Fonte: SSpS BRN

“La obediencia a la voz de la tierra, del ser, es para nuestra felicidad futura más importante que las voces y los deseos del momento. …el ser mismo, nuestra tierra, nos habla y nosotros debemos escuchar si queremos sobrevivir y descifrar este mensaje de la tierra.”

Papa Benedicto XVI

“La Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Desarrollo Sostenible en Río de Janeiro [es] una oportunidad única para situar al mundo sobre un camino de desarrollo más equitativo y sostenible.”

Ban Ki-moon, Secretario General de la ONU

Líderes del mundo y altos funcionarios gubernamentales se reunirán en Río de Janeiro, Brasil, del 20 al 22 de junio de 2012 para la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Desarrollo Sostenible – conocida comúnmente como Río+20. Veinte años después de la Cumbre de la Tierra de 1992, una vez más el mundo se reunirá para hacer un balance de dónde hemos estado y forjar acuerdos sobre qué más se necesita hacer para sustentar toda vida en la Tierra. Como individuos, como instituciones y como pueblos, necesitamos un cambio de actitud para preservar y proteger el planeta para las generaciones presente y futuras.

Es en este espíritu que ofrecemos esta oración en preparación y acompañamiento de la Cumbre de Río+20. Está inspirada y adaptada, en parte, de la Propuesta de Declaración Universal de los Derechos de la Madre Tierra (especialmente su Preámbulo y el Artículo 1.1 y 1.2). Con el propósito de ayudarnos a ir más allá de nuestro habitual uso de la naturaleza para el desarrollo, el gobierno de Bolivia patrocinó la Conferencia Mundial de los Pueblos sobre el Cambio Climático y los Derechos de la Madre Tierra en Cochabamba para miles de ONGs en 2010, donde los pueblos indígenas insistieron en el lenguaje de la Madre Tierra y en la comprensión de que somos socios –no dominadores- de la tierra que necesitamos para la vida.

Oración para la Madre Tierra como un ser vivo

Oh Creador y sustentador de toda vida, todos nosotros somos parte de la Madre Tierra, una comunidad indivisible y vital de seres interrelacionados e interdependientes con un destino común;

Respuesta: Ayúdanos a recordar que la Madre Tierra es un ser vivo.

Oh Creador y sustentador de toda vida, la Madre Tierra es fuente de vida, alimento y enseñanza, y provee todo lo que necesitamos para vivir bien;

Respuesta: Ayúdanos a recordar que la Madre Tierra es un ser vivo.

Oh Creador y sustentador de toda vida, la explotación, el abuso y la contaminación por los humanos han causado gran destrucción, deterioro y alteración de la Madre Tierra, poniendo en riesgo la vida como hoy la conocemos;

Respuesta: Ayúdanos a recordar que la Madre Tierra es un ser vivo.

Oh Creador y sustentador de toda vida, en una comunidad de vida interdependiente no es posible reconocer derechos solamente a los seres humanos sin provocar un desequilibrio en la Madre Tierra;

Respuesta: Ayúdanos a recordar que la Madre Tierra es un ser vivo.

Oh Creador y sustentador de toda vida, la capacidad de regeneración de nuestro planeta es finita y nosotros los humanos debemos reexaminar nuestros modelos de consumo y producción para salvaguardar la vida en la Madre Tierra para las generaciones futuras;

Respuesta: Ayúdanos a recordar que la Madre Tierra es un ser vivo.

Oh Creador y sustentador de toda vida, para garantizar los derechos humanos es necesario reconocer y defender los derechos de la Madre Tierra y todos los seres creados

Respuesta: Ayúdanos a recordar que la Madre Tierra es un ser vivo.

