BBC
At least 3,000 barrels of crude oil have been spilled in an Amazonian region after leaks from Peru’s main oil pipeline, the state oil company said.
The oil has polluted two rivers that at least eight indigenous communities rely on for water, the government and indigenous leaders said.
Petroperu has promised a full clean-up and is also providing food and water. Continue reading Peru oil spill pollutes Amazon rivers used by indigenous group
In a Greek village at the heart of the refugee crisis, Father Schuff calls on priests and monasteries to do more.
Matthew Vickery, Kelly Lynn Lunde
Boats of refugees have been coming to Skala Sikamineas, a village on the coast of Lesbos that was originally founded by those fleeing the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish war, for almost two decades.
The secluded village of fewer than 200 people is a gateway to Europe that has brought joy, but also grief as death blights the waters around this Greek island.
The fishermen and other residents of the village have been saving their passengers for that long too. But these days the numbers are hard to cope with. A few years ago a boat arrived every week, carrying mostly refugees from Afghanistan. Now 40 boats packed with Iraqis, Syrians, Somalis, Afghans and other nationalities can come in a single day. Continue reading ‘We have the same God’: A priest helps Syrian refugees
NICARAGUA – Fr. Fernando Cardenal, S.J., died earlier today, February 20, 2016 at the age of 82. Cardenal had entered a Managua hospital intensive care unit on February 9th.
Fr. Cardenal, born in 1934 in Granada, Nicaragua, led of life of advocacy and active commitment to the poor that emulated the Jesuit approach to injustice throughout the Americas since the Second Vatican Council. Continue reading Social Justice Advocate Fr. Fernando Cardenal, S.J., Dies at Age 82
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, saying the commandment “You shall not kill” was absolute and equally valid for the guilty as for the innocent.
Using some of his strongest words ever against capital punishment, he also called on Catholic politicians worldwide to make “a courageous and exemplary gesture” by seeking a moratorium on executions during the Church’s current Holy Year, which ends in November. Continue reading Pope Francis: Abolish the death penalty worldwide
by CIMI – Portuguese
Indigenous organizations and those linked to the cause have expressed their outrage over Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s veto of Bill (PL) 5.954-C/2013, authored by Senator Cristovam Buarque, which seeks to ensure that indigenous communities can utilize their native languages in basic education, in professional education and in higher education, as well as their own processes of learning and assessment that respect their distinct cultures. Continue reading Brazil’s Rousseff vetoes indigenous education project
Matthew Fox
Today, February 12, is the anniversary of the assassination, martyrdom and resurrection of Sister Dorothy Stang, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, who was murdered in the Amazon for standing with the peasants against landowners, multi-nationals and others determined to destroy peasants, indigenous peoples and others living in and defending the rain forest. Sister Dorothy (“Dot”) was a student of mine in my master’s program in creation spirituality. Born to a farm family in Ohio, with nine siblings, she is becoming known around the world as a peaceful warrior on behalf of Mother Earth. Her life and teachings and commitment make her a contemporary patron saint of Eco-warriors.
Last night, on the eve of her anniversary, I received a letter from her brother David Stang. He wrote of their final phone conversation, the night before she died: Continue reading Honoring the Legacy of Sister Dorothy Stang, Martyr and Eco-Warrior
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation 