JPIC REPORTVolume 7, Issue 1

February 2005

Inside this issue:

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

From the Director: A Message for a New Year“No, it’s not that I thinkI’m a prophet,” he said.“It’s that you and I are a

prophetic people.Everyone baptized has

recieved a share inChrist’s prophetic

mission.Because it is God’s work,

we don’t fear theprophetic mission

God hasentrusted to us.

Archbishop Oscar Romero

News & Advocacy 2

Reading Recommendations 3

The Ginapalad Taka Experience: 4Oblate JPIC in the Phillipines

Corporate Responsibility Report: 6January 2005

Celebrating the Earth 8

Report on Christians in Palestine 1 0

An Update on Haiti 11

Africa Faith and Justice 1 2

Project Kaleidescope 1 4

Legislative and Advocacy Update 1 5

The beginning of theNew Year saw thistown dressing up

for the presidential inaugu-ration. Two days laterthousand gathered, from allover the country, to marchand pray in support of life.The 109th Congress isalready two weeks oldwith proposals for thereform of a coreintergenerational socialcontract, Social Security, atthe top of the agenda. Adebate about immigrationlegislation is also likely tooccur. The waning days of the2004 brought the horror ofdeath and destruction tothousands in Asia, many ofthem living in areas whereOblates, colleagues andfriends work and ministry.St Stephen’s day broughtthe death of a dear friendRobert Moosbrugger, OMI,a strong supporter of manyof the programs andprojects which are part ofour JPIC ministry. Let mesay it once again he will besorely missed! On the developmentfront, the cancellation ofdebt for Heavily IndebtedPoor Countries gainedsome significant traction inthe fall and is on the

agenda at a number ofmeetings this spring.Finally, there appears to aconsensus around the100% cancellation ofmulti-lateral debt (moneyowed to the World Bank,IMF and other regionalbanks). Now the debate isfocused on how this canbe paid for. Sale of a smallportion of IMF gold is oneproposal that is beingconsidered. In September represen-tatives will gather at theUnited Nations to evaluatewhat progress has beenmade toward the achieve-ment of the MillenniumDevelopment in the pastfive years. These goals,which were set at theMillennium Assembly,represent specific commit-ments that countries madeto halve extreme povertyand hunger, reduce childmortality, promote genderequality, improve access toprimary education, im-prove maternal health,ensure environmentalsustainability and combatHIV/AIDS, TB andMalaria. Following through oncommitments frequentlypreoccupies us when wereview our New Year

commitments or our Lentenresolutions. We all strive tostay on course when weare confronted with thechallenges that change andconversion present to us.Following through onpledges at a national level,we are told, is no less easy.This topic has been broughtup a number of times inrecent weeks whenpledges of help, made bygovernments, for thevictims of the Tsunamihave been reviewed. Hopefully, during 2005,some real progress will bemade to relieve the greatburden that debt hasimposed on so many in theworld’s poorest countriesand the MDG commitmentreview will strengthen ourresolve to show progresstowards the goals we haveset. On the home front, asa people of faith, we candraw strength from theteaching of the scripturesand Catholic Social Teach-ing as we seek to enrichthe public debate onimportant social issuesdrawing guidance andstrength from such founda-tional principles as thedignity of human life,solidarity and commongood.

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The OMI Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation Officecoordinates the advocacy effortsof the Missionary Oblates ofMary Immaculate on behalf of theinterests of the poor andabandoned in the U.S. and in themore than 65 countries where theOblates 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 the UnitedStates government and otherinternational institutions on avariety of justice and peace issues.

U.S. JPIC CommitteeRev. John Cox, OMIRev. Sal DeGeorge, OMIRev. Séamus Finn, OMIRev. Maurice Lange, OMIRev. John Lasseigne, OMIRev. Darrell Rupiper, OMIRev. Thomas Rush, OMIRev. David Ullrich, OMIRev. Bob Wright, OMI

JPIC StaffRev. Séamus Finn, OMIDirector

Rebecca PharesAssociate Director

Mary O’HerronAssociate for GA JPIC Serviceand Corporate Responsibility

Marjorie Kambala

JPIC Report is a publication ofthe OMI Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation Office391 Michigan Avenue NEWashington, DC 20017Tel: 202..483.0444Fax: 202.483.0708

New Oblate JPICWebsite!

The Oblate JPIC Officehas recently put together anew web site. You can findit at www.omiusajpic.org.Look for lots of newinformation in the comingweeks and months. On theweb site you can find anarchive for past newsletterissues, an overview of ourwork, and many otheritems.

Bangladesh Videoand UpdatedEnvironmentalBrochures StillAvailable

Brochures continue to beavailable on severalenvironmental issues. Wewill be happy to send youcopies of either the bro-chures or the resolution ifyou e-mail Mary O’Herronat maryoh@omiusa.org

The brochures include:

Earth-Friendly Products– Encourages the use ofproducts that will make ourenvironment healthier andgives leads on how to dothis;Organic Eating – Givesrationale for eating organicfood and ideas on ways to

News and Advocacydo so;Reduce, Reuse, Recycle– Promotes these practicesby giving reasons for andways of doing them;Gardens Alive: Hints forSaving Water in theGarden – Gives proce-dures for using less water ingardens.A Look at Fair Trade –Explains the benefits andcriteria for Fair Trade andgives websites.

A limited number of videosand DVDs on BangladeshiIndigenous People whowork closely with Oblatesare also available.

