The following are some reminders about Vossenack:

¯      JPIC conference animators should send the synthesis of the conference survey to the office.

¯      Every Provincial coordinator should have information and an outline of the meeting by now.

¯      Participants should make their own travel and visa arrangements as soon as possible.

¯      Participants should forward the information requested to the office as soon as possible

 

 

 

 

¯      Reu, the Philippines JPIC coordinator has arrived back from a visit to the island of Mindanao, where there's an on-going war between the government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). He visited the brothers in Baloi who are working in evacuation centers for displaced families - around 200 families. He also had a meeting with friars in Basilan who have received threats from the rebel group Ð there is a danger of being kidnapped. Please keep the brothers in your prayers.

¯      The EAC-JPIC meeting will take place in Manila from June 9-13, 2000.

¯      Korea: Pio Kim, informed the office that Tomas Kim, a new member of Korea JPIC commission, was assigned to be in charge of International Communication, such as communication with EAC JPIC and JPIC Office in Rome. He has completed his masters course in the USA. His E-mail address:

kimofm@hotmail.com

The new co-coordinator is Francis Kim. Congratulations Francis and welcome to JPIC animation work.

A report on the Human Rights situation was sent to the office in Spanish. Anyone interested in a copy, contact the office.

The brothers have responded to the appeal by the office to write to the Japanese Prime Minister. Since the appeal was launched, a new Prime Minister has been elected called Mori.

 

 

 

 

 

¯      Fr. PrasadÕs, R.I.P.: Prasad, fell off a train on Sunday night (9th April) at around 10 P.M. and died on the spot. How this happened is not very clear.  The Province is preparing a memorial newsletter and will post it to the office as soon it is ready. Prasad was a member of the Indian JPIC commission and participated in the SAAO conference meeting in Bangalore in October of 1999. He shared his experience of working with the Dalits, the poorest group of people in Indian society. His death saddens all of us who knew him. Anyone wishing to send condolences to the Provincial, fr. Scaria can do so via email at: ofm@bgl.vsnl.net.in 

¯      Australia: Nick Lucas, JPIC Australian coordinator has informed the office that the Australian Province has agreed to print the Resource book for the Asian Provinces. They have also agreed to print copies for the English speaking entities of Africa. Copies will be sent to the respective provinces. For any enquiries contact Nick at: nlucas@stfrancis.org.au

¯      East Timor: Peter Amon reported in march that the suffering of the refugees from East Timor has not ended . He visited several of the outlying Islands which had not received much attention until now. Most refugees have decided to return home, especially those who stayed in Atambua, Kefa and Kupang. But many East Timor refugees have lived on other islands such as Sulawesi, Sumbawa, Lombok, Jawa and Sumatera. Many live in isolated places and have escaped the attention and help of the friars, several forced to convert to Islam being told that transmigration programmes are only for Muslims. They were promised all sorts of material benefits which never materialized. The friars are trying to help people return to their homes. For a copy of the full report please contact the office.

¯      Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei: A quarterly newsletter for the Custody of St. Anthony is published by the JPIC commission, a copy of which was sent to the Rome office. John Wong, JPIC coordinator, participates in the inter- Religious Organization of Singapore. The commission is working to create closer ties between JPIC animators of other Franciscan entities. The commission promoted support for the friars and the people in East Timor. They organized a mass for migrants (e.g. Tamilans, Singhalese, Malayees, Filipinos and Indonesians) on the 30^th of April.

 

¯      Peace Mission: The sixth Conference Peace Mission took place April 1^st Ð10, 2000. Three groups, visiting three different border cities: Ciudad Ju‡rez (Chihuahua), Tijuana (Baja California) and Tapachula and Tenosique, in the southern border.

The objective of the mission was to find out about migrants« living conditions and the problems they have to endure. Members of the mission got in touch with the migrant population and visited centres where they receive hospitality while preparing to cross the border. The groups interviewed pastoral agents, civil organizations working on behalf of migrants and some government officials. Members of the three delegations met in Mexico city to compare notes on what they had seen and heard and to make recommendations to the different authorities. Six OFM friars took part in the mission

As part of the preparation process, the JPIC commission of the franciscan family distributed a booklet with a series of biblical reflections and information on migration, to be prayed and reflected on by the fraternities. They also designed a creative poster, to heighten consciousness among the members of the franciscan family and the population at large, about this group of the excluded.

Every day on the California border alone, 2000 people are deported and 500 people have lost their lives in the last five years. A lot more coordinated work needs to take place among groups involved in the pastoral care of migrants. It is hoped that the franciscans in Mexico will become more involved, especially the Provinces on the borders.

