Development and Peace | Press Room

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada conclude joint review of CCODP’s international partner organizations

kdidomenico — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 17:02:11 +0000

Joint Statement

February 25, 2021

Montreal

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada (CCODP) have concluded a review of the latter’s international partner organizations that receive project funding from CCODP. From a total of 205 partners, the review initially identified 52 organizations for closer study and later added 11 more, for a total of 63 that were examined. The review did not examine partner organizations affiliated with Caritas Internationalis or part of a Catholic diocesan structure and ministry. Following a number of interim reports, a final concluding report was submitted to the Plenary Assembly of the CCCB and the National Council of the CCODP and approved by both organizations in September and November 2020 respectively.

Process and Guiding Principles

The report was prepared by a joint subcommittee comprising CCCB representatives, including its senior management, as well as CCODP senior management. The joint subcommittee was mandated in November 2017 by the Permanent Council of the CCCB and the National Council of the CCODP to investigate concerns that some of the non-financed activities and positions of international partner organizations might be in conflict with the Church’s social and moral teachings. Through a rigorous and thorough process, clarifications were sought from the partners themselves and from the Bishops of the respective dioceses in which they are based.

In examining the partner organizations, the joint subcommittee focused its work around several questions, including whether the partner supported anything contrary to Catholic moral or social teaching, whether its actions might mislead others with respect to the same, whether the partner’s professed values align with its actions online and on the ground, and whether the partner’s actions could undermine the credibility of the Bishops in Canada or in the host country.

Identity of Partners

Because of the sensitive information contained in the Final Report, and in fairness to the reputations and, in some cases the safety, of the partners, it was agreed to keep confidential the names of the international partners and not to make the full text of the Final Report public.

Summary of Conclusions

The following is a summary of the final decisions based on the recommendations of the joint subcommittee.

Of the 63 organizations identified for further study, the CCODP and the CCCB agreed:

There were no objections to 20 partnerships continuing. This was the result of satisfactory clarifications received from the partners, as well as communications with the local Diocesan Bishop where the partner is based.
Since 19 partnerships had already ended or were about to end during the review period, these were not considered and no recommendation was made. If and when any would again apply for CCODP funding, these would be reviewed in the future according to criteria and procedures being further worked on by CCODP and the CCCB.
CCODP will not continue 24 partnerships following a lack of clarification to resolve serious questions regarding support for positions or actions in conflict with the Church’s social and moral teachings.

As it had earlier announced, CCODP, on its own initiative, placed a moratorium on Share Lent contributions for all partners under review, while later determining that, its contractual obligations to the partners in question had to be honoured, which was done with non-Share Lent monies. Now CCODP only has projects with those international partners which CCODP and the CCCB agreed could continue. Funding has completely ended and there are no contracts in place with those that it was agreed would not continue.

Future changes to international partner applications and selection

Following an Organizational Review by Deloitte regarding CCODP and its alignment with the Catholic Bishops of Canada, the following recommendations have been accepted by the CCODP National Council and their implementation is currently being advanced by a joint Criteria Working Group composed of representatives of both organizations:

The CCODP Partnering Policy is being revised
New criteria for partner selection and review are being developed
An International Partnerships Committee, which includes representation from the CCCB, is being established that will be responsible for reviewing, approving all new partners, and will deal with monitoring the partnerships as well as any questions that may arise in the future concerning a current partner.

The work of this International Partnerships Committee will be guided by CCODP’s mission to accompany the most vulnerable populations in the Global South. It will also move the organization towards greater transparency on how projects and partner organizations are chosen, as well as to improving communications with the partner organizations and ensuring they are clearly informed of CCODP’s Catholic identity, vision, mission and its expectations. As a sign of this greater openness, steps are being implemented so that, in the future, the full list of CCODP’s international partners will be made public, except in particular situations (e.g., areas of conflict) where the partner’s safety could be endangered.