Bread for the World:

2005 Campaign

Each year, as part ofBread for the World’sOffering of Letters cam-paign, tens of thousands ofpeople of faith write lettersto persuade members ofCongress to meet theirresponsibilities to the mostvulnerable among us. Thescriptures command us todo nothing less. For more

than 20 years, our Offeringsof Letters have convincedour nation’s leaders toadopt policies that makeavailable to millions ofhungry people the tools theyneed to feed themselves andtheir families. This year’s campaign -Make Hunger History -seeks to rekindle ournation’s commitment to theacievable, accepted goal ofending hunger in the UnitedStates. Nationwide, anti-hunger organizations andadvocates are joiningtogether to call on ourleaders to make realprogress toward the statedgoal of cutting food insecu-rity in half by 2010 and tocommit to ending hunger by2015. The president, membersof Congress, state and localofficials, and community-based activists — each hasan important role to play inseeing this goal through. Asa constituent with the powerto make your voice heard,you too have a role: writingand encouraging others towrite letters to members ofCongress reminding themthat hunger is unaccceptablein our prosperous nation.You can find more informa-tion on how to get involvedby going towww.breadfortheworld.org.

Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 3

Reading Recommendations

Howard French, in A Continent for the Taking: the Tragedy and Hope of Africa,explores through his own personal experience the rich heritage and traditions that pre-date any colonial presence in Africa as he mourns the devastation and suffering whichcontinues to unfold on the continent today. That sorrow is compounded in the awarenessof how many of the early civilizations, cultures and architectural achievements of thepeoples of Africa during the first millennium have been ignored or forgotten. The book

focuses on the Great Lakes region and West Africa and offers a chilling commentary on the “civilizing” and benevolentmissions of foreign intervention both in the colonial period up through today. Its courtship by both sides during the coldwar served to introduce huge supplies of both small and sophisticated arms that only served to entrench oppressiveleaders and fuel numerous destructive conflicts. While despairing of the political posturing of recent U.S. administrationsand the ever increasing corporate interests that seek to explore the oil, gas and mineral rich resources of the region,French dares to hope of a brighter future for Africa that is designed by Africans and supported by her friends andadmirers.

In, What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, Thomas Franks, traces therevolutionary change which has taken place in the political landscape of the state of Kansas and identifies the majorplayers and influences on this change. Most interestingly he details the paramount role of religious belief in this processand particularly the power of the religious right. A core issue which is explored is how the defense and promotion ofvalues based on belief continue to trump economic interests and how their promoters frequently give a pass to politicalleaders who compromise the “values” agenda that they run on, when they are confronted with other priorities in legisla-tive assemblies at both state and national levels.

The promise alone, however remote, according to Franks, of that elusive society free from stem cell research, same sexmarriage and abortion, supporting school prayer and creationism has often become the sole criteria for selecting leaders.This perspective prevails even though many of those same leaders fail to support policies that protect the rights ofworkers that seek to restrict the destructive influence of mass media on family values that demand accountability fromcorrupt corporate leaders or protect the environment. Frank’s book clearly points to the importance of reconstitutingthe public square, wherein the full airing of public policy challenges can be informed by both critical analysis and thewisdom and richness of faith traditions, not only in Kansas but in many other communities.

What We Owe Iraq by Noah Feldman explores, in tightly reasoned logic, the responsibility which falls to the UnitedStates and other members of the coalition of the willing from their invasion of Iraq. He goes beyond many of the otherconsiderations about nation building when he argues that this amounts to a moral promise and an exercise in promisekeeping. The reality of the consequences which the invasion caused is only occasionally seen on the TV news. Most ofthese accounts are stories of the of soldiers, police and innocent civilians being killed or wounded.

The immensity of the post-invasion challenge however which confronts thousands of Iraqi on a daily basis as they seekto build communities and institutions is one which should attract the attention of our moral compass on a regular basis.In the closing chapter of the short book Feldman writes, “That the British abandoned their nation-building project in Iraqknowing full well that it was not completed had much to do with the subsequent miseries suffered by Iraqis—and that isan ethical burden too heavy for any nation builder to bear”. This reminder certainly deserves to be considered when anyproposals to retreat from the mission in which our government is currently involved are tabled.

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Editor:

The infamous memos ofAlberto Gonzales, U.S.Attorney General desig-nate. The horror andoutrage of Abu Ghraib. ARed Cross report oftorture at Guantánamo.And now protests tonations with appallinghuman rights recordsprovoke this response:“Well, we’re just follow-ing the rule ofGuantánamo. We’re justdoing what the Americansare doing.”

Let’s be done witheuphemisms. It’s not“tantamount to torture.”It’s torture. It’s not“abuse of detainees.” It’storture. It’s not “facilitat-ing interrogation.” It’storture. And it’s a betrayalof our national identity, abetrayal of our highestideals, a betrayal ofeverything America standsfor. It has to stop, now,and it is up to us to stopit.

I have an obligation here.So do you. So doesevery American. In thiscontext of torture, everycitizen of the UnitedStates, regardless ofreligious or political

persuasion, is under thesame moral imperative, thesame patriotic imperative,the same political impera-tive. So why not begin now tomount a nationwide letterwriting/email campaign?Why not now, TODAY, aletter or email to each ofthe following: The Presi-dent, the Vice President,our two U.S. Senators,our U.S. Representative,the Secretary of State, theSecretary of Defense, theU.S. Attorney General?Encourage everyone youknow, including children,to do the same. It is hightime that we call all ofthem to account. And woeto us if we don’t.

