Catholic Commission for Social Justice
On Thursday, February 20, the World Day of Social Justice will be observed. This is a day when countries are asked to recommit to address issues such as poverty, social exclusion and unemployment, which were among the goals of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen.
Recently I was invited by the T&T Police Service (TTPS) to attend a Stakeholders’ Consultation with members of the Executive as the TTPS prepares its strategic plan for 2014-2016 (see my presentation on CCSJ’s website).
A large proportion of T&T’s budget is spent on national security/crime reduction. Are we getting value for money? Although this Consultation was a bit late since we are already into 2014, it’s a good sign as collaboration promotes community policing. TTPS’s Mission statement recognises that the Police Service cannot achieve its goals on its own. It states: “In partnership with the citizens of T&T we provide for safer, more secure and healthy communities through focused leadership, service and policing excellence.”
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ (http://rcsocialjusticett.org) & Director, CREDI
On Saturday, January 25, I attended the 100th birthday celebrations of Mrs Mary Alice Pemberton of Lange Park, Chaguanas. This grand old lady left those gathered in awe at her amazing memory.
She addressed us for more than 30 minutes, recalling important milestones in her life’s journey, without reference to a written speech.
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is playing its part in creating a regional jurisprudence. This article is the second in CCSJ’s series to educate the public about the links between judgments of the CCJ and Catholic Social Teaching (CST). In this article, I locate the CCJ’s judgment in the case of Mayan King Ltd v Jose Reyes [2012] CCJ 3 (AJ) within the context of CST. A summary of the Judgment is found at the end of this article.
“Our society needs both more personal responsibility and broader social responsibility to overcome the plague of violence in our land and the lack of peace in our hearts.”(Confronting a Culture of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action – US Bishops, 1994).
Violence in our society continues unabated. Legislation on its own will never make people ‘moral’ or inculcate in them the values that will help us to build a just society. “A just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect for the transcendent dignity of the human person…since the order of things is to be subordinate to the order of persons, and not the other way around” (Gaudium et Spes).