Catholic News 2

Full Article

Full Article

 WASHINGTON- The United States has a moral obligation to protect unaccompanied children and families from persecution in Central America, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, October 21. Bishop Seitz is an advisor to the USCCB Committee on Migration and a member of the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).

The humanitarian outflow, driven by organized crime in the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, continues, with nearly 40,000 unaccompanied children and an equal number of mothers with children having arrived in the United States in Fiscal Year 2015.

"If we do not respond justly and humanely to this challenge in our own backyard, then we will relinquish our moral leadership and moral influence globally," Bishop Seitz said.

Bishop Seitz pointed to the human consequences of U.S. policies which are designed to deter migration from the region, including U.S. support for Mexican interdiction efforts which are intercepting children and families in Mexico and sending them back to danger, in violation of international law.

Bishop Seitz recommended an end to these interdictions and the introduction of a regional system which would screen children and families for asylum in Mexico and other parts of the region. He also called for Congress to approve and increase a $1 billion aid package proposed by the Administration.

"If we export enforcement," Bishop Seitz said, "we also must export protection."

Bishop Seitz recalled the words of Pope Francis before Congress in September, when he invoked the golden rule in guiding our nation's actions toward those seeking safety in our land.

Quoting the Holy Father, Bishop Seitz repeated to the committee, "'The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.'"

"Mr. Chairman, I pray that time, and history, will conclude that we honored this rule in meeting this humanitarian challenge," Bishop Seitz concluded.

Bishop Seitz' testimony can be found at http://www.usccb.org//about/migration-policy/congressional-testimony/upload/seitz-ongoing-migration.pdf

Keywords: Bishop Mark J. Seitz, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Congress, Senate, Committee on Migration, migration, unaccompanied children, violence, Pope Francis
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT:
Norma Montenegro Flynn
O: 202-541-3200

Full Article

(Vatican Radio)  Japan and South Korea on Monday buried the hatchet over women and girls forced into sexual slavery during World War II. Japan's prime minister delivered an apology, and survivors will get access to compensation.

Listen to Alastair Wanklyn's report:

Meeting in Seoul, the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers struck a deal to set up a multimillion-dollar fund to help women who were forced to work at Japanese military brothels.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe then telephoned his South Korean counterpart and apologised.

Speaking to reporters, Abe expressed "deep remorse" for what historians say were tens of thousands of women and girls, mostly from Asian countries, forced to travel with Japanese troops as prostitutes.

South Korea's President Park Geun-hye said what is at stake is the dignity of survivors.

They include 87-year-old Lee Yong-su, who this summer told United States legislators Japan was in denial about what its wartime authorities did.

Recently, the Japanese government has argued says there is no documentary evidence of state involvement in how the women ended up with the troops, but Monday's agreement acknowledges a state role.

The agreement now requires South Korea to lay the matter to rest and to cease haranguing Japan in public. Prime Minister Abe said future Japanese generations cannot be forced to apologize repeatedly for things they did not do.

Full Article

(Vatican Radio)  Ukraine's military says several people have died in new clashes between government troops and pro-Russian separatists in the country's war torn east despite a holiday truce. The violence comes amid Western concerns over political infighting and reports that a Russian teenager who opposed the war committed suicide after abuse.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

Ukraine's military said one of its soldiers and an elderly woman was among those killed in the latest fighting since this weekend. A separatist leader, Eduard Basurin, claimed his forces did not sustain any casualties but that two civilians - a man and a woman - died as a result of the fighting.

The clashes came despite an agreed Christmas and New Year ceasefire between the warring sides and pledges to remove heavy weapons from front lines in eastern Ukraine.

Even the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observing the shaky truce isn't safe: It said its observers came under fire the same day near Ukraine's government-held port city of Mariupol, though no injuries were reported.

Turks evacuated

Amid the new clashes, Turkey has begun evacuating as many as two thousand ethnic Turks from eastern Ukraine. Some 300 ethnic Turks were already repatriated around Christmas Day.   

