Sector of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation

Sector of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation

DEHONIANS ASSOCIATED WITH VIVAT INTERNATIONAL

More than once during the international meetings of the Congregation voices were raised in favour of having, we too, an international ONG to support the social work and the dehonian commitment for justice, peace, development and solidarity with poor people.

The General Conference of Recife had already proposed: “That we study non-profit organizations and social movements, and participate with them, e.g. Caritas, Amnesty International, NGO’s, etc” (Doc XVIII, p. 313). The Conference said too: “We would not be following the thought of Fr. Dehon if we limited ourselves to meeting local needs, without seeking the causes of the evils and without pressuring the world centres of power to obtain radical changes. We must work for a worldwide authority and for democratic organizations which guarantee liberty, justice, peace, and human rights” (Doc XVIII, p.313). In Madrid, last November, among the final proposals we were asked that “the congregation may enter into the larger international networks of justice and peace, so that our actions for social justice will also have weight in international organizations in their search for solutions in unjust situations” (Final Statement, proposal 4).

Various congregations are working with poor people in that manner and have organized international NGOs or have associated themselves with other congregations for that purpose. Same examples:

1) The Franciscan Family: Brothers, Priest, Sisters, and lay Franciscan (more than 100.000 members) form the NGO called Franciscans International.

2) The Dominicans: they also have created an international NGO, comprising all Brothers, Priests and Sisters.

3) The Passionists gathered into the NGO Passionists International.

4) The Marist Brothers (M. Champagnat) have created the Marist Institute for solidarity.

5) The Verbites, both brothers and sisters, initiated the creation of their own NGO since 1995, then they consolidated it in 2000; it is called VIVAT INTERNATIONAL, and it is open to the participation of other congregations. Until today 10 congregations joined in it.

After studying all of them, with the intention of associating to one of them, we have oriented ourselves towards VIVAT INTERNATIONAL. So last December the Superior General and his Council approved the proposal of asking for our adhesion. At the end of January the Direction of VIVAT have discussed and accepted our application. They also accepted the entry of the congregation of the Assumption.

From this year we are 12 congregations committed on working together in the field of human rights, promoting development, solidarity and the culture of peace.

According to the Statute, a congregation begins as an associate member, and may evolve over time by becoming a definitive member with full rights.

Participating congregations, representing approximately 23,000 members in 120 countries, are:

·  SSPS - Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit

·  SVD - Society of the Divine Word

·  CSSp - Congregation of the Holy Spirit

·  ASC - Adorers of the Blood of Christ

·  CMS - Comboni Missionary Sisters

·  MCCJ - Comboni Missionaries of the S. Heart of Jesus

·  OMI - Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

·  MSHR - Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary

·  LSA - Little Sisters of Assumption

·  Cssp - Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit

·  SCJ - Priests of the Sacred Heart, Dehonians

·  RA - Religious of the Assumption

To know VIVAT:

Vision

ü  Sharing a vision of the world and of every human being as created in goodness and dignity, and believing in the equality in rights and in dignity of all individuals, peoples and cultures, we commit ourselves to promote justice, harmony and reconciliation in the world.

The Why’s

ü  Mainly to enhance our JPIC efforts

ü  To have direct participation in intergovernmental process

ü  To have access to information at UN level

ü  To have capability to participate in UN level conferences

ü  To coordinate our world-wide efforts for justice and peace.

The Goals

ü  To promote networking among its members, to promote collaboration with the United Nations in achieving peace, respect for human rights, equitable and harmonious relations and socio-economic and ecological wellbeing.

ü  To distribute information to the members

ü  To glean the grassroots experience and insights from the members and bring these to the attention of UN

ü  To carry out liaison for networking with other agencies and NGOS

Issues of Focus – To promote Human Rights particularly throughout:

ü  Poverty eradication

ü  Promotion of women

ü  Sustainable Development

ü  Culture of Peace and Reconciliation

Nature and style of VIVAT:

a) At the grassroots level:

ü  Working with affected people

ü  Networking with other NGOs

ü  Lobbying to bring pressure on Governments to respect and implement legislations and commitments they made at the National, International and UN levels

b) At the systemic level: Influencing the Government Delegates at the UN

ü  To bring about sound policies

ü  To device sound programs

ü  To promote and establish gender equality

ü  To promote people-centred approach to development

ü  To bring about peace and harmony

ü  To make the world sustainable

In order to gain access to the UN’s bodies there is a need for an official accreditation. VIVAT got it a few years ago, and so VIVAT has the right to participate in the UN's most important Councils and to present Recommendations and proposals for changes, as well as complaints in situation of need.

Working together:

Collaboration and coordination are expected by the promoters of Justice and Peace of the participating congregations: participation in workshops, meetings and conferences at local or national level, with the aim to know the dynamic action of VIVAT, identify issues of violation of human rights in the area in which we operate, organize and act locally and submit to the authorities what cannot be resolved locally.

There are some workshops coming soon: in Indonesia, in the month of September, and in the Philippines in October.

There are some other opportunities:

a)  To participate with VIVAT and 10 other congregations to the FAO to promote the fight against hunger and lack of alimentation. This group has come to have a religious as a Permanent Delegate to the FAO. Fr. Kenneth Thesing, former Superior General of the Missionaries of Mariknoll, recently working in Kenya, will undertakethis taskin a fewdays.

b) To participate to the UN World Conference, the RIO+20 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), on sustainable development. Our confrere, Fr. Emerson Marcelo Ruiz, of the BSP Province, is ready to join the VIVAT Delegation.

“Following the Founder, according to the signs of the times and in communion with the life of the church, we want to contribute to establishing ‘the reign of justice and Christian charity in the world’” (cf. Souvenirs XI) (Cst 32)

I believe that the partnership with VIVAT can help us to provide our service of effective solidarity with the poor in a new way, according to the spirit of Fr. Dehon.

To learn more about VIVAT, see: www.vivatinternational.org

P. Claudio Weber scj

General Counsellor, SCJ’s representative at VIVAT