Category: World Touch

Poverty Reduction Is An Urgent Priority

On the positive side, the archbishop noted, the crisis has “given rise to unprecedented international political cooperation, evident in the three successive high-level G-20 meetings in Washington, London, and Pittsburgh during 2009.” These meetings “were able to reach agreement on emergency measures to reignite the world economy, including fiscal and monetary stimulus packages that have prevented a global catastrophe,” he affirmed. Nevertheless, Archbishop Migliore added, “the stabilization of some economies, or the recovery of others, does not mean that the crisis is over.” “Indeed, the whole world economy, where countries are highly interdependent, will never be able to function smoothly if the conditions that generated the crisis persist, especially when fundamental inequalities in income and wealth among individuals and between nations continue,” he asserted. Thus, the Holy See representative emphasized the view “that we cannot wait for a definitive and permanent recovery of the global economy to take action.” He explained that “a significant reason is that the reactivation of the economies of the world’s poorest people will surely help guarantee a universal and sustainable recovery.” And added: “But the most important reason is the moral imperative: not to leave a whole generation, nearly a fifth of the world’s population, in extreme poverty.” He underlined the “urgent need to reform, strengthen and modernize the whole funding system for developing countries as well as U.N. programs, including the specialized agencies and regional organizations, making them more efficient, transparent, and well coordinated, both internationally and locally.” “In the same vein,” the archbishop added, “the crisis has highlighted the urgent need to proceed with the reform of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, whose structures and procedures must reflect the realities of today’s world and no longer those of the post World War II period.” Archbishop Migliore concluded: “We should not forget that the same world that could find, within a few weeks, trillions of dollars to rescue banks and financial investment institutions, has not yet managed to find 1% of that amount for the needs of the hungry.”

Sophia Nicole Garcia

Asia Most At Risk From Natural Disasters

African countries at extreme risk are Ethiopia, Sudan and Mozambique, with 95% of casualties due to drought. Since 1980, drought has caused 9,800 deaths in Ethiopia, 5,300 in Sudan (ranked fifth) and over 3,400 in Mozambique (ninth). According to experts, unlike earthquakes and storms, drought damage is more difficult to detect, both in terms of human lives and economic loss because it is a slow onset disaster. Whereas France and Italy, ranked 17 and 18, respectively, are the most vulnerable countries in Europe because of the 40,000 people who died in heat waves in 2003 and 2006, the US, with more than 8,000 lives lost over 30 years, is highly susceptible to hurricanes and storms and ranked 37th. Haiti and China are, respectively, at numbers 8 and 12 among the countries at highest risk. The earthquake in Qinghai Province on April 13, 2010, of almost the same magnitude of that that hit Haiti on January 12, cost the lives of 2,187 people – against 230,000 who died in Haiti. The countries least at risk are Andorra, Bahrain, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Qatar, San Marino and the United Arab Emirates. In line with the data produced by Maplecroft, a study by the UN Development Program says that 85% of the people exposed to earthquakes, tropical cyclones, floods and droughts in the past 10 years live in countries having either medium or low human development. Pedro Dabase, head of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (ISDR) Regional Office for Africa, underlined: “In these types of rankings, the variables to look at are the time period of analyzed data, types of hazards and vulnerabilities to natural disasters. This is because countries that face similar patterns of natural hazards often experience widely differing impacts when disasters occur, depending, in large part, on the kind of development choices they have made.” The expert added: “If one looks at the frequency of earthquakes and cyclones in Haiti in the past 100 years, the situation of the country would not be considered as worrisome, unlike the past 10 years, with great human losses caused by flooding almost every year and hurricanes in 2004, 2005 and 2008. In terms of impacts for example, the recent earthquake in Chile, of the same magnitude of that in Haiti, recorded about 100,000 deaths but, in terms of economic losses, it registered US$22 billion, versus the $8 billion estimated for Haiti. Therefore, the vulnerability of Chile in terms of economic loss is higher than Haiti which, instead, caused more losses in terms of human lives.” Figures produced by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) at the beginning of 2010 highlighted that, in the past 10 years, 3,852 disasters killed more than 780,000 people, affecting more than two billion and causing an economic loss of $960 billion. According to ISDR, earthquakes, followed by storms (22%) and extreme temperatures (11%) are the deadliest natural hazards of the past 10 years and remain a serious threat to millions of

