Sant'Egidio Newsletter
Internet :  http://www.santegidio.org 
e-Mail : [email protected] 

Year 2 - Number 2 - 01/19/2002

 

EDITORIAL

 

Peace is a crucial reality for Christians. Christians know that the unleashing of violence, conflict and war, leave in the world wounds that even centuries have trouble to heal. It is the experience of the Twentieth Century with its two World Wars. This is why Christians today feel committed to work for peace. This commitment is not only limited to actions for reconciliation. Prayer can also be a way to peace. Prayer frees energies of peace in the heart of men and women, in the heart of the life of whole peoples. Peace is a gift that men and women must ask to God: it is something greater than their political present, in which they seldom are able to find the way to achieve this great good.

In non-Christian religions, in a different way, a message of peace exists. A lot has been written on this. Even if, it is clear, any religion can be used to make war. The "Spirit of Assisi" is this: to awaken the message of peace within every religious tradition by a spiritual proximity between believers who pray one close to the other and not any more one against the other.

On the 24th of January in Assisi, people of religion will demonstrate their common aspiration to peace, through prayer. When in 1986 John Paul II invited for the first time representatives of all religions to pray for peace, the climate was indeed different. Then, the USSR was still holding, many thought that religions were almost residual phenomena in a world deeply marked by secularization. It had not been so for many years already and it would not have been so afterwards. Especially with the crises of ideologies and the angry reawakening of national identities, many questions would have been addressed to religions, so that they may legitimize or bless various subjects or boundaries.

Within this climate we cannot ignore the difficulties that exist in dialogue also on a religious level. They range from the theological level to that of coexistence and religious freedom. There are problems also among Christians. But dialogue is a necessity. Both dialogue among Christians, that is Ecumenism, and dialogue with the great World Religions.

Dialogue appears especially important today because we live among people of different religion and culture. Dialogue, also the simple one of the street, helps to the civilization of coexistence to mature. Moreover dialogue recalls the religious leaders of all countries to a universal dimension. Not all the choices of religions today are determined by their theologies or by their origins, as it is often said in a too deterministic way. Much, maybe great part of them, is determined by men and women who live the present of their culture, by their faith, by their readiness to live with others. Today, this is the true reality, we either live together or we will die together.

 

 NEWS 

01/17/02 - Day of Prayer for Peace in the World in Assisi

01/17/02 - Week of Prayer for Christians' Unity

01/15/02 - Rome - Prayer of all Christians for Unity and Peace

01/15/02 - Florence - "I need You": a Demonstration of the Elderly for the Integration of the Foreigners

01/15/02 - Tangeri (Morocco) - The Community's Petition for Mercy for a Young Italian Prisoner has been granted

01/12/02 - The Tablet - Time to treat AIDS in Africa

01/12/02 - News on the Web - The Country of the Rainbow in Albanian and Indonesian

01/11/02 - Panorama: First, to fight Poverty

01/11/02 - Padova (Italy) - Malam, a Child from Guinea Bissau has been successfully operated

01/10/02 - Tirana (Albania) - Support to the People affected by Mental Disease: a Laundry for the Hospital has been carried out.

01/09/02 - Pisa (Italy) - Two severely ill Albanian Children have been operated in Italy

01/07/02 - The Book "God's Word every Day" in published also in German and Spanish

 

 NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY - NEWS 

The commitment of the Community of Sant'Egidio

01/16/02 - Texas/USA - New hearing for Johnny Paul Penry

Abolitions, commutations, moratoria, ...

01/17/02 - China - Death sentence commuted to a Suisse man

01/16/02 - USA - High Court to Rule on Challenge to Death Penalties in 9 States and 800 death sentences

01/14/02 - North Carolina/USA - N.C. Gov. Commutes Death Sentence

01/14/02 - South Carolina/USA - Supreme Court Overturns a South Carolina Death Penalty

01/10/02 - Taiwan - Legislature abolished a law that required the death penalty some violent crimes

01/05/02 - Louisiana/USA - In Louisiana in 2001 no executions

Other issues

01/17/02 - Nigeria - During the hearing, the trial of Safiya was postponed to March 18th. She says the baby was conceived legally with her husband

01/17/02 - Cuba - Dissident Group Calls for Abolition of Death Penalty

01/17/02 - European Union/Nigeria - European Parliament for Safiya

01/17/02 - Nigeria - On the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” a comment on the postponement of the trial of Safiya

01/17/02 - Nigeria - Le Monde supports the appeal of the Community of Sant’Egidio to save Safiya

01/16/02 - Texas/USA - Amnesty International Urges Texas Prosecutors to Drop Pursuit of the Death Penalty. Appeal to save the life of Melvin Hale, 74

01/16/02 - Texas/USA - Penry case is put on fast track, again

01/16/02 - Iraq - 8 men of opposition-party were executed

01/15/02 - Texas/USA - This is the letter sent by Jemarr Arnold (whose execution is scheduled on Jan. 16th) to Rick Halperin (Amnesty International-USA)

01/15/02 - New York/USA - In a letter to the New York Times, Orlando and Phyllis Rodriguez, whose son Greg died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, expressed their opposition to the death penalty

