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(archive 2004)
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31 December 2004
A delegation of the British Section of Pax Christi met with Mordechai Vanunu on 28th December in East Jerusalem at the end of their 10 day peace pilgrimage to Palestine. The group made their visit at St George's Anglican Cathedral in East Jerusalem where Mordechai has found sanctuary following his release from prison on April 2004. He had been imprisoned for eighteen years on charges of treason and disclosure of intelligence relating to Israel's nuclear weapons programme. Strict conditions have been imposed on him since his release. He is unable to leave the country and is not supposed to speak with journalists or foreign visitors. The Pax Christi group discovered that Mordechai had attempted to reach Bethlehem on Christmas Eve to attend his first mid-night Mass as a free person. On reaching the Bethlehem checkpoint he was stopped and arrested and spent the night in a police station in Tel Aviv. He was committed to five-day house arrest. This was Mordechia's second arrest since April. In November members of the Israeli Defence Forces raided St George's, took Mordechai and confiscated his computer. The group were honoured and delighted to have the opportunity of meeting Mordechai. They were able to tell him of the interest and support he receives from peacemakers in Britain. They were deeply impressed by the strength of character and clear focus of Mordechai. Eighteen years in prison had done nothing to shake him from his conviction of the evil of nuclear weapons in our world. He expressed his desire to continue to campaign against nuclear weapons and to find time to travel and write once restrictions are lifted. |
(left to right) John Harkin,
Mordechai Vanunu, Ann Farr, A full report of the Pax Christi peace pilgrimage to Palestine will be available on this website in mid-January |
Church leaders in Jerusalem have issued a Christmas message appealing to their Christian "brothers and sisters... to play your part in your respective countries" for support against the turning of Bethlehem into "a big prison with the continuation of the Wall around it."
Click here for full text in PDF or Word format
20 December 2004
Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi UK, offered the following Christmas message on Vatican Radio.
"I welcome this opportunity to bring greetings from the British Section of Pax Christi, the international Catholic movement for peace. As a movement dedicated to the Peace of Christ we know that the promise of peace is always there but that sometimes we seem unable to bring it to life, unable to heal the wounds of God’s people throughout the world. This Christmas we will remember our friends and partners in Darfur, Bethlehem, Colombia, Iraq – and all those whose lives are diminished by violence and war. We remember too those who witness to another way of living and being in our world today, who sing a different song, who are persistent and faithful in their work for peace. The scriptures remind us that the one we await will be a leader who will practise honesty and integrity. A leader who will cast out fear and bring joy to people. These are much needed qualities in our world today – qualities we must all seek to develop and nurture. We have a Christmas card which we use in Pax Christi to remind us that the Christmas message invites us to begin again, every year, God’s work to bring peace and justice to our world. It says: ‘When the song of the angels is stilled, The work of Christmas begins; I wish you are a joy-filled Christmas and peace for the year ahead. |
Call to Action, Prayer and Fasting
The Bishops of North Africa and the Conference of Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions have called on the international Church community to hold a day of fasting and prayer for the Holy Land on 22 December 2004. This initiative is endorsed by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
In their call they say "The situation in the Holy Land has dragged on many years now and requires today more than ever, action to put an end to the sufferings of all the inhabitants of this land, Jews, Christians and Moslems, who have become equally incapable of ending the conflict, fettered as they are in a spiral of cruel and irrational violence... we believe that the Churches can do still more. If all the Churches of the world recognize their duty towards the Holy Land, and if they all join together in common and concerted action to sensitize their governments, their people and the international community, their intervention will become a decisive factor in the attainment."
Pax Christi is encouraging its members to participate and take initiatives to arrange times of prayer on that day.
Full text of the Call to Action, Prayer and Fasting
Full text of letter from Bishop Crispian Hollis on behalf of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
4 December 2004
Peace Pilgrimage to Bethlehem for Christmas 2004
Members of the British Section of Pax Christi will take part in a Pax Christi Peace Pilgrimage to Bethlehem this Christmas. They will take with them messages of hope and peace which have been prepared by Pax Christi members and supporters from around the country. The purpose of the visit is to offer solidarity to the minority Christian community in Palestine at the feast of Christmas and also to meet with members of the Muslim and Jewish communities who are working for peace and human rights in the region. The group will be made up of Pax Christi members from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the UK.