The lessons learned from the joint partnership review, along with the changes being implemented in the process and criteria for selecting and monitoring partners, will ensure that the work undertaken by Development and Peace will, to use the words of Pope Francis, help “individuals and societies to mature in the moral values that foster integral human development . . . promoting the good, for ourselves and for the whole human family, and thus advance together towards an authentic and integral growth” (Fratelli Tutti, n. 112-13).

cccb-ccodp_joint_press_release_-_cecc-occdp_communique_commun_-_2021-02-25_-_en.pdf

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For more information please contact:
Kelly Di Domenico, Communications Director
514 257-8711 ext. 365
kelly.didomenico@devp.org

Doubling the impact of generosity

mkerawala — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 19:31:04 +0000

February 17, 2021

Montreal

Generous benefactors will match monthly donations pledged to Development and Peace.

MONTREAL, February 17, 2021 — Development and Peace — Caritas Canada has launched an exciting matching project for its Share Year-Round monthly donation program. All monthly donations pledged from Ash Wednesday until Pentecost (Sunday, May 23, 2021) will be matched dollar for dollar, up to a total of $130,000. This includes new pledges and any increases to monthly amounts already being donated.

This initiative is funded by several Canadian religious communities, who have been steadfast allies of Development and Peace since its founding in 1967. They include the Scarboro Missions; The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI Lacombe Canada); the Jesuits of Canada; the Sisters of St. Martha of Antigonish; The Missionary Oblates of St. Boniface; the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions; The Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie; St. Peter's Abbey; and the Ursulines of the Canadian Union.

Fr. Jack Lynch of the Scarboro Missions said, “Development and Peace is vital for our Church. We joined this project because we want to empower lay people in the organization who are bringing so much vitality to living out the Gospel.”

The matching funds initiative was launched to grow the pool of monthly donors to the Share Year-Round program. Monthly donations are important because they represent a reliable, lower-cost, sustained stream of funding for longer-term projects that serve marginalized communities in the Global South.

Development and Peace’s director of public engagement, Genevieve Gallant, said, “This matching fund will give a real boost to our members, who are so generously asking their friends and family to become Share Year-Round donors. We really appreciate everyone who is offering a gift for justice and peace on a monthly basis; the impact is very significant!”

As more religious communities and other benefactors begin contributing to the donation-matching fund, its ceiling may be raised to further amplify the impact of Canadians’ generosity.

To contribute to our Share Year-Round program and have your donation doubled, visit devp.org/shareyearround.

ABOUT Development and Peace

Development and Peace – Caritas Canada is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. It works in partnership with local organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East to create greater justice in the world and to act in solidarity with the most vulnerable.

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For more information please contact:

Minaz Kerawala
Communications and Public Relations Advisor
Development and Peace – CARITAS CANADA
Desk: 514 257-8710 ext. 328 | Mobile: 514 867-4498 | mkerawala@devp.org

Message from the President of Development and Peace - Caritas Canada on changes to the National Council

kdidomenico — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:24:05 +0000

December 4, 2020

Montreal

Dear supporters,

Last weekend marked the beginning of the season of Advent, a time of hope and reflection as we prepare to welcome Christ into our midst. It also marked an important moment in the life of Development and Peace – Caritas Canada.

This past weekend we moved forward with promising adaptations to the governance structure. On November 27, 2020 at our Annual Meeting of National Members we elected 12 National Members to the Council for one year, and on November 28, 2020 the National Council appointed four bishops to join us on the Council. These changes follow recommendations from the 2019 organizational review, fruitful discussions with the Bishops of Canada, dialogue with members and hard work from all involved in National Council.

I want to thank all those who participated in this process. Nearly all Diocesan Councils took part and it truly demonstrated the deep commitment that so many of us have towards the mission of Development and Peace. Guided by your feedback, it was decided we will pursue a model for National Council composed of two persons from each region in Canada (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and the West), one young adult and two members-at-large, alongside four bishops, for a total of 15 National Council members.

