Catholic Commission for Social Justice
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI
On Sunday, November 25, the world will observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. As the UN states: “Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today and remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.
Today, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ, the King of the Universe. Each time we say the “Our Father”, we pray “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done…”
It is you and I, His instruments here on earth, who have to act as servant-leaders to ensure that His Kingdom of justice, peace, truth, love and forgiveness become a reality. We have our mandate in Luke 4: 18–19. We are the ones He has sent to “bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.”
The downtrodden are all around us. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear their cries?
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ
On Tuesday, November 20, the World will observe Universal Children’s Day, a day that also marks “the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the declaration and the convention on children’s rights.”
Pope Francis has said that “a society that abandons children and marginalises the elderly cuts off its roots and darkens its future…To take care of little ones and the elderly is a choice of civilisation.”
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI
On Sunday 18th November, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Catholic Church will observe the 2nd World Day of the Poor – an annual observance established by Pope Francis in November 2016, at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Two key social justice principles are: the dignity of the human person and the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable.
Archbishop Jason Gordon reminds us in his 18 November Catholic News column that the aim of World Day of the Poor is “to keep the plight of the poor before the eyes of the Universal Church. We must become mercy…Poverty is not only on the level of the individual. It is also about the structures of society that keep the poor, poor and the rich, rich…The scandal of poverty is our indifference and failure to listen to the cry. If we listen, if we hear, we will act; then God uses our hands and feet to achieve his purpose…
CCSJ and the Youth Commission are pleased to share with you the contribution of the 2nd prize winner of our recent Spoken Word Competition. See last week’s issue for Emmanuel Joseph’s winning piece.
We are the World
by Mark Howell-Paul
This may sound a bit unorthodox
but you don’t realise that cats
does use their litter boxes
but humans don’t?