Oh Creador y sustentador de toda vida, hay urgencia de tomar acciones colectivas decisivas para transformar las estructuras y sistemas que constituyen amenazas de toda clase para la Madre Tierra;

Flags at the United Nations

There is a Chinese Proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Today we might well ask: “Why are the fish not as plentiful as before?” or “Who controls fishing rights?” or even “Why are the fish dying?” We are confronted by the immediate needs of people who are hungry or marginalized. But in our globalized world we also need to address the root causes at the level of politics and unjust social structures.

Many problems facing the world in the last century have become increasingly difficult to solve within a nation itself. International treaties and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, created to address these difficulties, are often perceived as being too centered on the interests of capitalist enterprises. Non Government Organizations (NGOs) have developed to counterbalance this trend and to highlight humanitarian issues, developmental aid and sustainable development when governments and international monitoring bodies such as the UN have been unable or unwilling to do so.

VIVAT was established as an NGO in the year 2000 by the Divine Word Missionaries and the Missionary Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit.  In his letter to the SVD and SSpS, Antonio Pernia,SVD said “We anticipate that this will give us the opportunity to witness at what Pope John Paul II has called ‘the new Areopagus’. … We believe that the humanitarian goals of the United Nations are very consistent with our own goals and that collaboration with the United Nations can be an important way of working for the kingdom.  It can also bring us into contact and allow us to collaborate with a large number of NGOs working for similar goals. … We have long-term presence with the poor and the marginalized in many parts of the world, a high level of education and an effective international network. Therefore we have the resources to bring the voice of the poor and marginalized to the decision-making levels of world bodies. To achieve this is the goal of VIVAT International.”

VIVAT is taken from the prayer “Vivat Deus unus et trinus…” which is common to both congregations.  “VIVAT” means “Let live.”  It can be “let the people live,” “let peace live,” “let justice live,” as well as “may God live among us and in our hearts.” The VIVAT logo depicts three persons embracing, welcoming and supporting one another while at the same time looking beyond their own circle to the larger outer world that is longing for unity and communion. The three olive shoots springing from the second letter of VIVAT stand for the hope and the transformation that VIVAT International envisages for the world.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to spend four weeks with the VIVAT executive team in New York.  Felix Jones SVD and Zelia Cordeiro SSpS welcomed me, organized a security pass for the UN complex and arranged that I could attend sessions of the Economic and Social Council and a number of other sessions and gatherings.  Prior to my coming I had thought of the UN mostly in terms of the General Assembly and the Security Council.  So it was an eye-opener for me to learn about so many other bodies within the UN framework, and particularly the way NGO’s such as VIVAT participate in this international forum as advocates for issues that affect people in developing countries. The reality of poverty and inequities, as perceived from communities and grassroots, is different from top-down views.

Felix Jones,Svd and Zelia Cordeiro,SSpS with intern in the VIVAT Office, NY

The executive team has a small office on the seventh floor of a tall building in Manhattan, New York; about ten minutes walk from the main UN compound. The office serves as a base for a variety of activities. A typical day might start with a short team briefing, attending to urgent correspondence, then a meeting with members of other NGOs concerned with one of the four principal concerns of VIVAT: respecting human rights, eradicating poverty, gender justice, and environmental issues.  Afterwards there are reports and the newsletter to prepare.  When UN Commissions are in session, such as the Commission for Social Development or the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Sustainable Development, or the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, there are many events to prepare for and attend.

Felix Jones resides in a parish close to the UN. Zelia  Cordeiro commutes from her community to Manhattan by bus and metro.  Whether in the office or out on different engagements they operate as a team.  I asked how they understand teamwork. One said that teamwork means making an effort to put the other person’s ideas into practice knowing that the other does their best to put your ideas into practice. Another said that teamwork is about pursuing a common goal in a positive way. With a common goal it doesn’t matter so much who does it, but that it is done.  So it is important to give the other the space and freedom to do their best.  It was an educational experience for me to witness those ideals being put into practice.

