Sant'Egidio Newsletter

Year 2 - Number 9 - 04/27/2002

 

EDITORIAL

 

This issue of the newsletter opens with the news that the campaign against the death penalty topped 4 million signatures.

The capital punishment, of course, has not been rooted out, but in many countries it has been significantly reconsidered. Since the campaign started, a number of countries have abolished the death penalty - as Chile and the Former Yugoslavia recently have. Others, like the Philippines, have applied the moratorium. The drop in the executions number in the US shows an openness to reconsider the issue, which, hopefully will bear fruit in a short term. But the number of executions, in the world, has not decreased; this stirs our conscience and urges to a greater commitment to defend human life.

Over the last few years, a movement of men and women from different countries, faiths and cultures has gathered around the initiative of the Community - the first launched through our web site - united by the common will to promote a change of mind over the capital punishment. A small �virtual people� who knows no boundaries, scattered in hundreds of countries in the world, claims the affirmation of the culture of life. This people has written its brief but significant story, a patchwork of faces and names, of people whose suffering and pain have become familiar to us: Safyia, Dominique, Johnny... And we could go on and on�

Beside the collection of signatures and the appeals for those condemned to death, a network of friendship has developed with many people on death row in the world. There are, in fact, several hundreds who responded to the appeal launched by the Community �Write to a person condemned to death�. The letters of these �pen palls� go beyond the gates of hopelessness, enter the death rows all over the world, giving a sign that outside there is someone believing in life.

In the gloomy horizon of our times, these letters are sign of hope; a good news.

 

 NEWS 

04/26/02 - "The School is Beautiful", the International Meeting of the Country of the Rainbow

04/24/02 - Kiev (Ukraine) - Solidarity with the Jewish Community which has been Victim of an Aggression

04/24/02 - Genova (Italy) - Liturgy with Cardinal Tettamanzi in Memory of the "Friends on the Road"

04/24/02 - Yaounde (Cameroun) - Friends in Prison: Solidarity and Antibiotics Make Miracles

04/22/02 - Kasungu (Malawi) - The First Food Relief Arrived for the Victims of the Famine

04/21/02 - Rome - The Elderly Ask "Do not Prevent the Immigrants to Help us to Live"

04/20/02 - Genova (Italy) - A School's Party with the Gypsies

04/19/02 - Assisi (Italy) - The Movements "The Friends" and L'Arche Make a Pilgrimage for Peace.

04/19/02 - Maputo (/Mozambique) - The Activities of the Molecular Biology Laboratory

04/18/02 - The New International Press Review

04/17/02 - The Community of Sant'Egidio Prays for Peace in the Holy Land

04/17/02 - Pisa (Italy) - Conference: "The Arab-Israeli Conflict"

04/17/02 - The Movement "The Friends" on www.disabili.com

04/16/02 - Parma (Italy) - Celebration of the Anniversary of the Community

04/15/02 - Kerk en leven: Zorgen voor Morgen

04/14/02 - Rome - The Preaching of Cardinal W.Kasper in Santa Maria in Trastevere

 

 NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY - NEWS 

The commitment of the Community of Sant'Egidio

04/25/02 - Nigeria - The Community of Sant'Egidio invites again to sign the appeal to save Amina (now available in French too).It can be sent to several Nigerian Embassies in the world. (IT-EN-FR)

04/20/02 - Switzeland - Geneva - Mario Marazziti of the Community of Sant'Egidio speaks out against death penalty for juveniles.  (EN)

Abolitions, commutations, moratoria, ...

04/22/02 - Oklahoma/USA - Senate passes ban on executing the mentally retarded.  (EN)

04/18/02 - Tanzania - Mkapa Commutes 100 Death Sentences to Life.  (EN)

04/14/02 - Tennessee/USA - Alabama/USA - US Supreme Court stayer the execution of Abu-Ali Abdur'Rahman, (Tennessee), scheduled on April 10 and Gary Leon Brown, just a few hours before he was scheduled to be executed.  (EN)

Other issues

04/25/02 - Uganda/France - France Wants Death Sentence Abolished. (EN)

04/24/02 - USA - Death Penalty Shpwdown. U.S. Supreme Court to decide several cases that raise fundamental questions about the constitutionality of the death penalty as it was imposed.  (EN)

04/24/02 - California/USA - State, U.S. courts at odds on death penalty sentences. (EN)

04/23/02 - California/USA - Mentally ill on death row pose quandary for the law.  (EN)

04/23/02 - Amnesty International - Un nuovo rapporto di Amnesty International mette in evidenza il declino della pena capitale nel mondo.  (EN)

04/22/02 - China - China sentences notorious gang kingpin to death.  (EN)

04/22/02 - Turkey - Government sent a draft law to parliament that would abolish the death penalty except in cases of terrorism and treason.  (EN)

04/21/02 - Texas/USA - Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected the appeal of Napoleon Beazley, who committed murder before the age of 18. The same Court had granted a stay of the execution just a few hours before the time scheduled.  (EN)

04/21/02 - Germany - Any possibility to use death penalty soon could disappear from German Constitution.  (EN)

04/21/02 - Missouri/USA - Chris Simmons, one of the 83 juveniles now on death row, could be executed on May 1st.  (EN)

04/21/02 - Belgium/Community of Sant'Egidio - Belgian newspaper Kerknet: 4 millions signatures collected by Sant�Egidio against death penalty. The case of Dominique Green.