They will meet with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, who is also the International President of Pax Christi. They plan to attend the midnight Mass at the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. In recent years, Bethlehem has been under curfew at Christmas and the Church of the Nativity was involved in a siege in Bethlehem in 2002.
Pax Christi has a history of supporting peacemaking initiatives in the region. Hosts of the pilgrimage are the Arab Educational Institute, a Bethlehem based group working to bring together Christian and Muslims to explore their common heritage of peacemaking and develop practical actions for peace. The group will be staying with families connected with the AEI during their time in Bethlehem.
A number of internal pilgrimages have been organised for the visit. The
group will take part in nonviolent peace pilgrimages to places of division
and
violence such as military checkpoints and the separation fence/wall in
and around Bethlehem.
They will also take part in interfaith gatherings for prayer and discussion
in Hebron.
Speaking of their participation Pat Gaffney, General Secretary said:
We hope that our presence will be a small sign
of hope and encouragement to
the people
we meet. In recent years, so many parts of the West Bank have been closed
to tourists, pilgrims and visitors that people can feel forgotten by the
outside world. Our visit is one of solidarity with the Christian and
Muslim communities
at this time of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of the one who
came to
bring peace to the world.
Those taking part are Anne Dodd from Abingdon, Ann Farr from Coventry, Sheila Simpson from Manchester, John Harkin from Derry and Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi. They leave for Israel on 21 December and return on 30th December.
28 October 2004
Pax Christi sends delegate with international monitoring team to Florida for US General Election
The British Section of Pax Christi is supporting its sister movement
in the United States by sending journalist Paul Donovan to be an observer
at the US election process in Florida, a State at the centre of disputes
in the 2000 elections. The monitoring team includes Maria Julia
Hernandez, Director of Tutela Legal, human rights office of the Diocese of San
Salvador, El Salvador, Jean Role Jean Louis, founder of Pax Christi
Haiti, Emily Mogeni, UN World Food Programme worker, Kenya, Friar
Aljeandro Castillo Morga, Franciscan, from Mexico. “After
2000, when so many people were denied participation in our common
life as a nation, when their basic rights were denied and they
were treated without respect, we are obliged to assure that such
a situation does not repeat itself… We must place the importance
of democracy at the core of this election, making it inclusive
to all and accountable to a vision of fairness, re-enfranchisement,
equality and justice”. |
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A delegation of international observers will arrive in the US on Sunday 31 October to be trained as monitors and then placed on site in four Florida counties: Miami-Dade, Broward, West Palm Beach and Duval. |
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18 October 2004
Peace Week opens with Blessing of Pax Christi ICON
Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox Christians gathered at St Ethelburga's Church in Bishopsgate on Sunday 17th October for a service of blessing and dedication of the Pax Christi Peace ICON. Bishop Richard Chartres, Bishop of London was the main celebrant with Fr Milan from the Serbian Orthodox Church in London and Rt Rev Anthony Maggs, Abbot of the Canons Regular of St Augustine. The ICON, dedicated to the work of Pax Christi, an international Catholic movement for peace, was made at the Monastery of St John in the Desert, near Jerusalem. It contains illustrations of saints and figures who, in their own way, worked for peace and reconciliation. In his Homily Bishop Richard said: "It is a delight to welcome friends form Pax Christi to meditate and pray for the work upon which we are all, as followers of Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace, engaged - reconciliation and in particular peace between those who in different ways look to Abraham as their ancestor in faith. Icons draw our eyes to look together in the same direction to what lies beyond words and propositions, to the Word made flesh himself… this is a surer way to reconciliation than by obsessively looking at each other. We are summoned to look together in the same direction." The service opens a week-long programme of events on the theme of peace and reconciliation which will include workshops for school children using art and drama to explore conflict resolution; a seminar on peacemaking initiatives in the Middle East; a meditation workshop which will focus on inner stillness and peace, a concert for peace with an Iraqi/Jewish flavour, and daily lunchtime periods of prayer and reflection. The ICON has already been on display for a very successful week of activities at the Chapel of Unity at Coventry Cathedral and following the London week will move on to Chichester Cathedral where it will be on display for one moth. St Ethelburga's, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG. Destroyed in 1993 by a bomb, the building re-opened in 2002 as a place of dialogue for groups in conflict. For
more information contact Pat Gaffney, Pax Christi on 020 8203 4884 |
 Bishop Richard Chartres speaking at service of blessing at St Ethelburga's Church |
 The Pax Christi ICON of Peace at St Ethelburga's Church |
2 October , 2004
Philip Berrigan Remembered
The Greenham Common Commemorative Site near, Newbury, was the venue for an act of remembrance and thanksgiving for the life of Philip Berrigan anti-war activist and campaigner who died at the age of 79 in 2002.