¯      JPIC Conference Report: A copy of the JPIC franciscan family report was sent to the office. Copies in Spanish are available from their office in Mexico via email: ffimex@laneta.apc.org

¯      Vice Province of San Felipe: the Provincial JPIC commission publish a bulletin called Ò the voice of the black forestÓ Articles relating to the work of the brothers and information to what is happening in the south of Mexico are published.

¯      After a brief spell as JPIC coordinator of the Santa Fe Province, Ernesto Londo–o will be studying for a doctorate in Paris. Joaquin A Echeverry is the new JPIC Provincial coordinator.

¯      Fr Emilio Carpio, the Vicar-Provincial of the twelve Apostles, Peru was nominated as new JPIC conference animator. Congratulations to Emilio and thanks to Omar Fernandez, who has served the commission with enthusiasm and generosity for the last year.

¯      Conference meeting: A meeting of the JPIC conference commission took place in Quito, Ecuador in February. Six entities participated: Perœ (2), Colombia (2), Venezuela, and Ecuador. The brothers studied the contents of the new Resource book. The task of making it known was assumed, as well as preparing an annex with Latin American documentation. The conference will produce a bulletin, supported by the University of Cali. A copy of the recent publication ÒPaz en la TierraÓ was sent to the office. The next meeting will take place in Cali in March of 2001.

¯      Assault on friars in Matanzas: the office received a communication from the Provincial, Mario Toro ofm, of the San Pablo Province of Colombia thanking the office and all the who responded to the urgent action appeal (over 200 letters), when the brothers were beaten and threatened by para-militaries. Thanks to the International pressure the Government and judicial authorities are investigating the incident, even though in a country with such high degree of impunity we better not hold our breath. The Provincial emphasises how important international solidarity is to the brothers and is a great source of strength and consolation for the brothers to continue supporting initiatives for justice and peace.

¯      Paramilitaries in Colombia: the Human Rights Watch report published on the 23rd of February reveal ÒalarmingÓ connections between paramilitaries who committed atrocities and the military. This report comes at a time when the leaders of the U.S. congress are about to approve an aid package to Colombia of $1.3 billion, $700 million of which will be for the military. Paramilitaries are responsible for 80% of displacement in the country, with 1.5 million internally displaced since 1985. for details of the HRW report see www.hrw.org

¯      Fr Emilio Carpio ( Conference animator), email: jpsc_eecp@arribaperu.co and Fr. Joaquin A Echeverry: Colpioxll@telesat.com.co 

 

¯      A new Provincial liaison has been appointed to the JPIC conference commission. He is Thomas Luczak, OFM, Assumption Province, 143 East Pulaski Street, Pulaski, WI 54162-0100.

¯      The Executive committee of the commission met in Washington on April 6 to prepare for the May conference meeting in Milwaukee, May 3-7, and to evaluate the work of the Washington office.

¯      Henry Beck will be joining the Provincial team for the first year of their new mission in Jamaica. He continues to be the JPIC provincial coordinator.

¯      A member of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation commission of Holy Name Province will speak at each of the spring regional days organized by the Province. The presenter will review the Chapter '99 vision of justice, the document "Franciscans Speaking Out"; explain the directorate's plans to develop a resource booklet for friars and their partners on each area of "Franciscans Speaking Out"; and give an overview of a document on debt cancellation the directorate has composed to facilitate its use within local ministries.

¯      Christopher Posch has initiated a four-year plan to help Latin American immigrants feel more at home in the Wilmington Diocese. There are not enough Spanish speaking priests. He suggested novices should participate in Hispanic Ministry and all seminarians should take Spanish language courses. Chris became sensitive to the struggles of the Latin American people when he lived and worked among them 10 years ago at Assisi House in Washington, D.C

¯      Santa Barbara Third Province wide JPIC convention: Workshops with a variety of speakers will take place on JPIC themes from September 15-18, 2000 at San Damiano Retreat, Danville, CA.

¯      The formation theme for the JPIC commission meeting in March was Òthe reality of the immigrants in Spain/PortugalÓ

¯      The JPIC commission is hosting the European meeting on Asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. It will take place in Barcelona from the 30^th of June to the 2^nd of July. Already a series of meetings have been organized by the individual European Conferences with friars who work with refugees and asylum seekers. It is hoped to bring the experiences together and to make a series of practical suggestion as how best to implement the General ChapterÕs resolution at a continental level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

¯      The JPIC commission met in Maiori from 14-16 of March. The theme of the meeting was Ò the economy that generates inequality and warÓ. Friars working with refugees also met in Rome to prepare for the Barcelona meeting.

