Torture: End prolonged solitary confinement
On June 19, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights held the first-ever Congressional hearing to reassess the use of solitary confinement. Attendance was so high the hearing room filled and an overflow room contained over 100 more spectators. Following the hearing, Kathy McNeely, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (MOGC), spoke at an interfaith press conference held by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT). The following article was written by Ainsley Rossitto, an intern with the MOGC, for the July-August 2012 issue of NewsNotes.
Nuclear energy: Its dangers outweigh its benefits
March 2012 -- As the world prepares to mark the first anniversary of the tragic tsunami and nuclear accident in Japan, Maryknoll missioners convey their continued sympathy for all those directly impacted by the disaster, and present a new statement that expresses their deep reservations about the continued reliance on the use of nuclear power and the development of nuclear weapons.
Together with Africa: Mavambo Trust gives children a new beginning
In 2002, Maryknoll Sister Kathleen Barbee, who has lived and worked in Africa for many years, and a Redemptorist colleague responded to the profound needs of Zimbabwean children living in poverty and
Korea: UN asked to evaluate human rights abuses
The following was published by the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN). Read about Jeju Island and its residents' efforts to stop the construction of a naval base in the September-October 2011 and November-December 2011 issues of NewsNotes.
Maryknoll Centennial Celebration in Washington, D.C.: A day on the Hill: Bringing Maryknoll experience to U.S. policymakers
Almost 70 Maryknoll missioners, Affiliates and staff members gathered in Washington, D.C. on May 16-17 for a special event to help mark the Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers' and the Maryknoll Sisters' centennial years (2011-2012).
Bolivia: Update on TIPNIS controversy
The following article was printed in the March-April 2012 issue of NewsNotes.
Obama administration statement on AIDS
June 2011 -- “We pause to mark the thirty years we have been fighting HIV/AIDS.” said President Barack Obama. “As we remember people in our own lives we have lost and stand by those living with HIV/AIDS, we must also rededicate ourselves to finally ending this pandemic – in this country and around the world.”
Compare the Korea FTA to the TRADE Act
How does the Korea FTA measure up to the TRADE (Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment) Act, sponsored by Rep. Michael Michaud (D‐ME) ...
Bolivia: Highway plan stokes conflict
The following article appeared in the November-December 2011 issue of NewsNotes.
A Catholic call to abolish the death penalty
"As theologians, scholars, and social justice advocates who participate in the public discussion of Catholic theology, we protest the state-sanctioned killings of both of these men, and we call for the abolition of the death penalty in the U.S."
Pope Benedict XVI and the solidarity economy
The following article by Dave Kane was published in August 2011.
Palestine: Kairos document published
In December, a group of Christian Palestinian leaders published a 16-page Kairos document that tells the reality of life in Palestine. The writers request that “the international community … stand by the Palestinian people who have faced oppression, displacement, suffering and clear apartheid for more than six decades. The suffering continues while the international community silently looks on at the occupying state, Israel. Our word is a cry of hope, with love, prayer and faith in God. ..."