Please keep two things inmind:1. For the triumph of evil,it is necessary only thatgood women and men donothing.2. To say or do nothing inthe face of evil is to becomplicit in that evil.

Armand Mathew, OMIBrownsville

This letter is re-printedfrom the BrownsvilleHerald.

Letter to the Editor Regarding Torture:We must not be complicit

The Ginapalad Taka Experience: An OblateJPIC Report from the PhillipinesIt literally means “I blessyou.” GINAPALAD TAKA is an acronym basedon the first two letters ofthe 7 barangaysof Pikit,which declared themselvesSpace for Peace commu-nities last November 29,2004. The seven villagesare Ginatilan, Nalapaan,Panicupan, Ladtingan,Dalengaoen, Takepan andKalakakan, all conflict-affected communitiesinhabited by Muslims,Christians and Lumads. It was the culminationof a long process thatincluded two separatenegotiations with thePhilippine military and theMoro Islamic LiberationFront (MILF) Centralcommittee conducted bythe barangaycaptains andthe supporting NGOs. The day began withchildren of GINAPALADTA KA with small flagswho marched to theTakepan National HighSchool where the programwas held. The highwaywas decorated withstreamers and banners.The sound of agong filledthe air. The highlight of theevent was the reading ofthe declaration by thesecretary ofGINAPALAD TA KAand the symbolic signingby all the parties con-

cerned. The declaration,which was a product ofgroup discussions in all 40sitios(communities),carried an appeal to all thearmed parties of theconflict in Mindanao torespect and support thelocal initiative of thepeople to rebuild theirwar-ravaged communities.

“We recognize andrespect the declaration”,Secretary TeresitaQuintos-Deles of thePhilippine government’sOffice on the PeaceProcess said in her state-ment of support to thecrowd of 3,000 peoplegathered to celebrate thisevent. Noteworthy amongthe many civil, religious,and military authoritiespresent were representa-tives from the InternationalMonitoring Team, theUnited States Institute ofPeace, and various localand international NGOsthat have been active inContinued on Page 11

Rev. Roberto Layson, OMI

Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 5

In January, representativesfrom several faith-basedgroups met to strategizejointly on border andimmigration issues.

Attendees receivedreports from various areasof the border. Those inArizona told of the effortsof over 500 volunteerswho travelled to assistthose in need in the desertlast summer as part of aneffort called “No More

Deaths.” Some alsoengaged in a march acrossthe desert over the courseof a week. Similar effortswill occur this summer aswell after a March kick-offconference.

They decided to worktowards establishing anetwork of migrant wel-coming centers and forminga national border network.Rather than focus onestablishing new cen-

ters, this effort would,at first, attempt to linkexisting migrantwelcoming efforts. Anational border net-work would seek toraise the nationalprofile of this issue.Many emphasized thatwhile border policy isset nationally, localmunicipalities andgroups pay the pricefor decisions often

Groups gather to strategize at the border: National efforts emerge

made without theirconsultation.

In addition to the Oblates,other groups who attendedwere the Maryknoll Officefor Global Concerns,various Maryknoll LayMissioners, No MoreDeaths, Religious TaskForce On Central Americaand Mexico, and theAmerican Friends ServiceCommittee, among others.

Among those who gathered were Rev. Bill Antone, OMI (far right) and Rebecca Phares(center row, center) who represented the Oblates.

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Corporate Responsibility Report: January 2005 Rev. Seamus P. Finn OMI

As the year 2004 drawsto a close, activity inthe Socially Respon-sible Investment (SRI)community and specifi-cally in the work offaith based investorscontinues to grow.Working with theUnited Nations andwith a growing interna-tional network of SRIinvestors, the opportu-nities for effectivecollaboration have beentremendous. In the past year wewere invited by corpo-rations to work withthem to develop asystem of sustainedcompliance with theircodes of ethics andpractice (including UNUniversal Declarationof Human Rights; Corelabor standards of theInternational LaborOrganization) in thefactories from whichthey source parts andproducts particularly inChina. An interimreport on this projectwill be available on ourwebsitewww.omiusajpic.orgbefore the end ofJanuary, and a segmentof it can be found onpage 14 of this publica-tion.

We have used ourownership positionwith a number of oil,gas and mineral extrac-tive corporations toaddress their activitiesin various countriesespecially the impactof their mining on localcommunities. Thisincludes the contracts

signed with nationalgovernments, theirrelationship with themilitary and with localsecurity forces and thelong term impact oftheir presence onhealth and safety and onthe local environment. We have also re-sponded to invitationsfrom concerned inves-tors in Korea, New

Zealand, Australia,Scandinavia, Brazil andEurope. Many of thesegroups are interested inlearning from and aboutfaith-based investorsfrom other countriesand in collaboratingwith them. Already onecollaborative project toaddress two Korean

companies is underwaywith faith-based inves-tors in Korea. Workwith a broader globalinterfaith group toaddress the social andenvironmental respon-sibilities of corpora-tions at a global levelcontinues apace andwill hopefully witnesssome new milestonesin the coming year!

The issue of divest-ment from companiesdoing business with thegovernment of Israel ison the radar for anumber of religiousorganizations. This isone of many toolsbeing considered torespond to the continu-ing divisive strugglewhich is taking placebetween the Israelis andPalestinians. Thiswould mirror theapproach which manyreligious groups andother organizationstook during the cam-paign to end apartheidrule in South Africa.