In particular, the Structure and Reporting Working Group, collaborating with the National Council Executive and the Governance and Nominations Committee, have been preparing a roadmap for these and future enhancements to National Council. This includes a 2020-21 transition year with a 16-person National Council as we review the bylaws, as well as making sure there is a continued and regular dialogue with members on the topic of governance over the coming year.

It is my great pleasure to present to you the new members of the National Council:

Evelyn Beaudoin (West), President
Tim Turner (Atlantic), Vice-President
Simone Fournier (Quebec), Secretary
Richard Pommainville (Ontario), Treasurer
Most Rev. Pierre Goudreault, (Quebec), Executive Committee
Brenda Arakaza (Francophone Youth Representative)
Richard Beaucher (Member-at-Large)
Most Rev. Guy Desrochers (Ontario)
Christopher Duncanson-Hales (Ontario)
Danny Gillis (Atlantic)
Most Rev. Peter Hundt (Atlantic)
Reanne Laurie (Anglophone Youth Representative)
Most Rev. William McGrattan (West)
Jason Noble (Quebec)
Boris Polanski (Member-at-Large)
Nancy Stuart (West)

National Members for 2020-2021:

Sandra Bourque (PEI)
Ghislain Morin (Francophone NB)
Christianne Vachon-Horgan (Anglophone NB)
Francis Yehouenou (Eastern Quebec)
Françoise Lagacé (Western Quebec)
Keith Gauntlett (Central Ontario)
Frank Fohr (Southwest Ontario)
Gertrude Rompré (SK)
Christine Baghdady (AB)

In the coming weeks, information about the adoption of the final report of the review of our partners will also be shared.

It is an honour to serve as President of Development and Peace and to represent such a dynamic movement of lay people putting their faith into action and living out the gospel through their involvement with Development and Peace – Caritas Canada. Pope Francis has placed a special emphasis on synodality, saying, “A synodal church is a listening church, aware that listening is more than hearing. It is a reciprocal listening in which each one has something to learn.” We truly felt that spirit of synodality during our meetings. We learned together and we shared together, guided by the desire to pursue the mission of Development and Peace standing side-by-side with the people of the Global South.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you a joyful Christmas. As we prepare to open our hearts to the message of peace and love that will arrive with the birth of Christ, it is an opportune moment to begin on this synodal path of renewal and hope for our movement.

Evelyne Beaudoin
President

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For more information please contact:
Kelly Di Domenico, Communications Director
514 257-8711 ext. 365
kelly.didomenico@devp.org

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace launch Joint Working Committees to implement recommendations of organizational review

Rada — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 19:43:17 +0000

Joint Statement

July 28, 2020

Montreal

Following an organizational review of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada (CCODP) to improve its collaboration with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), implementation of the resulting recommendations will begin this fall.

The organizational review was conducted by the firm Deloitte and involved the participation of staff and members of Development and Peace, as well as staff of the CCCB and Bishops across Canada. The results of the analysis suggested 14 recommendations, which were then integrated into the four following work streams to facilitate the implementation process:

Criteria for international partnerships
Governance structure and reporting
Communications and crisis management
Organizational culture within Development and Peace

The recommendations of the report were accepted by Development and Peace’s National Council in November 2019, and several meetings between the Executive Committees of the CCCB and Development and Peace took place to discuss the expectations of both parties in the implementation of the recommendations and agree to a process.

“Throughout these discussions, we never lost sight of Development and Peace’s mission to serve the poorest and most vulnerable of our world and to build God’s kingdom of peace and justice,” says Evelyne Beaudoin, President of Development and Peace. “We all agree on the vital importance of preserving the identity of our organization as rooted in the Church’s social teachings and embodied in and through acts of solidarity; and we agreed to move forward in the vision of Pope Francis of a synodal Church.”

