September 2003 - Pax Christi International
Pax Christi International ~ Newsletter No. 116 ~ 1 September 2003
Click here for a printable copy of this Newsletter
For a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader please visit www.adobe.com
I N T H I S I S S U E
Security, Demilitarisation and Arms Trade
Economic Justice, Development and Ecology
More News from National Members
P E R S O N A L I A
Bishop Gabino Zavala of Los Angeles Named Bishop President of Pax Christi USA
Bishop Gabino Zavala, J.C.L., was named Bishop President of Pax Christi USA, the national
Catholic peace movement, at its August 2003 National Assembly in New York, N.Y. Bishop
Zavala, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, is the third bishop president in the history of Pax Christi
USA. He will succeed both retiring Bishop Walter Sullivan (Richmond, Va.) and Bishop Thomas
Gumbleton (Detroit, Mich.) as Bishop President of Pax Christi USA. Read more here .
Outgoing Bishop-President Walter Sullivan Named Ambassador of Peace
Bishop Walter Sullivan, Pax Christi USA's bishop president for the past 12 years, was named an
Ambassador of Peace by the Pax Christi USA National Council at last week's national assembly in
New York City. Sullivan will be retiring this year from both his position with Pax Christi USA as well as from the episcopacy of the diocese of Richmond, Va., the diocese, which he has led since
1974. Read more here .
On his retirement, Pax Christi's International Secretariat sent Bishop Sullivan a farewell letter.
You can read the text here (ref.: IS.11.E.03).
A F R I C A
Reinforcement of MONUC in D.R. of Congo
The United Nations' presence in the Congo (MONUC) will be reinforced and its present mandate extended, following a resolution to increase its soldiers and observers in the country from 8,700 to 10,800. The Security Council resolved that, henceforth, they will "protect civilians and dependents of humanitarian organizations who are in imminent danger of physical violence."
On July 17, Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani, vice-president of Pax Christi
International, and Etienne De Jonghe, secretary general of the organization, sent letters to U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan, requesting an enlarged intervention of United Nations and
European Union operations in Ituri, in the northwest of the country. Read more here .
The Church's Response to Tragedy in Congo Is "to Proclaim the Gospel of Life"
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in a delicate stage after the installation of a new national unity government on July 17. The first meeting of the new executive was postponed when ministers from the rebel positions refused to take an oath of loyalty to President Joseph
Kabila. In an interview dated 31 July 2003, reproduced below, Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo
Pasinya of Kisangani, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and
Madagascar (SECAM) and Vice President of Pax Christi International ,explains the situation in the country. Read the interview here.
A M E R I C A S & C A R I B B E A N
GAM Condemns Threats and Intimidations Against Human Rights Defenders.
GAM, the Mutual Support Group in Guatemala Affiliated with Pax Christi International, made a statement on 11 August 2003. Here is an English summary:
There has been an increase during the last weeks of the threats and intimidation faced by social activists and all people opposing the current policy of the government. The targets of these human rights violations come from all sectors but the most affected are journalists, social activists, religious and businessmen. GAM fears that this intimidation could escalate into graver forms of violence and is urging authorities to investigate. If the government takes no action, it will be considered to be responsible for any attack and violence.
A S I A & P A C I F I C
Congratulations Pax Christi Aotearoa - New Zealand
On 20 August 2003, a message with congratulations was sent to Pax Christi New Zealand -
Aotearoa, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. The celebration will take place at a Mass in the
St. Benedict's Chapel in Auckland. Read an extract of the message here .
Read more here (Ref.: IS.12.E.03).
West Papua on Pacific Islands Forum
In August 2003, Pax Christi Aotearoa - New Zealand hosted and co-organised a West Papua
Solidarity Conference in Auckland. Following the solidarity gathering, many of those present continued to lobby Pacific Island Forum representatives and held an impressive vigil outside the forum venue. The Pacific Island Forum brings together leaders of 13 South Pacific countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji to consider current and future regional issues. On 17 August, a press statement has been issued and is available here (Ref.:
AP.13.E.03).