His daughter Frida Berrigan, a senior research associate on arms trade at the World Policy Institute in New York, spoke movingly at the event of her father as a a dad, a prophet and a peacemaker. To read her reflection click here: PDF (get Acrobat Reader) or Word format.
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I got a letter that spoke directly to the “what do I do with my life” questions I was obsessing about. Dad wrote: “Constant effort to chart out future, to confirm relationships, and to come up with a bewildering array of answers, is a first world practice par excellence. And self defeating, impossible of clarity, another aspect of the western addiction to effectiveness and results. “What about the present? What about the “now”? the Gospel is a “now” manifesto - what do we make of the world now? What does God command us to do now? Is one doing good work now? If good work is being done, then the future, then the good and just relationships, then the right questions will appear in time.” (Frida Berrigan) |
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Greenham Common, the site of the Women’s Peace Camp and the place where US cruise missiles were stored during the 1980’s, was an appropriate venue for such a commemoration of a man who dedicated his life to ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Speaking just before his death he said “I die with the conviction, held since 1968, that nuclear weapons are the scourge of the earth; to mine for them, manufacture them, deploy them, use them is a curse against God, the human family and the earth itself”.
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Philip Berrigan began his commitment to peace and social justice in 1962 with his involvement in the Civil Rights movement. It continued throughout his life with resistance to the Vietnam war, US nuclear policy and US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 1980, with seven others, he took part in a disarmament action at the GE nuclear missile plant, King of Prussia, which became known as the first Plowshare action. Between 1980 and 1999 Philip participated in 5 more Plowshare actions resulting in 7 years of imprisonment.In 2001, a year before he died, he spent a year in prison for his final Plowshare action. |
The event was co-ordinated by the Greenham Commemorative Fund, Catholic Peace Action, Christian CND, Fellowship of Reconciliation and Pax Christi.
28 September, 2004
Theme for the 2005 World Day of Peace
VATICAN CITY, SEP 28, 2004 (VIS) - Published today was the theme of the Holy Father's Message for the 38th World Day of Peace which will take place on January 1, 2005: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good."
According to a communique, the theme "seeks to solicit awareness of evil as the cause and source of conflicts and wars, and at the same time, of the inseparable link between moral good and peace. Peace is, in fact, a good that comes as the fruit of inspired choices for good and oriented toward good." The message emphasizes "behavior which leads to the exercise of personal and collective responsibility which has the special characteristic of looking for good."
"The will to seek out good and avoid evil must take into account the numerous social and economic problems that weigh on the lives of peoples - inequality, poverty, wide-spread injustice, insecurity - in order to find a solution inspired by justice and solidarity."
17 September 2004
Bishop Victor Remembered at Thanksgiving Service
Members of Pax Christi, CAFOD and CIIR gathered in London on Friday 17 September for a thanksgiving service to commemorate the life of Bishop Victor Guazzelli, former President of Pax Christi British Section. The liturgy focused on four aspects of Bishop Victor's commitment: Peace, Social Justice in East London, Solidarity with the Poor and Support for Women in the Church. Bruce Kent, a vicepresident of Pax Christi gave the keynote address, reminding those present that what we learn from Victor's life is that there is no use waiting fo anyone else to act - each one of us must find our own way - and the time for acting is now!
 Bruce Kent, Norina Gorni ( Bishop Guazzelli's sister ) and her husband Guido, Bernadette Farrell(composer and musician) and Catherine Howarth from TELCO with a portrait of Bishop Victor by the artist David Atack |
 Bruce Kent, Catherine Howarth, TELCO, Bernadette Farrell and Bishop Malcom McMahon, President of Pax Christi |
20th August 2004
Pax Christi UK Vice-Chair heads for Israel/Palestine
Rosemary Read, a grandmother of five, will leave her home town of Derby on 10 September to work in Israel /Palestine for three months. She will be accompanying peace activists – both Israeli and Palestinian – and observing and reporting on human rights abuses committed by any group. Her work is part of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) of the World Council of Churches. This is a project that is supported by Pax Christi International and the British Section of Pax Christi.
