PEACE AND JUSTICE UPDATES – NOVEMBER 17, 2013
Typhoon Haiyan,
Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan struck
the Philippines, at the city of Tacloban on the island of Leyte, on Friday,
November 8. It was one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded and
death tolls range from 1,833 to 10,000, with over 26,000 people injured, and
over 200,000 people left in desperate conditions without food, water, or
shelter. Aid from around the world has been pouring in to the
Phillipines, but much of it has not reached the people yet due to poor road
conditions. Unsuccessful efforts to find food and water and bury dead
bodies keep thousands of people in dire conditions, where starvation is deeply
impacting their physical and mental wellness. Please keep all of those
affected by the typhoon in your prayers for quick and efficient means for
recovery.
Sources: http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/world/asia/typhoon-haiyan/
http://news.sky.com/story/1167801/typhoon-haiyan-flow-of-foreign-aid-quickens
http://news.sky.com/story/1166564/typhoon-survivors-hunt-for-food-like-zombies
Workshop on Human Trafficking,
Vatican: A workshop on the weekend of Nov.1
to Nov. 3 at the Vatican focused on the growing crime of human trafficking
worldwide. Especially women and children are being increasingly enslaved for
forced labor (agricultural and domestic work), drug smuggling, and sexual
exploitation. Children are robbed of their present lives and deeply
wounded for the living out of their future lives. Human trafficking is
becoming more profitable than drug or arms trafficking. The problem is
presumed to be much worse than recorded because human trafficking is an
increasingly difficult crime to detect. Bishop Patrick McGrath of the Diocese of San Jose, CA has also established a Catholic Network to End Human Trafficking, which network held two workshops in October to build awareness of the issue.
Sources:
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/05/human_trafficking:_an_ancient_infamy_with_a_new_face/en1-742628,
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/01/human_trafficking_rivals_drug_trade_as_worlds_most_profitable/in2-742757
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/11/01/vatican_workshop:__shining_the_spotlight_on_modern_slavery_/en1-742584
http://www.valleycatholiconline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=4516&id=10
http://www.valleycatholiconline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=4516&id=10
Pilgrimages
of Families for the Year of Faith, Vatican: Over
250,000 pilgrims participated in the pilgrimage to the Vatican for the Year of
Faith. Pope Francis addressed the
pilgrims on various occasions during the pilgrimage, offering them support and
advice on how to live out their calling as exemplifying the crucial role that
the family plays in society. The pope
expressed how the family should function as a whole community unit of persons
who live together in love, not a context in which separate individuals live
around each other. He also expressed to
parents the importance of “wasting time” with their children, commenting that “nothing
is more valuable than a parent’s time.”
Sources:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/speeches/2013/october/documents/papa-francesco_20131026_pellegrinaggio-famiglie_en.html
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1304506.htm
“Special
Message” of USCCB: At the conclusion of their annual
general assembly, the American bishops issued a “Special Message” which expressed
their commitment to finding solutions to the requirements of the HHS Mandate without
individuals having to violate their consciences when responding to the Mandate's
requirements for business owners to provide health plans which cover artificial contraception,
sterilization, and abortifacient drugs. Source: http://usccb.org/news/2013/13-210.cfm