Zelia and Felix are involved in networking with groups and organisations at various levels. On the local level I witnessed how Zelia arranged for translators during a Civil Society Forum at the UN on Eradication of Poverty. She had contacted a number of language schools and received applications from thirteen young language teachers who were prepared to volunteer their time for the demanding task of simultaneous translation into English, Spanish and French.  At the end of the day they had done a fine job of communicating ideas in different languages, but also had themselves learned more about the situation of people in developing countries.

Participants in VIVAT workshop, Quito, October 2010

Workshops are another form of networking.  So far there have been VIVAT workshops in Italy, Brazil, Bolivia, Kenya, USA, and Ecuador. Workshops provide insight into the inner workings of the United Nations and its relation to VIVAT, and also allow members the opportunity to share and network with Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) coordinators, as well as with each other.  Workshops also help establish national VIVAT branches bringing new members into the ministry of advocacy and networking at the local level.

Networking with the grassroots means becoming involved in advocacy for people such as the Quilombo people in Brazil who are being forced off their land because of dam construction. Quilombos are Afro-Brazilian rural communities – descendents of runaway slaves. Having escaped from slavery, their ancestors formed independent settlements. The Quilombo population has been historically oppressed and marginalized, and proposed dam construction that would generate electricity for a company that produces and exports aluminium, will only further complicate life for them. Already over 230 families have been evicted from their land without any compensation due to the proposed dam construction. The displacement of these communities presents violations of human rights, as people’s lives are completely disrupted. Current VIVAT is taking up this issue with committees at the UN.

There are many other issues, for example, the East Flores Provincial Chapter of the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit have raised the issue of water pollution and destruction of land due to mining in Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. The environmental pollution affects people’s health, and the land destruction reduces people’s capacity for a sustainable livelihood. The sisters are proposing alternatives such as tourism and new forms of agriculture and fisheries.  Many other issues, some associated with the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations, or alternatives to military spending, come to the New York office through the VIVAT network, and the Executive Team and other members in New York try to raise these issues in appropriate forums at the UN.  It is a fascinating but difficult task.

Philip at UN, New York

Accompanying Zelia and Felix I noticed how they would attend meetings extending over several days, listening to the presentations from the representatives of different countries, and then take the time to wait for an opportunity to present a VIVAT perspective on the issue under discussion; or they would go and speak personally with government and UN representatives. They helped arrange for me to visit and talk with the UN Human Rights Advisor, and there was also a chance to interact with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and many NGO groups.

VIVAT is not the executive team based in New York.  All SVD priests and brothers, and SSpS sisters, are part of VIVAT by virtue of membership in the founding Congregations. VIVAT is growing too as members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (CSSp) and Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC) are now full members of VIVAT, and Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ), Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary (MSHR), Comboni Missionary Sisters (CMS), Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit (Cssp) and Little Sisters of the Assumption (LSA) have become associate members. The executive team is now networking with 30,000 full and associate members in 130 countries of the world. Letters, emails and the quarterly newsletter are important means of communication. Members in the field can provide grassroots documentation and feedback to the executive team or to the recently established VIVAT office in Geneva. I had conversations about human rights via Skype on several occasions with Edward Flynn, CSSp the VIVAT representative in Geneva.

VIVAT is a special ministry and a prime opportunity for prophetic dialogue today. Like most areas of dialogue, immediate results are not readily apparent and it might take a number of years for benefits to appear. Perhaps what I learned most at VIVAT is the importance of faith, patience and bold humility.

By Philip Gibbs,SVD

Working Group on Mining and Mario Sepulveda

VIVAT International had the opportunity, alongside the Working Group on Mining, to meet with Mario Sepulveda.  He was one of the Chilean miners who endured the 69-day ordeal of being trapped underground. Beyond his joking nature, Mario surfaced from the mine as one of the leaders of the group who helped carry the 33 miners to survival through his humor and strong spirituality.