¯      Resource Book: It is expected to be published by July of this year. The executive committee worked on the translation and have now asked the assistance of the Poor Clares to complete the translation and corrections.

¯      JPIC meetings: the JPIC commission meet three times a year. From now on, one meeting will be dedicated exclusively to OFM JPIC issues, another to Inter-Franciscan family themes and final one with commissions responsible for evangelisation.

 

 

Fr. Francineto, from the Vice Province of St. Benedict, was beaten by military police and imprisoned for a few days on the 17^th of April, after trying to contain violence which erupted during a manifestation by landless in the North of Brazil. It was the fourth anniversary of the El Dorado massacre, in which 19 of the landless movement were killed. His Provincial Minister circulated a report on the incident. The JPIC office was waiting for more information before launching an appeal which, thankfully, was not needed.

 

 

A meeting of the conference animators of the conference will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from May 9-12. The principal objective will be to prepare for the Vosssenack meeting.

 

 

 

¯      OFM JPIC Resource-book: There may have been a mistake in the email address of Jose Antonio Guerra, responsible for the publication of the Spanish version of the Resource-book. His email is: jaguer@cempresarial.com He assured me in a communication at the end of march that 2000 copies of the book had been dispatched to Latin America. There may be some delays in the transportation.

¯      General Definitory letter to Japanese Prime Minister: at the request of the JPIC office, the Definitory agreed to send a letter to the Japanese Prime Minister, asking him to include the debt issue on the agenda for the G8 meeting taking place in Okinawa in June. Details are on the Curia web page. Please urge the brothers to write a similar letter. Since the letter was written there is a new Prime Minister called Mori. Over sixty congregations has agreed to promote this appeal at an International level. Copies of the letter head with the names of these congregations are available through the JPIC office.

¯      Franciscans International: the Geneva office of FI organised together with the International Catholic Migration Commission, the seminar: ÒEurope: an area of freedom, security and justice?Ó(10 and 11 April 2000). The seminar on European Refugee and Migration Policy brought together 90 participants from mostly Church based organisations all over Europe, from the grass roots to the policy making level. Human Dignity, inalienable, indivisible and inherent to every human being, no matter where they come from or which legal status they may enjoy, was at the centre of all our reflections during these two days. Refugees and Asylum seekers. Among the Member States of the European Union, there is a need for harmonised asylum procedures as well as a common refugee definition. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the notion of security does not only apply to the States but also every human being. There is serious concern about the European UnionÕs readmission policy with regard to States where the security of the refugee cannot be guaranteed. Migrants The present lack, in many European Countries, of a coherent immigration legislation has a role to play in forcing people to use the asylum corridor to immigrate, and eventually get into an illegal situation. Economies make large profit from migrants. Trafficked Women and Children. They are often traumatized and need long term protection, legal and social assistance. They should be entitled to a permanent legal resident status, not to be limited to the sole purpose of serving as witnesses against the traffickers. Trafficking with human beings is a world business with high profit and low risk, compared to the trafficking with drugs and weapons. Traffickers who use coercion should undergo severe punishment.

¯       NGO Revolution: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan gave a boost to NGOÕs recently during remarks to civil society in New Zealand, when he said that the "NGO Revolution" has been "the best thing that has happened to our Organization in a long time." He invited civil society organizations to the Millennium Forum, calling for a stronger partnership between the UN and civil society.

¯      European Refugee and asylum seekers Most of the European conferences have organized a meeting of friars pastorally involved with refugees and migrants. To date meetings have taken place in France, Netherlands, Italy and Spain.

¯      Publications: Guatemala: Never Again! has been published in English and copies are available through Orbis press. Email: orbisbooks@maryknoll.org

¯      Very Interesting web-site: Sebastiao Salgado, the famous Brazalian photographer has a web- site. He is best known for pictures of the landless. www.sebastiaosalgado.com.br

¯       Update on email addresses:

Cesare Azimonti (Italian JPIC coordinator): francint@tin.it and fax 39-06- 96.61.03.78

Claud Maseau (French coordinator): dorleans.franciscains@libertysurf.fr

Washington office: email: fwofla@AOL.COM Tel: 1-202-636-5190. Fax: 1-202-636-5173

 

Francisco î Conaire, OFM

OFM JPIC Office

Via S. Maria Mediatrice 25

00165 Rome, ITALY

E-mail: pax@ofm.org Web: http://www.ofm.org/

Tel: (+39-06) 6849-1218       Fax: (+39-06) 6849-1266