Justice and Peace Commission Mumbai
The Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC) of the Archdiocese Justice and Peace
Commission of Mumbai in India, will celebrate on 6 November 2003 its 10th anniversary. The
DRTC is an Affiliated Organisation with Pax Christi International. "Another World is Possible! The
Church as the co-Creator of Another World" was the theme of the Justice Sunday Message of
17th August 2003. A report of the DRTC activities, January - June 2003 has been published in the
"Chetana", the Bulletin of the Justice and Peace Commission, nr 2, August 2003. The DRTC has been developing initiatives on Human Rights, Socio Economic and Political Training, Peace
Initiatives, Hotline or Urgent Appeals, Networking, Research, Publications and Representation.
More info: Fr. Allwyn D'Silva, allwyn@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in
M I D D L E E A S T
HB Michel Sabbah on Israel & Palestine
On 1 August 2003, HB Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and President of Pax Christi
International delivered the keynote address at the National Assembly of Pax Christi USA at St
John's University, Queens, New York. The text of the speech is available in English here or from the International Secretariat, ref.: PS.11.E.03. Read here an extract on the Israeli - Palestine conflict.
Documents available from the International Secretariat (click on the underlined words to access link)
"Moving International Solidarity"? Dr Harry Hagopian, LL.D, KOG-KSL, Ref.: ME.97.E.03
.
Letters from Bethlehem, Arab Educational Institute, nr 55, Ref.: ME.99.E.03
.
H U M A N R I G H T S
Serbian Children Killed in Kosovo
On 13 August 2003, children were shot in the village of Gorazdevac, West of Kosovo, by people whose identity is not known. On 21 August 2003, Pax Christi Flanders issued a press statement on the series of incidents, which are taking place in Kosovo. It is stated that the peace process between the Serbian minority and the Albanian majority is becoming very fragile. Some groups are making use of the unstable situation to block the process of democracy and stabilisation. The
Flemish section is calling to get the attention again of the Belgian and European political authorities and is calling for a centre of conflict prevention. The statement is available here in
Dutch, ref.: CE.29.D.03.
Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
At the recent Fifty-fifth Session of the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of
Human Rights in Geneva, 28 July - 15 August 2003, Pax Christi International joined with
Dominicans for Justice and Peace and other non-governmental organisations to issue four oral statements: on the Vieques (complete text is available here or from the International Secretariat, ref.:LA.18.E.03), the death penalty (complete text is available here or from the International
Secretariat, ref.: HR.03.E.03), children and Iraq ( complete text available here also available or from the International Secretariat Ref.: RC.03.E.03) and religious discrimination in Pakistan (text available here or from the International Secretariat Ref.: AP.11.E.03). Read the summaries here .
Pax Christi International also made one written intervention on Israel & Palestine (available in
English , French and Spanish , see ref.: ME.85.EFS.03).
Pax Christi International will remember Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Special
Representative for Iraq who has been killed, amongst other UN personnel, by a suicide bombing on 19 August 2003. Sergio was the High Commissioner for Human
Rights and has previously working in conflicts or countries such as Pakistan, Kosovo and East Timor. Philippe LeBlanc of the Dominicans for Justice and Peace wrote an article about Sergio to remember him (see ref.: HR.04.E.03). Sergio's tragic death is a loss for the international community and the cause of human rights as well as for the reconstruction of Iraq.
Algerian Refugee in New Zealand
On 14 August 2003, Etienne De Jonghe, International Secretariat, wrote an urgent letter to the
Government of New Zealand about the situation of Algerian asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui, concerning his possible deportation from New Zealand of Mr Ahmed Zaoui. Read an extract here .
S E C U R I T Y , D E M I L I T A R I S A T I O N A N D A R M S T R A D E
Control Arms Global Campaign
On 7 October 2003, IANSA (of which Pax Christi International is a member), Amnesty
International and Oxfam will join to launch the Control Arms Campaign worldwide. After the official launch of the campaign, participating organizations will work out international, regional and national campaigns to reach particular objectives, including public awareness raising campaigns, the Million Faces Project (a 'petition with photos' to mobilize global public support) and national lobbying campaigns. All necessary information can be obtained at the special website: www.controlarms.org
, or at the websites of the participating organizations: www.iansa.org www.amnesty.org
and www.oxfam.co.uk . It is suggested that partners of Pax Christi International adopt this campaign in their own national initiatives. You can find more information here (Ref.:
SD.27.E.03). Read more about the campaign here .
Facilitating Entry into Force of CTBT
The third CTBTO Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty will be held from 3 to 5 September 2003 in the Austria Centre Vienna. State signatories, as well as IGOs and NGOs, will be present to discuss the future of the Treaty, as well as reconfirm their commitments. Like the first two conferences, non-signatories are expected to turn up as well. Felix Bertram, representative of Pax Christi International will attend the conference.
