vigil_sudan

Vigil for Sudan

Throughout these tumultuous times in Sudan, the Sudanese people have been murdered, oppressed and silenced for too long. Having been crippled by state violence for years, we join together to commemorate the souls of those who lost their lives and fight for peace and life with dignity for those who remain suffering. We will not stop until there is peace in every region of Sudan.

rios montt

Guatemala: Ríos Montt faces trial for abuses

After nearly 30 years, Efrain Ríos Montt finally will face trial for genocide and crimes against humanity. Ríos Montt was Guatemala’s president for 17 months during 1982 to 1983, when at least 1,771 people were killed, 1,445 raped and nearly 30,000 displaced, the bloodiest period of the country’s brutal 36-year civil war. The following article was published in the March-April 2012 NewsNotes.

Oscar Arias

Central America: The Esquipulas legacy

This August marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Esquipulas Accords that catalyzed the end to war in Central America. As they celebrate this historic event, Central American countries look to that legacy to find solutions to current issues of security, development and stability in the region. This article is from the September-October 2012 issue of NewsNotes.

dome

Middle East Notes September 13, 2012

This week’s Middle East Notes include materials which focus on “price tag” targeting of Christians, the viability of the two-state solution, the plight of Christians on the West Bank and the detrimental effect of the continuing occupation of Palestinian territories on the Israeli people.

Guatemalan Woman photo by Bob Phares

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Joe Towle writes this week’s reflection, and shares some memories from his time as a missioner in Latin America.

ATT

Arms Trade Treaty: Delay in negotiations

Between July 2 and 27, the world’s nation-states met at the UN headquarters in New York to negotiate an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to regulate the multibillion dollar international trade in conventional arms. Throughout the month most parties supported a new treaty to cover all conventional arms including ammunition, but in the final hours of negotiations, consensus was procedurally blocked by countries that asked for more time – including the U.S., Russia, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. The following article was published in the September-October 2012 NewsNotes.

Middle East: Uprising in Syria

The following article, contributed by Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International, and published in the September-October 2012 NewsNotes, is based on a longer piece written for the Center of Concern’s Education for Justice Program. For more information about how Catholic social teaching relates to the present situation please visit the Center of Concern’s Education for Justice site, www.educationforjustice.org.

DRC map

DRC: Violence must end

In early September, faith-based organizations issued a statement citing the “recent surge in violence in eastern Congo with the mutiny and rise of the March 23 movement, or M23,” and their alarm at UN reports revealing Rwanda’s role in supporting and perpetuating violence by orchestrating and bolstering M23 with both military and financial support. The following article was published in the September-October 2012 NewsNotes.