Joseph Farah, President of Caritas MONA

While we are celebrating the birth of the holy child, Palestinian children are dying in Gaza.
Our faith in Jesus Christ, God of peace and love, requires us to be in solidarity with the persecuted and deprived children; they are enduring hunger, sickness and even death because of the war imposed on them during this holy time of the year. We are all invited to endeavor in the spirit of the Gospel commandment of charity, each one according to his capacity, to guarantee for them a secured and peaceful life.

Caritas Mona calls upon the international conscience to incarnate its faith in God through working in order to stop the war against civilians, poor people and children. We call upon them to solve conflicts through human means in the spirit of God so to reach a just peace.

In French

En ce temps où nous célébrons la naissance du divin enfant, les enfants de Gaza meurent.

La foi en Jésus- Christ, Dieu de la paix et de l’amour, nous impose d’être en solidarité avec les enfants de Gaza qui sont privés et persécutés ; ils souffrent la faim, la maladie et la mort sous la guerre désastreuse qui les frappe en ce divin temps de noël ; nous sommes tous appelés à œuvrer dans l’esprit des commandements de la charité évangélique, chacun selon ses moyens, pour leur garantir une vie de sécurité.

Caritas MONA appelle la conscience internationale à incarner sa foi en Dieu et à travailler en vue d’arrêter les actes contre les civils, les pauvres et les enfants. Elle les appelle à résoudre les différends d’une manière humaine dans l’esprit de Dieu Unique, afin d’aboutir à une paix juste.

A series of photos by Caritas Congo’s Emmanuel Bofoe of survivors from Christmas Day massacres in northern Congo carried out by Ugandan rebels in Faradje City and other locations.

By Caritas Jerusalem staff

One day in Gaza, while people strolled through the markets, children sitting in classes wondering what they will do after the teacher will finish explaining Math and Science, and the other students wondering about the match of football they will have after a long day of sitting in class, the simple basics of life granted to everyone, supposedly; a place where they have heard of freedom but not experienced it.

Since 2006 1.5 million Palestinians have been impenetrably blockaded and deprived of work, deprived of food, deprived of basic freedoms, and deprived of any semblance of a future.

Unaware of what awaits them on a Saturday morning; children, men, women, everyone, began their day not knowing that they will not see their neighbors, mothers, fathers and daughters, teachers and students, employees and colleagues. Then it hits. Sudden constant bombardments by Israel awake people of Gaza to the reality, that these might be the last goodbyes.

Four days and counting have passed and the air strikes by Israel have left 345 Palestinians dead and 1, 650 injured and yet no sign of rest.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dreadful. There is severe shortage of fuel, electricity, water and food. Hospitals are unable to receive the wounded due to lack of medical supplies, tools and beds. According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this escalation of violence is “unacceptable.”

We ask you, friends to raise your voices against the ongoing bombing of Gaza and work to put an end to the injustice, suffering and violence.

Caritas Jerusalem unreservedly condemns violence on either side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a means to achieve political end.

However, the continuing shelling of towns and urban centers in the Gaza Strip perpetrated by the massively superior force of arms of the Israeli Army leaves any moral thinking human being absolutely stunned particularly by the disproportionate response .

The number of fatalities now is over 360 and more than 1650 casualties testify to the ferocity of the onslaught and can in no way be justified , notwithstanding the media blitz by Israel to occupy the moral high ground for its actions. Whether it can sustain that position in the face of the massive destruction of life and property is doubtful.

Caritas has one medical centre in Gaza , six emergency medical points and a mobile clinic. The latter is unable to go out and offer the aid for which it has been established because of the relentless bombardment.

Caritas Jerusalem calls for an immediate cessation of the air strikes and bombardment to be followed by a dialogue to lift the siege of Gaza and call off the embargo. It took 41 years of Israeli occupation of the East Jerusalem, West Bank and the Gaza Strip, before the world acknowledged it for what it is.

Caritas Jerusalem hopes and prays it will not take years for a solution to be agreed between the warring parties for all hostilities to cease and for peace and justice to prevail.

At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Gaza.