www.irinnews.org

The Authority To Evangelize Comes From The Holy Spirit

Referring to a phrase from his latest encyclical, the Holy Father said: “Evangelization is an immense mission, especially in our time, in which humanity suffers from a certain lack of reflection and deep thought and in which a humanism is spreading that excludes God. Because of this, it is still more urgent and necessary to illumine the new problems that arise with the light of the Gospel which does not change.” Christ is the main propelling force for true human development, the Pontiff affirmed, and he quoted his words from the beginning of his pontificate: “The purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin.” In this context, the Bishop of Rome affirmed that the “preaching of the Gospel is an inestimable service that the Church can offer the whole of humanity that journeys in history.” He noted how the Gospel proclamation is a “message that penetrates history” and thus offers its guidance through the changes that humanity endures. “The preaching of the Gospel is the call to the freedom of the children of God,” the Pontiff continued. However, Benedict XVI also acknowledged that “whoever participates in Christ’s mission must inevitably face tribulations, rejection and sufferings, because he is confronted with the resistance and powers of this world.” He added: “As the Apostle Paul demonstrated the authenticity of his apostolate with the persecutions, the wounds and the torments suffered, so persecution is also proof of the authenticity of our apostolic mission.” Nevertheless, it is the Holy Spirit that gives the Church authority to proclaim the Gospel, the Holy Father said. And in that regard, he affirmed that “evangelization needs Christians with arms raised to God in a gesture of prayer, Christians moved by the awareness that the conversion of the world to Christ is not done by us, but is given.”

www.zenit.org

“Greening” Fisheries Could Calm Troubled Waters

Yet, despite the important role of fisheries in maintaining economic and social well-being, “fisheries around the world are being plundered or exploited at unsustainable rates,” said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP). Speaking about the release of the UNEP’s Green Economy Report: A Preview, Steiner argued that the current fishing industry “is a failure in management of what will prove to be of monumental proportions unless addressed.” The report, scheduled for release later this year, argues that investment in “greening” the economy across a range of sectors – including agriculture, fisheries, and water – can drive global economic recovery and lead to future prosperity, job creation, and improved environmental conservation. Currently, some 52% of the world’s marine fisheries are fully exploited and producing at – or close to – their maximum limits. Another 28% of the world’s marine fisheries are categorized as overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion, thus producing less than their maximum potential. And when fisheries collapse, there is more than just the loss of fish life to worry about; livelihoods, communities, and entire economies are ruined. Though the current outlook on fisheries may be troubling, researchers say that all is not lost. According to the report, an $8 billion annual investment in rebuilding and “greening” the world’s fisheries could have a positive, and lasting, impact on the fishing industry worldwide. Researchers say this investment has the potential to both increase fish catches and generate $1.7 trillion in long-term economic returns over the next four decades. Some possible methods for “greening” fisheries highlighted in the report include providing job training in alternative jobs industries; reducing the size of fishing fleets to limit excess harvesting capacity; and providing additional funding for fishery management to expand marine protected areas.

www.worldwatch.org (Stephanie Pappa)

Child Labor Shows Disturbing Trends

Between 2004 and 2008 the number of child laborers decreased from 222 million to 215 million, with a drop of just 3%, whereas between 2000 and 2004, the number decreased by 10%. For some age ranges, the struggle against child labor during those years actually went into regression. In the age range between 15 and 17, there was an increase of 20%, from 52 million to 62 million child workers. The greatest progress was made in the age range between 5 and 14 years, with a significant reduction of 10%. The number of children in this age in hazardous work decreased by 31%. At the moment, the worst situations are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, where one child out of four is obliged to work, often in dangerous situations. “Progress is uneven: neither fast enough nor comprehensive enough to reach the goals that we have set,” said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. “New and large-scale efforts are needed. The situation calls for a re-energized campaign against child labor. We must scale up action and move into a higher gear.” The director added that the economic downturn should not be an “excuse for diminished ambition and inaction. Instead, it offers the opportunity to implement the policy measures that work for people, for recovery and for sustainable development.”

