Human rights organizations monitoring the situation on the ground estimate that over 27,000 people have been killed by security forces and vigilantes since 2016, in a campaign that has disproportionately targeted poor communities.
St. Camillus parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, staffed by Franciscan friars, is the largest and most diverse parish in the archdiocese of Washington. It is also located in the area that has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the entire Washington metropolitan region.
The liturgy garnered a 150 thousand viewership both live and replay. It was followed by the Laudato Si Serenade Concert, featuring the different talents of the different congregations present in the Philippines including our very own OFM friars and some local singer celebrities.
While our country continues to agonize because of the pandemic, we are terrified to know that our lawmakers have turned their attention more to the anti-terror bill (House Bill 6875) certified urgent and priority bill by our President Rodrigo Duterte on June 1, 2020, to amend the Republic Act 9372 (Human Security Act of 2007).
Amidst this worries and fears, JPIC-OFM Indonesia showed solidarity and empathy towards this global pandemic. Accordingly, in commemorating World Health Day 2020 on Tuesday, April 7, JPIC-OFM Indonesia managed to give away free masks to fellow citizen of Jakarta.
The rapid development of the pandemic has caused many problems, and as usual, it has affected the weakest, poorest, neediest and sickest. So, after the initial shock, many institutions started to get involved to help those who found themselves in the difficulties created by COVID-19. The new situation strongly challenged us as followers of St. Francis, who espoused Our Lady Poverty and gave us the example to follow by caring for the poor, sick and abandoned.
Dear JPIC brethren, from Guinea Bissau, I want to share with you some initiatives that have been carried out and are still ongoing in the Franciscan Mission and Parish of Quinhamel, 30 km from the capital.
For the Coronavirus emergency, which broke out here in March 2020, the Franciscan Catholic Mission used some Diocesan Caritas funds for:
Por la emergencia Coronavirus que se desató en marzo 2020, la Misión Católica Franciscana ha empleado algunos fondos de Cáritas Diocesana para:
In Morocco, the Coronavirus forced the country to declare lockdown from 20 March. This has led to the suspension of all activities; it has changed the way we live and the way people welcome us. A very strange, surreal feeling: forced to stay at home because of the danger of infection. What to do? How to organise ourselves?
• A global campaign of the Franciscan charism.
• Franciscans are launching a year of celebrations and activities to promote and live the values of the Laudato Si’ encyclical.
• They declare their grateful communion with Pope Francis and his recent designation of the “Laudato Si’ special anniversary year.”
Five years ago, Pope Francis published one of the major texts of his pontificate, the encyclical Laudato Si’. In a March video, the pope encouraged parishes and religious communities to participate in “Laudato Si’ Week”