It was also agreed that Development and Peace’s National Council will be reduced from 21 to 15 members, with 11 elected representatives from Development and Peace and four Bishops from the CCCB. The following four Bishops, representing also the four regions, will join the National Council at its next meeting in November 2020:

Most Rev. William McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary and Co-treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (West)
Most. Rev. Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and Co-Treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (Quebec)
Most Rev. Peter Hundt, Archbishop of St. John’s, Member of the CCCB Permanent Council (Atlantic)
Most Rev. Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Pembroke (Ontario)

Each Bishop will also serve on one of the four working committees put in place to implement the recommendations for each of the above-mentioned work streams. Each committee will be chaired by a member of the management team of Development and Peace. In addition to the participation of a Bishop, each committee will be composed of members of the National Council and staff of the CCCB. The four working committees will report to an oversight committee composed of two Bishops and two members of the Executive Committee of the National Council.

Preparatory meetings will take place over the summer with the formal work of the working committees to begin in September. The working committees will be assisted by the firm Deloitte, and the implementation process is expected to be completed by the end of December 2020. Regular progress reports will be communicated throughout the process.

“We are pleased with the progress of the collaborative conversations and joint meetings.” says the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and CCCB President. “We are hopeful that, as we begin this new chapter of greater and more far reaching collaboration and alignment between the Bishops of Canada and CCODP – Caritas Canada, much good fruit will ensue in our outreach to the poor and those most in need. The necessary changes to be made, as well as the good will and hard work they entail, will help the Church radiate its mission to the world.”

Deloitte's 14 recommendations

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For more information please contact:
Kelly Di Domenico, Communications Director
514 257-8711 ext. 365
kelly.didomenico@devp.org

Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada (CCODP) and Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)

muguirap — Mon, 04 May 2020 17:32:38 +0000

Joint Statement

May 4, 2020

Montreal

On Tuesday 28 April 2020, the Executive Committees of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada (CCODP) held their second joint working session. It was an effective encounter that paves a clearer way forward and confirms a joint effort and commitment by the National Council – the governance body of CCODP – and the CCCB Executive Committee as representatives of the Conference of Bishops who are the Shepherds of the Church in Canada.

Discussions focused on coming to the agreement to implement the recommendations and specifications of the organizational analysis of CCODP commissioned by the Bishops, accepted by CCODP and carried out by Deloitte. At their first joint meeting in November 2019, the CCCB Executive conveyed to the CCODP National Council the Conference’s expectations and hopes in view of working together to implement the recommendations of the organizational analysis and further specifications. These latter address the areas of governance, crisis management, partnership criteria, organizational culture, transparency and communications. In response to this proposal in moving forward together, the CCODP National Council, at this second joint meeting, formally committed itself to participate in this important endeavour.

As a first priority of the implementation process, the governance structure currently in place for CCODP’s National Council will be reviewed and revised. The number of elected officials will be reduced from 21 to 11 and four Bishops will be appointed by the CCCB for a total of fifteen members. This new structure will promote greater alignment with the Bishops’ expectations and ecclesial vision, will allow for a more fruitful collaboration, and will lead to improved efficiency, transparency and accountability in all decision-making processes. A joint committee will soon be established to begin the implementation process. In respecting its community-based nature of regional assemblies and diocesan committees, CCODP will carry out this renewal in continuity and openness to change. The current CCODP National Council will be working on this renewal with the CCCB Executive Committee (mandated by the CCCB Permanent Council). The new CCODP National Council will be established this fall. In parallel with this process there will be the conclusion of a review of CCODP’s international partnerships.

Thus, at the conclusion of the 28 April 2020 working session, CCCB Vice President Bishop Raymond Poisson, on behalf of the other members of the Executive Committee, summed up the feelings of all participants when he said, “What joy to feel there is greater solidarity than ever in this endeavour that is so essential to the mission of the Church. National Council has already undertaken a series of decisions toward restructuring. This means we can announce our future cooperation together with a new National Council that includes Bishops and CCODP elected members which will strengthen the relationship which is necessary to the mission, while respecting everyone’s roles and in all faithfulness to the spirit of Caritas Internationalis!”

