OMI JPIC Meeting

General House Rome October 20 – 25 2009

     The Oblate Constitutions and Rules; specifically Rules 9a & 9b, guides the JPIC Committee “action on behalf of Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation is an integral part of evangelization… Oblates identify themselves with the poor, sharing their life and commitment to justice; others are present where decisions affecting their future of the poor are being made.… wherever they work, Oblates will collaborate, according to their vocation and by every means compatible with the Gospel in changing all that is a cause with oppression and poverty.”

Vision of JPIC Ministry

 “With the liberating person of Jesus Christ at the center, we are called to experience His Love and make it a shared reality. Justice and peace are truly missionary dimensions of the U.S. Catholic Church” (OMI/OCUS Regional Congress 1981)

Solidarity with/Preferential Option for the Poor

     Province JPIC Committee Appt by Provincial 8-12 members; Oblates and laity Ex officio members Meets twice a year Reports to the Prov. Council after each meeting

Structure of Province JPIC

The Committee

The Washington DC Staff

     Advises and/or makes recommendations to the Provincial in Council on specific issues dealing with Justice, Peace & the Integrity of Creation, as well as the establishment of policy relating to these same values.

Generates, with the assistance of the national JPIC office in Washington, tools to aid province membership in responding to specific JPIC issues.

Animates the membership of the province, especially in the geographic areas where the committee members live and minister.

Relates to and keeps itself informed concerning the work of the 3 components of the Provinces’ JPIC ministry (the National Office in Washington, the Ecological Initiative in Godfrey, and the Parish Outreach Project which works out of Chicago).

Receives updating reports from the province director of Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation ministry.

Role of Province JPIC Committee

       DC Office asked to be GS JPIC presence in Washington/NY since 2002 (Associate Director) Advocacy/Animation/Consultation FCI/CSR mission for OIP Indigenous; Responsible Investing; Ecology as priorities World Social Forum Organizing Quarterly E Newsletter Formation session; Bangkok; Warsaw; Lima;

GS JPIC Mandate

    A fair, transparent and democratic political system A just and sustainable economic system A model of development and style of life that respects the earth and eco system A system of global governance in global institutions that respects and protects the rights of all nations and peoples

Priorities

     Mission in the theater of Ideas Mission in the political and public sector Mission in the corporate and private sector Mission in education and formation for JPIC Mission in coalition and collaboration with others of like mind and commitment

Implementation

    Protection and promotion of Human Dignity Expansion of the understanding of Human Rights; right to water etc Expanding and deepening an appreciation of understanding of the fragility of our eco system Engage in the debate on “Mission” “Development”; Fair Trade; Profit; Interest; Restorative Justice etc.

Participate in the debate on Ideas

 Promoting representative democratic Government at all levels  Actively participating in the constitutional and legislative process at appropriate levels   Advocacy with elected officials Monitoring the service of the justice system and the work of civil servants

Mission in the political and public sector

     Active ownership of assets especially stocks and other investments Meeting with leaders of corporations Proposing resolutions to address issues of concern Advocating for appropriate regulation of corporations (See Tenke Fungurume PP: Katanga Congo)

Mission in the corporate and private sector

Extractive Companies

 Website content www.omiusajpic.org

     Newsletters 2,500 plus electronically Briefing Papers Educational resources Articles Presentation yearly at all formation houses in Province

Mission in Education and Formation for JPIC

         

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION AND BORDER REFORMS.

Oblate JPIC Committee meeting - Oct 15 -16. Godfrey, IL George Kombe Ngolwe Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Lessons from Healthcare debate With a comprehensive immigration bill likely to be introduced by the end of or early next year, we look at the health care debate now for lessons about the likely course of immigration reform.

Immigration reform will be a real battle and will get ugly. The Obama Administration and its allies must be ready to respond to the onslaught of ugliness. It will be a 24/7 demonization event that we are seeing on healthcare on Fox, Lou Dobbs, talk radio, and right wing critics. In order to win this debate, Obama and the allies need to be better prepared than they were for the health care talk hall failures.

# Immigration laws must be reformed to avoid distractions. Healthcare debate has turned into immigration reform debate. Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst “You Lie” after Obama’s health care plan for undocumented immigrants shifted public debate from Obama healthcare to immigration debate. # Unlike Healthcare which will spend tax payer’s money, comprehensive immigration reform that will legalize the undocumented workers would improve wages and working conditions for all workers and increase tax revenues for cash-strapped federal states and local governments. -The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that $66 billion in new revenue over 10 years would have been generated if the 2006 immigration reform bill, which would have legalized most of our undocumented population, had passed.

-New legal immigrants to the U.S. would provide a net benefit of $407 billion to the Social Security system over 50 years, according to a study by the National Foundation for American Policy.

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Briefing Papers

    I.D. and join some of other Catholic and religious groups and organizations I.D. and join other like minded non governmental organizations Collaborate with student Groups Support local communities

Mission in coalition and collaboration with others

Coalition Organizations

Africa Faith and Justice Network Bread for the World Eighth Day Center Haiti Reborn

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

Interfaith Funders Merrimack Valley Project National Catholic Rural Life Pax Christi Seamless Garment (now Consistent Life) Socially Responsible Investment Coalition (SA) Washington Office on Latin America Latin America Working Group Coaliton for Justice in the Maquiladoras International Interfaith Investment Group (OIP) Jubilee USA Network

 ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Oblates and collaborators ◦ US Local parishes and communities in the province Bolivia Peru Bangladesh Brazil Zambia Sri Lanka Guatemala

Solidarity Active and Strong

◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Collaborators and Oblates Philippines Ireland Congo Nigeria Japan Kenya Canada Poland

Solidarity Active Needs improvement

      Caritas in Veritate: June 2009 World Bank; International Monetary Fund; G7; G20; UN; Governance of WB/IMF Financial Regulatory Reform; Tobin Tax/Levy; Tax Havens Derivatives; Leverage; Compensation

Financial Sector

       Right to Water Right to Food Free Prior and Informed Consent Right to Migration Human trafficking Torture Landmines

Human Rights

      Oblate Ecological Initiative Oblate Learning Center Strong Screens on Investments Work on Coca Cola and other beverage companies on Water Use Environmental Justice Work on Mining companies: Peru; Indonesia; Bolivia; Congo; Philippines etc

Ecology

 “The social doctrine of the Church has unceasingly highlighted the importance of distributive justice and social justice for the market economy, not only because it belongs within a broader social and political context, but because of the wider network of relations within which it operates”. CV #35

Thanks