Kiev has Russia of supporting pro-Russian separatists with weapons and troops, charges Moscow denies.

Yet opposing the war can be dangerous in Russia: news has emerged that a Russian student, who had publicly opposed what he viewed as the invasion of Ukraine and Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, has been found dead.

Vladislav Pavlovich Kolesnikov, who was just 18, had been assaulted by classmates in the Moscow suburb of Podolsk after wearing a T-shirt featuring a Ukrainian flag and the words: "Return Crimea."

He reportedly committed suicide after even his grandfather publicly forced him out of his home and a media interview in which he was described as unworthy and fat.

Western concerns

While Ukrainian authorities were quick to praise his heroism, Western concerns have been raised about Kiev's own political bravery amid political infighting over how to tackle the war and corruption.   

A day in court for Ukrainian businessman-turned-politician Hennadiy Korban descended into chaos after thugs barged into the courtroom in Kiev and began randomly beating those in attendance.

The 45-year-old Korban was detained on October 31 on suspicion of kidnapping, embezzlement, and having ties with organized crime.

Among the charges he was accused of stealing $1.7 million from the National Defense Fund, whose resources are earmarked for Ukrainian soldiers fighting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Yet with reports of political fighting between pro-European coalition and opposition, the West has expressed 'concerns that early elections will have to be held which would be a setback for the United States.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told reporters he had been speaking more often with Ukraine's leaders than with his own wife.   

Full Article

(Vatican Radio)  Each year at Christmas, Vatican Radio invites Church leaders from around the world to help our listeners get into the spirit of the season, by sharing a reflection on how the mystery of the Nativity might inform our action throughout the year.

In this article, we bring you Christmastide greetings from the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit.

Listen to Christmas Greetings from Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit:

Full Article

The Holy Father erected the new Diocese of Barisal in Bangladesh with territory taken from the Diocese of Chittagong, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Dhaka, and  appointed Msgr. Lawrence Subroto Howlader, CSC, the first bishop of Barisal,  until now Auxiliary Bishop of Chittagong.

The New Diocese of Barisal will have the diocese of Chittagong to the east  and the Diocese of Khulna to the west. 

Barisal  Diocese covers an area of  20.708 square km. Out of a  population of 15, 183, 927,  the Catholics are 29, 685.  The new diocese has  five parishes with 13 diocesan priests, 6 religious priests, 4 religious men, 29 religious women and 3 major seminarians.    

The cathedral of the new diocese will be the Church of St. Peter in Barisal and the patron of the new diocese will be St. Peter the Apostle .

The Bishop designate Msgr. Lawrence Subroto Howlader, CSC was born in Nobogram, Barisal then Chittagong diocese. He completed his academic studies in Barisal and joined the Holy Cross Congregation in 1987 and took his first vows in 1988 and his final vows in 1993.  He was ordained priest in 1994. As a priest he served as the asst. parish priest in 3 parishes, Rector of the St. Paul’s Minor seminary and Novice master of Holy Cross Novitiate, Sagardi, Barisal.  He completed his Licentiate in Depth Psychology, Spirituality & Counseling from Gregorian University, Rome.  In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the Auxiliary Bishop of Chittagong Diocese and titular Bishop of Afufenia. 

Full Article

(Vatican Radio) Father Richard Duffield is a parish priest in the city of York which has been one of the worst affected by severe flooding that inundated many areas of northern England. He described the impact of the floods on York and said many people in the historic city feel the government should not have made spending cuts in recent years on flood prevention projects. Father Duffield was interviewed by Susy Hodges.

Listen to the interview with Father Duffield, parish priest of St. Wilfred’s Church in the city of York:  

Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from their homes as the flood waters rose in York and adjoining areas. Father Duffield described how the local community was "pulling together" to help those affected by the flooding. He said the disaster has not only disrupted transport, communications and normal life in York but has been "very distressing" for many residents and a source of great anxiety

Asked whether people in York felt that more money could have been spent on flood defences to help prevent such a disaster occurring, Father Duffield said this was a widely held belief, especially because of recent cuts in government spending on flood prevention strategies.   

