Government and the Common Good

February Blog

I acknowledge and thank the Lkwungen People, (of the place to smoke herring)
also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, for allowing me to live, pray, work, and play on their lands
[on the southern coast of Vancouver Island].

Daniel P. Horan, OFM, Duns Scotus Chair of Spirituality,
Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, Il, USA:
The church teaches that purpose of government is the common good. Period.
[The COMMON GOOD is a principle of Catholic Social Doctrine.
See:  https://www.devp.org/en/cst
This explains why Franciscan Voice Canada as a voice for Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation is so concerned with politics. Structural injustice is sin because injustice is sin.
That is why we must be involved in politics and raise our voice.]

Do Our Governments work for the Common Good?
[i.e. the Catholic Social Teaching Principle!]
Some do; some not so much. Two examples follow

Here’s one who actually talks about it, Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission: excerpts from her message to Davos World Economic Forum 2021: “And to those who prefer the business case. Here it is: More than half of global GDP is dependent on high-functioning biodiversity and ecosystems – and it is from food to tourism, you just name it. And in the latest World Economic Forum Global Risk Report - the top five global risks are all related to the environment. …
The European Union and others helped with money – large sums were invested – to build research capacities and production facilities early. Europe invested billions to help develop the world‘s first COVID-19 vaccines. To create a truly global common good. And now, the companies must deliver. They must honour their obligations. This is why we will set up a vaccine export transparency mechanism. Europe is determined to contribute to this global common good. But it also means business.”
 
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/ursula-von-der-leyen-european-commission-davos-agenda/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unl2SBxH9oo (video of her speech 33 mins)
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Then there’s this closer to home: Can we Trust Alberta’s Energy Regulator to Safeguard Coal Mines? The Kenney government says yes, but the agency has a messy track record. “A series of Alberta court rulings on the Ernst lawsuit said the regulator was legally immune from lawsuits and that the agency had “no duty of care” to Albertans or the environment.” Remind me who makes the law and for whom and how do we change it?     Read more... 
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The 2021 Share Lent campaign will feature seven weekly webinars drawing on themes from Fratelli Tutti and D&P’s Mission & Values; Humanitarian Aid; Community Development; Youth Engagement; Fundraising; Advocacy and Holy Week. Info is not yet posted on the website but soon will be, so CHECK HERE

 
Another great website for Lent
Check out the Global Catholic Climate Movement’s Laudato si’ Lent website 

The resources and events are recommended.They include an on line retreat, events and resources (including Caritas Canada/ D&P’s 2016
Solidarity Way of the Cross: Create a Climate of Change)

Lent 2021: A Journey of Hope
Reflect, Repent & Renew.| Together

Laudato Si’ :
“As a spiritual work of mercy, care for our common home calls for a “grateful contemplation of God’s world”(Laudato Si’, 214) which “allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us” (ibid., 85).”
“85. The Canadian bishops rightly pointed out [*] that no creature is excluded from this manifestation of God: “From panoramic vistas to the tiniest living form, nature is a constant source of wonder and awe. It is also a continuing revelation of the divine”.[55] 
[*] [55] Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Social Affairs Commission, Pastoral Letter You Love All that Exists… All Things are Yours, God, Lover of Life (4 October 2003), 1.”
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“42. … In order to achieve their task directed to the Christian animation of the temporal order, in the sense of serving persons and society, the lay faithful are never to relinquish their participation in "public life", that is, in the many different economic, social, legislative, administrative and cultural areas, which are intended to promote organically and institutionally the common good.”
​                                                                                  - Christ's Faithful People (Christifideles Laici) 
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Did you know?
Four Pipeline Realities for Alberta’s Rumpelstiltskin. Jason Kenney rants and raves over Keystone XL’s cancellation. But let’s look at the facts.
by  Andrew Nikiforuk 24 Jan 2021 | TheTyee.ca

“Rystad Energy also talks about the industry’s dirty laundry: carbon dioxide emissions.
It calculates that the carbon intensity of the U.S. shale industry’s CO2 emissions is about around 12 kilograms per barrel of oil equivalent. In contrast, the oilsands is calculated “at a staggering 73 kilograms” per barrel of oil equivalent. Conventional onshore producers such as Saudi Arabia have a footprint of 19 kilograms per barrel of oil equivalent.” - the tyee
               Makes you think?   So what?   Here’s what:
                                            Trudeau promised a Just Transition Act.     
                      We’re pushing him to deliver. No more empty promises!
It was disappointing to see Prime Minister Trudeau and his cabinet mourning the cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline. Instead of wasting their breath on a doomed pipeline, they should take action to support workers and communities. That’s why we’re taking action to call on Prime Minister Trudeau to deliver the Just Transition Act he promised in 2019. 

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​and  Sign the petition today. 

          Thank you, President Biden for cancelling KXL, a step in the right direction!

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    Even necessary within the Catholic church! Three examples:
1.  “Like many pioneering black sisters in white orders, Ebo endured unconscionable discrimination from her white counterparts and superiors.”   Read more
2. Priests who are biological fathers of children:  Read more
3. “ …be aware that sexual abuse of nuns exists, and that when — as long as victims don't speak out, perpetrators will just go on.”   Read more

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“It’s shocking how many women are beaten, insulted, and raped,”  - says the Holy Father in The Pope Video for February

Climate change disasters in B.C. likely to increase if industrial logging continues unchecked: report     - Learn more at CBC News

Beginning 2 March 2021, the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis (English Sector) of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) will offer a four-part webinar series entitled, 
Nurturing Friendship, the Directory for Catechesis in Dialogue with the Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti,
and invites individuals who are responsible for evangelization and catechesis including, clergy, consecrated persons, laity involved in ministry, directors and coordinators of evangelization and catechesis, and Catholic educators to participate.
 
Webinars will take place on Tuesday afternoons on 2, 9, 16 and 23 March and are 90 minutes in length. Registration is free of charge, however interested participants are invited to sign up before Monday, 22 February 2021. When registering directly within the Zoom meeting platform, participants can indicate their preference for one, two, three or all four of the sessions. For more information about the series, contact Margaret Shea-Lawrence by email at m.shea-lawrence@cccb.ca.
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​LET’S END ON A HOPEFUL NOTE!
Against Climate Gloom and Doom
When given a chance, life finds a way.
Here are some reasons to keep hoping - and fighting.

As the environmental problems facing our world compound, despair may feel like a rational response. In her new book ‘Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis,’ environmental scholar Elin Kelsey makes an evidence-based argument for choosing hope over despair. Kelsey holds up examples of how ecosystems — including along our coasts and in our ocean — have managed to rebound from damage when given the chance, illustrating nature’s impressive resilience. By sharing these case studies, Kelsey offers reasons to reject apathy and to mobilize. Only if we believe there’s an opportunity to make a real positive impact will we find the motivation to fight for the protection and restoration of ecosystems we depend on. In this condensed excerpt, Kelsey shares a few hope-filled success stories specific to coastal ecosystems.
              Read more:  The Tyee   and    Royal Roads

Peace & joy, Andrew, ofs