Issues RecievingHighest Percentageof Votes for 2003/2004:HIV Reporting;Coca Cola 97.93%,Merck 13.63%;Emissions Reductionreporting;Apache 37.08%,Anadarko 31.39%,Marathon Oil 27.01%;Sustainability Report-ing; Yum Brands32.92%, Cooper Indus-tries 29.39%,Wal-Mart 14.16%;Global Code of Con-duct; Delphi Automo-tive 20.25%,

Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 7

List of Resolutions Filed by the Oblates for 2004 – 2005

Company Issue

Apple Computer Vendor Code of ConductBank of America DerivativesBoeing Ethical Criteria for Military ContractsChevronTexaco Report Renewable EnergyCitigroup DerivativesGeneral Electric Sustainability ReportHome Depot Equal Opportunity/Diversity ReportJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Micro financingJohnson & Johnson HIV ReportingKraft Report G Engineered ProductsMerck HIV ReportingPfizer HIV ReportingTime Warner Corporate GovernanceTJX Companies, Inc Vendor Standards

Issues being discussed in Dialogues with Corporate Management

Company Issue Action* Federated Dept. Stores Vendor Standards Applying ILO core standards in Carpet industry* Ford Global Standards Applying Ford Code of Conduct globally* LG Electronics Labor Standards Inquiry on Labor Standards/Korea* Lilly HIV Reporting Response of the company to HIV/AIDS crisis* Samsung Corporation Labor Standards First engagement with a Korean CompanyAmer. International Group Global Warming – InsuranceCoverage on risk from global warmingAnheuser Busch GMO Report Letter on Genetically Engineered RiceCoca Cola Global Standards Human Rights. Water UsageConocoPhillips Global Warming Emission StandardsDow Chemical GMO – Report Letter on Genetically Modified OrganismsEmerson Global Standards Code of Conduct ComplianceFreddie Mac Predatory Lending Compliance with targets for Affordable HousingGlaxoSmithKline HIV Reporting Response of the company to HIV/AIDS crisisGreat Lakes Chemical Global Warming Emissions from ManufacturingHewlett Packard Labor Standards Reporting on Code of ConductMcDonald’s Vendor Standards China supply Chain monitoringProcter & Gamble Human Rights Core ILO StandardsTarget Vendor Standards Code of Conduct ComplianceUnited Technologies Global Warming Emissions from Manufacturing

Letters of Inquiry about company policies on genetically engineered rice have been sent to the followingcompanies: Anheuser Busch, Dow, Kraft, Nestle, PepsiCo and Safeway

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Celebrating the Earth Darrell Rupiper, OMI

A friend sent me a pictureof the face of Jesus lookingat our beautiful blue Earthdescribed by one astronautas looking like a giantChristmas tree ornamentturning slowly in space orby another astronaut as ahuge sapphire jewelglistening in the sunlight asif embedded in the dark-ness of space.Jesus’ eyes aretear-filled, a fewstreaming downHis face. Words fromscripture oftenused in tractscame to mind:“God so loved theworld that Hegave His only sonetc…” Steeped inmy anthropomor-phic mode ofthinking, my minddid a switch,substituting theword ‘world’ withthe word people’.Recently I learnedthat the Greek word forworld is cosmos. “God soloved the cosmos…” I have also learned thatmuch of the damage weare inflicting on the Earthcausing Jesus to be tearfulderives from our narrowlyfocusing on the humanspecies instead of on theentire cosmos which God

so loves. We must cometo see ourselves as onlyone species in a beautifullycomplex web of relation-ships. Fr. Thomas Berry putsit succinctly: “In the 20th

century the glory of thehuman has become thedesolation of the Earth.The desolation of the Earth

is becoming the destiny ofthe human.” He goes on to say: “Allhuman institutions, profes-sions, programs andactivities must now bejudged primarily by theextent to which theyinhibit, ignore or foster amutually-enhancinghuman-Earth relationship.”

We are constantly beingassaulted with bad newscoming from reliablescientific research. Withinthe last two weeks reportsstate that 32.5 percent ofthe known species ofamphibians are ‘globallythreatened’, 23 percent ofmammal species and 12percent of bird species. In

2003 alone an additional3,300 species were addedto the list of 15,589 speciesalready on the endangeredlist. The canary taken into themines served the minerswell in warning them abouttheir environment. Will weheed the warnings? Wemust realize that what is

happening to our co-habitants will happen to ourspecies as well. A distraught Fr. Berrysaid: “The impendingdeath of half the world’sspecies is being met withcasual indifference.” Part of the indifferencemay be due to a lack ofawareness. Allow me to

quote Fr. DavidToolan, S.J., formerassociate editor ofAMERICA magazine:“…by the late 1970swhen it becameapparent that theenvironmental move-ment was no passingfad, American corpo-rations took to theoffensive with politicallobbying, publicrelations campaigns,punitive litigation, andresearch studies, allof it designed torefute or discredit theclaims of environmen-talists and regulatoryagencies. In 1990

corporate anti-environmen-tal political lobbying andpublic relations efforts inthe United States wereestimated to amount to$500 million annually.”(from his book “At Homein the Cosmos”) Back to Fr. Berry:“This failure of Christiansto assume their responsibil-

Manobo children in the Phillipines plant welcoming trees for visitors. Theschool teaches children the importance of sustainable development inaddition to maintaining a more traditional curriculum.

Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 9

ity for the fate of the earthis perhaps their greatestsingle failure in the totalcourse of Christian history.” Lester R. Brown whoauthors the annual “State ofthe World” report said weare living as if we have nochildren or grandchil-dren. Pope John Paul IIsounded the alarmmore than fourteenyears ago when hestated that the humanspecies has come to theedge of an abyss. Ifwe continue, we willperish. He asked each of usto find our ecologicalvocation stating that it isan urgent moral issue.(I am convinced it issinful not to recycle.)Our ecological vocationcan be defined as a life-style and behavior thatmutually enhances ourhuman-Earth relation-ship. As our magnificentspaceship continues its43,000 mph trip intothe darkness of spacewe know that somefew are riding in first-class while billions areconfined to the cargohold. The cries ofthose with AIDS, thevictims of war, hurricanes,famine, draught, abortions,floods, etc, pierce the skiesand our God cries. (We in Chicago number

approximately 2.7 millionpeople. We consume asmuch of the Earth’s goodsas the people ofBangladesh whose popula-tion numbers 97 million.Much of what we consumeis imported from all over

the world.) Self-storageplaces became the fastestgrowing business in theU.S. last year according toBrian Swimme. Although Jesus made our

salvation contingent ongoing out and taking careof those struggling to live, itseems that personalsalvation is being soughtthrough an inwardness thatis characterized by pietyand little acts of kindness

rather than the doing ofjustice and acts of mercy. Paraphrasing Sr. MiriamTherese Mc Gillis, OP:“The world is full of goodpeople doing good things

but neglecting the importantones.” She was, of course,referring to the need to saveour planet. If we were all ina boat with humanity’smany needy ones would wewonder whom to care for

first if we discovered thatthe boat sprung a leak?Our mother Earth ismortally wounded. Jesus came that wemight have life and have itin abundance. Theparadise that God hasgiven to us is beingquickly turned from awonderland into awasteland. As followersof Jesus we must becreative in making life-nurturing choices. It is our Holy Fatherwho said that our vora-cious appetite for con-sumer goods, our self-centered desires forimmediate gratificationand our failure to appre-ciate creation as theprimary manifestation ofour God are the maincauses for the destructionof our own home. Jesus wept overJerusalem. He whom wedeclare as King of theUniverse weeps today asHe sees all that was

declared by the Creator asgood is being trashed.Caring for the Earth mustbecome an individual andcollective priority.

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Report on Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation’s Conference Mary O’Herron

The Sixth AnnualHoly Land ChristianEcumenical

Foundation’s Conferencetook place in Washington,DC, in October 2004. Itstheme was “Christians inthe Holy Land: Rooted inBonds of Peace,” and itfocused on the lives ofChristians in Palestine. Conditions forChristians in the HolyLand continue to bebleak. Most Chris-tians have emigratedfrom Palestine, andthose who remainstruggle daily to meetbasic human needs. Curfews, lastingdays and even weeks,along with numerouscheckpoints, maketravel to work,schools, doctors,shops dangerous anddifficult. Children arenot being educated,babies are born onthe way to the hospital, andpeople spend hours gettingto work if they are luckyenough to have a job.There is consistent fear thathomes, farms, olive grovesand other sources ofincome will be demolished. Israel continues to buildan 8-meter high, over 300-mile-long wall. It is beingbuilt on Palestinian landcausing much separationand hardship. For instance,

the wall has gates every fourmiles, so if a family’s farmhas been divided by the wallwith the house inside andsome of the fields outside,people will have to walk asmuch as four miles just tobegin to work the farm –that is if they can get pastnumerous checkpoints. Besides delineating the

problems, presenters told ofwhat the different Christianreligions are doing there toimprove life. One form of emergingpeace is that Christiangroups are moving closer asthey focus on the teachingsof Jesus and the resultingcommon values rather thantheir differences. A theme running throughthe conference was: ifpeople behave worse as a

result of being hurt byothers then the perpetratorhas been successful. Livingthe way Jesus told us –loving our enemies as wellas those we like — is verydifficult. Christians in theHoly Land are being calledin a very real way to livethis. The support of eachother trying to do the same

thing is critical. One speaker gavesome ideas for changingthings. First of all, inspiringothers involves changingourselves. We must bewhat we want others to be.He told a story aboutGhandi who said hecouldn’t tell a child to noteat sweets until he himselfhad stopped. Changing attitudes iscritical. Hearts need to be

For more infor-mation on thisissue, pleasevisitwww.hcef.orgor contactMary O’Herron.

touched before peacecomes, but once attitudeschange and people care forone another, then peace willbe possible. In addition, we need tobe better run. Non-profitgroups are often long ongood will and passion butnot noted for their effi-ciency. He cited Jesus who

told his disciples thatthey are as sheepamong wolves —thatthey should try, and ifthey were accepted,continue. Where theywere not accepted,Jesus said to moveon — “shake thedust from your feet.”Also, it is importantto keep focused onthe goal of bringingpeace into the HolyLand and not getsidetracked. It isimportant to checkwhere they were

having the most impact andthen place time, energy andresources there. What weare trying to bring into theworld, deserves to be doneefficiently.