Likewise, Mrs. Evelyne Beaudoin, President of CCODP’s National Council, said: “The spiritual guidance of the Bishops in putting into action Catholic Social Teaching, particularly the Preferential Option of the Poor, will be an important contribution in walking side by side with the poorest of our sisters and brothers in the Global South.”

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For more information please contact:
Kelly Di Domenico, Communications Director
514 257-8711 ext. 365
kelly.didomenico@devp.org

For the Love of Creation — A Faith-based Initiative for Climate Justice

mbachand — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 10:00:01 +0000

April 22, 2020

Montréal

Canadian churches and faith-based organizations have a long history of work in ecological conservation, environmental activism, and advocacy for climate justice. To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, also known as International Mother Earth Day, we are coming together on a journey of reflection, dialogue, discernment, advocacy, and action on the issue of climate change. You are invited to journey with us.

For the Love of Creation - A Faith-based Initiative for Climate Justice begins today with the support of a growing list of national churches, Christian international development agencies, and faith-based organizations. We come together as people of faith in the hopes of making a meaningful contribution in the next decade towards a sustainable future for all life on the planet.

Never before has the interconnectedness of all humanity – all of creation – been clearer than it is right now. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has dramatically impacted every aspect of our lives. As is too often the case in times of difficulty, existing vulnerabilities are being exacerbated; many are dying and many more face economic ruin. The way we respond is of paramount importance.

Even before the emergence of COVID-19, we knew that we were entering into a crucial decade for climate action. Now more than ever, we see devastating economic, political, cultural, and social fissures. Indigenous peoples have long reminded us of the interconnectedness of all creation. Respecting this interconnectedness is critical for ecological and economic integrity, right relations with Indigenous peoples, and for holistic recovery from the pandemic.

For the Love of Creation aims to engage people individually and in community, as congregations and organizations, all across the country in a climate conversation centred on three themes:

Theological reflection. Together, we will create a space for collaborative responsive theology, exploring our relationship with the Creator and creation, and encouraging theologically grounded and relevant dialogue about climate justice and global warming.
Local and congregational engagement. We will endeavour to increase dialogue and reduce polarization in the climate change conversation in Canada; to build consensus on the actions needed to build a sustainable future for all.
Political advocacy. As people of faith, we will urge the government of Canada to meet and ultimately exceed our Paris climate commitments by investing in a just transition and establishing a fair and inclusive economy. Honouring the rights of Indigenous peoples and incorporating Indigenous knowledge and experience into any proposed solutions is essential to this work.

Our contribution will also respond to feelings of ecological grief arising from the loss of species and destruction of ecosystems as well as eco-anxiety stemming from the awareness of risks related to climate change impacts. This will be done through pastoral care and ceremony, building community resilience, and by taking collective action for climate justice.

For the Love of Creation will explore how we can work together to build healthy, resilient communities, and a better future for all beings in Creation.

Development and Peace’s director of public engagement, Genevieve Gallant, explains the rationale behind the For the Love of Creation initiative.

The churches and organizations listed below have committed to working together for at least the next eighteen months; beginning in the fall of 2021 participants will recommit on a year-by-year basis.

We invite you to join us, For the Love of Creation.

Participants to date: Development and Peace — Caritas Canada; The Anglican Church of Canada (Primate and National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop); Canadian Religious Conference; Citizens for Public Justice; The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada; Faith & the Common Good; Global Catholic Climate Movement Canada; KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives; Mennonite Central Committee Canada; The Presbyterian Church in Canada; The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF); Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada; OMI Notre Dame du Cap; OMI Lacombe Province; Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie; Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception; Scarboro Missions; Our Lady’s Missionaries; Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:

Minaz Kerawala

Communications and Public Relations Advisor

Development and Peace – CARITAS CANADA

514 257-8710 ext. 328 | mkerawala@devp.org

A message on the COVID-19 crisis

mkerawala — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 16:51:55 +0000

March 18, 2020

Montréal

As the global human family faces the COVID-19 pandemic, Development and Peace — Caritas Canada wishes its members, donors and partner organizations the best of health and resilience. Our thoughts are especially with communities of the Global South whose hardships are compounded by this crisis.