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fifth grandchild was born in June, declared: “The situation in the Middle East is desperate. It is the cradle of three of the greatest faiths in the world and yet experiences much violence and distrust. It needs members of the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of the region and report on what they see. Now that my own children are independent, I have the opportunity to offer three months of my life to do this." Rosemary, who sits on the executive Committee of Pax Christi and is a former outreach worker for the National Justice and Peace Network, hopes to share her experience with people of all faiths and any others interested upon her return to England. |
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The EAPPI was launched following a call by the heads of
churches in Jerusalem for an ecumenical presence in the Holy land. Recently
Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, had this to say about the
programme: ”The
love of Christ is not only for Christians; it is for everyone. And to the ecumenical
accompaniers from the World Council of Churches, we called upon you and you
came. We have put faith in you and we are always with you. This is an occasion
to thank you, and also to thank the churches you represent.” The
Patriarch is also the International President of Pax Christi.
Click here for information about EAPPI or
call Friends House on 020 7663 1144
"Bridges not Walls" - a Theme for Pax Christi Annual General Meeting
Members of the British Section of Pax Christi met in London on 12th June for
their Annual Meeting. A major theme for the day was our responsibility
as Christians to be involved in creating bridges not walls between
people.
Pax Christi launched their new campaign: "People
of the Holy Land Need Bridges not Walls" - an education
and political campaign challenging the separation wall in Israel. Pax Christi
is encouraging churches and groups in the UK to learn more about the reality
of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, using the separation wall as a focus.
Pat Gaffney, General
Secretary of Pax Christi said: "Many
people will remember the impact and use of the Berlin Wall in the 20th Century
and how people managed to bring this wall down. We now have to support international
campaigns to bring down this Israeli wall that will deny 210,000 Palestinians,
living in the area between the wall and Israel, access to social services,
schools, places of worship and work".
Pax Christi has produced postcards for people to write
their own message of protest about the wall, addressed to Mr Tony Blair and Mr
Sharon.
 Bishop Malcom McMahon - Pax Christi President with Rosemary Read at launch of "People of the Holy Land need Bridges not Walls" campaign |
 Bruce Kent, John Harkin ( Pax Christi Ireland) with Bishop Donal McKeown |
During the meeting delegates also heard Bishop
Donal McKeown of Down and Connor Diocese speak
of the 60's as a generation for building walls - in real and metaphysical
terms. These walls suited particular agendas of that time - they were
built to defend interests and not people. They were built on the
assumption that separation would lead to security. People of faith, he
said, cannot be satisfied with walls. The Kingdom of God is inclusive.
The task of peacemaking and education is to knock down barriers and seek
unity in diversity. Click the link to read the full
speech (PDF format - get Acrobat
Reader)
Delegates also heard of the success Pax Christi had in the past
years in promoting Peace Sunday and the Pope's Peace
Message every January. More
and more parishes are making the effort to celebrate and mark the day - presenting
the message of peace and supporting the work of Pax Christi.
Another feature of Pax Christi's Middle East work is its support for the World
Council of Churches programme of Ecumenical
Accompaniment in Israel and Palestine.
This programme trains and sends volunteers to work for three months at a time
in Israel or Palestine. Rosemary Read, vice-chair of Pax
Christi is currently training for this programme. She will be posted there
between September and December 2004.
For more information contact
Pat Gaffney 020 8203 4884
7rd June 2004
Petitions handed in at Downing Street Following Prayer Pilgrimage
4th June 2004
Members of CAAT Christian Network, Pax Christi, Fellowship of Reconciliation
and the Baptist Peace Fellowship joined together for prayer and political action
in Central London on 4th June, International Day for Children
as Victims of War.
The action was to call attention to the British Government’s continued
involvement in the global arms trade. At Downing Street they presented petitions
bearing more than 4,000 signatures calling on the Government to tighten arms
export controls and to end subsidies to the arms industry.
Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi said “ Armed
conflict, fuelled by the arms trade, continues to have a tragic impact on the
world’s
most vulnerable: children. According to UNICEF, 2 million children have
died as a result of armed conflict in the past decade.”
Prayers began at Westminster Abbey Memorial for the Victims of War where the
group were welcomed by the Dean, the Very Rev Wesley Carr. They then processed
from the DTI, to The Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Downing
Street, carrying with them images of children as victims of war. The very visual
pilgrimage attracted much attention as they processed down Whitehall.
This action is part of the on-going ‘Call to Conversion’ programme
of education and campaigning which CAAT Christian Network and Pax Christi support.