A destroyed building in Beit Jala, a Christian Palestinian town

Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 11

During a trip to Haiti inOctober 2004 I had theopportunity to meet with anumber of representativesfrom relief agencies, churchofficials, clergy and laityactive on the local level,human rights observers andrepresentatives of the USgovernment.

The outbreak of unrest inPort au Prince which beganin late September andcontinued throughout ourvisit, made travel throughoutthe city very difficult. Travelplans had to be revisedevery morning and adjustedoften depending on theareas of the city where thechimeres (Aristide support-ers) and other gangs wereoperating on any given day.

The UN mission which wasnot yet fully staffed inOctober has shown in-creased staffing in recentmonths and they havedemonstrated the capacityto operate outside the Portau Prince metropolitan area.As of December 31st theUN uniformed presencewas more than 7,000.Someadditional forces did arriveduring our stay. The Unpresence has a mandate toestablish secure and stableenvironment in the country,to support the constitutionalprocess including theorganization and monitor

municipal, parliamentaryand presidential elections topromote and protecthuman rights especiallywomen and children.

Much hope was beingplaced in the organization offree and fair elections whichare planned for November2005 though it was recog-nized that it was an ambi-tious goal to conductelections at all levels at thesame time. A number for thegroups that we met withexpressed confidence in theUN presence and in thespecial envoy Juan GabrielValdes, a Chilean diplomatwho were responsible fororganizing the elections. Itremains to be seen whetheror not campaigning andelections can be conductedin a fair and transparentmanner given the past levelsof hostility and significantpresence of small arms bydifferent and competingorganizations and parties.

Few expressed support fora return of PresidentAristide at this time andwould prefer to go forwardwith the selection of newleaders in November 2005in the hope that the countrycan be given a fresh start.The emergence of newleaders in different politicalparties and movements atall levels was deemed

essential for the establish-ment of a stable andreliable political process.The challenges inherent inthe transition from move-ment type organization to apolitical party continue toconfront a number ofgroups.

Confidence in the transi-tional government was nothigh and the powerfulinfluence of the US govern-ment was unwelcome formost. Our conversationswith the US ambassadorand others demonstratedsensitivity to this reality andhe was hopeful that theprominent leadership of theUN in the political processwould balance some of themistrust.

The fact that a more robustpresence by the UNmission has evolved sinceOctober will hopefullysustain and support thehard work and couragewhich many have demon-strated in trying to build abetter future for so many ofHaiti’s suffering poor.

Haiti: An Update on the Situation Seamus Finn, OMI

If you would liketo become moreinvolved, con-tact us or visit

www.quixote.org/hr.

Continued from Page 4promoting the peacemovement in Mindanao. Father RobertoLAYSON, who has beenthe driving force behind the“Space for Peace”movement, says, “There aretwo wars in Mindanao.One is between the govern-ment and the MILF, whichis often fought in thebattlefields. The other is theunseen war going on in thehearts of the people ofMindanao, be they Mus-lims, Christians or Lumads.The GINAPALAD TA KAinitiative is meant to addressthis unseen war by repairingthe relationship of peopleand instilling respect for oneanother despite religiousand cultural differences.” The GINAPALAD TAKA, says Layson, is agrassroots peace initiativeon the horizontal level thataims to support the peacetalks between the govern-ment and the MILF at thevertical level. Initiatives likethe GINAPALAD TA KAare not the final answer tothe Mindanao conflict. Thatlies in the hands of thegovernment and the MILFwho are searching for apolitical solution at thenegotiating table.The Oblate priest receivedthe Pax Christi Interna-tional Peace Award in2002 for promoting peaceand justice in war-tornMindanao.

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Africa Faith and Justice Annual Conference: A Report on the Sudan Marjorie Kambala

Oh Lord, how long beforeyou listen, before you saveus from violence? Why doyou make me see suchtrouble? -The Lord gaveme this answer “Writedown clearly on tabletswhat I reveal to you, so thatit can be read at a glance.Put it in writing because it isnot yet time for it to cometrue. But the time is comingquickly, and what I showyou will come true. It mayseem slow in coming, butwait for it will certainly takeplace, and it will not bedelayed. Habakkuk. 1:2-3;2: 2-4

The AFJN annual confer-ence was held in Louisville,Kentucky October 2nd-3rd2004, under the theme“Africa: the cost of Warand the Hope for Peace.”Members analyzed andarticulated contentiousissues surrounding, theconflict in Darfur, andSudan as a whole. Work-shop sessions exploredprevailing conditions, policyoptions and prospects formore effective coordinationon Liberia’s peace process,waters potential for conflict,privatization of water andAmerican policy on the waron terror in relation todemocracy in Africa. Thedepth of the talks invoked apassion for finding waysand means of restoring

dignity,justice andpeace.

Top on theagenda wasDarfur -theworst hu-manitariancrisis facingthe worldtoday. BishopMacram MaxGassis,MCCI thekeynotespeaker gavea synopsis ofthe deterio-rating humani-tarian conditions of peoplesof sub-Saharan origin.Passing pictures of maimedand deceased victimsaround room, he noted withgreat anguish the govern-ment- sponsored atrocitiesthat are responsible forthousands of genocidalkillings, rape and slaveryand the displacement of 1.2million people.