Share Lent 2020: In-person activities on hold

Following the advice of public health authorities, we at Development and Peace have made the decision to cancel or postpone all our in-person meetings and events across Canada. Each year, our dedicated members bring our Share Lent campaign to life by organizing workshops, fundraising activities, speaking events and more in parishes and schools to highlight our campaign and to raise the funds needed to help millions of people around the world. Even though this is an important time for fundraising and building our movement at Development and Peace, we must put health, safety and the common good first.

A virtual campaign

During this difficult time, the need to support one another is more present than ever, particularly for our sisters and brothers in the Global South, whose struggles will be multiplied by this pandemic. As such, we will continue our Share Lent journey of solidarity virtually. We will remain in close contact by providing content and resources so that you can experience the spiritual renewal of Lent online and show your solidarity with those who need it most.

Your support is vital

As Church closures are already impacting collections in parishes across Canada, we are asking for donations by mail, phone or online:

Send a cheque

to Development and Peace,
1425 René-Lévesque Blvd. West, 3rd Floor, Montreal (Quebec) H3G 1T7

Call to donate:

1-888 664-3387

Please consider sharing year-round with our monthly giving program. By signing up as a Share Year-Round donor, you are giving Development and Peace the ability to respond to needs as they arise, which is especially urgent at this time since our partner organizations will need us more than ever in the coming months.

Help us spread the word and encourage your friends, family and those in your community to donate during this precarious time.

Impact on operations

At this time, all national and international travel by staff has been cancelled. Despite these circumstances, our program officers are in regular communications with our partners to receive updates on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on their communities.

We have reduced the number of staff working in the office to basic service levels in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. However, all our staff have been equipped to work remotely and can be contacted by phone and e-mail. In addition, we have put in place all the necessary measures to collect and process donations, whether by mail, email or phone. If you have any questions, please call 1 888 234-8533.

We wish to thank you for your solidarity, commitment and support in making our Share Lent campaign a success in these extraordinary times.

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For more information, please contact:

Minaz Kerawala
Communications and Public Relations Advisor,
Development and Peace — Caritas Canada
514 257-8711 ext. 328 | mkerawala@devp.org

Lent in solidarity with the Indigenous and traditional communities of the Amazon

mbachand — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 11:00:01 +0000

February 26, 2020

Montréal

Development and Peace calls on Canadians to protect Our Common Home

MONTREAL, February 26, 2020 - This Ash Wednesday, Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is launching its annual Share Lent 2020 fundraising campaign in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Amazon and around the world. Development and Peace's For our Common Home campaign, which was launched in the fall of 2019 and continues over the Lenten season, responds to Pope Francis’s call in the encyclical, Laudato Si', to care for the Earth and its peoples

“At this Lenten time, we turn our prayers and action toward supporting our sisters and brothers in the Global South who protect the forests, lands, air and water, and as such are preserving our common home for present and future generations. We invite all people of good will to give with their hearts to support Development and Peace's programs in Canada and in the Global South, and to act in solidarity with the most vulnerable people," said Serge Langlois, Executive Director of Development and Peace — Caritas Canada.

Through the stories of Indigenous and traditional Amazonian communities and the local organizations that help them with support from Development and Peace, we are highlighting the need to support the defenders of the Earth in their daily struggles and address social injustices that are contributing to climate change.

"On behalf of the Mura in my region, I thank Canadians for their support. It helps us in our struggle to have our rights and our land respected," added Jeremias Oliveira, a leader of the Mura community in Brazil that Development and Peace’s partners support.