English

On the Latin American Seminar at the WSF:
29th December 2009

In preparation for the WSF, staff from Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean will take part in the Seminar ‘Sustainable Development in Solidarity’ to be held on 25-26th January in Belem/PA. Experiences from the impact of the capitalist development model and examples of alternative proposals seeking sustainable development, in solidarity, taking into account environmental, social, political, financial and cultural dimensions will be presented during the Seminar. According to Loiva Oliveira, one of the organisers, the Seminar’s objectives include identifying common issues for Caritas from different countries. “The Seminar will also debate alternatives for another development model based on the organisation’s experiences”, Loiva stated.

WSF - From 27th January to 1st February, Belem will be the centre for world citizenship and reference for challenging inequality, injustice, intolerance and environmental devastation. Hundreds of self-managed activities - such as camping sites, offices, seminars, conferences, testimonials, protest marches, cultural activities, among others - taking place over those days will be spaces for exchange, reflection and drafting proposals for building an alternative world. The World Social Forum will take place at the Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) and the Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA), a green area surrounded by the Guama River and the forest.

Helena Padilha (helenapadilha@yahoo.com.br and comunicação@caritasne2.org.br) is in charge of communications in Brazil.

For information on our activities in the Latin American Region please contact: ademar@caritas.org.br and/or loiva@caritasrs.org.br

Português
Sobre o Seminário Latino-americano no FSM:

Em preparação ao FSM, agentes Cáritas da América Latina e Caribe participam do Seminário Desenvolvimento Solidário Sustentável, que será realizado nos dias 25 e 26 de janeiro, em Belém/PA. Serão apresentadas experiências que evidenciam os impactos do modelo de desenvolvimento capitalista e exemplos de propostas alternativas, que buscam o desenvolvimento sustentável, de maneira solidária, levando em contas as dimensões ambiental, social, política, econômica e cultura. De acordo com Loiva Oliveira, uma das organizadoras do seminário, dentre os objetivos do evento está identificar temáticas que integram as Cáritas de vários países. “O seminário também discutirá alternativas para um outro modelo de desenvolvimento a partir das experiências concretas realizadas pela entidade”, conclui Loiva.

FSM - De 27 de janeiro a 1º de fevereiro, Belém assumirá o posto de centro da cidadania e referência mundial no questionamento à desigualdade, à injustiça, à intolerância, à devastação ambiental e ao preconceito. As centenas de atividades autogestionadas – como acampamentos, oficinas, seminários, conferências, testemunhos, marchas, atividades culturais e artísticas entre outros – que acontecem ao longo desses dias são espaços de intercâmbio, reflexão e elaboração de propostas para a construção de outro mundo possível. O território onde serão desenvolvidas as atividades durante o Fórum Social Mundial é composto pela Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) e pela a Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA), em uma área verde margeada pelo Rio Guamá e pela floresta.
A pessoa de referência para a comunicação no Brasil é Helena Padilha (helenapadilha@yahoo.com.br e comunicação@caritasne2.org.br).
As referências da Cáritas Brasileira para a organização da nossa atividade latino-americana são ademar@caritas.org.br e loiva@caritasrs.org.br

Español
Sobre el Seminario Latino-americano em el FSM:
En preparación Del FSM, agentes Cáritas de América Latina y Caribe participan en el Seminario Desarrollo Solidario Sostenible, que será realizado en los días 25 e 26 de enero, en Belém/PA. Serán presentadas experiencias que evidencian los impactos del modelo de desarrollo capitalista y ejemplos de propuestas alternativas, que buscan el desarrollo sostenible, de manera solidaria, teniendo en cuenta las dimensiones ambiental, social, política, económica y cultural. De acuerdo con Loiva Oliveira, una de las organizadoras del seminario, dentro de los objetivos del evento está identificar temáticas que integran las Cáritas de varios países. “El seminario también discutirá alternativas para otro modelo de desarrollo a partir de las experiencias concretas realizadas por la entidad”, concluyó Loiva.