The International Secretariat has prepared a written contribution which is available here (Ref.
SD.28.E.03).
BioWeapons Prevention Project
Pax Christi International has recently become a partner with the BioWeapons Prevention Project
(BWPP), a Geneva-based NGO network that was launched on 11 November 2002 that "aims to strengthen the norm against using disease as a weapon." It consists of a network of nongovernmental organisations, and has as its main task the monitoring of governmental policies in relation to biological weapons, and the reporting of all latest local, regional, national or international developments. The new redesigned website of the BWPP is www.bwpp.org
. Reactions and comments are welcome on the e-mail address members@bwpp.org . E-mails sent to this address are automatically distributed to members and associates.
Pre-emptive Peace: Beyond Terrorism and Justified War
On 29 and 30 July 2003, a delegation of Pax Christi International was in Washington DC for two days of advocacy prior to the National Assembly of Pax Christi USA at St. John's in New York.
Two briefings took place on the 29th, one in the House and one in the Senate. On 30 July, the delegation had two parallel meetings with individual Congress representatives. The delegation shared the experience of indigenous religious communities in conflict prevention. These local and regional peace initiatives can diminish the threat of terrorism, avoid war and focus appropriate local resources to post-conflict situations. Read more here .
Pre-emptive Peace: Addressing Terrorism & Avoiding War
On 29 July 2003, Cesar H. Villanueva of the Philippine Coalition for Peace, the Philippines Action
Network on Small Arms and Vice President of Pax Christi International, and Dr. Mary AnnCejka lead a discussion on conflict prevention efforts of religious communities in different areas of the world. The session took place at the US Congress in Washington and was organised by the
"Security for a New Century 108th Congress" which is a bipartisan study group for Congress.
Read more here .
Consultation
Pax Christi members and friends were invited to attend a one-day conference "Pre-emptive
Peace: Beyond Terrorism and Justified War" on July 31, 2003 at St. John's University, New York.
This unique consultation, comprised of three facilitated "fishbowl" conversations, tried to contribute to the discernment of a global framework, including a non-violent ethic, for evaluating and responding to violent conflict and war in the 21st century. Read more here .
Pre-emptive war or pre-emptive peace?
Ben Schennink of the Centre for International Conflict Analysis and Management, and member of the Executive Committee of Pax Christi International has written a paper on "Pre-emptive war or pre-emptive peace: preventing war by force or by diplomacy or law? The peace movement and the National Security Strategy of the USA." The article shows that the line between pre-emptive peace through diplomacy and preventive war in case of humanitarian crises is indeed very thin, but that it is nonetheless an obligation for all states to pursue these values. The paper is available here . (Ref.: SD.12.E.03). Read a summary here .
Policing al-Qaeda
Brian Wicker of the British Pax Christi has written an article on "Policing Al-Qaeda." In a world where the power of the nation-state is increasingly being sidelined by international relations and interdependency on different levels, the need for international law and order becomes more and more important. A U.N. military (read: policing) staff committee, global prosecutors and the
International Criminal Court form a better instrument to face the dangers of the market state system. The article is available here (Ref. SD.09.E.03). Read a summary here .
E C O N O M I C J U S T I C E , D E V E L O P M E N T & E C O L O G Y
Religious Working Group on the World Bank and IMF
The Religious Working Group is planning a conference in promoting action for global economic justice in religious communities and organizations. "Faith in Practice: Connecting the Dots for
Global Economic Justice," September 18 and 19, 2003, National City Christian Church, #5
Thomas Circle, Washington, DC. Speakers include: Salih Booker, director of African Action; Robin
Broad, associate professor of international development at American University and editor of
Global Backlash: Citizens Initiatives for a Just World Economy; Marie Clark, director of the Jubilee
USA Network; Marie Dennis, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concern, Vice President
Pax Christi International; Rabbi Arthur Waskow, PhD, director of the Shalom Center; Dr. Virgil A.