Over the Lenten period, more than 10,000 Development and Peace members across the country will organize activities inviting Canadians to act to protect our common home. The campaign will culminate with Solidarity Sunday on the 5th Sunday of Lent, March 29, 2020, where all Canadians are invited to contribute to Development and Peace’s programs. Donations will support the mission that Development and Peace, inspired by gospel values and the “preferential option for the poor,” has espoused for over 50 years—supporting the most vulnerable people in the Global South in their struggle for social justice and dignity.

In the Lenten season of sharing, as the faithful are called to express solidarity with the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, we invite Canadians to make a donation to Development and Peace by calling 1 888 234-8533 or visiting devp.org/donate.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Minaz Kerawala, Communications and Public Relations Advisor
514 257-8711 poste 328
mkerawala@devp.org

Development and Peace and its partners help shape Vatican’s response to ecological crisis

Rada — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 16:47:50 +0000

October 10, 2019

Montréal

Photo credit: Pavel Martiarena

Development and Peace – Caritas Canada’s partners are playing a critical role at the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region being held at the Vatican from October 6 to 27, 2019. At the Synod, clergy, Indigenous representatives and community organizations are deliberating how the church can arrest and alleviate the Amazon region’s many pressing ecological and social problems.

As executive director Serge Langlois, notes, “Many church leaders who have been close allies of Development and Peace are now at the core of this Pan-Amazonian Synod.” They include the president of delegates, Cardinal Pedro Barreto (Peru); theological consultant, Sr. Mary John Mananzan (Philippines); special secretary, Bishop David Martinez (Peru); and member elected by the Union of Superiors General, Fr. Dario Bossi (Brazil). Also participating in seminars and workshops that scores of community and faith-based organizations are convening around the Synod will be Development and Peace’s communications director, Kelly Di Domenico, and Latin America programs officer, Mary Durran.

The Synod is inspired by and a manifestation of the 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, in which Pope Francis bemoaned the social and ecological destruction wrought by reckless consumerism and development and made the spiritual case for a more responsible relationship with the environment. In drafting the encyclical, the Holy Father had sought the insights of several Development and Peace partners into the tribulations of vulnerable communities in the Amazon basin. These included environmental degradation, land-grabbing, human rights abuses and other social issues.

Subsequently, Development and Peace helped engage the neediest and most marginalized communities in the preparatory consultations for the Synod. Thanks to our funding and support, our partners could crisscross the entire Amazon basin gathering testimonies, conducting workshops, providing training, making representations to church leaders and engaging with the media. These partners included Red Eclesial Pan-Amazônica (Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network), Comissão Pastoral da Terra (Pastoral Land Commission), Conselho Indigenista Missionário (Indigenous Missionary Council), Justiça nos Trilhos (Justice on the Rails), Iglesias y Minería (Churches and Mining), Centro Amazónico de Antropología y Aplicación Práctica (Amazon Centre for Anthropology and Practical Application), and the Instituto Bartolomé de las Casas (Bartolomé de las Casas Institute).

These esteemed organizations helped the Vatican understand and incorporate into the Synod’s scope not only the injustices faced by the Amazonian poor but also the role that Western consumers play in their suffering by driving the demand for the oil, minerals, lumber, meat, soya and other commodities in whose pursuit profiteers usurp land, destroy jungles, displace communities and even commit murder.

To offset this bleakness, our partners also ensured that the Synod recognized and drew upon the strength and optimism of the Amazon’s Indigenous and traditional peoples who, for centuries, have been good custodians of the forests and who, through creative collaborative action, resist oppression, stand up to hostile governments, defend their rights and preserve their lands, waterways and jungles.

The Synod is thus informed by the practical, emotional and spiritual insights of people at the frontlines of the ecological crisis. As such, although it is nominally focussed on the Pan-Amazon Region, the Synod engages in issues of global concern that are especially pertinent in the ecological hotspots of the Congo, Indonesia and Canada where Indigenous and impoverished communities are bearing the brunt of climate change and extractivism- and consumerism-driven economics.

