News Letter Vol.3 - No.12

CJNM - Vol.3. No.12 - News

THE NEWS OF THE MONTH »

Jubilee of Mercy.

From December 8, 2015 until November 20, 2016, we are called to live the "Jubilee of mercy" that Pope Francisco announced last March 13th with the words: the doors of the Church" remain open so that those who are touched by grace, can find the certainty of their forgiveness." Since its inception, our Newsletter has been inspired by the call to the whole Church to witness God's mercy from the struggle for social justice. The many people who live daily under the crushing weight of inequality, in extreme poverty, amid endless wars, hunger and persecution, loneliness and death, find it hard but not impossible to experience the love of God through daily events. In his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis says: We were conceived in the heart of God, and for this reason “each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary” (No. 65). He adds, "According to the Bible, these three vital relationships (the relationship with God, with others and with the earth itself) have been broken, both outwardly and within us. This rupture is sin. The harmony between the Creator, humanity and creation as a whole was disrupted by our presuming to take the place of God and refusing to acknowledge our creaturely limitations. This in turn distorted our mandate to “have dominion” over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), to “till it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). As a result, the originally harmonious relationship between human beings and nature became conflictual (cf. Gen 3:17-19: No. 66). In the story of Cain and Abel, we see how envy led Cain to commit the ultimate injustice against his brother, which in turn ruptured the relationship between Cain and God, and between Cain and the earth from which he was banished. And when justice no longer dwells in the land, the Bible tells us that life itself is endangered” (No. 70)” We have built a world that is at risk, but the mercy of God gives us hope and hope has the last word. The sabbatical year- once every seven years (cf. Lv 25.1-4) -, and the jubilee year, once seven sabbatical years have passed, that is, after forty-nine years- celebrate a time of universal forgiveness and "the earth’s liberation for all its inhabitants "(Leviticus 25:10). Therefore it dealt with regaining balance and equality of human beings’ relatiomships with each other and with the land where they live and work. Like the Jews in the Old Testament "in this jubilee we will find the joy necessary to rediscover and spread the mercy of God, with which we are all called to comfort every man and woman of our time.”This requires us to take global action against the injustices suffered not only by our neighbors but also the earth; particularly against land grabbing, which causes death and natural disasters. Thus, this jubilee also becomes a call to reaffirm our commitment to continue working for justice, building peace and integrity for all of the creation.

THE GOOD NEWS »

Land Grabbing in Senegal on the Brink of Implosion

A new report by Italian researchers shows that Senhuile's controversial project in Senegal is on the verge of collapse. Senhuile is synonymous with land grabbing in Senegal. The project, initiated by Senegalese and Italian investors four years ago with the purpose of producing biofuels, has provoked fierce resistance from affected communities where six people died. Its investors allege that they have secured the rights to 45,000 hectares of land, even though the company has grown only a fraction of that amount. In 2011, villagers, furious with the deal granting the company 20,000 hectares in Fanaye, rose up in protest. Two villagers were killed, and the project was then suspended and moved to a new location in Ndiaël. There, several children from the area drowned in the project’s unprotected irrigation ditches, while suspicions of illicit finance rocked the company’s credibility. Now, a new report by Italian researchers published by Re:Common shows that the firm’s public relations efforts are backfiring and that the project is mired in deeper conflict and contradiction. This, along with other findings presented in this report, increases the hope that land grabbing in Senegal is on the verge of implosion, which is certainly good news. This report is being launched by the Collective in defense of Ndiaël and Re: Common, in cooperation with GRAIN, Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI), SUNUGAL, and Walking on the South, groups that have worked to expose the illegitimacy and harmfulness of the Senhuile project.