www.zenit.org

Ricci Brought The Gospel To China

After noting that Ricci is still held in high esteem in China today, the Pontiff said that the missionary’s work “must not be separated” from his commitment to “Chinese inculturation of the Gospel message and his introduction of Western culture and science to China.” Indeed, many events celebrating the fourth centenary of his death risked presenting Matteo Ricci as a mere cultural mediator. “Fr. Ricci” – said the Pope – “went to China not to bring science and Western culture, but to bring the Gospel to make God known.” He added: “And as he proclaimed the Gospel, Fr. Ricci found, in his interlocutors, the desire for a wider confrontation, so that an encounter motivated by faith became a dialogue between cultures, a disinterested dialogue free from the ambitions of economic or political power, lived in friendship, which made the work of Fr. Ricci and his disciples one of the highest and happiest points in the relationship between China and the West.” Benedict XVI also recalled “the role and influence” that his Chinese friends had in the work of Ricci (Xu Guangqi; Zhizao Li, Yang Tingyun, Li Yingshi): “His choices did not depend on an abstract strategy of inculturation of the faith, but from all the events, encounters and experiences that he made so all that he achieved was also, thanks to his encounter with the Chinese, an encounter he lived in many ways, but which was deepened through his relationship with some friends and disciples, especially the four famous converts, ‘pillars of the nascent Chinese Church.’” The memory of Ricci and his friends, continued Benedict XVI, should be an occasion for prayer for “the Church in China and the entire Chinese people, as we do every year, on May 24, turning to Mary, venerated in famous Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai, and may they also be an incentive and encouragement to live the Christian faith intensely, in dialogue with different cultures, and in the certainty that, in Christ, true humanism is realized, open to God, full of moral and spiritual values and able to respond to the deepest longings of the human soul.” The Pope concluded expressing his appreciation and greeting to China and the desire for a deeper relationship between it and Christianity: “Like Father Matteo Ricci, today I express my profound respect to the noble Chinese people and its ancient culture, convinced that their renewed encounter with Christianity will bring abundant good fruits, and that, like then, it will favor peaceful coexistence among peoples.”

www.asianews.it

Losses Of $200-400 Billion A Year In Capital Flight

South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said that the continent remains the most competitive in terms of returns in investment, but cautioned on capital flows. Mr. Gordhan dismissed some international investors who describe Africa as a risky place to do business as people who were out of touch with the reality. He also expressed concern over businesses that made super profit, but refused to execute statutory obligation of paying taxes to governments. In this manner, the African people hardly benefit from the wealth produced in their countries. “Businesses have the responsibility to pay taxes, to pay fair taxes,” noted Gordhan. Some representatives of multinationals operating in Africa have also criticized local governments for the lack of clear tax rules, which they say discourages many traders from investing in the continent. African ministers have, however, indicated that the corporations themselves are often opposed to fiscal rules, especially in mining and in the mobile telephone business, two areas showing the highest profits in the last decade.

www.fides.org

Martyred Monks’ Film Nabs Second Prize

Kate Muir, a film critic for the London-based Times Online, called the film the “most intensely passionate” one of the Cannes event, and according to her, during the movie’s premier, the “audience wept.” In her review, Muir discussed Beauvois’ depiction of the monks, who lived contemplative lives in the service of the poor in the Atlas Mountains. In the film, the seven men build strong friendships with their surrounding community and live in relative peace until conflict arise between the local government and extremist groups. Though the monks are advised by everyone involved to leave, each one decides to stay and is eventually held hostage and murdered by the fundamentalists. “The deep humanity of the monks, their respect for Islam and their generosity towards their village neighbors make (up) the reason for our choice,” stated the festival jury who issued the award. “This movie of great artistic value benefits from a remarkable group of actors and follows the daily rhythm of work and liturgy.”

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Award For World Mission

Among the stories submitted to the judges were the following reportages published in World Mission: A Farm of Hope (April-May 2008 issue); The Dialogue Mission (February 2009 issue); Saving Children and Fighting Sex Slavery (February 2010 issue). They are small tributes to magnificent missionary projects being implemented in the Philippines. The publishers of World Mission feel honored and congratulate the magazine’s editor for the distinction. The award is an implicit recognition of the outstanding work being done by the magazine’s editorial staff, collaborators and friends, to bring about missionary awareness and a better world for all God’s children. The triennial awards that honor outstanding media professionals, publications and institutions worldwide and recognize their exemplary contributions, will be conferred at the World Congress to be held at Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, this coming September.

Bishops Declare “World Cup Sunday”

The bishops suggest that priests, in the homily of the Mass on June 13, stress the need to cure the ills of South Africa and throughout Africa, especially in light of the indications of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The bishops also asked for prayers that the spirit of sportsmanship prevails and that all believers give their contribution to prevent and combat crime, vandalism, hooliganism, and the exploitation of persons.

www.fides.org

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