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3rd June 2004
Death of Bishop Victor Guazzelli
Bishop Victor with Valerie Flessati, Bruce Kent and children at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Pax Christi International in 1995. |
With sadness we report the death on 1st June of Bishop Victor Guazzelli, National President of Pax Christi for 25 years until 2001. Reflecting
on his relationship with Pax Christi, Valerie Flessati, General Secretary
for many years during Bishop Guazzelli’s
Presidency said, His passion for social justice came to the fore in 1976 when, as an Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster diocese, he was charged with looking after the East London Boroughs. During the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s when the East End was dealing with industrial action, redevelopment and new tides of immigration, Bishop Guazzelli was able to speak with authority to workers, community leaders and the Docklands Development Corporation. |
Pax Christi International, New Jersey (USA) 18-24 May 2004
Representatives from 45 countries gathered in New Jersey (USA) for the Pax Christi International General Assembly - a meeting which takes place every three years. The war on terrorism, the crisis in Israel and Palestine and the need for inclusive security formed the basis for much of the discussion and action planning. Patriarch Michel Sabbah was affirmed by the whole assembly as International President for a further three years. The Movement has called on the government of Israel to end the military occupation of Palestine and urged the United States to work within the framework of international law and act as an honest broker to support Palestinians and Israelis equally in developing trust–building measures. This work is to be supported by practical campaigning by members of the movement on the security wall in Israel/Palestine and in support of Israeli conscientious objectors. The final declaration of the gathering commits Pax Christi to work for "a world at peace… a world profoundly opposed to that sought by terrorists and by the ‘war on terrorism’… a world shaped by inclusive human security and the globalisation of solidarity.” It also calls on the “US and the UK to cease all offensive military actions in Iraq and allow the United Nations as to assume appropriate responsibility for enabling a just and peaceful transition to Iraqi authority.” A plea was also made to the Churches. “We are people of faith; we believe that another world is possible, and we commit ourselves to helping birth it. We echo the cry of Pope John Paul II that ‘war is always a defeat for humanity’... As Christians we call our churches to the prophetic task in these dangerous times of speaking truth to power and to the challenging pastoral task of helping us reclaim Gospel values, nurture justice and right relationships and participate in the transformation of the world.” |
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British
Delegation with Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and
President of Pax Christi International |
Delegates from the Flemish Section, Ann, Grit and Gio,
enjoy a moment of fun. The
Flemish section shared their experience of organising |
Several new members were elected to the International Executive Committee including Giovanni Scudiero IMC, a Consolata Missionary from the British Section of Pax Christi. Giovanni has been active with the British section since 1991 and has a strong commitment to developing a theology and spirituality of nonviolence within the movement. Bishop Kevin Dowling of South Africa was also appointed. Bishop Dowling was elected as chair to the International Sudan Ecumenical Forum in 2003 and is actively involved in the Sudan Peace Process. Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was unanimously re-elected as President of Pax Christi International. To read the full Assembly Declaration to go Declaration (PDF format - get Acrobat Reader) Watch this space for further resolutions and documents as they become available. |
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Etienne De Jonghe -International Secretary, Marie Denis and Cesar Villanueva - Vice Presidents and Patriarch Michel Sabbah - International President |
Stewart Hemsley (Chair, British Section) and Giovanni Scudiero, now a member of the International Executive Committee, staff the Pax Christi British Section stall at the Festival of Hope |
London 15th May 2004
Pax Christi members joined with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 15th May to send a clear message to the British and Israeli Governments regarding the security wall being built in Israel. The wall, which began in June 2002, will run the length of 700 kilometers (440 miles) and will prevent 210,000 Palestinians, living in the area between the wall and Israel, from having access to social services, schools, places of work and worship. |
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at the rally, organised by the PSC included actress Vanessa Redgrave,
Jeremy Corbyn MP, Afif Safie – Palestinian Delegate to the UK,
Jamal Jumaa - Director of Stop the Wall Campaign Palestine. Caroline
Lucas MEP spoke of her recent visit to Palestine and the town of Qalqilya
which has virtually become a prison as a result of the wall - with
only one road open for access. Pax Christi was just one of many organisations supporting the rally. It was heartening to see Muslim, Jewish, Christian and secular groups united in their message and co-operating in their campaigning. Pax Christi have just published a new resource pack, *Living Under Occupation – daily life for the people of Palestine, to help church-based groups and others understand the impact of checkpoints, the wall, and the militarization of Palestine. Pax Christi also plans its own campaign on the wall – this will be launched in June taking for its theme the words of Pope John Paul II, People of the Holy Land need bridges not walls. |
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Speaking in October 2003 Pope John Paul said, “The Holy Land does not need walls but bridges. Without the reconciliation of spirits, there can be no peace. May the leaders have the courage to return to dialogue and negotiation, thus opening the way toward a Middle East that is reconciled in Justice and Peace." More information: Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Tel 020 7700 6192 or www.palestinecampaign.org |
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London - 10 May 2004
Fr Niall O’Brien RIP - 1939-2004
It is with great sadness that we report on the death of Fr Niall O’Brien, a member of the Missionary Society of St Columban, died in Pisa, Italy, on 28th April 2004. He was there undergoing experimental treatment for a rare blood disease. While trying to rise from his wheelchair, he fell and hit his forehead. He underwent emergency treatment in hospital but lapsed into a coma. Fr Niall, who helped found Pax Christi in the Philippines in 1995 and took part in several Pax Christi International Council meetings, was well known for his commitment to active nonviolence. Here we present part of an obituary to Niall from fellow Columban, Father Seán Coyle editor of Misyon.
