3 Things CCVIs and others can do to help heal the sin of racism

The horrific killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, in Minneapolis, MN, by white Minneapolis police officers has left us heart broken and with feelings of outrage and disbelief that such crimes continue to take place in our country.

What positive steps can CCVIs and our ministries take to help heal the sin of racism, both individual and systemic?

1.  HAVE CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS:  

MACC (the Mexican American Catholic College) invites you to a critical conversation on how systemic violence is as silently accepted as the air we breathe. Recent events, however, have shockingly reminded us that those who are targeted because of their race cannot breathe in this deadly status quo. The Zoom session will provide an overview of the history of white supremacy in the USA and Latin America...and its resurgence in our time.  Participants will participate in smaller zoom room conversations to contextualize racism in their particular reality and how Catholic Social Teaching can be a source of life-giving breath for those who are dying. 

Let MACC know if you are interested in participating. They will poll you for a time that works for all.  Please RSVP to:  ocampos@maccsa.org

This posting is taken from MACC's Facebook page:  The Mexican American Catholic Coll

2.  EDUCATE OURSELVES:  Learn about white privilege and systemic racism

CLICK HERE to read a powerful and challenging article by Fr. Massingale:  

"The assumptions of white privilege and what we can do about it." 

Recommendation:  Reflect personally on this article and then engage with 1 or more persons, if possible, via an online format (or in person, using social distancing) in a critical conversation on white privilege and systemic racism.

3.  PROPHETIC STATEMENT:  Pray and reflect on the CCVI Congregational Statement on Systemic Racism

CLICK HERE  for the CCVI statement on systemic racism, May 31, 2020.

Recommendation:  Reflect personallh on the statement and then engage with others in conversation on how we can live out the statement. What are you willing to commit to?  How might we challenge ourselves as congregation to move forward in this effor to dismantle systemic racism?

COP22 Interfaith Climate Statement

At this historic moment, as the Paris Agreement enters into force,  an unprecedented global consensus has produced a universal framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to build greater resilience to climate impacts. We are profoundly grateful for the leadership that produced this agreement. We are also mindful of the challenges and  complexity that lie ahead.

The Statement also emphasizes, that across all faiths we share a moral obligation to not harm others, to be fair and to care for the vulnerable. 

Global society’s continued use of fossil fuels and other extractive industries, while knowing the damage they cause, is ethically untenable. We must deliberately turn away from investing in fossil fuels and we stand together, to call for a collective shift by sovereign wealth funds and public sector pension funds from fossil fuels  towards climate solutions. This will send a necessary and transformative signal to public and private borrowers and investors worldwide and will help end the fossil fuel era. 

We must commit to new ways of living that honor the dynamic relationships between all forms of life to deepen awareness and the spiritual dimension of our lives. We appeal to all people living today to draw on courage, hope, wisdom and spiritual reflection to enable our young and future generations to inherit a more caring and sustainable world. This is the time to step forward  and act as trustees to Mother Earth. Together, by supporting each other’s progress we can go further and faster.

  Key Policy Points - COP22 Statement:

• Urgently ask States to rapidly increase pledges to reduce emissions, in line with the 1.5°C goal;
• Call for a collective shift by sovereign wealth funds and public sector pension funds away from fossil fuels into renewables and other climate solutions;
• Strongly request an increase in global financial flows to end energy poverty with renewable energy and to provide for greater human and ecological adaptation, particularly to compensate for loss and damage, technology transfer and capacity building;
• Appeal to all States, when taking action to address climate change, to ensure the commitments contained in the preamble of the Agreement related to human rights, including the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality, a just transition, food security, intergenerational equity and the integrity of all ecosystems are effectively reflected in any decision adopted at the COP22;
• Request stricter controls on the dispute mechanisms within trade agreements that utilize extrajudicial tribunals to challenge government policies;
• Ask, including within our own faith communities, for more commitments to divest -invest from fossil fuels into renewable energy and targeted engagement with companies on climate change. We need to ground this work in pursuing a just transition to renewable energy.

The COP22 Interfaith Statement has been signed by 240 eminent Buddhist, 

Christian, Hindu, Jains, Quakers, Muslim, Sikh, Unitarian Universalists, as 

well as Indigenous and Spritual leaders. Some eminent faith leaders who have 

signed are His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ven. 

Bhikkhuni Thich Nu Chan Khong of Plum Village International Community 

of Engaged Buddhists, Rev Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of World 

Council of Churches and Gretchen Castle, General Secretary of Friends 

World Committee for Consultation.

Add Your Signature TODAY!