Excerpts from the Testament of Dom Christian De Cherge, OCSO, written in 1993 and opened in 1996 after he and other members of his community were murdered in Algeria.

I would like them to be able to associate this death with so many other equally violent ones allowed to fall into the indifference of anonymity. My life has no more value than any other. Nor any less value. In any case, it has not the innocence of childhood. I have lived long enough to know that I share in the evil which seems, alas, to prevail in the world, and even in that which would strike me blindly. I should like, when the time comes, to have a space of lucidity which would enable me to beg forgiveness of God and of my fellow human beings, and at the same time to forgive with all my heart the one who would strike me down.
...
... In this THANK YOU which is said for everything in my life, from now on, I certainly include you, friends of yesterday and today, and you, O my friends of this place, besides my mother and father, my sisters and brothers and their families, a hundredfold as was promised!

And you too, my last minute friend, who will not know what you are doing, Yes, for you too I say this THANK YOU AND THIS ‘A-DIEU’-—to commend you to this God in whose face I see yours. And may we find each other, happy ‘good thieves’ in Paradise, if it please God, the Father of us both. . AMEN!

INITIATIVE TO PREVENT CHILDHOOD MORTALITY LAUNCHED

Multi-Religious Collaboration for the Survival and Wellbeing of Children Will Reach Six Million Children in Six African Countries



Kampala, Uganda, 15 March 2013 – Religions for Peace (RfP), in partnership with the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), today launched the Multi-religious Collaboration for the Survival and Wellbeing of Children (MCC) Program in Uganda with more than 365 religious and cultural leaders, government representatives, UNICEF and other stakeholders from various parts of Uganda. This was the start of a five-year initiative to enhance the survival and well‐being of children under-five years of age which will later be expanded to five other African countries - Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Worldwide, more than 7 million children before the age of five die from easily preventable or treatable diseases. Ninety percent of these deaths are in 42 countries, significantly in Africa.

Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General of RfP, said, “KAICIID is the lead partner in this initiative. Its commitment to advance dialogue among all stakeholders in child survival will translate into saving the lives of vulnerable children. It will align diverse stakeholders to help the families of vulnerable children to serve as the frontlines of protection.” He added, “The Inter-religious Council of Uganda—Religions for Peace (IRCU—RfP) is uniquely well-positioned to advance this important KAICIID-led initiative, due to its pioneering track record of effective multi-religious action. The lessons learned in Uganda will help to guide this KAICIID and RfP initiative.”

His Excellency Faisal Muaammar, KAICIID Secretary General, said, “By bringing these rich and diverse cultures and religions together, through dialogue, we can collaborate to advance the wellbeing of our children, and to empower parents and families to improve their own futures. Care for our children is just one, but perhaps the strongest of values that unites followers of all religions. Therefore, the MCC Program, here in Uganda, Africa, is an obvious area for RfP and KAICIID to begin its work with our valued partner, the Inter-religious Council of Uganda–Religions for Peace.”

His Grace Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese and Co-Chair, Council of Presidents of the IRCU-RfP, said, “This Program will plough important new ground even as it builds upon the commitment and expertise of over a decade of concrete inter-religious work in Uganda.”



His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Mubajje, Grand Mufti of the Uganda Supreme Council and a co-founder of IRCU-RfP, stated, “We trust that the lessons of dialogue learned in Uganda in partnership with KAICIID will help empower our sister RfP inter-religious councils across Africa.”

The Honorable Hajat Rukia Isanga Nakadama, Minister of State for Gender & Cultural Affairs, Government of Uganda, praised the MCC Program and the spirit of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation that is being advanced by KAICIID and RfP in partnership with IRCU-RfP.

Mr. Joshua Kitakule, Secretary General of IRCU—RfP, expressed his deep appreciation for the support provided by KAICIID through its partnership with RfP and committed to mobilize and equip faith leaders across diverse religious traditions to promote the widespread adoption of household practices which save the lives of under-five children.

His Majesty King Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I, King of Bunyoro and Chairperson, Cultural and Traditional Institutions in Uganda, urged the religious and traditional leaders and other stakeholders to continue the spirit of dialogue in advancing badly needed work to protect the lives and health of children most at risk.

Also present at the launch were Msgr. Dr. John B. Kauta, Secretary General, Uganda Episcopal Conference; His Grace the Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda; Pr. Dr. Joseph Serwadda, Presiding Apostle, Born Again Faith in Uganda and Mr. George Ebong, UNICEF.