Full Article

(Vatican Radio/Fides) Prison inmates of Zomba Prison in Malawi are waiting to hear whether they have won a prestigious Grammy Award for their album “I have no everything here.”

Monfort missionary Fr Piergiorgio Gamba, Chairman of the Prison Fellowship Malawi and member of the Inspectorate of Prisons, described the amazing results achieved by a “Zomba Prison Project” that resulted in the production of the CD as “a dream, a new stage in the long process of reconciliation with oneself and with the world, a prayer and a cry, but also a sign that Mercy has no boundaries".

He said that in the Holy Year of Mercy also other prisons in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, have promoted a series of projects aiming to provide decent living conditions for the inmates.

Fr Gamba reveals that the population in Malawi has increased significantly in the past years and reached the current seventeen million inhabitants. Of these, about fourteen thousand are being held in the same prisons that, already fifty years ago, were insufficient. He says that the Malawi judicial and penal system remains one of the legacies of the colonial era and is entirely focused on one method only: the punishment of the prisoner.

 “A system that dehumanizes making the person unable to rebuild his or her life", said Fr. Gamba.
Meanwhile executive producer of the album, Ian Brennan, told Rolling Stones Magazine that the "The idea had been fermenting for quite a long time" and it that it stemmed from the wish to “not only to give voice to people who are under-heard or underrepresented internationally, but also to go even deeper into some of the most under-heard and underrepresented people of these populations”.

“My belief is almost everyone is musical and I think that people that are under-heard have even more to express potentially" he said.

The prisoners involved in the album, which was sung in the language of Chichewa, are behind bars for what are considered serious crimes and offenses.

The 20-track LP was recorded in the summer of 2013 and ultimately released in January 2015 via Six Degrees Records before becoming the first album ever from Malawi to earn any Grammy recognition.
While Brennan took on the project knowing it would lose money, any funds raised by the Zomba Prison Project went toward paying the legal representation for some of the album's prisoners; three of the female prisoners on I Have No Everything Here have been released since the album was recorded.

“However - Brennan added - it was unlikely anyone involved in the music would be able to attend the Grammys on February 15th in Los Angeles”.

Full Article

IMAGE: REUTERS

By Tom Tracy

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- The explosive global refugee crisis -- likely the top debate-generating news story of 2015 -- seems destined to dominate domestic and foreign politics for years to come at a time when Pope Francis has been calling for a compassionate world response.

Early in 2015, Pope Francis again called attention to the plight of mostly Libyan refugees who perish en route to Europe during the Mediterranean Sea crossing to the southern Italian coastal island of Lampedusa. The pope has concluded the year by confirming his intention to visit the Mexico-U.S. border during an anticipated papal visit to Mexico set for February, an action that will likely been seen as provocative by some U.S. lawmakers.

Waves of refugees have been fleeing war-torn Syria for new opportunities in the West. By year's end a new surge of Central Americans -- mainly unaccompanied minors -- crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and entering the United States has added to tensions over accepting newcomers into this country.

And deadly terrorist-related shootings this fall in Paris and in San Bernardino, California, have now further strained refugee response initiatives as top politicians such as U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are facing heavy criticism and even open resistance to the resettlement of North African and Middle Eastern refugees.

Pope Francis' U.S. visit in September and his newly inaugurated Year of Mercy for the church worldwide are seen as further teaching moments from the pontiff on the need for mercy and compassion for migrants and refugees.

The number of refugees and internally displaced persons currently in need of protection is the largest since World War II, according to the Washington-based Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, which serves and advocates for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons.

In 2014, there were almost 60 million refugees and internally displaced people around the globe, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Past mass migration events -- including those prompted by unrest in Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, Colombia and the Balkans -- indicate that the current crisis in the Mediterranean and Middle East may be a decade-long affair with an average time a refugee remains displaced at around 15 years, possibly longer, according to Mitzi Schroeder, director for policy for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.

The agency is currently commemorating its 35th anniversary, looking back on the Indochinese boat and land crisis that led to its founding by Jesuit Father Pedro Arrupe, then superior general of the Society of Jesus.