The conflict in Sudan iscomplex and goes back along way. It is founded on anational identity crisis; therift between North andSouth is widened by theissue of self-perception, ofnot just being different butalso the implications ofbeing different. The implica-tions cultivate an environ-

ment of segregation; thedivide is based on ethnic,religious and racial differ-ences. Sudanese of Araborigin, mainly Muslim,perceive themselves asbeing more superior to theirChristian brothers andsisters of sub-Saharan originin the South. Through theyears, the cause of theSouth’s struggle has variedfrom secession to inclusion.Today, the Sudanese ofSub-Saharan origin inDarfur cry out for inclusionin the Government ofKhartoum’s power struc-ture, for laws that protectthem from ethnic andreligious oppression, and ashare in the country’sresources. In response to the South’s

rebellion, the SudaneseGovernment called in theJanjaweed militia to counterthe uprising in the South.Hence the alliance betweenthe Sudanese Governmentand the Jangaweed militiahas greatly undermined theGovernment of Sudan’scapacity to reign-in thelatter. And the levels ofviolence continue to esca-late as the Janjaweedmilitias engage in dehuman-izing acts of ethnic cleansingsuch as slavery, murder andrape against peoples ofsub-Saharan origin.

Calling on internationalintervention, Bishop Gassisquestioned the meaning ofsovereignty, “when a

Bishop Gassis speaks to an AFJN audience

Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 13

sovereign government isresponsible for racial andreligious divide; promoteshuman rights abuse; andallows power and wealth tobe held by a few superiorpeople who will not sharethe sovereign nations’resources fairly among it’speople.” A sovereign stateshould stand for all it’speoples and protect themfrom unjust treatment, hesaid. He emphasized theneed for the UN to set up atimeline that would addressdisarmament issues anddraw up a schedule forpeace talks.

In his closing remarks,Bishop Gassis prayed thathis country would one day“accept diversity” becauseaccommodating diversitywould enrich the countryand be a source of strength.He urged the participants topray for the dying, perse-cuted, tortured and dis-placed. Reminding us ofthe journey after theCrucifixion, that, like thedisciples we may call on theLord, asking, “Stay with usoh Lord”, and that prayershould lead us to action.

Standing in solidarity withthe suffering peoples ofSudan, AFJN memberspassed a Resolution onDarfur, urging “the USGovernment, the UnitedNations and the Interna-tional Community to exerttheir full influence to halt

categorically and immedi-ately the genocidal killings,rapes, slavery and otherforms of violence and abuseof fundamental human rightsinflicted upon the peoplesof Sub-Saharan origin in theDarfur region of Sudan”.

Bishop Macram MaxGassis of the Diocese of ElObeid in Sudan has beenspeaking out against humanrights abuse in his country.As the only Arab-speakingmember of the Bishop’sConference, he acted asliaison between CatholicBishops and the Govern-ment of Sudan until he wasplaced under criminalindictment by authorities forcriticizing Sudan’s humanrights records. In 1990,while visiting the US formedical treatment, helearned that the SudaneseGovernment had barred hisreturn. Bishop Gassis nowhas a base in Kenya andcontinues to bring hope andhelp to his people throughhis advocacy for humanrights for the people ofSudan.

From the CatholicTask Force on Africa:

Sudanese Crisis

The year 2004 ended on aparadoxically positive note,as the Government ofSudan and the Rebel SudanPeople’s Liberation Move-ment/Army (SPLM/A)

signed a final north andsouth peace deal for thepeoples of Sudan. Detailsof the permanent cease-fireand accord should offer ablue print that will end the21 years of civil war.

The final peace agreement,signed on 9th January2005, announces thesetting up of a powersharing transitional Govt.,with a semi-autonomousState, in Southern Sudanunder the leadership ofGarang, SPLM leader.The protocols also stipulatea 50/50 share of Sudan’soil wealth between theNorth and South.

However, the question stillremains as to what impactthe recently signed peacedeal will have on theconflict in Darfur, the worstman-made humanitariancrisis of our time. Darfurremains high on the radarbecause the historicalpeace deal does notinclude JEM, Darfur’srebel group, or any otherrebel groups as parties tothe cease-fire and peaceaccords. The rebel groupJEM and the Govt. ofSudan have failed tocomply to their own cease-fire agreements.

Speaking at his monthlybriefing, Mr. Jan Pronk,UN’s special representativeon Sudan said, “the armedgroups have been re-

arming and the conflictspreading outside Darfur.Large quantities of armshave been carried intoDarfur in defiance of theSecurity Council decisiontaken in July. Decembersaw a build-up of arms,attacks of positions, includ-ing air attacks, raids onsmall towns and villages,increased banditry, morelooting.”

Therefore CTFA continuesto monitor the escalation ofviolence and human rightsabuses. CTFA, by way of asign-on letter, called on theUS Govt. to support theAfrican Union’s deploymentof a peacekeeping force.

Democratic Republic OfCongo

CTFA continues to monitorthe fragile peace process inthe Eastern part of theDemocratic Republic ofCongo. An increasednumber of UN peacekeep-ers have been deployed tothe region; however therehave been talks thatRwanda’s military havecrossed over into DRC- aviolation of the currenttripartite deal. No actionhas been taken thus far byCTFA. Advisers on thecurrent situation are Fr. JeanBosco and Fr. Jean Claude.

More info at: More info at: More info at: More info at: More info at: www.afjn.cua.edu www.afjn.cua.edu www.afjn.cua.edu www.afjn.cua.edu www.afjn.cua.edu

Page 14 JPIC REPORT

McDonald’s Corporation(McDonald’s), The WaltDisney Company (Disney)and a group of faith-based,socially responsible and in-stitutional investors whosework focuses on laborrights, are working on aunique project to determinehow factory-based com-pliance with corporatecodes of conduct can beimproved and sustainedover time.