KAICIID, RfP and IRCU—RfP delegates also held meetings with His Excellency Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, Vice President of Uganda and the Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, to apprise them of the launch of the MCC Program.

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Contact: Ms. Valerie Nash

Religions for Peace, 777 United Nations, Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USATel: +1212-687-2163 | Fax: +1 212-983-0098 | www.religionsforpeace.org E-mail: vnash@religionsforpeace.org

Prayers for Pope Francis - In the Vineyard :: March 22, 2013 :: Volume 13, Issue 6

On Tuesday, March 19, 2013, Pope Francis was installed officially as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. We join Catholics worldwide to pray for Pope Francis, for our Church and for a welcomed and honored place for lay voices. And we offer the following Prayer of St. Francis for Pope Francis, as always, in Jesus' name:
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

Voice of the Faithful publication In the Vineyard

Standing Together to Stand Alone by Frida Berrigan

I am sort of a wimp when it comes to rule breaking. No really, it is true. You would think that the eldest daughter of rabble-rousing peace activist parents would have been born with a devil-may-care attitude towards society’s dos and don’ts, but the exact opposite is actually true. I heed the signs. If it says: “do not walk on the grass,” I am taking the long way around. If it says “no ball playing,” you won’t catch me tossing the pigskin around. If it
“Tank man” blocks a column of tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. (Photo: Jeff Widener via Wikipedia)
says “no parking,” you get the idea. When I was little, I was able to ignore the “no swimming in the fountain” signs, but only when surrounded by other wet kids.


My brother would argue the point: “we’re not playing ball, sir… it just dropped and we were running to catch it,” while I tried to look as though I did not know who he was, or was illiterate, or from a foreign country; or if I tried hard enough, all three.

My mom loves to touch things in museums. This drives me nuts. The signs are pretty clear (and ubiquitous). Afternoons set aside to commune with art at the National Gallery or the American Visionary Art Museum have been spent hissing at my mom and pointing out that the “do not touch” signs do not have an invisible “except for Liz McAlister” clause.

My sister devoted a lot of time to activist climbing a few years ago. Down the side of the TransAmerica building in Los Angeles to protest Ford Motor Company, up a huge crane to demonstrate against the paper company Weyerhauser. That is hardcore. Ropes, harnesses, hard hats, adult diapers (if you remember), and walking past lots of “no trespassing” signs.

My dad visited me once at Hampshire College and lit a cigarette right below a “no smoking” sign. I was scandalized. “Daaaaad, you can’t smoke in here” (this was before you could not smoke in anywhere). Phil Berrigan giggled.

I will break the law. I have been arrested. I have knelt and “died” and blocked and obstructed and harangued and failed to quit. I have dug through dumpsters, crossed under barbed wire, climbed over chain link. I have pulled secret banners out of my pants and out from under my coat. I have wheatpasted posters in the middle of the night. I have even organized nonviolent direct actions involving lots of people getting arrested. But I have never acted alone.

Rosa Parks, Tim DeChristopher, Peter DeMott and all those other peacemakers and justice-seekers who have faced the powers that be with no one standing beside them display a depth of courage I cannot fathom.

They were not all alone, of course.

Rosa Parks, whose 100th birthday we celebrated last month, was a trained and committed activist when she refused to give up her seat to a white fellow passenger. She was not alone on the bus; the driver asked all of the blacks sitting in her row to move. And she was not alone in the cause; there was a peaceful army of activists from the Women’s Political Council, the NAACP and other groups waiting to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott after her arrest. But she was alone when she said no. She was alone when she was arrested.

Tim DeChristopher was a college student and environmentalist when he participated in a demonstration outside an auction of federal lands to oil and gas companies. He probably held a sign and joined in some of the chants, before deciding to go inside. He thought he might make a statement or disrupt the proceedings. But, after sitting and watching, he started bidding. Before he was led away, he had bought more than 22,000 acres of land for about $1.8 million. He did not have the money. But, during his trial and sentencing, people raised that and more, hoping to keep that land in the public trust. Tim DeChristopher went to jail for the better part of two years for his action on behalf of the environment.

