DECEMBER 2013

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Dear Friars and Friends,

Photo: Franciscan Justice and Peace leaders lobby Speaker Boehner while in Ohio I am a member of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the OFM English Speaking Conference. We are meeting in Cincinnati, so we delivered a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner's local office which included "IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE, WE REQUEST YOU USE ALL THE TOOLS OF YOUR OFFICE TO PASS IMMIGRATION REFORM ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BY THE END OF 2013." This is a photo taken outside the office door after we all piled into the lobby to present the letter (it was 40-degrees!). .......peace......Mark

As you can see by this photo, while in Cincinnati, the JPIC Animators delivered a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner's local office which included "In the name of justice, we request you use all the tools of your office to pass immigration reform on the floor of the House of Representatives by the end of 2013."....We didn't get our request fulfilled. Yet.... (Gino Correa OFM took the picture; that's one of the jobs of the Provincial Liaison)

The English Speaking Conference JPIC Commission met in Cincinnati, in early November. Here are a few action plans we are working on together:

Formation

Discern a coordinated ESC JPIC program at all levels of formation.
Work with our Secretaries of Formation to promote a JPIC themed mission experience.
Finish video presentation of Tom Nairn OFM on economics.

Action

Two pressing issues to work on in common:

Immigration-Migration
Environmental Justice

Communication

Develop communications network (with Communications Directors)
Develop process for public statements and letters

Area Four

Continue strategizing with Franciscan Action Network (FAN)
Promote Franciscan Earth Corps
Support the work of Franciscans International (FI)

Beginning the first week of January, I will be posting on Facebook weekly excerpts from Pope Francis's November document titled EVANGELII GAUDIUM (The Joy of the Gospel). I will link it to the Sunday scripture readings. The posts will have the same title each week: "Just a Word."

If you would like to receive a copy of this in a parish bulletin format every Monday, please email your information to franciscansforjustice@gmail.com

Please check out the noteworthy issues presented in the boxes below.

..........peace..........Mark

Check out Franciscans for Justice on Facebook

Congress Budget Deal is No Deal

As some media has suggested, Congress has finally agreed to a budget deal before the end of the year. Unfortunately, in my eyes, this is a "big deal" because cuts remain for the poor, and tax exemptions remain for the rich.

Here is an article that might help you decide just what kind of compromise is happening in D.C.

Immigration Reform

There is a glimmer of hope that an immigration bill could clear the House of Representatives next spring. Immigration reform legislation, which cleared the Senate earlier this year, has stalled in the House because of Republican resistance. Supporters see three potentially encouraging new signs:

1. House Speaker John Boehner's willingness to criticize his party's right-wing base last week on the budget measure raises the possibility he could do likewise on immigration.

2. The Speaker also recently hired Rebecca Tallent, a top policy adviser who previously worked for Arizona Senator John McCain, a staunch advocate of immigration reform.

3. Representative Paul Ryan, having settled the budget issue for the foreseeable future, will be freed up to focus on immigration. The Wisconsin Republican has been working on a compromise that would provide legalization and the possibility of citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Visit the Interfaith Immigration Coalition website or Justice for Immigrants for more information!

Pope Called for Prayer on December 10

Pope Francis issued a video message in support of the Dec. 10 "wave of prayer"

to end global hunger.

Pope Francis' message for One Human Family, Food for All

School of the Americas

"Celebremos la Resistencia!" The vigil was held on November 22-24, 2013 at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua have all pulled out of the SOA.

For more information, visit the School of the Americas Watch website.

Groups who support Solidarity for Indigenous Peoples ask Pope Francis to Rescind Papal Bulls from 15th Century

Franciscans for Justice has joined with other Catholic groups requesting Pope Francis to issue a formal rescission of the 15th century papal bulls that provide the basis for the "Doctrine of Discovery."

The Dum Diversis Bull of 1452 granted the pope's blessing "to capture, vanquish and subdue the Saracens, pagans and other enemies of Christ and put them into perpetual slavery and to take all their possessions and their property," and the Inter Caetera Bull of 1493 granted authority to Spain and Portugal to "take all lands and possessions" so long as no other Christian ruler had previously claimed them. We are also asking Pope Francis to create a new papal bull that promotes ethical norms in harmony with Gospel values.

The Catholic groups making this request join with other denominations that have made similar announcements, including the World Council of Churches, the Episcopal House of Bishops, the Philadelphia, New York and Canadian Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends and the Boulder Friends Meeting (Quakers), the United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalists and many others. Passionists International generated a letter to Francis signed by Pax Christi International and the Religious at the United Nations.

To read the letter Bro. Mark wrote to Francis: visit our website.

For more information, click here!

null Climate Change

It may not have felt like it in the United States, but the world saw its warmest November on record last month, according to new data released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

November continued an unbroken string of 345 months of temperatures above the 20th-century average.

Franciscan Action Network is engaged in a long-term effort of grassroots organizing to create political awareness on climate change.

Visit Franciscan Action Network for more information.

Sr. Simone of NETWORK

Sr. Simone Campbell spoke at St. Francis Church in Sacramento on Oct. 30th

(send us news of your ministry's highlight for JPIC)

JPIC Resources

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