FSM - Del 27 de enero al 1 de febrero, Belém asumirá el lugar de centro de centro de la ciudadanía y referencia mundial en el cuestionamiento de la desigualdad, la injusticia, la intolerancia y la devastación ambiental. Las centenas de actividades auto-gestionadas – como acampamientos, oficinas, seminarios, conferencias, testimonios, marchas, actividades culturales y artísticas entre otras – que acontecen a lo largo de esos días son espacios de intercambio, reflexión y elaboración de propuestas para la construcción de otro mundo posible. El territorio donde se celebrarán las actividades durante el Fórum Social Mundial es la Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) junto a la Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA), en un área verde rodeada por el Rio Guamá e por la floresta.
Responsable para la comunicación en Brasil es Helena Padilha (helenapadilha@yahoo.com.br y comunicação@caritasne2.org.br).
Para nuestras actividades de La Región América latina contactar: ademar@caritas.org.br y/o loiva@caritasrs.org.br
————————————————————
Atividades de la Rede Cáritas inscritas en el FSM:

Nome completo da organização Pais E-mail Fone/Fax (código internacional - código local - número)
CÁRITAS ARQUIDIOCESANA DE MANAUS
Brasil caritas@arquimanaus.org.br
55.92.3212-9030 / 3212-9031 / 8171-0224
Título da atividade: TRÁFICO DE MULHERES - PREOCUPAÇÃO E DESAFIOS

Título da atividade: CONSTRUINDO A PAZ NA FAMÍLIA (ENFRENTAMENTO À VIOLÊNCIA DOMÉSTICA)

Título da atividade: AÇÃO COM CATADORES /AS DE MATERIAIS RECICLÁVEIS EM MANAUS_(1)

Cáritas Brasileira e Rede Cáritas Internacional
Brasil caritas@caritas.org.br
55 61 3214 5400
Título da atividade: Genero, Etnia, Geração e Raça na Rede Caritas Internacional

Título da atividade: A Cáritas e a construção do conceito de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Solidário

Caritas France
França carrera.hilda@gmail.com
+33680469384
Título da atividade: Proceso de paz de Colombia y la estabilización de la región andina.

Título da atividade: Criminalización de la protesta : “Todos los derechos para todas y todos”_(2)

Título da atividade: Industrias Extractivas y Derecho al Agua_(2)

Título da atividade: El destino de la Amazonía_(2)

CARITAS ITALIANA
Itália segreteria@caritasitaliana.it; areainternazionale@caritasitaliana.it
00390666177001; 00390666177236
Título da atividade: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CONFLICTS: A CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE

SECOURS CATHOLIQUE - CARITAS FRANCE
França f.idhammou@gmail.com
0033145497567
Título da atividade: Perspectives stratégiques des OSC dans les instantces institutionnelles (transparence, lutte contre la pauvreté)

Título da atividade: Construyendo otra Amazonía : Realidades, desafíos, perspectivas y propuestas

Título da atividade: Opportunités et menaces d’une communication mondialisée pour lutter contre la traite des êtres humains

There is nothing unusual about a Christmas fair in a Church in December. Only this time, there is. It’s in Baghdad. A city in a country both torn apart by sectarian violence.

But this year Caritas Iraq’s volunteers organized such a bazaar. A sign of peace in a troubled land.

The Caritas Charity Market ran from the 5 to 7 December at the Church of St Georgis in Baghdad. The market was aimed at bringing different communities together and to raise money to help families made homeless during the conflict.

Volunteers ran the event, which provided food and clothes to the poor. Entertainment was laid on and children received gifts. The party was inaugurated by bishops and priests and people from Iraq’s different parties.

Everyone felt it was a great success. A bit of normalcy has returned to Iraq.

By Chrisitine Campaeu

On the last day of our trip to Poland, the Caritas Internationalis delegation made a farewell stop to Caritas Poznan. This visit was in order to thank them for all their local support during the launch of our campaign.

A special thanks was given to Adam Powierza. Although he is a new member to Caritas Poznan team, he is one of the only English speakers on staff and was instrumental in arranging everything from the pre-launch debriefing of the campaign, to the mass at Fara Church, and the press conference.

