Sustainable peace: Ending torture
On June 22-23, members of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns attended the 19th Annual June Torture Survivors Week conference and advocacy day in Washington, D.C., organized by Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC).
Venezuela: Calling all to the table
Returned Maryknoll Lay Mission Lisa Sullivan, who has lived in Venezuela for more than 30 years, writes about the current economic crisis.
Panama: Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam
The indigenous Ngäbe people resist construction of a dam on their land in Panama.
Honduras: Berta Cáceres on military “hit list”
The following is an update on the investigation into the murder of Berta Cáceres in Honduras on March 3.
Immigration: Supreme Court deadlocked
The following article was written by Alfonso Buzzo, Peace Fellow with the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
Syria: A memoir of a mission of peace
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns intern Maggie Heidepriem contributed to the following review of Never Can I Write of Damascus: When Syria Became Our Home, a memoir by Theresa Kubasak and Gabe Huck about their seven- year mission of peaceful presence among the Syrians, Iraqi and Palestinian refugees in Damascus, newly published by Just World Books.
Cambodia: Human rights abuses
The government of Cambodia is currently implementing one of the worst crackdowns against the opposition political party and human rights organizations in recent years.
Africa: GMOs no solution to hunger
Africa Faith & Justice Network (AFJN), Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN), Caritas Nigeria, and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) issued the following joint statement.
Trafficking: End Modern Slavery Initiative
The following article describes the End Modern Slavery Initiative, an amendment currently attached to the Senate version of the National Defense Authorizations Act.
Global migration crisis: From bad to Brexit
The following article examines the passage of the referendum in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, commonly known as “Brexit.”
Nuclear disarmament: Lessons from Hiroshima
August 6 marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Despite President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May, where he called for a “world without nuclear weapons,” nuclear weapon spending by the U.S. is at an all-time high. In May, Pax Christi International Washington Working Group (which includes the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns) hosted a webinar entitled “Nuclear abolition and why we as U.S. Catholics should work for it at this time.” The following is an excerpt from the opening talk by Joan Chittister, O.S.B.
Peacemaking: Influence of religion
Researchers from the University of Arkansas invite people working as peacemakers around the world to take part in a survey entitled “Successful peacemaking: Effective tactics, peacemaker motivations, and the influence of religion in conflict resolution.” The following is a summary of the key findings thus far.