CEC and COMECE share a message of hope for Easter amid Covid-19
In a joint message for the upcoming Easter, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) together with the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) affirm sheer hope in Christ’s resurrection in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Addressing all people in Europe, especially the poor and the most vulnerable, CEC President Rev. Christian Krieger and COMECE President H. Em. Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ issued the following message on 31 March:
Easter reminds us of the passage of God’s chosen people from slavery, oppression, and despair in Egypt, to liberation, joy and hope in the promised land.
Easter celebrates Christ’s passover from rejection, abandonment of his closest disciples, humiliation, his passion and death on Good Friday, to life, joy, and victory on Easter Sunday.
The passing over from despair to joy, from death to life, involves going through adversities, doubt, setback, suffering and agony. Living in confinement for a year, experiencing illness and anxiety, witnessing bereavement and loss adds new meaning to the anticipation of Resurrection this Easter.
As churches and Christians in Europe, we too are passing over from isolation, loss and anxiety to healing, recovery and a renewed life, where ‘death is swallowed up in victory’ (1 Corinthians 15:54).
Each one of us received the gift of that new life and the power to accept it and live by it. It is a gift which radically alters our attitude toward the realities of this world, including illness and death.
By his own passing, Christ transformed death into a passage leading to the Reign of God. Evil and physical death no longer have the final say in life. In Christ our lives are filled with a promise of real life, abounding in hope and everlasting joy.
May the hope of His Resurrection sustain us and keep us in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the country continues to grapple with its uncomfortable relationship with racism and the ongoing call for racial justice, the Consortium for Christian Muslim Dialogue and the Duquesne Interfaith Student Organization deepened the dialogue with a discussion of religion’s role in racial equity.
The virtual panel, titled Racial Equity & Religions, took place over Zoom on March 18. The event began with keynote speaker George Yancy, a Samuel Candler Dobbs professor of philosophy from Emory University. Yancy, a Duquesne 2005 Ph.D. recipient, garnered attention just a few short weeks ago when The Duke published his “Open Letter to Black Students at Duquesne University.”
To initiate the discussion, Yancy spoke about whiteness and its implication on religion and racism in America.
“If Black lives really mattered to white people, and especially religious white people, I desire to see gious white people, I desire to see white rage against itself, its own white power and privilege and its complicity with white supremacy,” Yancy said. “I would like to see their white rage overflow in the streets of this nation shouting, ‘My whiteness is a lie.’”
After Yancy’s address, each panelist followed with a presentation on their own religion and its teachings on race and role in racism.
The first panelist was Sangeeta Chakravorty. She presented her perspective on racial equity as it relates to her religion, Hinduism. Chakravorty held a 30-second moment of silence for those who have died at the hands of injustice.
Intolerance towards the so-called ‘Other’ is extremely painful, and does not conform to the religious tenets Hinduism recommends,” Chakravorty said.
Next, Rona Kaufman Kitchen gave a presentation on the relationship between Judaism and race. Kitchen presented four ways of looking at racial equity in Judaism: Jewish teachings, Jewish history, intra-community racial equity in the American Jewry and the role of Judaism in anti-Black racism in America.
Following Kitchen, Kamal Shlbei gave a presentation on how Islam views and values equality, especially when it comes to race. Shlbei provided insight to Islamic teachings on human dignity and its role in promoting and advocating for racial equity.
Anna Floerke Scheid followed with the Christian perspective on equity and race. Scheid discussed the history of Christianity in America and the Civil Rights Movement. Scheid acknowledged the work Christianity has to continue doing with regard to racial justice and commented on the progress Christianity has made thus far in a movement that is anti-racist.
Next, Will Adams gave a presentation on racial equity with the Buddhist perspective. Adams discussed the delusion of separation of self versus other. Buddhism recognizes differences between people but realizes that people are never separate from each other.
The last panelist, Jesse Washington, represented the Bahá’í Faith. Washington spoke on racial equality and equity and their importance to the Bahá’í Faith.
“The Bahá’í Faith recognizes that racial equality is a fundamental need of this time, and without it, the promises of all of our religions cannot be fulfilled,” Washington said.
The event concluded with questions for the panelists from the audience. Some of the questions touched on ways college students specifically can raise awareness of solidarity and allyship in their own religious communities.
“I am hopeful we are moving in a direction that is important that we are able to see how differently [minorities] are treated in America and recognizing we have a responsibility in America to be partners with other minorities who are experiencing really severe racism in the United States,” Kitchen said. An audio recording is available on the Consortium for Christian Muslim Dialogue website for those who missed the live event.
China’s investment agreement with Europe is in tatters as major parties in the European Parliament are considering withholding support to the trade deal after Beijing imposed sanctions on EU officials.