Adam made mention that Caritas Poznan is one of the 41 diocesan organizations of Caritas Poland. He, with help from another Project Manager named Jan Montowski, enlightened us to the monthly projects that Caritas Poznan are currently involved in. These programs include an annual Christmas Candle sale to raise money for single-parent families and an educational center for drug-addicted youths.

Additional works include a hot meal service served daily at five different location centers around Poznan. In addition, they also assist in local food program that distributes surplus agricultural products from polish farmers to needy families. This project receives additional support from the European Union.

We give a special thanks to Father Marian Subocz of Caritas Poland. He was one of the Caritas speakers at the press conference and assisted us during our stay in Poland.

On 12 December 2008, the Human Rights Council marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with a Commemorative session held in Geneva.

The Human Rights Council opened the Commemorative session with children reading out the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration in different languages.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and many high-level dignitaries representing member States of the Human Rights Council addressed the session, offering a platform to present national, regional and international initiatives launched on the occasion of the anniversary.

In his address, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said, “We have come a long way […] but the reality is that we have not lived up to its vision – at least not yet.”

“As we mark this milestone, we must also acknowledge the savage inhumanity that too many people in our world must endure. There is no time to rest.”

In her address to the Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay said, “The recent food emergencies, the degradation of the natural environment, the current financial crisis and the unrest that they engender all underscore that those who are at the frontlines of hardship are also most likely to be the victims of the ripple effects of human rights violations.”

Ms Pillay said an evaluation of the Universal Declaration finds it “as relevant today as it was 60 years ago.”

However she said, “Let us never forget that tens of millions of people around the world are still unaware that they have rights they can demand, and that their governments are accountable to them, and to a wide-ranging body of rights-based national and international law […] it is essential that we keep up the momentum, and thereby enable more and more people to realize their rights.”

Ms Pillay said, “Crucial to the realization of all human rights for all people is the involvement of civil society, including non-governmental organizations and a free press.”

President of the Human Rights Council, Dr. Martin I. Uhomoibhi said, “One of the fundamental challenges we face today is awareness raising, that is how to make sure people, ordinary people, know their rights, so that they can claim them.”

And he underlined “The local level, is where we must concentrate our efforts to make human rights a “living reality”.

Nelson Mandela also sent a special message on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, read out by one of the student of the International School of Geneva.

In his message, Mandela recalled ten years ago, when the Declaration reached 50, “we told the United Nations General Assembly that the challenge posed by the next 50 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights consisted in whether humanity, especially those occupying positions of leadership, would have the courage to build a human world consistent with the articles of the historic Declaration.

“Today this pressing challenge remains more relevant than ever.

“Human rights are in our hands. Our generation, and the men and women who drafted the Declaration 60 years ago, have done our part. Now it is in your hands to ensure that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights becomes a reality to all.”

Finally, since the adoption of the Declaration much had been accomplished: some small steps, major victories. The Declaration has unequivocally shown the way forward, but we must continue to pursue this path without hesitation if we want to ensure that – as expressed by H.E. Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, “Every human being has the right to an integral development ant ‘the sacred right’ to live in peace”.

By Floriana Polito, International Delegate at the UN in Geneva

See what we like on Caritas websites around the world…

10. Caritas India’s plant a tree campaign:

9. CRS(A Caritas US member) film: Hope, faith and treatment. HIV, AIDS and the Catholic Church:

8. Secours Catholique (Caritas France) multimedia campaign on human trafficking

7. A trip over to Caritas Switzerland gets you into the spirit with a lovely art project:

6. Share your Advent intention with CORDAID (Caritas in the Netherlands)

5. Caritas Australia’s Advent Calendar

4. Send a Christmas E-card with CAFOD (Caritas England and Wales)

3. What a nice message from Caritas Argentina

2. Caritas Ile Maurice offers some handy tips on how to budget in these testing times

1. Grow Climate Justice! Sign up now if you haven’t already.

Seen something better. Let us know on the comments section below.

A national staff member of CRS, one of the Caritas members in the USA, has died of cholera in Zimbabwe.

Our sympathy and support goes to all CRS staff, especially those in Zimbabwe.