coupled with strong advo-cacy at the national level pushed theBangladesh government to conductat least two formal inquires to re-view the logging decision, ultimatelyrevoking the permission.

The dispute was thought finally tohave been decided on January 6th,

2010. The Ministry of Environmentordered the Deputy Commissioner(DC) of Moulavibazar Distr ict(Sylhet) to settle the dispute by sit-ting down with BAPA, the Khasileaders and the Tea Estate Author-ity. Fr. Joseph Gomes, OMI wasjoined by Sharif Jamil, (APRA Na-tional Coordinator and BAPA JointSecretary) in successfully arguing thecase on behalf of the Khasi peoplebefore the government panelcharged with investigating the log-ging controversy. The two men of-fered strong argumentsregarding the ecological and hu-man-rights impacts of the logging.

But they recently learned that theTea Estate owner then quietly fileda case with the High Court in Dhakaasking for this decision to be over-turned. On February 22, the courtissued a Rule Nishi against the re-spondents (all government positions)giving an order to allow the loggingto proceed. The existence of theKhasis in the affected area was com-pletely ignored.

Fr. Gomes, OMI examining logging damage

(cont. on next page)

Khasis protesting logging in 2008

and protested vigorously. For theKhasi, trees are essential for Pan(betel leaf) cultivation, their onlylivelihood. The Khasis still do nothave clear title to their lands, de-

Volume 11, Issue 1 Page 13

At the United Nations (cont.)...

Finally, during the first two weeks of May, the Conference on Sustainable Development will take up issuesrelated to transport, chemicals, waste management (hazardous & solid waste), mining, and a 10 year frameworkof programmes on sustainable consumption & production patterns.

For more information on these gatherings, see:

Social Development – www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd/2010.html

Status of Women – www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/

Indigenous Peoples – www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/

Sustainable Development – www.un.org/esa/dsd/csd/csd_csd18.shtml

The global financial crisis continues to be a focus, especially in trying to determine how to avoid this in thefuture. The financial crisis, the on-going food crisis and the ecological crises of climate change and species extinctionare all of grave concern.

An important conference on disarmament will also be held this year. If countries understand that nucleararmaments, in particular, are not needed, it would potentially free up huge sums that could be used to reach theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs). In September the Heads of States and Governments will meet toevaluate how far the world has gone to reaching the goals set in 2000.

As is to be expected at the UN, there are many different points of view on what is to be done. It takes a long timeto reach consensus, but I believe the best solutions are arrived at through conversation and seeking agreement.Non-governmental organizations bring an important grassroots perspective to the formal and oft-times politics-laden deliberations of governments, a perspective which is both appreciated and respected.

Although many feel far from the deliberations at the UN, I can assure you that there is much hope for a betterfuture, through dialogue, peace and justice.

Domestic Human Rights Update:

Death Penalty Sentences in the U.S. Decline in 2009

The United States finished 2009 with the fewest deathsentences since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated thedeath penalty in 1976, according to an end of year 2009Death Penalty Information Center report.

With States forced to cut essential services, the deathpenalty has come under scrutiny for its excessive costs. NewMexico became the 15th state to abolish the death penalty,citing the expense of appeals and maintenance of deathrow prisoners. For other states, the decline is attributed to public skepticismabout the government’s ability to avoid mistakes and get the death penaltyright, especially in the light of the exoneration in 2009 of nine men previouslysentenced to death.

Learn more at www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

The rights of indigenous peopleshave been recognized inBangladeshi national legislation aswell as in the 2007 UN Declara-tion on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples. Because they rely on thetrees for their survival, the Khasiare the best hope for the contin-ued protection of the forests ineastern Bangladesh. Protection offorests has been recognized in in-ternational fora as an importantmeans to mitigate global warming.Forests serve as a vital carbon sinkand financing for their preserva-tion has been enshrined in major cli-mate change agreements.

(Bangladesh cont...)

Page 14 JPIC REPORT

Eco-TipsLess than 1% of the world’s water is easily accessible fresh water and the United

Nations (UN) forecasts that by 2030 almost half of the world population will

live in areas facing water stress or water scarcity. Check out our new brochure

on saving water at www.omiusajpic.org/resources/publications/ Oblates can

request printed copies from the JPIC Office.

