Catholic Social Teaching & Other Relevant Sites

• Index of Popes' Peace Messages
• Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
• Access to Catholic Social Justice Teachings
• Center of Concern (Jesuit Social Justice Center in Washington DC)
• Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD)
• Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR - now known as "Progressio")
• Catholic Social Teaching - Theology Library (very useful)
• Online bibliography Theology and Peace (very useful)
• Pax Christi International
• Social Justice & Peace - (Resources for Educators)
• SEDOS

Documents & Reports

2007

• 10 April

Zimbabwe Bishops issue courageous Pastoral Letter for Easter 2007

In their Easter 2007 pastoral letter, the Zimbabwe bishops' conference calls for 'concrete action' to inspire hope and proposes that Saturday 14 April be observed as a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Zimbabwe. Later, Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo also urged the people to stage peaceful demonstrations to call for the president Mugabe's resignation.

Please sign the Letter of Solidarity and Peace to our Brothers and Sisters of Zimbabwe promoted by the Maryknoll Office on Global Concerns.

• 18 February

"Nonviolence is for Christians a way of life"
says Pope Benedict XVI

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2006

• November 2006
  Remember Bethlehem - send messages to Bethlehem Christians for Christmas 2006 and view "Remember Bethlehem" resource pack
  Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales call for Decommissioning Nuclear Weapons
  Claudette Antoine Werleigh designated as new Secretary General of Pax Christi International
  
  
• October 2006
  The Age of Terror - a landmark report by Robert Fisk (The Independent - 09/10/06)
  Challenging Trident: The proper work of religion by Douglas Roche
  Nuclear Weapons: A Scottish Catholic Study Guide
  
  
• September 2006
  South Africa: the statistics - The ANC can’t keep its promises of social justice. (from Le Monde Diplomatique)
  
  
• July 2006
  Congo: a "mining self-service?" - The selling of natural resources did not stop with the end of hostilities: it has changed its nature. The World Bank dictated terms which allow private interests to operate unencumbered by obligations. Article by Colette Braeckman
  
  
• 03 June
  Colombia's fight to end violence - The Colombian electorate voted back in President Alvaro Uribe in a landslide election last weekend. But despite 15,000 murders in the past year, most believe he has helped tackle the violence that has ravaged the country for generations. A couple of years earlier, there were 36,000 murders.
  
  
• 02 June
  Kenya to provide free Aids drugs - Kenya's president has announced that fees will be removed for anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), which combat the effects of Aids.
  
  
• 24 April
  Vatican 'may relax condom rules' - The Vatican is preparing to publish a statement on the use of condoms by people who have Aids, a senior Roman Catholic official has said.
  
  
• 19 April
  UN alarmed over 'asylum fatigue' - Refugees are suffering a lack of protection because of "asylum fatigue", says the United Nations - Read the full report: The State of the World's Refugees 2006
  
  
• 16 April
  Easter Homily by Card. Keith Patrick O'Brien: call to destroy Trident nuclear weapons (April 16, 2006) - PDF format (needs Acrobat Reader)
  
  
• 11 April
  Bishops say "NO!" to Trident
  "... We are convinced, however, that if it is immoral to use these weapons it is also immoral to threaten their use."
  
  Statements by the Churches on the Arms Trade - since the year 2000: PDF format (needs Acrobat Reader) - Word Document (right click)
  Statements, resolutions and teachings on the impact & ethics of the arms trade. Collated for Pax Christi by Frances Murphy
  
  
• 27 January
  “Seeking Peace in Colombia” is the title of a new report released by Pax Christi International.
  Seeking to deepen its commitment to peace and human rights in Colombia, Pax Christi International has organised five visits to Colombia between September 2002 and July 2005.  This report combines the findings of all five visits with extensive research. Read the press release here in English, español or français, read the executive summary of the report in English or French here... For the full report in English click here...