Peter DeMott was a Vietnam veteran and a peacemaker, a husband and father with four daughters. He died in a tragic accident in 2009. In 1980, Peter was at the christening of a nuclear submarine in Connecticut along with other demonstrators opposed to the investment of billions of dollars in machines with just one purpose — nuclear annihilation. He saw an empty van, the keys in the ignition. He left his friends and community and climbed into the van, ramming it into the side of the submarine. It was not exactly sword into plowshares or spears into pruning hooks, but the action was a symbolic transformation (very minor denting—those subs are sturdy!). He went to jail for that and other acts of disarmament.

I know it takes a village to be a peacemaker, and these three peacemakers did have a community of support. But when I step over the line, I want that community breathing down my neck, not waiting in the wings.

As I meditate on the courage of these men and women in their solitary witness (and I know the Waging Nonviolence readership can add countless other examples of people who stand alone for peace and justice), I am so grateful for the deep and broad community of peacemakers given to experiments in truth that has pushed me out of my wimpiness, passed all sorts of “do not” signs — further than I ever thought I could go. Who knows, they may still push me to stand alone someday.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License


Frida Berrigan, a columnist for WagingNonviolence.org, serves on the board of the War Resisters League and organizes with Witness Against Torture.

Bread is Life – Fast for a Just Peace in Syria

Pax Christi International is launching a ‘bread is life’ campaign during Lent 2013 to raise awareness about the suffering of civilian communities in Syria and to express solidarity with those who are trying to survive in Syria and as refugees in surrounding countries.

The Bread is Life campaign will take place from 13 February to 31 March 2013, to coincide with the Christian observance of Lent. The acute suffering of civilian communities has been made immeasurably worse by a shortage of bread, Syrian’s staple food, caused in part by the deliberate bombing of bakeries.

We call on all Pax Christi members and friends worldwide to raise awareness about the plight of the Syrian civilian population, who feel abandoned by the rest of the world; to join in a global act of solidarity through prayer and fasting; to send the Syrian people messages of support; and to advocate for effective humanitarian assistance. We invite all Pax Christi Member Organisations and people of good will to:

Leave a message of solidarity for the people of Syria that we will pass to our contacts in Syria and those living abroad. You can forward your message via email, through our Facebook page or via Twitter.

Fast for one day or more to show your solidarity with the Syrian people. Please also tell us when you are fasting so we can let our contacts in Syria know (also via email, Facebook or Twitter). This can be done individually or as a group. Prayer services or fasting vigils in parishes and religious communities could be organised as opportunities to learn about the situation in Syria and to write solidarity messages. The power of fasting joins the political with the very personal.



Pax Christi International urges the end of violence and calls to respect the life of all Syrians without any distinction because of race, ethnic origin, creed, gender or others. Pax Christi International calls for a just peace in Syria.

Fr. Paul Lansu
Pax Christi International

Urgent Action for Pakistani Women

Over 100 women a year are disfigured in Pakistan – most of the acid attacks are committed by their husbands who are punished for their so called bad behaviour. The victims receive looks of scorn and criticism in the streets. In the Pakistani society, if a woman has a disfigured face, it is automatically assumed they did something wrong.
Find out more and sign: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Over_100_women_a_year_are_disfigured_in_Pakistan/?kluaaab
Put the above link in your browser
Warning you will see pictures of severely disfigured women.

Quotes by Howard Thurman for Reflection

‘During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism.’

‘There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.’

‘There are two questions that we have to ask ourselves. The 1st is ‘ Where am I going?’ and the 2nd is ‘Who will go with me?’
If you ever get these questions in the wrong order , you are in trouble.’

Manning: Before Wikileaks, Leaked Docs Offered to New York Times, Washington Post

Whistleblower reads prepared statement: Wanted documents to reveal ‘true costs of war’

Common Dreams February 28, 2013
(Credit: Reuters)In what The Guardian's correspondent Ed Pilkington describes as a ‘bombshell’ revelation, Bradley Manning on Thursday revealed that prior to reaching out to Wikileaks with a trove of government and military documents, the whistleblower first contacted more established media outlets, including the New York Times and Washington Post, but was brushed off by editors.
‘I believed if the public, particularly the American public, could see this it could spark a debate on the military and our foreign policy in general as it applied to Iraq and Afghanistan. It might cause society to reconsider the need to engage in counter terrorism while ignoring the human situation of the people we engaged with every day.’ –Bradley Manning

My Goal? To "Share with World... True Cost of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan"

Bradley Manning