Issue No. 2, October 2003 Restorative Justice Week, November 16-23, 2003, Pathways to a Strengthened Community As we go about our daily lives, looking for the pathways that will help us live in harmony, we do so with the belief that our communities will be better places because of it. Relationships are at the heart … Read more »… À suivre »
[KAIROS Canada] The upcoming federal election has been seen by many as an intrusion on the Christmas season — something that doesn’t — and shouldn’t — be on our minds during this festive, family time. At KAIROS, we think there is another way to look at the relationship between Christmas and public affairs. Perhaps the … Read more »… À suivre »
We have just celebrated the birth of Jesus, the coming of hope to our world: hope for love and belonging; hope for compassion and sharing; hope for forgiveness and reconciliation; hope for justice and peace. How does the celebration of Christmas hope shape our interactions during a federal election campaign? An election campaign provides many … Read more »… À suivre »
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is March 21, the anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960. … Read more »… À suivre »
La Journée internationale pour l’élimination de la discrimination raciale est mars 21, l’anniversaire du massacre à Sharpeville en 1960. … Read more »… À suivre »
Nidus is a festival for people from all streams of Christian faith with music, arts, keynotes, worship, dialogue, drama & dance. Several thousand youth, young adults, families and others will gather in Kitchener, Ontario from August 4th to 6th. It will be a unique opportunity for people to come together to express faith, celebrate through … Read more »… À suivre »
The week of November 12-19 will be observed across Canada and around the world as Restorative Justice Week. The theme for 2006 is “Creative Partnerships & Collaborative Action.” This theme celebrates the expression of the creativity found within existing partnerships and challenges us to forge new and stronger ones. These new alliances provide an opportunity to introduce restorative justice principles, values, and initiatives to broader cross sections of Canadians. … Read more »… À suivre »
La semaine du 12 au 19 novembre est la Semaine de la justice réparatrice au Canada. Le thème de 2006 est Partenariats novateurs, collaboration solide. « Ce thème célèbre l’esprit d’innovation qui caractérise déjà certains partenariats existants. Il nous appelle à poursuivre nos efforts en établissant de nouveaux partenariats plus solides où tous les intervenants s’entraident … Read more »… À suivre »
It is significant that the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism will be host Wednesday to the fifth annual conference on restorative justice. Fr. Bill Bernard, chair of the preparation committee, observes the conference goal is to bring together as many people as possible who work in the area of restorative justice. “We hope to create dialogue … Read more »… À suivre »
The St. Thomas More Just Youth group is hosting a Solidarity and Justice Coffeehouse on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. in the STM Cafeteria (1437 College Drive). The cost is $5.00 per person and all proceeds will go to Development and Peace. Come enjoy this wonderful evening of world music and entertainment!
The coffeehouse is sponsored by Just Youth along with the Newman Centre, St. Thomas More College and the University of Saskatchewan Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Services Office. Just Youth is a student-led Development and Peace group. It organizes education campaigns and activities on campus, and encourages students to become involved in local justice initiatives. … Read more »… À suivre »
Social Justice Institute 2007: Whose Story? Whose Justice? Imagining Alternatives – with keynote speakers Lee Cormie, Paul Hansen, Kathy Vandergrift, and several other workshop options. This ecumenical event will be held at Newman Theological College, Edmonton. Overnight accomodation, meals available. For brochure with agenda, registration form, more information contact 780-467-2833 or email: sji2007 [at] telus [dot] net. … Read more »… À suivre »
Evangelical theology stresses the importance of a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ and sees the transformation of individuals as an important part of the transformation of the world. However, the notion of a purely privatized faith in which the gospel only affects individual, personal or family life but has no wider implications for society must be rejected as inadequate. … Read more »… À suivre »
The Ecumenical Health Care Network of the Canadian Council of Churches invites every congregation and community across the country to join in a time of celebration and renewal of Canada’s commitment to ensuring the preservation and strengthening of its universal public health care system, better known as Medicare. To this end, we have named the week of November 18th “Celebrate Medicare Week.”
In the past, Canada’s churches have played an invaluable role in defending access to care based on need not on ability to pay, and as a living statement of how we care for one another in Canadian society. In the words of a former vice-president of the Canadian Council of Churches, Karen MacKay-Llewellyn, “Defending public health care in a system that promises accessibility to all Canadians at the same level of quality, is a matter at the heart of our Christian confession, and this must rest at the heart of our public witness.” … Read more »… À suivre »
The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in all member states. The resolution passed on Tuesday by a vote of 104 to 54 with 29 abstentions. This is the third attempt to pass a moratorium resolution in the General Assembly. Previous attempts in 1994 and 1999 failed. The current resolution called on member states to “progressively restrict the use of the death penalty and reduce the number of offences for which it may be imposed.” … Read more »… À suivre »
This prayerful walk through the streets of Saskatoon features a reflection on the Way of the Cross focusing on justice and peace issues in the world today. For information, contact Tony Haynes at the Roman Catholic diocesan Justice and Peace office, 306-242-1500 or toll-free 1-877-661-5005. … Read more »… À suivre »
Another federal election has come to Canada. Canadians will go to the polls on October 14 to select members of Parliament in all 308 ridings across the country. For more information about who can vote, the candidates, and the locations of the polls, please see the Elections Canada website.
Here at “Ecumenism in Canada” we have a continuing interest in highlighting the reflections offered by the Canadian churches on matters of public policy. With this in mind, we have compiled the following links to election resources prepared by the churches and their ecumenical justice groups.
• CCCB Federal Election 2008 Guide
• EFC 2008 Election Kit
• United Church of Canada 2008 Federal Election Kit
• Mennonite Central Committee’s 2008 Election Primer
• Citizens for Public Justice 2008 Election Guide
• Candidates Against Poverty
The Catholic bishops of Canada have a long history of public statements on justice issues, both during and between elections. As in recent elections the CCCB has issued an election guide that is intended to enumerate principles of Catholic social teaching that are relevant to the elections. Like all churches, the CCCB does not endorse any political party. Instead, the CCCB‘s Social Affairs Commission “encourages Catholics to become better informed about the issues, to voice their concerns with the political candidates … and, most of all, to vote.” The four-page text goes on to list some basic principles from Catholic moral and social teaching to help voters examine and evaluate public policy and programs. These principles include respect for life and the dignity of the human person, as well as the preferential option for the poor. The text also addresses the question of the war in Afghanistan and the debate on the environment. The four Bishops who signed the document call on the political parties to “engage in a peace process for Afghanistan” and to ensure that “future generations … can have a healthy environment.” The Social Affairs Commission admits that “choices can be tough” for Catholics when a political candidate or a political party holds “values that are not fully in line with Church teaching.” Citing the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the CCCB Social Affairs Commission points out that “a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.”
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has also issued an election kit. The EFC says that “Canada needs strengthened families and secure marriages. Canada needs to protect its most vulnerable: children, the poor, the unborn and the disabled.” The EFC‘s kit is not entirely focussed on personal and family ethics. It also affirms that “Canada needs to share its blessings with the world, especially meeting commitments made to foreign relief and development work.” The EFC kit includes position papers on various issues, and is expected to be updated with further statements as the campaign proceeds.
The United Church of Canada also regularly issues public statements during federal elections. The United Church website says that their new 2008 Federal Election Kit “takes a non-partisan approach. It lifts up justice concerns that need voice to get on the election agenda and into public awareness. As well as offering a brief background and sample questions on issues important to the United Church, the kit offers tips for asking questions at all candidates meetings and advice on how to use the media effectively.” There are a variety issues that the United Church highlights, however it brings a special focus to Aboriginal issues.