The South China Morning Post reported that three of the four biggest parties of the EU have already said that they cannot support the deal until sanctions are lifted.
“China is trying to intimidate us by silencing MEPs [Members of European Parliament] because they denounced the human rights abuses against Uygurs in China,” said EPP Chairman Manfred Weber in a video posted on social media.
The trade deal requires ratification by the European Parliament – a process slated to begin next year, SCMP reported.
This comes after Beijing imposed retaliatory sanctions on the EU officials following the European Council’s decision to impose sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity.
On Tuesday, the MEPs had reiterated their serious concerns regarding human rights abuses in China, particularly the persecution of the Uyghur minority in the province of Xinjiang.
Condemning the retaliatory sanctions, the MEPs had slammed the Chinese government’s attempts to “interfere in the democratic life of our nations and our European Union”.
Amid mounting pressure from the US and its allies, China has continued to deny the charges of both forced labour and genocide in Xinjiang.
European Union landmark trade deal — the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with China, which was signed in December last year, may prove to be a dangerous move for Europe.
Since the signing of the deal by Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, there is a mounting concern in the European Parliament over China’s human rights record on issues, including alleged forced labour camps and a crackdown in Hong Kong against anti-government protestors, reported Greek City Times.
JUDGES CHOSE POPULAR SUGAR ALTERNATIVE – VITAFIBER – AS A FINALIST AS WORLD’S TOP INNOVATIVE FOOD INGREDIENT FOR 2021 – Organic Food News Today – EIN Presswire
Ares Games announced Brancalonia RPG Setting Book, a Medieval Italian fantasy setting that is compatible with 5E rules, for release in May.
Billed as a “Spaghetti Fantasy RPG”, this setting by Acheron Books mixes contemporary Italian fiction with Italian fantasy tradition and pop culture. The book is inspired by Collodi’s Pinocchio, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Spaghetti Westerns of the modern era. As an example, player characters in this setting are Knaves, Free Company mercenaries, rogues, and other fantasy characters with suspicious professions.
This setting book comes as a 192-page hardcover with maps, characters, antagonists, monsters, and other flavor for the Kingdom. It features six new playable races, new talents, equipment, rules, and magic items. Brancalonia RPG Setting Book also comes with a six adventure set in different parts of the Kingdom.
Along with the main RPG book, Ares also revealed the Macaronicon and Conottiero’s Screen. The Macaronicon is a 160-page expansion manual that adds new options for Kingdom Rogues, 10 new subclasses, three new races, and new background. Conottiero’s Screen is a GM screen with reference tables for the game.
Ares Games also announced that they have inked a deal with Asyncron Games to distribute Asyncron’s Engish edition board games in North America and additional territories (see “Ares and Asyncron Ink a Distribution Deal”).
BIC NEW YORK — As the world undergoes profound change, the pandemic has clearly revealed the indispensable role of women leaders and the need for models of leadership to be reconceptualized. These ideas are at the heart of the Bahá’í International Community’s (BIC) contribution to the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which includes a statement titled Leadership for a Culture of Equality, in Times of Peril and Peace.
“In nations where women have contributed more prominently to leadership in their society at whatever level, a degree of stability has been seen across a variety of short-term indicators, including public health and economic security,” says Saphira Rameshfar, Representative of the BIC.
“It has never been so clear how much humanity benefits when women’s leadership is embraced and promoted at every level of society, whether in the family or the village, the community or local gov¬ernment, the corporation or the nation.”
In its statement to the Commission, the BIC highlights several characteristics and capacities for effective leadership, including “the ability to harmonize different voices and foster a sense of common endeavor.”
At an online discussion centered on the BIC statement during CSW, Charlotte Bunch of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University said, “I think that the model that [the BIC] put forward is really important. We need to understand that a model of equality… isn’t about making women equally dominant over other people to make them leaders…”
At another discussion space attended by ambassadors of several UN member states, participants viewed the recently released film Glimpses of the Spirit of Gender Equality. In response to the film, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Liberia to the UN, Ambassador Israel Choko Davies, said: “You see how actions in a given community can cultivate positive changes in the behavior of others.
“We see how happy a family becomes when a husband and wife exhibit mutual respect for one another and see themselves as equals. You learn of the positive role and the importance of spirituality in achieving gender equality. You realize the important role a family can play in promoting gender equality.”
Ambassador Davies quoted the film saying, “The capacity to love, to create, to persevere, has no gender”
Forty-nine delegates representing the BIC joined more than 25,000 representatives of governments and non-governmental organizations at this year’s CSW which was held online—the largest gathering since the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing involving governments and civil society organizations in advancing the discourse on gender equality.
The 21-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed ten people at a Colorado grocery store is set to appear in court tomorrow. Ahmad Alissa was arrested Monday and charged Tuesday. He allegedly shot two people in the parking lot of King Soopers in Boulder before walking in and opening fire.
