NewsNotes

Vol. 44, No. 4

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Synod for the Amazon: What to expect – The Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region is scheduled to take place in Rome from October 6-27 on the theme, “Amazonia: new paths for the Church and for an integral ecology.”  

Brazil: Bolsonaro challenges the Catholic Church – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s opposition to the Catholic Church is coming to a head over the Amazon. 

United Nations: Forests and climate change – The global community gathered at the United Nations in New York in May to take action on behalf of the world’s forests. 

United Nations: Concerns over nominee for U.S. Ambassador – At a Senate Foreign Relations hearing on June 19, Kelly Knight Craft, the current U.S. Ambassador to Canada, and nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, was questioned about her hundreds of absences and conflicts of interest related to extensive investments in coal and other fossil fuel industries in light of the UN’s priority focus on combating climate change. 

Iran: Letter to Congress to stop march to war – Escalating tensions between Iran and the United States have raised the prospect of a military conflict. The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns and 61 organizations sent the following letter to Congress on May 21, 2019

Israel-Palestine: New economic peace plan – Palestinians deride new U.S.-led peace plan as an “economy first” approach doomed to fail.

Sudan: Nonviolent protesters need support – June 3 is the Feast of the Ugandan Martyrs, commemorating the execution of 45 young men for their faith in 1886. A similar massacre has again occurred on this day, this time in Sudan. 

Philippines: Rural Missionaries face 'red-tagging' – The impunity of human rights violators in the Philippines continues to worsen as killings of, and trumped-up charges filed against, dissenting social movement leaders and religious groups add to the already bloody campaign of the government against drugs.

Guatemala: Maryknoll Affiliate targeted – Maryknoll Affiliate Claudia Samayoa and fellow Guatemalan Jose Martinez face false accusations of criminal behavior by the president of Guatemala's Supreme Court for speaking out against corruption and impunity.

Honduras: Stop the violence, denounce the abuse – June 28 marked the tenth anniversary of the U.S.-backed coup that ousted democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya and unleashed a decade of violence in Honduras. The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns and 13 organizations released the following statement to the governments of the United States and Honduras on June 27.    

Resources – Find links to bulletins on the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, a discussion guide for the book "Choosing Peace," a video on the latest figures on displaced peoples from the UN Refugee Agency, and much more.