Churches condemn Trump’s plan
The patriarchs and heads of the Churches in Jerusalem condemned Trump’s plan to deport Palestinians to other countries. The church leaders said the proposed mass displacement is “an injustice that strikes at the very heart of human dignity. The people of Gaza, families who have lived for generations in the land of their ancestors, must not be forced into exile, stripped of whatever is left of their homes, their heritage, and their right to remain in the land that forms the essence of their identity.” They called for an immediate release of all captives from both sides. “Let the sanctity of human life and the moral obligation to protect the defenceless outweigh the forces of destruction and despair. We call for an immediate unfettered humanitarian access to those in desperate need.”
“Take responsibility for democracy”
In the run-up to today’s German elections, the country’s Catholic and Protestant Church leaders urged voters to take responsibility for democracy:
“Our country must keep in mind participation and justice. This includes the social market economy with an effective social security system. Our country must commit to protecting life, as every human being has the same inalienable dignity. A good democratic coexistence is also part of the common good. To achieve this, we must listen, seek mutual understanding, and engage constructively in finding fair solutions.”
Build bridges by ‘organising hope’
Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, wrote to participants of the Catholic Social Ministry:
“The theological virtue of hope is the dynamo that turns fear into organising community. It is necessary to organise hope to fix public debt as one of the main causes of poverty and migration. At the community level, faith must be translated into trust in the community; love must be translated into social justice to guarantee a dignified life, universal access to goods, solidarity and subsidiarity; and hope must be translated into organisation.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)