The experience of responding to that situation led to the establishment of JRS' triple mission to accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of the forcibly displaced, Schroeder notes.

"As in the present crisis in the Mideast, the flight of refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos was initially large and chaotic," she told CNS. "Many died at sea in the process. Many victims of that crisis were never able to return to their homes, nor were offered permanent protection in the neighboring region.

Ultimately, a "Comprehensive Plan of Action" was created to guarantee immediate assistance, temporary protection and permanent resettlement of the Asian refugees to countries like the United States, which responded by taking in over a million people: The present crisis similarly requires a broad international effort to save lives, preserve the human dignity, and find durable solutions, according to Schroeder, who joined JRS in 2003. Currently, she is chair of the protection committee of Refugee Council USA, co-chair of the Humanitarian Partnerships Working Group of InterAction and co-chair of the UNHCR-NGO Urban Refugees Task Team.

The sheer size of the current refugee crisis, the difficulty in reaching suffering people within Syria because of ongoing war, and the public perception that terrorists are hiding among the refugees moving to neighboring countries, Europe and the United States multiplies the difficulty in addressing the situation.

Anti-Muslim backlash and pushback to resettling Syrian refugees in particular has resulted in local dioceses and even parishes having to respond to local parishioners who express no desire to see more Middle East refugees resettled in their community for fear of harboring terrorists.

JRS believes that those refugees who pass the U.S. screening applied to Middle Eastern asylum seekers who are chosen for their persecution and vulnerability to further harm are very unlikely to constitute a threat to the country, according to Schroeder. Syrians and other refugees seeking entry for purposes of resettlement are subject to the most rigorous security screening of any group entering the United States, she added.

"This screening extends the time they must wait for resettlement to as much as two years," Schroeder said, noting that the situation of refugees flooding unscreened into Europe in a "self-selected" fashion does include many risks that would necessarily not be in play in the U.S.

One silver lining in the crisis is that a greater awareness of the Syrian meltdown has caused the most stress on neighboring countries in the region and those countries need continued refugee response support from the rest of the world. The Syrian refugees in particular are now facing a fifth winter without adequate food, shelter, heat, medical care or access to education for their children.

"The international community has not been willing or able to come up with the resources needed to support the growing displaced population adequately. How they would support a vastly increased number of people in so called 'safe zones' within Syria, given cost plus the additional logistical efforts that would entail, I do not know," Schroeder said in response to calls for keeping the Syrian refugees closer to home instead of resettling them in Europe and the West.

In addition, Schroeder said the legal implications of establishing such a zone and the military costs and dangers -- especially given the involvement of Russia in the situation -- would have to be very seriously considered.

"Safe havens have not worked very well in the past. If the intent is to "contain" people who have a right to flee under international law, this would be totally unacceptable," she added.

Meanwhile, one of the most pressing needs of Middle East refugees, both in acute crises and in protracted situations like Syria, is for education.

"Refugees can languish for a generation without the ability to rebuild their lives. It is tragic that during this period refugee children and youth too often do not have access to education which can sustain hope and provide the tools necessary for them to grow and thrive as individuals and as a community," Schroeder said.

As an initiative of the "Year of Mercy," Pope Francis has asked JRS to launch a new initiative that will almost double the agency's present education programs by providing educational opportunities to an additional 100,000 refugees a year.

JRS already has begun a new effort to increase awareness of the issue of refugee education, and to raise the resources needed to reach that goal. And even the enormous Syrian crisis cannot be allowed to divert full attention to other international refugee problems affecting other populations including the Rohingya of Myanmar, South Sudanese, the people of the Central African Republic, and the displaced children of Central America and others, Schroeder noted.

"The U.S. resettlement program has been one of the most successful means of protection of refugees ever created, and has brought new life opportunities to some three million people since its inception, people who are now our friends, neighbors, family members, and fellow citizens. We should be very proud of this," Schroeder said.

- - -

Copyright © 2015 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.

Full Article