THE WORST NEWS »

These brothers and sisters are returning to our community.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. The numbers are daunting; at the time of the fall 2015, the United States had over 2.4 million people behind bars, including a disproportionate number of poor people and people of color, whose communities suffer most from discriminatory and inequitably applied laws. In California “Taxpayers spend $62,300 a year to keep one person in prison, and just $9,100 per year to keep a student in school.” Voters chose to reduce some penalties and put money into rehabilitation. “One of the reasons the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world,” writes Ronna Bolante in her article, “Life Goes On,” “is because we choose to criminalize conditions—like drug addiction—that are not crimes.” 90% of people living in prison will be returned to society, but “right now, politicians use fear-mongering to pass measures that focus on punishment,” says Ron Simpson-Bey, who spent 27 years behind bars. “We need more people saying, These are our brothers, our sisters. They’re returning to our community. What kind of neighbors do we want them to be?” The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace) has made prisons – mass incarceration, privatization, solitary confinement and their impacts on our society, one of their key issues. AFSC is working to change the overused method of solitary confinement, having found it used as a disciplinary action too often and for too long and launched the Good Neighbor Project that aims to provide support for individuals being released and to advocate toward changing policies that keep people locked up well beyond what their sentence requires. Its program, “Friend of a Friend", providing training to inmates on nonviolent conflict resolution, and, once an inmate is released, helps them transition back into the larger community, and connects them to ongoing community organizing work. To learn more about the Quaker Network to End Mass Incarceration visit

Celebrating!		Take Action now!
The world marks International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9th The resignation of Joseph “Sepp” Blatter as the FIFA president opens another chapter in one of the most emblematic corruption cases in recent history. It is clear that this scourge is not unique to the public sector, but a business practice that takes over 10% of the world GDP. Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability. Although these organizations and laws are thought to ensure the proper use of resources, it relates to the proverb: "every law has its loophole." Hence why, the UN interprets the wishes and needs of those suffering the consequences of this malpractice, by encouraging all the people in the world to contribute to "Break the Corruption Chain… that strikes hardest at the poor, hinders inclusive economic growth and robs essential services of badly needed funds." Ending corruption has not been and will not be an easy task. It must begin with individual commitment for it to be taken into community engagement. Learn about some actions against corruption on: Civil Society against Corruption, Global Compact Principle on Anti-Corruption. and a prayer to fight against corruption		Say "No" to the Destruction of Forests and Jungles The virgin forests of Indonesia are disappearing at a very high rate because of oil palm monoculture; in the last half of the century, about 74 million hectares of forest, which is twice the size of Germany's surface, have been cut, burned or degraded. The reason? The greed of multinationals seeking new arable land for oil palm plantations. The destruction of tropical forests accelerates climate change, and causes conflict with local communities. Indonesia is not the only country that is affected: oil palm mono-plantations have expanded to South America, Africa, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, sweeping away forests and rainforests, and with them their rightful inhabitants: indigenous people, orangutans and hundreds of thousands of animal and plant species. One way to stop this environmental disaster is to reduce the consumption of products containing palm oil, which results from aggressive cultivation that gravely affects ecosystems. This task is not easy for the consumer, since some companies like the Nutella-producer Ferrero buy their consumables from suppliers that are eco-friendly. The following link contains a list of companies whose products you should not buy. Sign this petition so that the Indonesian government revokes PT PEAK's permits, which is an oil palm company that is destroying the forests of Indonesia.

Time to rethink		Keep smiling
Christmas Lights, Lights that Turn Off the World A month before Christmas, the streets of cities and towns are already decorated with traditional Christmas lights. The celebrations in anticipation of Christmas are always accompanied by a large increase in the consumption of electricity, which is needed to light Christmas trees, houses and streets. Approximately 50% of Christmas lights’ power consumption is generated by thermal power stations that produce and emit tons of CO2, one of the gases responsible for the greenhouse effect and climate change accordingly, into the atmosphere. Also, nuclear power plants generate about 20% of the power, which is accompanied by the risk of accidents and the production of radioactive waste that remains dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years. Wasting energy significantly impacts climate change: tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, floods, changing the rhythms of seasons, rain and harvest times, etc. The best Christmas gift we can give our planet is reducing our energy consumption, so as to celebrate Christmas with respect and solidarity with our environment.		The reality the humanity lives in A little fanny but in the background what these cartoons reveal is the reality of our earth, of the mankind living in the nowadays society. What is happening is that we are blind to our own mistakes and not understanding that one day their consequences will overtake us, we continue wandering ... We are destroying our present happiness and the future of the new generations. Let's open our eyes, the land is already showing signs of "fatigue": global warming, famine, drought, earthquakes, diseases ... wars and rumors of wars ... And people who suffer from the consequences can no longer stand. What do we wait for to react? To see the cartoons click here . . .

