Ecumenical Statement on Current U.S. Policy and Israel/Palestine
The shifts in U.S. policy and approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Peace
The work of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns on peace is focused on identifying and eliminating the root causes of violence and conflict with a focus on specific regions, expressions of violence and areas of conflict affecting Maryknollers, and U.S. aggression and national security policy (e.g. war on terrorism and war in Iraq and Afghanistan).The nexus of violence and poverty is clear. Unless we dedicate ourselves to building true human security for all, nations – especially poor ones – will continue to fall victim to an unending cycle of economic, political and social violence.
Statement on Singapore Summit
We celebrate this new vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
A Tragedy of Monumental Proportions
The international Catholic community decries President Trump’s decision to end U.S. participation in Iran deal.
70 Years On: Seeking a Hopeful Future in a Time of Yearning
On May 14, 2018, fourteen faith groups who are members of the Faith Forum on Middle East Policy sent the following letter to Congress.
Maryknoll Missioners support diplomacy, oppose U.S. leaving Iran nuclear deal
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns released the following statement on May 8, 2018.
Maryknoll Missioners celebrate the peaceful encounter and dialogue between the leaders of North and South Korea
"As Pope Francis has insisted, dialogue is the only way to peace."
Syria: U.S. Catholic Leaders Urge Inclusive Diplomacy and Dialogue for a Just Peace
"We Must Stop the Potential for Further Violence in Syria: War Is Not the Answer"
Gaza: Statement of U.S. Churches and Christian Agencies
Members of the Faith Forum on Middle East Policy issued a statement on the latest violence at the Gaza border fence on April 12, 2018.
An invitation to President-elect Donald Trump to commit to dialogue and inclusiveness
A statement by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns after the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Pax Christi International statement on the terror bombings in Brussels
Pax Christi International released a statement on the terror bombings in Brussels. Special thanks to Marie Adele Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International and former director of Maryknoll Global Concerns.
Eleven faith groups present instances of probable gross violations of human rights by Israeli military and security forces to U.S. Department of State
On December 8, 2015, eleven faith groups who are members of the Faith Forum on Middle East Policy met with the U.S. Department of State.
Nuclear energy: Its dangers outweigh its benefits
March 2012 -- As the world prepares to mark the first anniversary of the tragic tsunami and nuclear accident in Japan, Maryknoll missioners convey their continued sympathy for all those directly impacted by the disaster, and present a new statement that expresses their deep reservations about the continued reliance on the use of nuclear power and the development of nuclear weapons.
A call for the abolition of torture
Maryknoll leadership endorsed this statement in June 2004.
Maryknoll missioners oppose war on Iraq (2003)
The following statement was published in 2003, as the U.S. grew closer to military action against Iraq. Updated versions were published in 2005 and 2008.
Articles, alerts, events
U.S. funding for Palestinian refugees
Faith Forum for Middle East Policy urged President Trump to restore U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Middle East Notes, February 1, 2018
Please note: Opinions expressed in the following articles do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
Read previous weeks’ Middle East Notes
Honduras: Stop the Violence, Stop the Repression
Statement by emergency delegation to Honduras, January 24, 2018.
Take Action to Stop Nuclear War
We are as close as we have ever been to nuclear Armageddon.
Holy Land Coordination 2018
Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International, wrote the following remarks after joining 13 Catholic bishops on their annual solidarity visit to Palestine and Israel.
Middle East Notes, January 4, 2018
The five featured articles and the related links in this issue of the Middle East Notes focus on President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and especially the response of the Palestinians, the UN, and select nations of the world; the U.S. “peace processing” that has served only to entrench and legitimize Israel’s military occupation and colonization of Palestinian land; the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as a radical break with nearly 70 years of official United States policy and with the international community; the Israeli claim that its control over Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza is temporary, despite lasting longer than South African Apartheid by any measure; and timely links to CMEP and to other articles of interest.
Just War Theory: Moving toward peace
Pope Francis, San Diego Bishop Robert W. McElroy, and Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen have each offered new understandings of the role nonviolence plays in the pursuit of peace.