“We are at once humbled by and proud of our role in the Pan-Amazonian Synod,” Langlois said, “We helped our partners bring the testimonies of the Amazon’s resident defenders to the Vatican. Thanks to them, the Synod is responding to ‘the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth,’ as Pope Francis wanted it to.” He added, “Our work in the lead-up to the Synod has also inspired our ongoing For our Common Home campaign, which engages Canadians in protecting the threatened communities who are protecting the Amazon rainforest.”

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About Development and Peace

For more information please contact:
Minaz Kerawala, Communications and Public Relations Advisor
514 257-8711 ext. 328
mkerawala@devp.org

As the Amazon burns, Canadians are called to care For Our Common Home

muguirap — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 15:34:43 +0000

September 10, 2019

Montréal

Development and Peace – Caritas Canada announces the launch of For our Common Home, its new two-year campaign focussed on ecological justice. The theme for the first year of the campaign — A future for the Amazon, a future for all — could not be timelier.

“While raging fires draw the world’s eyes to the Amazon rainforest, our campaign shows Canadians what’s behind the headlines — policies that privilege profit over people, our demand for resources that drives those policies, and the traditional and Indigenous people who resist the destruction of their territories and ways of life,” said Serge Langlois, executive director of Development and Peace.

The campaign reflects the concerns that have led Pope Francis to convene a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region at the Vatican in October 2019 to “find new ways of developing the Amazonian face of the Church and to respond to situations of injustice in the region.”

The For our Common Home campaign is being kicked off today with a webinar in which Development and Peace’s members will reflect on the spiritual imperative of preserving the Amazon and learn about the plight and fight of Amazonian peoples in present-day Brazil.

Over the coming months, Development and Peace’s members will conduct workshops in churches and schools in communities across Canada. They will raise awareness about the ecological significance of the Amazon rainforest, the threats it faces, how Western consumerism exacerbates those threats and the critical role that increasingly imperilled Indigenous and traditional peoples play in protecting the forest.

Canadians will be invited to sign a Solidarity Letter addressed to two Brazilian communities, the seringueiros (artisanal rubber tappers) of Machadinho d’Oeste and the Mura people of Manaus, whose lands, lifestyles and livelihoods are threatened, respectively, by illegal logging and a Canadian-funded mine. The goal is to get at least 65,000 signatures, one for each Amazonian tree and vertebrate species.

In addition to being delivered to the addressees, the signed letters will be leveraged for advocacy. Citing them, we will write to the Canadian and Brazilian governments and implicated companies to demand better protection for the forest and its peoples; better compliance with more stringent regulation; and due regard for ecological concerns in the negotiation of trade deals. We will also facilitate meetings with Members of Parliament at which Canadians will further press these demands.

Inspired by the student climate strikes to preserve the planet for future generations, Canadians will be invited to take an online pledge to make a lifestyle change, like reducing meat consumption or using public transport, for the sake of the environment.

“Canadians always respond enthusiastically to Development and Peace’s campaigns,” Langlois said, predicting, “This time will be no different. People will join us in huge numbers because they will understand that this is not a campaign about a faraway forest. It is an existential struggle For our Common Home.”

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS AND RELEVANCE

Nationwide community-based education and advocacy campaign
Church and school workshops raising awareness about
- The global ecological importance of the Amazon rainforest
- The peoples who protect the Amazon
- The unscrupulous enterprises that threaten the forest and its peoples
- 65,000 signatures on people-to-people Solidarity Letters
- Personal pledges for lifestyle change
- Highest-level advocacy for better regulation and compliance

For more information about the For our Common Home campaign, visit devp.org/forourcommonhome.

At a time when environmental concerns are at the top of the minds of most citizens and the Amazon rainforest is literally going up in flames, For our Common Home helps Canadians understand and address a global problem. As such, it represents a powerful story of hope and people power.

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About Development and Peace

For more information please contact:
Minaz Kerawala, Communications and Public Relations Advisor
514 257-8711 ext. 328
mkerawala@devp.org

Development and Peace | Press Room

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