Columban missionaries who have experience ministering in countries during times of violence, upheaval, and oppression have written reflections connecting the dots between their experiences and what is happening right now in the United States: "helicopters create a deep uneasiness and a constant reminder of the militarization at the border, making us feel like prisoners in our own city, watched and threatened."
This week, Catholics around the world celebrate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ ground-breaking encyclical letter on ecology, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. This year the letter takes on new meaning, as we live in the midst of a global pandemic, compounded by a global epidemic of forced migration and the threat of global economic collapse.
History teaches us that pandemics can change things dramatically. Covid-19 will also change history dramatically.
In the silence and emptiness of the streets, we are given an opportunity to realize how we have spent so much of our lives running and rushing. Now, as we watch and wait in our Upper Room, we come to a deeper realization of our own fragility, vulnerability and need of others.
A mural of St. Oscar Romero in the Columban Mission Center in El Paso, TX
The coronavirus has brought us together as a human family as no other event in recent time. But now we face a future in which the entire planet is impacted by the great pandemic, and the poor and unemployed, the homeless and inmates in prison, seniors in nursing homes as well as persons with underlying health conditions are the most vulnerable.
We choose to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence that reflects an inner well-being, just social and economic structures, active nonviolence in the face of oppression, and a cosmic Christ-like peace that fosters a sense of inter-connectedness and solidarity with all living things and with the Earth.
As the President’s first term comes to a close, we want to review some of his major border policies. In this article, we will look at extreme border militarization.
As the President’s first term comes to a close, we want to review some of his major border policies. In this article, we will look at restricting access to asylum.
As the President’s first term comes to a close, we want to review some of his major border policies. In this article, we will look at construction of a border wall.
As the President’s first term comes to a close, we want to review some of his major border policies. In this article, we will look at zero tolerance and family separation.
Copyright © 2024 Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Washington, D.C.