In all, ten people were killed including a Boulder police officer. While police have yet to reveal a motive, family members say he was anti-social, paranoid and possibly mentally ill. His older brother told CNN Ahmad may have been suffering from mental illness and bullying in high school over being Muslim that may have led to “anti-social” behavior.
The quest for democracy and freedom is in the hands of the people of Belarus. They should know that they are not alone, writes David McAllister.
MEP David McAllister (EPP) is chair of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
The Kalinowski Forum, which took place on Monday, brought together the leaders of the Belarusian democratic forces, European and international organisations, as well as key parliamentarians and diplomats. I would like to thank the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania for organising this very timely event. Lithuania has been especially active in keeping the issue of democratic change in Belarus at the top of the European political agenda. And rightly so!
Vilnius is the closest capital of an EU Member State to Belarus. It has also become a place of refuge for many Belarusians, who were forced out of their country for daring to resist the Lukashenko regime. Vilnius and Warsaw are the major hubs of activity of Belarusian pro-democratic forces, civil society organisations, academic institutions and independent media.
The purpose of the Kalinowski Conference was – inter alia – to take stock of what we have done since the dramatic changes in Belarus last summer. The European Parliament has a lead role in recognising and supporting the Belarusian democratic forces and raising their profile at an international level. Parliament was the first EU institution that invited Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya when it became clear that she was deprived of her victory in the presidential election through obvious fraud and falsifications. Ms Tsikhanouskaya appeared before the Committee on Foreign Affairs on 25 August. Since then, she has become a regular guest in the European Parliament, taking part in several discussions about the situation in Belarus.
Democratic resistance is a joint effort of various Belarusian political forces, civil society organisations, human rights activists and ordinary people, who have had enough of living in a dictatorship and demand that the dignity and the fundamental rights of citizens are finally respected.
The European Parliament awarded its 2020 Sakharov Prize for the Freedom of Thought to the democratic opposition of Belarus, represented by the Coordination Council, an initiative of brave women, as well as prominent political and civil society figures, in recognition of their extraordinary courage in facing a ruthless regime.
The cause of the democratic movement in Belarus enjoys overwhelming cross-party support in the European Parliament. We have sent strong political signals through our resolutions, drawing attention to ongoing serious human rights violations and calling for concrete action by the European Union and its Member States.
As the situation in Belarus keeps on evolving, it is important to be in close contact with the key actors in the democratic movement, to listen to their perspective and to know how we can effectively and meaningfully assist them. For this purpose, the European Parliament organised a digital fact-finding mission last December.
It included meetings with a broad range of Belarusian interlocutors, such as the members of the Coordination Council, representatives of independent media, trade unions, civil society and academia.
On 25 March, Belarusians will be commemorating Freedom Day. It will be a day of defiance against the regime, which is once again preparing for a crackdown.
In reaction to such systematic violations of human rights, on 26 March the European Parliament will launch the Platform for discussion and strategic coordination on the fight against impunity in Belarus.
It will include democracy support measures and international mediation that would lead to the genuine national dialogue and a peaceful democratic transition. It will be a strong political signal to the regime in Minsk.
This initiative comes in response to the concrete needs of Belarusian human rights organisations. Its aim is to provide a space for all relevant actors to come together, with a view to exploring ways to provide operational and strategic support to those Belarusian civil society organisations that are collecting evidence of human rights violations in the country.
The regular meetings will bring together Belarusian umbrella human rights organisations, key international and local initiatives aimed at fighting impunity, as well as the representatives of the EU institutions.
The Platform is a work in progress that will evolve to respond to the needs of the Belarusian civil society. It is envisaged that it will perform the following three functions:
A regular independent assessment of the human rights situation in Belarus and allegations of human rights abuses;
Acting as a coordination and contact centre for stakeholders from Belarus and international actors working on Belarus;
Providing expert advice and mentoring for Belarusian human rights defenders and other civil society initiatives.
With these activities, the Platform should address important gaps in the international reaction to the ongoing human rights crisis in Belarus.
The mass protests that erupted following the fraudulent elections show that a new Belarus has emerged. However, it is still being ruled by the old regime, which is trying to suffocate the spirit of freedom with an iron grip of repression. As the resistance regains strength after the harsh winter, the slogan of that defined the events of last summer – “we believe, we can, we will win” – is still very much relevant.
The quest for democracy and freedom is in the hands of the people of Belarus. They should know that they are not alone. It is the responsibility of the democratic community to support this struggle not only with messages of encouragement but also with deeds.
This is particularly important at this crucial juncture for the protest movement. The Belarusian people have shown courage and determination. We should do the same. Therefore, Belarus will remain at the top of the political agenda of the European Parliament.