Tag Archives: Caritas Mexico

January 16, 2012 · 5:04 PM

Safe haven for migrants on Mexico border

À la porte de la maison de la charité Mario demande à manger. Photo: Worms/Caritas

Read in French or Spanish

By Ryan Worms

The journey escaping from poverty in Central America in search of prosperity in the United States and Canada is a dangerous one for the migrants who try their luck. More than 20,000 migrants are held by criminal gangs each year on the route. Theft, violence and sexual assault are all common events.

These mostly young people have already come along way by the time they reach San Luis de Potosi in Mexico. They arrive by freight train. Beside the track is the House of Charity, where local Caritas Potosi staff offer them safe haven. The hostel relocated last year out of the town centre so the migrants didn’t have to face the gangs operating there. Continue reading →

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December 10, 2010 · 8:10 PM

Cancun climate summit: A Plea for Immediate Action

Bishop Gustavo Rodríguez Vega addresses the Cancun climate change meeting

Caritas Mexico President Bishop Gustavo Rodriguez Vega presented the following to the UNFCCC meeting in Cancun on behalf of the World Council of Churches.

English |Spanish

A Plea for Immediate Action

“No more delays: Life on Earth is in peril”

Statement from the World Council of Churches

To the High-Level Ministerial Segment of the

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” Proverbs 31:8‑9

Fifteen years have passed since we attended the First Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC which met in Berlin in 1995.

Once again we are meeting, completing the first decade of the Third Millennium, in which we had put all our hopes and efforts to solve the severe and urgent problems that are challenging us as inhabitants of the blue planet, our common home.

Time has run past. The problems and their challenges are still here. Scientific knowledge, supported by statistics and climatic models, as well as plain observations made by peasant, farmers, Indigenous peoples and coastal inhabitants has confirmed that the climate is changing because of human activities and that such change will prove disastrous for life in this planet, while we are still unable to take the unavoidable steps to detain the already tangible and oncoming appalling events. Continue reading →

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December 9, 2010 · 6:45 PM

Cancun climate conference: moral dimensions

Faith communities came together to address climate change, poverty and sustainable development in a joint Caritas Internationalis, ACT Alliance and World Council of Churches side event to the Cancun climate summit on 7 December. Credits: Alberto Arciniega/Caritas

Faith communities came together to address climate change, poverty and sustainable development in a side event jointly organised by Caritas Internationalis, ACT Alliance and the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the Cancun climate summit on 7 December.

“We are talking about people, not words. It is about working towards climate justice so the poor don’t pay the price for climate change,” said the moderator Martina Liebsch, Director of Policy at Caritas Internationalis.

The four speakers at the event entitled “Faith based organizations advocate for climate justice” came from Mexico, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Thailand. Continue reading →

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December 6, 2010 · 12:13 PM

Cancun climate summit: A new alliance to safeguard creation

Inter-religious celebration during climate talks in Cancun. Credit Anne-Sophie Legge

By Anne -Sophie Legge, Cancun

English |Homily in Spanish |French

“We need a new alliance with creation that results in fraternity with all creatures”, said Msgr. Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, President of Caritas Mexico, at an interreligious celebration held on 4 December as side event to the Cancun climate summit.

The event was organised in cooperation with the World Council of Churches and brought together Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran and other religious leaders from different parts of the world.

“Brothers and sisters, we have come to Cancun not as prophets of calamities but as men and women of faith and hope. We know that a lot of skepticism persists about whether the representatives of our world’s nations will be able to conclude a binding agreement on the reduction of emissions causing climate change. (…) Those who govern us have a great responsibility when it comes to environmental targets: we call upon our Heads of State not to limit their discussions to defending productivity and competitiveness criteria but to place humanity at the centre,” said Msgr. Rodríguez Vega. Continue reading →

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December 3, 2010 · 4:24 PM

Cancun Climate talks: I heart Kyoto Protocol

I love KP stunt at the Cancun climate talks. Credit Christine Campeau/Caritas

By Christine Campeau, Climate Change and Food Security Advisor Palazzo San Calisto

We were greeted at the CancunMesse convention centre today with an offer to have our picture taken while standing in a heart, holding an ‘I love KP’ sign (KP is short for Kyoto Protocol). And we did. People lined up one by one to show their devotion for the legally binding treaty that is set to expire shortly.

This stunt in support of the Kyoto Protocol came in retaliation to the harsh statement made by Japan on Monday when it announced that it would ‘not inscribe its target under the Kyoto Protocol under any conditions or under any circumstances’. Yes, you heard it correctly. Continue reading →

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