Father O’Brien was born in Dublin, Ireland, on August 2, 1939. He entered the Columban seminary in Ireland in 1957 and was ordained priest in December 1963. He came to the Philippines the following year and spent most of the rest of his life in the Diocese of Bacolod.
Father O’Brien had a passion for language as the expression of a people’s culture and rejected the description of the Hiligaynon language, which he spoke fluently, as a ‘dialect.’ The Samaria retreats, given by a team of laymen and a priest, were entirely in that language. Out of the experience of working with men who were natural leaders in their communities he produced books and pamphlets in Hiligaynon for Sunday services in distant barrios that couldn't have Mass on a regular basis.
A totally different legacy is the kibbutz he set up in the early 70s in a mountain area of Tabugon, Negros Occidental, to enable poor farmers to enjoy the fruits of their labour as a cooperative. It was typical of Father Niall to take a model from elsewhere, this time from modern Israel, and adapt it to local needs and to the local culture. This venture, though Father O’Brien hadn’t been directly involved for some years, is still going.
All this was before the event that made Niall O’Brien an international figure for a while and a national hero in Ireland, something reflected by the wide coverage given by the Irish media to his death 20 years later. The ‘Negros Nine’ were three priests – the other two being Australian Columban Brian Gore and diocesan priest Father Vicente Dangan – and six parish workers falsely charged with the murder of Mayor Pablo Sola of Kabankalan and four companions. The three priests were under house arrest for eight months, the last three weeks of that in the Police Constabulary camp in Bacolod City, before they ‘broke out’ of it and ‘broke into’ Bacolod City Jail where the others were. They spent six months in jail before the case was dropped. The late Senator Jose Diokno helped greatly towards the end. Bishop Fortich of Bacolod, who died last year, appointed the three priests as chaplains while they were in jail, a real blessings for many prisoners who had been forgotten. Lawyers whom the priests knew followed up their cases.
The death penalty was on the books during those years and the possibility of being sentenced though innocent did trouble Father O’Brien. He had always opposed this punishment but never dreamed of the possibility that this sentence might be passed down on him some day. However, the international coverage given the case made that a remote possibility.
Father O’Brien became a national figure in Ireland that time because RTÉ, the national radio and TV network gave extensive coverage to the case, sending out a reporter to Bacolod, Charlie Bird, who himself became a celebrity as a result. People in Ireland could not believe that a prisoner could be interviewed live on radio and TV from his cell.
Father O’Brien kept a diary during his imprisonment and later wrote two books based on this. The first, Seeds of Injustice, was published in Ireland and was basically an account of the experience of the Negros Nine. Revolution from the Heart, a spiritual/theological reflection on the Negros Nine experience and on the more than 20 years that he had by then spent in Negros, was published in Ireland, the USA and the Philippines. Cardinal Vidal of Cebu launched the Philippine edition. The book has been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, Korean and Japanese.
A later book was Island of Tears, Island of Hope, a further reflection on the Church’s mission in Negros that highlights the role of Bishop Antonio Fortich, for whom Father Niall had great respect, admiration and affection.