Wood, pastor of Pone Street Baptist Church in Providence, RI and contributor to The African
American Jubilee Edition Bible, Emira Woods, co-director of the Institute for Policy Studies'
Foreign Policy in Focus Daphne Wysham, director of the Sustainable Energy and Economy
Network (SEEN). For more information or to register: www.sndden.org/rwg/
European Social Forum 2003
The European Social Forum (ESF) will take place in France, 12 - 15 November 2003 This second
European continental social forum, following Florence in 2002, builds on and in the spirit of the
World Social Forum of Porto Alegre. Some of our national Pax Christi sections, especially Pax
Christi Italy, are very involved in the ESF. Pax Christi France has also been contacted about this
event. Read more here . You can also consult the website: http://www.fse-esf.org/ or contact
Massimo Ferè from Pax Christi Italy, e-mail: fere@corecom.it , tel. ++39-3357023780.
P E A C E S P I R I T U A L I T Y
Message of Hope
On 25 July 2003, Archbishop Renato R. Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace, sent a message of hope to the Members of Pax Christi International and Pax Christi USA and to those gathered for the Consultation and the USA National Assembly. Read an extract here .
The complete text of the letter is available here or from the International Secretariat, ref.:
PS.16.E.03.
Sixtieth commemoration of execution of Franz Jägerstätter .
Hundreds of people from around the world gathered in the tiny village of St Radegund in Austria to commemorate the death by execution of Franz Jägerstätter. A group of 25 people from Pax
Christi Britain and Ireland made a pilgrimage to St Radegund for the occasion. They were joined by members of Pax Christi Italy, Germany and Austria. Read more here .
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N
United Nations Designates September 21 as International Day of Peace
There are about 3,000 non-governmental organizations represented at the UN. These organizations range from Catholic groups such as Pax Christi International and the Sister of St
Joseph to the Sanitation Workers. This representation allows citizens not clouded by
"government" policy and rhetoric to give information to various agencies on behalf of their constituents. Respect for NGO member organizations and the voluntary work they do has grown considerably in recent years. Dr. Tom Downes, Mary McDonald and Madeline Labriola are the delegates of Pax Christi International at the UN in New York. On September 21, 2003 there will be a worldwide celebration for peace. This annual event sponsored by the UN is an unfrequented effort to bring world attention to the issue of peace. Madeline wrote an article about the International Day of Peace. Read more here (Ref.: IO.02.E.03).
M O R E N E W S F R O M N A T I O N A L M E M B E R S
National Action Pax Christi USA
Following the National Assembly of Pax Christi USA, on 4 August 2003, a national action day took place in Manhattan, New York. About 100 members of Pax Christi USA, joined by some members of Pax Christi International, had a prayer service which took place at the Dag Hammarskjöld
Plaza. The service then was followed by a peace walk going to 6 different UN missions (the missions were: Israel, France, U.K., Canada, Ireland and the U.S.). Read here the letter was delivered at these missions:
Pax Christi Australia
The Victoria Branch of Pax Christi Australia co-organised an Inter-faith Peace Forum "Peace through the eyes of young Australians of faith" on 10 August 2003. The following questions have been posed: Do religions bring peace or war? What are the steps we can take to implement peace in our community, and what barriers need to be overcome? What values do the older generation have to pass on, and do these meet the needs of the young (peace builders) today?
Rita Camilleri gave an address on East Timor given at the Melbourne Unitarian Church, 15 June
2003. Pax Christi Australia has supported the East Timorese cause since the invasion in 1975 through advocacy, awareness-raising and more recently through the collection and dispatch of material goods. The section has also lobbied for the 1,700 East Timorese asylum seekers to be given permanent resident status in Australia. Read more here . (Ref.: AP.12.E.03).
Reflection and Action
Pax Christi UK issued its 14th sheet on "Reflection and Action; Ideas at a time of Wars and
Rumours of Wars," July - August 2003. The sheet includes a prayer and is offering alternative pictures on the war in Iraq. It also gives a short "Report on the Pax Christi UK Condolence Book for the Dead in the War against Iraq" and offers some suggested actions. The sheet is available here . (Ref.: PS.15.E.03).
I N T E R N A T I O N A L C A L E N D A R
For an overview of upcoming events within the International Peace Movement click here
To unsubscribe from this list visit : http://www.paxchristi.net/contact/mailing_lists.html
or contact library@paxchristi.net or write to us at Pax Christi Newsletter, Pax Christi International, 21
Vieux Marché aux Grains, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium.
Pax Christi is the International Catholic Peace Movement with Members Worldwide www.paxchristi.net
Pax Christi National Sections, Associated Groups, and Affiliated Organisations