As we listened to Mario, he reflected significantly on the meaning of getting a second chance at life and feeling called to a clear commitment in the face of that, something he is currently expressing through his “Miners Miracle” funding work to rebuild houses for the Chilean earthquake victims.  He described how through his spiritual faith, it gave him the strength to survive the ordeal. He made a promise to God that when he was out of the mine, he would stay by his side to continue to serve him.  He related his experience with God in the mine by saying, “I was with God and with the devil.  They fought for me, and God won.”

The rescue of the 33 miners was a blessing and victory for miners everywhere, as many similar situations don’t have such a happy ending.  Miners from around the world should not have to worry about returning home after a day’s work due to the lack of safety protection in the mines.  Often, in the blind pursuit of profit, safety becomes a corner that is cut, and it is demonstrated over and over again with tragedies like what happened to Mario Sepulveda and his 32 fellow workers.

When we asked Mario about his views and plans for the reformation of the mining industry in regards to safety, he spoke out about whom to hold accountable. He looked toward the government and companies who have the responsibility of the implementation of laws that serve to protect the miners and the standards within their work.  Beyond the level of policy, an important role is the supervisors in the field.  They are the ones responsible for maintenance of the workspace to remain up to standard with regulations and laws of safety.  Since at the top level of the corporations focus is money, the supervisors need to be proactive in the implementation and remain adamant about the safety procedures necessary.

Through our meeting with Mario, we were able to understand the raw emotion and struggle of what a trapped miner went through and it further emphasizes the necessity of the rights that miners should have and the safety that needs to be implemented in the field of work.

WSF Space for Network and Social Mobilization

El Foro Social Mundial (FSM) en Dakar, celebrado en febrero, fue el tercer FSM y el Segundo Foro Mundial sobre Teología y Liberación (FMTL).

Estaba preocupado en Belem y Nairobi, pero inexplicablemente Dakar me cautivaba positivamente como si fuese el afecto personal del sol africano.

La clave para comprender todo el evento ocurrió inesperadamente. Mi mente cambió cuando el cambio en mi mente fue a través de una palabra que hoy aparece en un audiovisual, como una chispa de fuego salida del contacto de dos palos que usan en el grupo nómade khoisan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp PNgJu2GRY]. Esta palabra es mou- vance, (lo que hace la influencia) una palabra francesa usada por un teólogo canadiense. El significado es que el FSM reveló una profunda ola de marea, apenas ondulando la superficie del mar hasta que esto venga al agua baja. Es percibido, pero no visualizado, tampoco puede ser analizado, y aún esto existe. Es fuerte; crece; esto cambia aún el curso de pescado en las profundidades, y cuando esto viene a la superficie esto barre todo en su camino. Dakar WSF parece ser un mouvance.

! Nos encontramos en un momento limi- nal de historia cultural, un espacio y el tiempo en el cual el pasthas ya sido disuelto pero el futuro no ha tomado la forma aún, aun cuando algunas de sus características puedan ser intuidas. Este mouvance es muy significativo para la vida política y económica de so- ciedad, y también paraelWSFYEL WFTL. ! Ante todo, el WSF YELWFTLen Dakar manifesta- ron un cambio importante en la orientación. Aún cuando el WSF ocurre poco de- spués el Foro Mundial Económico, el diálogo o el contraste son más entre un acontecimiento económico de gobiernos poderosos y una celebración social de las bases.

! Seguramente en la economía WSF son importantes y algunos aspectos de globalización son criticados, pero el foco está sobre una interpretación de asuntos corrientes globales políticos, sociales, económicos y culturales. La futura contraparte del WSF es !el ” Sistema de las Naciones Unidas” que fue fundado para ser ” una Familia de Pueblos ” pero en su lugar se ha convertido en un sombrío ” Club de Gobiernos”. Hoy el WSF es un espacio abierto, único, libre y democrático para la sociedad civil.