Hope in Pakistan: An interview with Fr. Bonnie Mendes
Father Boniface “Bonnie” Mendes lives and works in the Diocese of Faisalabad in the eastern province of Punjab, Pakistan. Born and bred in Karachi, the 80-year-old priest is former executive secretary of the Pakistani bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace and former head of CARITAS Asia. The following is an interview with Fr. Mendes, conducted via email by Gerry Lee, Director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, just days after the Dec. 17 suicide bombing attack on a church in Quetta in which nine people were killed and 57 injured.
Maria Stephan: The power of active nonviolence
Dr. Maria Stephan delivered a speech in October in which she named key factors proven to make nonviolent resistance twice as successful as armed insurgencies and the important role the Church and civil society plays.
Integral Disarmament
In November the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development hosted a special symposium on nuclear disarmament at the Vatican.
U.S. action to protect Palestinian children
For the first time, Congress is considering a bill that bars the United States from financially supporting human rights abuses of Palestinian children by the Israeli military.
Israel/Palestine: The question of Jerusalem
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns released a statement on December 7 opposing the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
Nonviolence: A commitment to a way of life
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (CNI) is focused on promoting a renewed commitment to Gospel nonviolence at the heart of the Church, including the possibility of a new official teaching on nonviolence. The following article is an update from one of the CNI’s five “roundtables” made up of practitioners of nonviolence from around the world.
World Day of Peace Message 2018
Pope Francis’ message for the World Day Peace on January 1 calls on the world to view global migration not as a threat but as an opportunity to build peace.
Middle East Notes, December 7, 2017
Please note: Opinions expressed in the following articles do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
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Scripture reflections
Third Sunday of Lent
March 24, 2019
Maryknoll Sister Teresa Hougnon in Kenya reflects on the transformation that happens when we enter into conversation with our enemies.
First Sunday of Advent
December 3, 2017
Kevin Carroll, nonviolence and peace fellow at the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, reflects on his students who have awakened him to hope and peace on this first Sunday of Advent.
Second Sunday of Advent
December 4, 2016
Father Mike Duggan, who was on mission in Korea for many years, writes this week's Scripture reflection.
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 30, 2016
Curt and Anita Klueg and their children were Maryknoll Lay Missioners in Kenya. They reflect on the call to radical hospitality.
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 23, 2016
Dan Moriarty is a returned Maryknoll Lay Missioner who now coordinates the Maryknoll Bolivia Immersion Program.
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 16, 2016
This week's reflection was prepared by Marj Humphrey who spent many years as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in East Africa.
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 2, 2016
This week's reflection is written by Kathy McNeely, a returned Maryknoll Lay Missioner and former staff member of Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 26, 2016
In this reflection, Maryknoll Sister Theresa Baldini remembers women she encountered in South Sudan.
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 12, 2016
This week's reflection is written by Kathleen Bond, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner who lives with her family in São Paulo, Brazil.
Pentecost Sunday
May 15, 2016
This week's reflection is written by Maryknoll Sister Euphrasia Nyaki, who lives and works in João Pessoa, Brazil.
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
September 13, 2015
Fr. Mike Gilgannon, who served in Peru, wrote the following reflection which was published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
August 23, 2015
Sr. Veronica Schweyen, MM, who served in Tanzania, wrote the following reflection which was published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books.
Feast of the Assumption
August 15, 2015
Fr. John Sullivan, MM, who served many years as a missioner in Hong Kong, wrote the following reflection which was published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books.
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
July 19, 2015
Dan Moriarty, a former lay Maryknoll missioner, lives and works in Bolivia; he wrote the following reflection which was published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books.
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
July 5, 2015
Fr. David Schwinghamer, MM currently works with the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; he wrote the following reflection which was published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books.
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Related links
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Churches for Middle East Peace -
CIDSE, an international alliance of Catholic development agencies working together for global justice -
Gapminder.org: For a fact-based world view -
JustFaith Ministries -
Maryknoll Fr. Gerard Hammond speaks on Korea reconciliation -
Pax Christi International -
Pax Christi USA -
Two million friends for peace in Afghanistan