His experience of violence in Negros, especially during the Martial Law years, was an influence on his passionate commitment to active non-violence, which he saw as a demand of the Gospel. He had contacts in the peace movement throughout the world and was a speaker at a number of international gatherings.
For more information go to www.misyononline.com
London - Trafalgar Square, 20 March 2004
National Rally in Central London - Stop the Occupation of Iraq
Pax Christi members from around the country joined with thousands of others to express their concern for the continued occupation of Iraq and the policies which took Britain to war with Iraq one year ago. Many joined in a silent vigil in Trafalgar Square before joining the march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square. Among the speakers was Pax Christi's Chairperson, Stewart Hemsley. This is what Stewart had to say:
"A year
on since the start of the war on Iraq. The results? Devastation, chaos, huge,
and continuing, loss of life, and lie upon lie. The Scriptures,
which
our Jewish, and Muslim brothers and sisters share with Christians, contain
words which sum up the British Prime Minister and government
well.
I quote: “Their words are full of deadly deceit; wicked lies roll off
their tongues, and dangerous threats, like snakes poison, from their lips;
they open their mouths and pollute the air. They are quick to hurt and kill;
they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go. They have not known the path
of peace.”
This situation challenges our church leaders. Before the war on Iraq started some spoke up and questioned the morality and legality of making war on Iraq. As the time drew near, and once it had started, a strange silence fell upon them which remains to this day. Their challenge is to discover their prophetic role – speaking truth for this moment in time, or, becoming ever more irrelevant to the life of this nation.
Discerning and speaking truth comes not from Bishops’ Palaces, the House of Lords, attending on Royalty, or dinner parties at number 10. The prophets of old discerned the word for the times in the desert, the mountain top, and in the wilderness. They were often rewarded with ridicule, imprisonment, and death. But they spoke up loud and clear for Justice, Equity, and Peace. They knew they spoke for the God who said, and again these words are from Scriptures shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims, “Speak proudly no more; no more arrogance on your lips … The bow of the mighty is broken but the weak are girded with strength … the well fed must labour for bread but the hungry need work no more … He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the dust heap – they will inherit a seat of honour” - in other words a revolutionary God!
Today the prophets aren’t found in the churches, but in the few brave journalists who write and report truth.
Here are some issues that need the prophetic word: the continuing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland,devout Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo Bay being insulted and humiliated by prostitutes; our American allies still killing and abusing innocent people in Afghanistan; the terrible onslaught on Baghdad directed at breaking down the infrastructure that holds life together; and now look at the former Yugoslavia. An endless list. And here in the UK a Home Secretary, described by Hugo Young, as ‘bragging his contempt’ for civil liberties, is set on bringing in the doctrine of ‘pre-emptive strikes’ and incarcerating people without the usual legal niceties. Of course he’s simply following his PM who said “The biggest miscarriage in today’s legal system is when the guilty walk away unpunished.” No presumption of innocence until proved guilty there then!
I close by repeating my call for the leaders of our Churches to speak out boldly, loud and clear on these issues and add their voices to the cries of the poor, the oppressed, the prisoners, the ordinary people of this country and our world who long for Justice and Peace."
London, 4 March 2004
Pax Christi hosts Seminar on
Israel / Palestine
“ Building Bridges not Walls for the People of the Holy Land”
More than seventy people from England and Wales attended a Seminar organised by Pax Christi in Central London on 4th March. The aim of the seminar was to help Pax Christi initiate a process of education and awareness raising with the Catholic community in England and Wales regarding the situation in Israel and Palestine in order to generate greater solidarity and action in support of nonviolent change in the region. The speakers at the Seminar were: • Trevor Mostyn –Journalist
and consultant on Middle East issues. Writes regularly in The Tablet.
Trevor gave a contextual background to the current situaiton, stressing
the social and economic impact of the Occupation on Palestinian communities. |
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• Floresca
Karanasou, Middle East Project Desk, Quaker
Peace & Social Witness. Floresca spoke of the World Council of Churches initiative,
the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI),
that prepares and sends volunteers for three-month periods to accompany Israeli
and Palestinian communities and Non-Governmental Organisations. |
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The Seminar reflects a commitment by the International movement to peace making in the region. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, is the International President of the movement and met with a delegation of Pax Christi sections in December in Jerusalem. This included Pat Gaffney, the General Secretary of the British Section. Note: Pax Christi is producing an information
pack entitled "Living Under Occupation".
This will be available from the office from the end of April. Price £6.00
plus postage. |
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