Monday 31 December 2012

Fighting Poverty to Build Peace


Once again, as the new year begins, I want to extend good wishes for peace to people everywhere. With this Message I would like to propose a reflection on the theme: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace.

Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty. “Our world shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals and indeed whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty."

The gap between rich and poor has become more marked, even in the most economically developed nations. This is a problem which the conscience of humanity cannot ignore, since the conditions in which a great number of people are living are an insult to their innate dignity and as a result are a threat to the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community” 

In this context, fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization. This is important from a methodological standpoint, because it suggests drawing upon the fruits of economic and sociological research into the many different aspects of poverty. Yet the reference to globalization should also alert us to the spiritual and moral implications of the question, urging us, in our dealings with the poor, to set out from the clear recognition that we all share in a single divine plan: we are called to form one family in which all – individuals, peoples and nations – model their behaviour according to the principles of fraternity and responsibility.

Friday 14 December 2012

XMAS MARCHES FOR JUSTICE


CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE IN 
NORTH-SOUTH RELATIONS
"You shall not kill" God

MARCHES AGAINST THE CAUSES OF HUNGER, UNEMPLOYMENT AND CHILD SLAVERY

15 December at 19h, in Getafe, Madrid
From the City Hall Square to General Palacios

16 December at 19h, in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid
From Mayor Street to Cervantes Square

23 December at 18h in MADRID
From España Square to Puerta del Sol

Organised by Christian Cultural Movement, SAIn Political Party 
and Solidarity Youth Path

Communiqué

CHRISTMAS SOLIDARITY MARCHES FOR JUSTICE
Campaign for Justice in North-South Relations
AGAINST THE CAUSES OF HUNGER,
UNEMPLOYMENT AND CHILD SLAVERY
You shall not kill (God)

Every day over 100,000 people die of starvation; half of them are children.

“HUNGER, UNEMPLOYMENT AND CHILD SLAVERY ARE POLITICAL CRIMES.”

In the European Union 89 million tonnes of food are thrown away yearly. One hundred people could be fed with the food thrown out by supermarkets. Meanwhile, each day 100,000 people die of starvation on a planet full of natural wealth. Hunger crushes 85% of the world population.

In the midst of the reorganization of the imperialist economic system – the so-called "crisis", the wealth of humanity has increased, but hunger and the gap between the rich and the impoverished have also soared. The richest 10% owns 83% of the world’s wealth, with the top 1% alone accounting for 43% of global assets.

Speculation on food commodities markets: in 2007, pension funds, insurance, banks, etc. sought another source of profitability and found it in food. In Africa alone, mutual funds and multinational companies invested in 41 million hectares of arable land. Speculation on food results in an immediate increase in prices. In 2010, wheat rose by 130%, rice by 74% and corn by 31%. What do international agencies do about this crime? They keep quiet and hide the truth. What do we do? Speculation on foodstuffs is a crime we cannot tolerate.

HUNGER IS NEITHER A PROBLEM OF FOOD PRODUCTION NOR OF OVERPOPULATION; IT IS A PLANNED ROBBERY.

Horrific Fire Revealed a Gap in Safety for Global Brands


THE HUMAN PRICE
Tehera Begum, 25, survived the factory fire