01/15/02 - Nigeria - News BBC –report: Family history can be key factor in defense

01/15/02 - Florida/USA - Death penalty moratorium has victory. bJeb Bush urged to impose a moratorium

01/15/02 - Nigeria - The case of Safiya on the international newspapers

01/14/02 - Vietnam - Four Vietnamese were sentenced to death for drugs by firing squad

01/14/02 - Pennsylvania/USA - No Bias Ruled in Death Penalty Case

01/14/02 - Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe to Face EU Censure as New Laws Passed

01/14/02 - Thailand - Lethal injections next year

01/13/02 - Spain/European Union - Spain takes up UE presidency: Aznar speaks of struggle to terrorists, but repeats Europe is against death penalty

01/13/02 - USA - The Wall Street Journal:The High Cost of the Death Penalty

01/13/02 - USA - According to Amnesty International the number of the “dropping appeals” (inmates on death rwo who give up with every appeal) is increasing

01/13/02 - North Carolina/USA - North Carolina Prepares for Execution Despite Doubts of Guilt

01/12/02 - Iran - Iran hangs three men in public for murder, rape

01/12/02 - Missouri/USA - James Johnson, 50, was executed

01/12/02 - Nigeria - Safiya Tudu Must Not Die: Nigerians debate and plead for her

01/12/02 - Palestinian Authority - Ex policeman sentenced to death for murder

01/12/02 - Nigeria - Forum and other Nigerian organizations Plead for Safiya

01/11/02 - USA - La stampa si chiede se la pena capitale sar� un tema-chiave nella prossima campagna elettorale

01/11/02 - Nigeria - Safiya, taking the stock of situation: in February the sentence of appeal

01/11/02 - Nigeria - Another Woman Faces Trial for Adultery in Sokoto, like Safiya

01/10/02 - Florida/USA - Interview of the Community of Sant’Egdio with Juan Roberto Melendez, released only a few days ago from death row in Florida: “it was the hard work of dedicated lawyers and investigators and most of all the work of God.”

01/10/02 - Texas/USA - Inmate Says Texas Death Row Is a Living Hell

01/08/02 - Florida/USA - Another Death Row Mistake: J.R. Melendez (The Washington Post)

01/07/02 - China - Amnesty International has condemned authorities in China for failing to openly declare the suspected execution of dozens of people over the last 10 days

01/07/02 - Indonesia - Police Chief hails death sentence for drug traffickers

01/07/02 - Nigeria - First execution ordered by an Islamic Court

01/05/02 - Florida/USA - Death row inmate dies on death row

01/05/02 - USA - American newspapers debate about the decline of the death penalty in America

01/05/02 - Saudi Arabia - Three Saudi Men Beheaded

01/05/02 - USA - Juries backing away from death penalty

 

PRAYER

January 20, Sunday: Liturgy of the Sunday
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Prayer for the unity of the Churches. Particular memory of the Ancient Eastern Churches (Syro-Orthodox, Coptic, Armenian, and Assyrian).

January 21, Monday: Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Prayer for the unity of the Churches. Special memory of the Churches of the Anglican communion.

January 22, Tuesday: Memory of the Church
Prayer for the unity of the Churches. Special memory of the Churches and ecclesial communities (Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, Baptist and Pentecostal)

January 23, Wednesday: Memory of the Poor
Prayer for the unity of the Churches. Special memory of the Christian communities in Africa.

January 24, Thursday: Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Prayer for the unity of the Churches. Special memory of the Christian communities in Europe and in the Americas.

January 25, Friday: Memory of the apostles
Memory of the conversion of Paul on the way to Damascus. Memory of Ananias, who baptized Paul, preached the Gospel and died as a martyr. Prayer for the unity of the Churches. Special memory of the Christian communities in Asia and Oceania.

January 26, Saturday: Sunday Vigil
Memory of Timothy and Titus, collaborators of Paul and bishops of Ephesus and Crete

January 27, Sunday: Liturgy of the Sunday
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

January 28, Monday: Memory of the Poor

January 29, Tuesday: Memory of the Mother of the Lord

January 30, Wednesday: Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Memory of the death of Gandhi. With him we remember all those who work for peace in the name of non-violence.

January 31, Thursday: Memory of the Church
Memory of Modesta, a homeless woman who was left to die at the Termini railway station in Rome; she was not given any assistance because she was dirty. With her we remember all of the homeless who have died.

February 1, Friday: Memory of Jesus crucified

February 2, Saturday: Sunday Vigil
Feast of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Memory of two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, who awaited the Lord with faith. Prayer for the elderly.

 

 

 "LA VOCE DEGLI AMICI"

 

 

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ECUMENISM


Prayer of all Christians for Unity and Peace

Rome - 20th January

  

ECUMENISM


World Day of Prayer for Peace in the world

Assisi - 24th January

  

FRIENDS IN THE WORLD


Relief for the Afghan Refugees

An aid program promoted by Peace People and The Rainbow Country

  

NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY


Juan Melendez

freed after 18 years on Florida death row

  

  

EVENTS


"I need You"

Elderly people in favour of integration of immigrants

  

NEWSLETTER


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