Are you, or people you know, concerned about the health affects of environmentaltoxins? If so, check out the website of the Environmental Working Group;

www.ewg.org/ for information on everything from safe and

effective sunscreens to chemicals to avoid in skin products

and common cleaners. The EWG is a well-respected source of

information on chemicals and their effects, particularly

on children. Interested in learning more? Download our brochure on Earth

Friendly Products at www.omiusajpic.org/resources/publications/

Hungry for fresh, healthy vegetables? Plant a garden and reap the benefits. No extra land?Create a container garden, find a local farmers market or

subscribe to a Community Supported Agriculture(CSA). Our new brochure, Focus on Food, lists resources that

can help find locally produced food. You will help develop a strong

community-centered economy in the process. Download the brochure

from our website: www.omiusajpic.org/resources/publications/

Volume 11, Issue 1 Page 15

Oblates from the Houston Areahave been engaged in a series ofpublic meetings and parish-basedorganizing to press for comprehensiveimmigration reform.

The Oblates participated in a day-long Interfaith Clergy Convocation onImmigration Reform at St. Paul’sUnited Methodist Church on January11, 2010. Organized by TheMetropolitan Organization of thegreater Houston Area (TMO) to whichthe three Oblate Parishes in Houston,- St. Patrick, Immaculate Conceptionand Immaculate Heart of Mary -belong, the convocation involved over400 Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran,Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist andJewish leaders.

The Convocation began with anInterfaith Prayer Service led by all themainstream religious leaders. Hymns,songs and scripture passages inEnglish, Hebrew and Spanish set thereligious mood for the rest of the day’sevents.

At a Press conference following theprayer service, the religious leaderspublicly presented their faith-basedposition on immigration reform.Opening with the statement that Godcalls all to “Welcome the stranger,”the churches affirmed the dignity ofall human beings, regardless of race,social status, ethnicity, documented orundocumented. “We are called”, theyasserted, “to treat our immigrantbrothers and sisters as being in theimage of God.”

The religious leaders presented thefollowing Principles based on theirfaith statement. They called upon theObama Administration and the 11th

Congress to commit to:

1) Uphold family unity as apriority of all immigrationpolicy;

2) Create a process forundocumented immigrantsto earn their legal status andeventual citizenship;

3) Protect workers and provideefficient channels of entryfor new migrant workers;

4) Facilitate immigrationintegration;

5) Restore due processprotections and reformdetention policies;

6) Align the enforcement ofimmigration laws withhumanitarian values;

7) Immigration is a matter ofhuman rights.

The clergy convocation ended with acall to be “Moral Agents” in our localcommunities where, through faith

based groups, we can reflect on theway to respond “no por caridad sinopor justicia.” These organized faithbased groups would be the key toeducate and inform about the mythsand realities of immigration.

St. Patrick’s Church, which isadministrated by the Oblates, did nothesitate to be “Moral Agents” andorganized a faith-based group torespond to the call of justice.

The group of leaders and also thoseguided by the local TMO alsoorganized an immigration workshopfor the community in English andSpanish. Those who attended heardthe Catholic Social Teaching onImmigration, the myths and realitiesof immigration and the call to action.Small group discussion and personalstories were the highlights of theworkshops.

Among those attending were peoplethat in one way or another have beenaffected by the recent immigrationraids. Community leaders were alsopresent at some of the meetings.

The Oblates continue to respond to thecall for justice on behalf of thoseaffected by the current immigrationlaws. Our charism invites us to see theworld with the eyes of a crucifiedLord. Through the lives of themarginalized, and hearing the cry ofthe poor - as in the case of ourimmigrant brothers and sisters – wecontinue to commit ourselves to be“Moral Agents” in the world.

Oblate Parishes in Houston Join Ecumenical Effortto Press for Immigration Reform

Fernando Velazquez, OMI

Some of the 400 religious leaders who metat Saint Paul's Methodist Church in January

to push for immigration reform.

UNITED STATES PROVINCEMISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE391 MICHIGAN AVENUE, NEWASHINGTON, DC 20017RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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“Preach the Gospel. Use words if necessary.” St. Francis of Assisi

Please find more information on theissues in this newsletter on our website

at: www.omiusajpic.org

Promoted by Love, Empowered byPrayer and Alive with the Spirit of

Christ. In that way we would bemaking the Church a happier home

for Justice and Peace.

- Archbishop Denis E. Hurley, OMI(1915 - 2004), former Archbishop of

Durban, South Africa.