! Es un espacio abierto que, pese al estatus de FSM forjará las organizaciones intermediadoras entre el pueblo y los gobiernos, entre estados y naciones. Y allí será indicado los planes diarios y operativos para modelar un mundo diferente. ! Es notable que el FMTL experimentó el mismo cambio. El tema del FMTL no fue más la Teología de Liberación, sino la Teología y la Liberación. El movimiento dialéctico no se encuentra en la lucha contra las estructuras de mal que dominan la sociedad y la economía, pero en el contexto universal que toma la forma en cualquier parte donde usted encuentre grupos humanos e iglesias.

En India, el encuentro entre el sufrimiento y la compasión habla de “Dios” y da nacimiento a la teología de los Dalit. En África, la dimensión de vida visceral religiosa se enfrenta con la violencia de armas y violación como herramientas de guerra, mientras la teología que quiere la libertad de las personas habla de reconciliación. En Dakar, los teólogos mostraron muchos ejemplos de este nuevo camino y los panelistas del FSM propusieron abundantes iniciativas creativas, tales como un pasaporte mundial para abolir murallas de frontera y reconocer las personas como ciudadanos del mundo, una reunión de las dos diásporas africanas creadas por la esclavitud y la migración con las naciones africanas para vencer la dicotomía entre Africanos y descendientes Afro y la búsqueda para una nueva lengua, nuevas categorías y las nuevas acciones que son inclusivas. !Y así, mi irreconciliable diferencias con el FSM e incluso con el WFTL se reconcilió en Dakar. Los diferentes grupos reunidos en Nairobi y Belem me recordaron la historia de un monje que abandonó su comunidad para encontrar su propio grupo. Su ex abad fue a visitar este monje y lo encontró en la cima del monte hablando solo. Cuando le pregunto ¿por qué estás haciendo esto?, el monje respondió: “es mejor escuchar a alguien que piensa como yo”.

! Para mí, en Dakar, una verdadera mouvance ocurrió, surgida de las profundas entrañas de las personas y de la tierra. Allí, pueden comenzar a buscar, y aún encontrar el camino hacia la unidad y una teología global comenzando con la experiencia concreta de la gente dif- erente y avanzar en lo que habla “Dios”. El FSM y el WFTL habla “Dios”.

By John Paul Pezzi, MCCJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQbUPjprwJY&feature=player_detailpage

"Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice; and let the oppressed go free." Isaiah 58:6

College of the Holy Spirit of Manila has been an advocate of Human Rights for many decades now and this annual observance of the International Human Rights Day is a concrete manifestation of such commitment.  This year’s theme, “Speak Up – Stop Discrimination” centered on non- discrimination as “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity,” as stated in the UDHR. The Community Involvement and Human Rights Month is celebrated every December to reaffirm the school’s commitment to human rights and justice.

An exhibit on the present human rights situation was mounted from December 9-11 to raise the CHSians’ social awareness, and impel them to action. On December 10 at 4:00 pm during the global observance of the Human Rights Day, CHSians gathered for an afternoon of reflection and prayer. There were testimonies on the people’s continuing struggle for human rights given by Dr. Edita Burgos, Chairperson of Desaparecidos and mother of Jonas Burgos, one of the victims of enforced disappearance, Mrs. Ofel Balleta, mother of Jane, one of the “Morong 43” and Mr. Alwyn Alburo, Vice Chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and Senior Desk Editor of GMA News and Public Affairs.  It was followed by a Eucharistic celebration with Rev. Fr. Joey Evangelista, MJ as the Presider. Inspired by the gospel of Luke, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord!,” his homily centered on the present human rights situation in the Philippines and the call for Christians to be the prophets of today—ordinary vigilant people who courageously respond to the cries of the world for compassion, justice and freedom.

As a closing rite, a candle lighting ceremony was done to pay tribute to the martyrs and human rights defenders who selflessly offered their lives for the cause of justice and human rights. The participants left with a hopeful prayer that the Lord of Advent will lead them through until the oppression and exploitation of the struggling masses and God’s Anawim will be put to an end.