The Mennonite Central Committee serves both Canadian and American churches, both of which are in the midst of elections. However the issues and concerns are different, and an election primer is offered by MCC-Canada for Canadian Anabaptists. The MCC is not a church, and thus does not speak on behalf of its member churches. It therefore frames its election reflection in the form of “questions for Anabaptist Christians to consider during the 2008 federal election campaign.”
There are two other resources of interest. The Citizens for Public Justice is an independent social justice research and advocacy group. The CPJ has issued election guides during many of the past elections. The CPJ 2008 election guide addresses a number of issues of concern in the current campaign: poverty, immigration, tax policy, and the environment. These are issues that CPJ has addressed for many years, and thus their guide draws on additional resources available through their website. The CPJ invites Canadian voters to consider their electoral choices through the lens of public justice.
The Religious Social Action Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador has created a new website to encourage candidates to establish a government priority to end poverty in Canada. The coalition is “a nonpartisan group from a broad array of religions — Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and others — united in our religious commitment to call on society to abolish poverty at home and abroad. … It is the goal of our coalition to call upon all candidates for Parliament to pledge to move our society toward greater economic fairness. … To finally fulfill the promise that Parliament made to abolish poverty among Canadian children, even though they have missed their own deadline by seven years. To make sure that working families can find affordable housing. And to fulfill Parliament’s Kelowna pledge to Canada’s Aboriginals. … It is our goal to get citizens talking about poverty — and to make Ending Poverty a voting issue.”
The coalition has established an admirably low-tech website entitled Candidates Against Poverty which lists all the candidates who have taken a simple pledge to make poverty a governmental priority. At this point, the number of candidates who have responded is quite small. Voters can explore the website to see whether their candidates have made the pledge. Voters can also challenge their candidates to make this pledge and have it recorded on the website. … Read more »… À suivre »
Across Canada, the theme for Restorative Justice Week 2008 is “Fostering a Restorative Worldview”. In Saskatoon, the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism is hosting a symposium entitled “A Multifaith Reflection on Restorative Justice … an evening of shared perspectives”. The symposium will be held Wednesday, November 19th at Knox United Church (Spadina Crescent & 24th Street) from 6 to 9:30 pm.
A meatless supper wil be shared at 6 pm, with a panel of speakers at 7 pm: Claire Ewert Fisher (Christian), Cantor Neil Schwartz (Jewish), a representative from the Islamic Association of Saskatoon, and Harvey Thunderchild (Traditional Aboriginal).
Registration: $15 before November 12th, or $18 after November 12th, $8 under-waged. Students free if registered in advance, or $8 at door. Doors open for registration at 5:15 pm. Register by cheque, payable and sent to: Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, 600 – 45th Street West, Saskatoon, SK S7L 5W9. It is necessary to know in advance if registrants plan to attend the supper. For more information call 306-653-1633. … Read more »… À suivre »
Canadian Government cuts funding for KAIROS overseas work
CIDA cuts to KAIROS will devastate human rights work overseas
(Toronto) The Canadian government’s decision to cut funding to KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives will have a devastating impact on KAIROS‘ overseas partners and the thousands of marginalized people in local communities they support, KAIROS announced today. … Read more »… À suivre »
An international grouping of churches and Christian organizations says that if one sixth of the world’s population is hungry when there is sufficient food to feed the world, then action to address the problem’s root causes is needed.
The Geneva-based Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, which campaigns for food justice, said in a statement on September 14 that new figures on world hunger highlight that the food crisis is still acute for one-sixth of the world’s population.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme had on the same day announced that 925 million people are estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger in 2010, down from the 1.023 billion estimated in 2009. … Read more »… À suivre »
Read the 2015 joint statement of the Evangelical-Roman Catholic dialogue in Saskatoon, Called to Common Witness
The Twentieth Century
Permanent link: https://ecumenism.net/?p=77
An international grouping of churches and Christian organizations says that if one sixth of the world’s population is hungry when there is sufficient food to feed the world, then action to address the problem’s root causes is needed.