04/20/02 - Texas/USA - AG, court dispute still simmering The case of V. Saldano is in limbo; federal showdown is likely.  (EN)

04/20/02 - Iran - Saeed Hanai was executed by hanging.  (EN)

04/19/02 - Arizona/USA - Free at last: Death Penalty Foes Mark a Milestone.  (EN)

04/19/02 - Singapore - Singapore death penalty shrouded in silence.  (EN)

04/19/02 - Illinois/USA - After 2 years of study, Illinois panel says death penalty has to be refromed, not abolished.  (EN)

04/18/02 - China - China's foreign ministry has dismissed as baseless a complaint by the human rights group Amnesty International about what it called China's excessive and arbitrary use of the death penalty.  (EN)

04/18/02 - Ethiopia - Death sentence to Ethiopia bombersAn Ethiopian court has sentenced 5 members of a Somali Islamic group to be publicly hanged for killing 27 civilians in bomb attacks during the mid-1990s.  (EN)

04/18/02 - USA - Death penalty errors can't be corrected A few words about 100 people who were not killed.  (EN)

04/17/02 - Delaware/USA - Bill Pelke and George White, members and founders of the Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing, started their tour around the U.S.  (EN)

04/17/02 - Texas/USA - Jose Santellan, 40, was executed.  (IT)

04/16/02 - Nigeria/European Union - Some European newspapers emphasize the appeal of the European Parliament to save Amina in Nigeria.  (DE)

04/16/02 - Vietnam - Vietnam considering reduction in death penalties and alternative to firing squads.  (EN)

04/15/02 - Italy - All the political parties agree: the word �death penalty� to disappear from the Italian Constitution.  (IT)

04/15/02 - USA - Clarity sought from court on executing the retarded.  (EN)

04/15/02 - Texas/USA - William Burns, 43, was executed.  (IT-EN)

04/15/02 - Texas/USA - Jury decides that Johnny Paul Penry is competent for sentencing hearing, despite claims of mental retardation.  (IT-EN)

04/15/02 - India - Hindus, Muslims divided over India's new anti-terrorism law and death penalty.  (EN)

04/15/02 - European Union/Nigeria - The European Parliament to hold an emergency debate on Human Rights in Nigeria and the case of Amina Lawal.  (EN)

04/14/02 - Arizona/USA - Ray Krone. 1st full day of freedom for the ex death row inmate.  (EN)

04/14/02 - Texas/USA - Jose Santellan was executed.  (EN)

04/13/02 - Philippines - In August 1st execution in 3 years. (EN)

04/13/02 - Amnesty International - Amnesty: : Executions in 2001 (3,048) doubled in comparison with 2000 (1,457). China led (2,468 ex.).  (IT-EN)

04/13/02 - United Arab Emirated - Ukranian Seefred Andre, 28, and 24-year-old Russian Sergei Doboni were convicted to death.  (EN)

 

PRAYER

april 28, Sunday: Liturgy of the Sunday
The Fifth Sunday of Easter

april 29, Monday: Memory of the Poor
Memory of Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), in Italy; She worked for peace, the unity of Christians, and the poor.

april 30, Tuesday: Memory of the Mother of the Lord

may 1, Wednesday: Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Memory of Saint Joseph, the workman, and world-wide Labor Day

may 2, Thursday: Memory of the Church

may 3, Friday: Memory of the apostles
Memory of the apostles Philip and James. The first asked the Lord to see the Father, the second lead the first Christian community in Jerusalem.

may 4, Saturday: Sunday Vigil

may 5, Sunday: Liturgy of the Sunday
The Sixth Sunday of Easter Today the Orthodox Churches celebrate the Easter of Resurrection.

may 6, Monday: Memory of the Poor
Today the Gypsies, even those who are Muslim, celebrate the feat of Saint George, who died a martyr to liberate the Church.

may 7, Tuesday: Memory of the Saints and the Prophets
Memory of Saint Nil, a Russian staretz (spiritual guide), who died in 1509. He was the father of many monks, to whom he taught of the Lord�s great love for men and women, exhorting them to ask God for the same sentiment (in Greek macrotimia).

may 8, Wednesday: Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Memory of the Virgin Mary, venerated as Our Lady of Luj�n.

may 9, Thursday: Memory of the Church

may 10, Friday: Memory of Jesus crucified

may 11, Saturday: Sunday Vigil

 

 

 "LA VOCE DEGLI AMICI"

 

 

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NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY


4 million signatures collected by the Community

to stop death penalty in the World

  

NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY


Writing to a person sentenced to death

  

EVENTS


May 26th
"La scuola
� bella"

International Gathering of the "Rainbow Country"

  

DEMONSTRATIONS


"I need You"

with the elderly people in favour of integration of immigrants

  

NEW SECTION ON THE WEBSIDE


New International Press Review

  

FRIENDS IN THE WORLD


Online donations to support the program to combat AIDS

with credit card, through secure transaction

  

DEEPENINGS


Friends in Prison

"I was in prison,
and you came to visit me"

  

  

NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY


Help us to save Dominique Green

  

NEWSLETTER


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