By Vatican News

World Humanitarian Day is annually celebrated on 19 August. It is a day set aside to raise awareness about humanitarian assistance worldwide and to pay tribute to the men and women who risk their lives to provide it.

“On this day, the international community recalls the generosity of heart of thousands of humanitarian workers, of the poor and above all the survivors of the disasters who in hope aspire to live in dignity”, said Aloysius John, Secretary-General of Caritas Internationalis, in a statement issued on the eve of the annual event.

The world marks this year’s celebrations amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It also falls shortly after the massive 4 August explosion in Lebanon which claimed many lives. Thus, Caritas Internationalis is calling for “greater support to local civil society organizations, especially faith-based ones which around the world are supporting, helping and empowering local communities.”

Caritas Internationalis – a global confederation of 162 national relief and development agencies – is the second-largest civil society Catholic network and is present in almost all countries of the world. It aims to defend, serve, and accompany the poorest communities especially in times of disaster.

Local communities, first place actors of solidarity

“At a time when the disasters are getting to be more and more complex and the sufferings are high,” continued the statement, “the first support is given by the local communities which are better placed to bring appropriate help to the affected.” They are, therefore “to be recognized in the first place as actors of immediate solidarity,” insisted Caritas.

Even as the different parts of the world battle with the Covid-19 pandemic, Caritas points out that local communities have “shown the importance of being autonomous in taking quick action in responding to the pandemic.” Many, Caritas said, are “highly engaged in motivating and mobilizing community members to bring support and help to those who are vulnerable and also to build awareness around the danger of COVID-19 showing them how to avoid contamination.”

At this historic moment, continued the statement, “the international humanitarian system is being tested like never before, and humanitarian missions at the global level are bringing help to 1 in about 45 persons around the world.”

For this reason, Caritas “fully supports the localization of humanitarian aid and works to provide local communities with the knowhow and the means they need to enable them to respond to humanitarian emergencies autonomously.”

“This World Humanitarian Day must lead us to innovation in humanitarian response wherein governments and international aid community must focus on the empowerment of the local civil society organizations, especially faith-based organizations which are present with local communities,” said Aloysius John.

“At a time when the localization agenda is being introduced, it is vital that enough means are given to the civil society organizations to empower the local communities and prepare them for the humanitarian response in autonomy,” he added.

Appeals by Caritas

Caritas calls on governments to allocate funds to the empowerment of local civil society organizations and their basic structures, as well as provide funds to enable local communities to take appropriate action at times of disaster. Caritas is also calling for the protection of humanitarian workers and the interests of local communities.

World Humanitarian Day

In 2008, the United Nations General assembly designated 19 August as World Humanitarian Day in memory of the 19 August 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad which killed 22 people, including UN chief humanitarian in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. World Humanitarian Day was celebrated for the first time on 19 August 2009.

Vatican News English Africa Service – Vatican City

Southern African Church in unconditional solidarity

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka says that the Catholic Church and its Bishops in Southern Africa stand “in unconditional solidarity” with the Bishops of Zimbabwe in the face of vilification by the Zimbabwean Government.

“We, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) … continue to note with increasing concern the unabated situation of repression in Zimbabwe, resulting in increasing hardship and suffering to the citizens,” reads a statement released Wednesday, by the Bishop of Mthatha and President of the SACBC, Sithembele Sipuka.

We commend your prophetic voice

Bishop Sipuka continues, “We commend you for your prophetic voice in naming and condemning the brutalisation of ordinary people by security forces and the underlying corruption that has led to the total collapse of services to the people by the government (of Zimbabwe).”

People needed to hear voice of encouragement

“Your Pastoral letter of Friday 14 August 2020 clearly describes the hardships and problems faced by Zimbabwe, and analyses the causes, which those in authority do not want to hear. Your voice of encouragement to the people of Zimbabwe is what they needed to hear in this time of their greatest need. It is opportune and appropriate that this letter was issued on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. We take hope from and hold on to the assurance given by Our Mother that, “God has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.” (Lk. 1:52),” says Bishop Sipuka.

Support for the Archbishop of Harare

The Bishops of Southern African, in particular, condemn the personal attacks targeted at the Archbishop of Harare, Robert Christopher Ndlovu, by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa.

“It is most regrettable that instead of addressing the issues, the Government through its Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, chose instead to target and insult Archbishop Robert Ndlovu as “evil-minded,” projecting its own tribalistic agenda to fuel divisions in the country. To you bishops and particularly to you Archbishop Ndlovu we remind you of what Jesus foretold about those who speak in his name that “they will seize you and persecute you” (Lk.21:12),” assured he Bishops.

For Shepherds, keeping quiet is not an option

“We pray that the Bishops and the Church will continue to speak prophetically, with the voice of God, and be the light that shines in the darkness, ‘and the darkness has not overcome it,’ (Jn.1:5). Keeping quiet is not an option, and as shepherds of the people, your voice of support gives hope to the people entrusted to you to carry on. As your brothers and sisters in Southern Africa, we assure you of our support and prayers that this time of suffering, in your country, may soon come to an end,” Bishop Sipuka said. 

