January-February 2016 NewsNotes

Vol. 41, No. 1
Read the PDF version here

A new year, an ever-increasing hope - Our message for the new year: As a people of faith we believe in love, not hate; we believe in the redemptive power of nonviolence and compassion; and we come together as children of God facing the new year in hope.

COP21: Civil society groups protect our common home - Chloe Schwabe, the Faith-Economy-Ecology project coordinator for the Maryland Office for Global Concerns, writes about her experience as an official observer at the Paris Climate Summit (COP21).

COP21: Climate change, development - Maryknoll Sr. Claris Zwareva writes about the intersection of climate change and the new sustainable development goals. Sr. Claris, who serves as Maryknoll’s representative at the United Nations where the Maryknoll Sisters and the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, attended the Paris Climate Summit (COP21). 

COP21 Learnings - Maryknoll Sr. Marvie Misolas was an official observer at the Paris Climate Summit (COP21) representing the Maryknoll Sisters. The following is her reflection, written on the last day of the talks, before the release of the final agreement. 

COP21 and the Feast of the Epiphany - Maryknoll Sr. Rebecca Macugay was an official observer at the Paris Climate Summit (COP21) representing the Maryknoll Sisters. The following is her reflection on the talks

Africa: Conference on land grabbing - Just prior to the arrival of Pope Francis for his first pastoral visit to Kenya, a network of Catholic justice and peace organizations met in Limura, Kenya, for a major conference on land grabbing and just governance in Africa.

Africa: Pope Francis and the Periphery - During his first visit to Africa, Pope Francis gave two important speeches to non-church groups that were remarkable in their global message about peace, poverty, and the environment.

Brazil: TIAA-CREF and Land Grabbing - In November, a report was presented by the Social Network for Justice and Human Rights, a human rights organization in Brazil, and GRAIN, a food sovereignty NGO, about land grabbing in Brazil by TIAA-CREF, at the International Seminar on Land Grabbing, at City University of New York Graduate Center.

Guatemala: Former military officers arrested - In early January, Guatemalan police arrested 18 people on charges of crimes against humanity, as part of an ongoing investigation into forced disappearances that occurred between 1981 and 1988 against indigenous communities.

Catholics tell Congress: Welcome Syrian refugees - On November 20, 14 Catholic organizations, including the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, sent a statement to members of Congress regarding the Syrian refugee crisis and the need to welcome Syrian refugees.

Israel/Palestine: Fears of third intifada - Since the riots on the Temple Mount in mid-September, seemingly random street violence has spiked. Israeli forces have responded with harsh crackdowns.

Trade: TPP text finally released - Serious concerns mount after the text of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, which has the potential to affect the lives of millions of people in 12 countries, was released in November.

Food Security: U.S. trade policy and farmers - On December 11, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns was one of 17 faith-based and food security organizations who wrote to Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative, calling for a change in the Obama administration’s trade policy, leading into the tenth ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Resources - Read and share a new book about Catholic religious representatives at the United Nations, check out the 2016 schedule for the Maryknoll Mission Institute, watch video testimony by Honduran migrants, plan to attend Ecumenical Advocacy Days, and more.