The project, namedProject Kaleidoscope,was launched as part of anongoing effort by bothcompanies to improve theeffectiveness of their laborstandards compliance pro-grams. The companiesand investors (the “Work-ing Group”) are develop-ing a new compliance ap-proach at 10 factories inChina that produce toys,footwear and apparel.This approach seeks,among other things, to de-velop factory-based sys-tems that can further pin-point the source of recur-ring compliance issues withthe objective of resolvingand preventing them fromrecurring. The broaderproject objective is to iden-tify effective practices thatcan be applied across differ-ent industries, geographic re-gions and socio-economicand regulatory systems. The

factories’ performance willbe evaluated according to acommon set of project em-ployment and workplacestandards, including suchthings as compliance withstandards relating to wages,working hours, workplacesafety, child labor, and a

range of other labor stan-dards identified by theWorking Group based oncommonly accepted prin-ciples.

The project is testing the

Project Kaleidescope Takes Steps Towards Justice for Workers

premise that a successfullyimplemented internal factorycompliance system will en-hance the ability of factoriesto correct problems as theyoccur, while also creating aculture of compliance.

A project imperative has

been the engagement ofvarious stakeholders to takeadvantage of broad per-spectives and engender asense of shared accountabil-ity. The Working Group iscollaborating with local civil

society organizations(CSOs) in China, supplychain organizations, includingindividual factories, as well asexternal and internal socialcompliance monitors to de-velop practical compliancemethods, including assess-ment, training, education andcommunication tools. Thesystems approach is de-signed to include factorymanagement, supervisorsand workers as participantsin the on-going work of sus-tained compliance.

The central premises ofProject Kaleidoscope in-clude:

· Sustained compli-ance is possible

· The factories them-selves must becomepart of the systemresponsible for com-pliance

· A new inclusive ap-proach to compli-ance will enabletimely corrective ac-tion

This report provides an in-terim snapshot of the projectgoals, key participants, andthe progress to date on test-ing a model for sustainingcompliance with establishedlabor standards. The Work-ing Group will issue a moredetailed public report uponcompletion of the project,which is expected to be in late2005.

Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 15

Anti-ImmigrationMeasures are back onthe Agenda

Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-Wi) recently introduced abill which would waiveenvironmental require-ments for a proposedfence along the US/Mexico Border. Thiscould obviously hurt theenvironment, as well ascontinuing border policiesthat are expensive, lead todeaths on the desert, anddon’t stop people fromentering the United States,but simply send them to

Legislative and Advocacy Update

cross in more desertedareas.

This bill would also make itless likely that immigrantswould be able recievedrivers’ liscences bydenying states that offersuch liscences some kindsof federal funding. Thiswould undermine securityefforts as it would make itless likely that immigrantscould be identified, if needbe. The bill number isHR418 and immigrantrights groups have re-quested calls in oppositionof this bill. It is likely that

SOA Watch LegislativeAdvocacy Days

From February 21-22,students, people of faithand activists will come toWashington, DC in orderto lobby for the passage ofa bill to close the School ofthe Americas/WesternHemispheric Institute forSecurity Cooperation(SOA/WHISC) If youwould like to join them,please go to the SOAWatch web site atwww.soaw.org. They canhelp with housing arrange-ments and will do lobbytraining as well.

Ecumenical AdvocacyDays for Global Peacewith Justice: “MakeAll Things New”

From March 11-14 mem-bers of many differentdenominations will gatherto learn more about andadvocate on issues rangingfrom economic justice tohuman rights in LatinAmerica and Africa to US/Mexico border issues. Allparticipants will choose atrack and learn more aboutone particular area ofinterest as well as joiningthe larger group (whichtopped 500 last year) forplenary sessions. For moreinformation, please visitwww.advocacydays.org.

these provisions will beadded to a defense supple-mental soon.

Jubilee Act Soon to beReintroduced

This congressional session,JubileeUSA will againintroduce the Jubilee Actwhich would cancel thedebts owed by indebted,impoverished countries. Tolearn more on this act, debtissued in general, or tolearn how your congrega-tion can become a Jubileecongregation, please visitwww.jubileeusa.org.

Several Oblates participated in the World Social Forum in Brazil in January. Picturedare Guillerme Reinhard, OMI along with Elei Borges Goncanes and Ana Sueli F. da

Silva at Porto Alegre.

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE PAIDWASHINGTON, DCPERMIT NO. 1749UNITED STATES PROVINCE

MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE391 MICHIGAN AVENUE, NEWASHINGTON, DC 20017

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

In Franklin Roosevelt’s last inaugural addressin 1945, when victory in World War II was

close at hand, he was determined to broadenfor others the understanding of the role

America must play in the world. “We havelearned that we cannot live alone, at peace,

that our own well-being is dependent on thewell-being of other nations far away …We

have learned that we must live as men, not asostriches, nor as dogs in the manger. Wehave learned to be citizens of the world,

members of the human community. We havelearned the simple truth, as Emerson said,that ‘the only way to have a friend is to beone.’ We can gain no lasting peace if we

approach it with suspicion and mistrust or

with fear.”

FOR MORE JPIC NEWS AND

ACTION ALERTS

VISIT WWW.OMIUSAJPIC.ORG