By John Carr

As of today, all the smart bars and taverns on Mykonos will have to close at midnight, and at all other hours social distancing and mask-wearing will be required.  And the all-night partying in luxurious villas, where to get in would cost maybe a thousand euros, had been halted.

The move comes after weeks of official fury at television and social media images of masses of  people packing the bars and beaches, in defiance of the rules, taking no precautions whatsoever.  Mykonos’  small police force has proved inadequate to cope with the situation.

Cases of Covid-19 in Greece are rising again, with about 220 deaths so far and more than 6,000 infections since the pandemic began.  Crowded islands such as Mykonos have been blamed for the spike.  Local bar owners and hoteliers are howling their protests that business will take a fatal hit.  

By Robin Gomes

India’s Catholic community has been urged “to strengthen its solidarity with the poor”, who are considered “useless objects” in the eyes of today’s economic system.

The call was made by Archbishop Felix Machado of Vasai Diocese, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), who inaugurated the annual general body meeting of the All India Catholic Union (AICU) in Mumbai on Sunday.

Plight of the poor

“We should not treat the poor as insignificant non-persons without any rights and an obstacle to society. It is a matter of concern and we must understand their plight and treat them equally,” Archbishop Machado said in a webinar that was hosted in keeping with the Covid-19 protocols.    

Founded in 1919, the AICU is the oldest lay Catholic organization of India.  In a press release on Tuesday, it noted that participants expressed concerns over the plight of the poor, the digital divide in society, attacks on minority rights and the Indian government’s “worrisome” New Education Policy (NEP).

In his address, Archbishop Machado explained, “due to globalization, millions of poor people are considered as useless objects and are used and thrown away by the economic system”. In this regard, he recalled Saint Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis who have urged that the foreign debt of poor countries, manipulated by creditors with taxes and interest, be written off.   

Indian and Christian at the same time

Archbishop Machado dismissed allegations of “vested interests” that question the patriotism of India’s Christians. “We are Indians and at the same time Christians,” he said, stressing the two cannot be separated.

At the same time, the Church promotes dialogue with all, irrespective of their religious affiliations, to foster values of peace, justice and freedom so that everyone’s rights are respected.

“We need to collaborate not only with other Christian denominations but also with civil society and like-minded people of all faiths,” the AICU statement said.

Concerns 

The AICU meeting noted that the government’s New Education Policy has created apprehension in the country’s Christian community.  The CBCI and AICU have demanded continuing consultations on the NEP and assurances that it will not violate the rights of states or religious minorities and will ensure adequate budgetary provisions for universal education.

The meeting also touched upon issues such as threats faced by the Catholic Church from religious fundamentalists, changes in laws related to the environment and the need for a concerted response from the CBCI and the AICU to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

By Vatican News

Delegates of the Democratic Party cast their ballots for Biden in an online poll on Tuesday night.

The vote was largely a formality, as he had remained the only candidate standing in the race.

The 4-day Democratic Party Convention is a largely virtual affair this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter appeared onscreen at the virtual convention to express their support for Biden.

Biden officially accepted the nomination with a brief expression of gratitude.

“Thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart,” said Biden. “It means the world to me and my family.”

Biden will deliver his formal acceptance speech on Thursday at the close of the Democratic Party Convention.

By Devin Watkins

Ecuador’s indigenous communities are calling on the judicial system to hold the government and oil companies accountable for the damage caused by an oil spill in early April.

Catholic leaders from across Latin America and from other parts of the globe joined in that appeal with a letter expressing support for their plight.

Ecological disaster

On 7 April 2020, a landslide burst three pipelines carrying crude oil along the Coca River.

Over 16,000 barrels of oil spilled into the river, washing downstream and polluting vast tracts of land.

The pipelines are managed by state-run oil company Petroecuador and a private company, Heavy Crude Pipeline (OCP).

The resulting environmental damage hit Ecuador’s indigenous communities hardest, due to their heavy reliance on sustenance fishing and hunting in the affected area.

Wide range of Catholic leaders

Now, months later, judicial hearings resumed to discover who was responsible for the disaster.

A group of 117 Catholic leaders sent an amicus brief to the judge overseeing the case. In it they present relevant information and arguments for consideration.

The letter’s signatories include Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso, two Archbishops, 42 Bishops, and a wide complement of religious superiors and directors of lay organizations.

Unhindered exploitation

“As people of faith,” the letter reads, “we call attention to one of the most urgent moral questions with which we are confronted today in the Amazon region of Latin America.”

The Catholic leaders say the Ecuador disaster “is sadly only one of many recent examples in a long history of ecological and human health crises that are the result of the unhindered extraction and exploitation of natural resources.”

They explain their desire to “defend and promote human rights as both a social duty and a demand arising out of faith.”

Reparation and prevention

Defending the rights of indigenous communities, say Catholic leaders, includes “condemning extractive destruction and encouraging states to fulfill their obligations in this regard.”

“May justice be done,” they urge, calling for “comprehensive and urgent measures to repair the harm done to the communities and ecosystems damaged by the oil spill.”

Preventative strategies must be put in place, conclude Catholic leaders, “so that serious incidents such as these are never repeated in Ecuador or in any other Amazonian nation.”