Must Watch.		Resources.
Children Do Not Have A Place to Hide From the War During an overnight bombing, a Syrian boy lost 40 members of his family. In front of a television camera, he relates everything they had to go through. He does not want to show weakness and retains his tears as he tells the story. The video is from the year 2013 (see translation of the story here): today with the terrorist attacks, the situation has certainly changed because as it has always happened in history, the good and the bad have mixed. However, the tragedy that children living in the midst of "war" continues. As well as the connection between the oil prices and the war in the Middle East varies from actors in the field. The rise of armed groups such as Boko Haram and The Islamic State are the excuses used by major powers such as France, Russia and the US to bomb the Middle East. These countries pretend to prosecute terrorists but instead, they end up destroying the lives of innocent people. Therefore, the remaining question is: if at the time of the video, while bullets and bombs were destroying the present and future of these children, the price of oil gained points in economic indicators. And such mentioned major powers succeeded by raising points in stock exchanges. What are now the geopolitical interests of countries like Syria, whose ability to produce oil is very low? The truth is we cannot be indifferent because the secret agendas and interests of the great powers are the real causes of many suffering.		The International Conference on Climate Change (COP21) This major conference will take place between November 30th and December 11th in Paris - France. It will be organized in The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The aim of the conference will be to replace the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change with an approach of greater significance and results. On account of the agreement of the signatory countries, as well as their objectives and instruments with goals for 2020 and 2030. Without exaggeration, this event is considered to be "the last chance" we have to prevent global average temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (which will cause major catastrophes), hence why, countries shall commit to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The debate has appeared to manifest positive results due to the progress China and the United States are showing. However, on the other hand, it reveals uncertainty for developing countries to meet the challenges of climate action, owing to the financial implications. The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns will offer a weekly series "Path to Paris.” You can follow this series in English by clicking here.

Witnessing
Charity without justice is not enough the more striking experience was the two days spent in Kolkata. Waiting for our flight, with a friend we strolled around walking up and down the street and across the bridge of Ganga great river, travelling by subway, executive and popular buses full of people. We were also the object of an Indian gentleman's kindness who made us cross the town from north to south in his car, we visit his international tea shop and Tagore House. We saw the same misery that urged Mother Teresa to go out from her convent: naked children in the streets, adults washing themselves and their clothes on the street corners, trash everywhere, entire families living, eating, working and sleeping in sidewalks no wider than a table: animals crossing by, policemen shouting, cars honking all the time, people finding their way through all this confusion, but not one of Mother Teresa sisters. I saw them in their mother house handing out images of their founder: everything the same as when Mother Teresa started her work. In our RUN (Religious at United Nations) monthly meeting, while sharing our impressions on Pope Francis' visit to the US, someone commented: The two Popes who did most to call for an address to the issue of poverty are John Paul II and Francis. For the first the icon was Mother Teresa, for the second, Dorothy Day. Two icons, that represent charity and advocacy. Both, says Pope Benedict in his encyclical Deus Caritas est are necessary, but charity without advocacy conveying justice can be sterile, as the seventy empty cribs I saw in the Mother Teresa orphanage in Kolkata. There in the wall is written one of her words: The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion because it is a war against the child... If I accept that the mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? In Dorothy Day perspective, I'd dare to say the contrary: If we allow people to kill each other on a daily basis, using weapons, hunger, injustice, how will we prevent a mother from killing even the fruit of her womb? Charity and advocacy address the same problem, but advocacy goes deeper addressing the causes that claim charity. Read more . . .