REPORT on the ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS, WASHINGTON, DC DOUBLETREE, PENTAGON CITY - APRIL 15-18, 2016

Lift Every Voice! – Racism, Class & Power

Election Year National Gathering and Lobby Day in our nation’s capital addresses solutions to issues of injustice to communities of color and immigrants, voter suppression, and economic exploitation

REVIEW OF THE ED 2016 PROGRAM IN GENERAL

The EAD 2016 National Gathering, held at the conveniently located Double Tree Hilton, Pentagon City (across the I-395 from the Pentagon and within sight of National Airport [I refuse to give recognition of its new name]), featured an array of speakers and preachers with a range of national and international experience discussing the theological, ethical, policy, and advocacy dimensions of issues related to racism, class and power.

Hundreds of Christian and other faith-based advocates raised their voices for justice this past weekend, in the midst of a critical election year, with a focus on pending voting rights legislation and a trade agreement pending in Congress. The 14th Annual National Gathering of Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) for Global Peace with Justice with its Congressional advocacy day was held in Washington, D.C. from April 15-18, 2016, and was entitled, “Lift Every Voice! Racism, Class and Power.”

For background on the theme, chick out http://advocacydays.org/2016-lift-every-voice/theme/

“During this year’s EAD National Gathering and Congressional advocacy day, people of faith spoke truth to power concerning the suppression of political and economic rights, and the corporate undermining of the local voice of ordinary people in the U.S. and around the world,” said Douglas Grace, M.Div., S.T.M., Executive Director of EAD. “Through prayer, worship, advocacy training, networking and mobilization with other Christians, we faced the realities of racism, class and power impacting politics and policies and advocated for the liberty of ‘Every Voice.'”

Together, advocates were inspired by dynamic preachers of the Gospel, including Rev. Dr. William Barber, the President of the North Carolina NAACP and convener of the Forward Together Moral Movement, and Rev. Amy Gopp, Vice President of External Relations for IMA World Health. Participants learned about the enmeshed issues surrounding discriminatory policies and practices related to race, class exploitation, as well as voter and other human rights suppression in the United States and throughout the world. Keynote speakers on policy issues included Ashindi Maxton, an independent strategist in democracy reform, racial justice and education, as well as Sandy Sorenson and Rev. Michael Neuroth of the Justice and Witness Ministries of The United Church of Christ.

A lunch plenary on Saturday featured a keynote address by world-renowned child advocate Marian Wright Edelman on the “The Cradle to Prison Pipeline” affecting so many poor families in the United States and other nations. An international plenary on Sunday highlighted “People Power Around the World” and included activists from the Middle East, the Philippines, Peru, and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. In addition, over 60 issues workshops reflecting on global issues of justice related to the EAD theme, as well as advocacy skills training, were held over the three-day gathering.

Opportunities for networking by denomination and by state and local regions allowed advocates to be briefed on the EAD’s 2016 Congressional advocacy “Ask,” which focused on efforts to restore key protections of the Voting Rights Act recently invalidated by a decision of the Supreme Court, and to oppose the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in Congress due to significant issues regarding economic injustice and environmental considerations which remain unaddressed in the current agreement.

Grace provided a theological context for the National Gathering and the legislative activity: “As Christians, we believe that leaders and policy makers are called to act and to govern in fairness and with justice for all. Like the persistent widow of the Gospel who demands that the judge hear her plea (Luke 18:1-8), at EAD 2016, we brought our petitions for justice to Capitol Hill. Like the persistent widow, we are not silenced.”

The event concluded Monday, April 18, as the advocates moved from their conference location to Capitol Hill to join in prayer at a vigil held on the lawn of the Capitol to various meetings with Senators and Members of Congress throughout the day. They were supported in their visits with a coordinated call-in to Congressional offices from remote advocates who joined their voices in the calls for justice.

Photos from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the National Gathering are now available, along with photos of EAD’s Monday Lobby Day. Videos of the plenary speakers and panels, as well as the celebration and worship services will be added in the coming days and weeks, along with other written resources from the event.

The listing of the over 60 sponsors of EAD are at the bottom of the EAD website page.

FULL REVIEW OF THE WEEKEND

The following is the description of the topics and speakers for the plenary sessions as well as the breakouts in which I took part during the weekend and Monday. All the breakout session were so interesting that choosing which ones to attend was a difficult ask. All sessions were well-presented and very full of content.

Videos of EAD speakers are now available. Click the links below each list of speakers to go to the page with the video of their presentation.

Friday, April 15    OPENING CELEBRATION REMARKS AND SPEAKERS

Rev. John McCullough President & CEO, Church World Service
Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF Director of Advocacy & Member Relations, Franciscan Action Network
Douglas G. Grace, M.Div., S.T.M. Director, Ecumenical Advocacy Days
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Dr. William Barber President, North Carolina NAACP; Convener, Forward Together Moral Movement I highly recommend viewing the video of this presentation using the link bleow (Dr. Barber’s presentation follows the Welcome and Introductory Comments).  jpw

Read more about and view the video of these speakers.

The conference worship experiences are always a very formative and enlivening part of our weekend of education and advocacy. As an organization that draws diverse Christians from all across the United States and beyond, we strive to allow a variety of gifts from the various Christian churches and communities to find expression in an harmonious way as we build upon areas of commonality and allow ourselves to be stretched to embrace new worship experiences. Similarly, we allow our imaginations and vision for worship to be expanded by each year’s conference theme and the perspectives of the various workshops, plenaries, and legislative needs that are presented.

ELCA Glocal Musicians

Music and worship leadership during this year’s EAD National Gathering is provided by the Glocal Musicians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The musicians were formed by the Global Formation Team in ELCA Global Mission to provide musical leadership for the Glocal Gatherings hosted by congregations and other Christian communities throughout North America and the Caribbean. Through its intentional diversity—including representation from many countries, denominations, and several cultures—the group embodies ways to stand in mutual solidarity while amplifying marginalized voices.

In addition to offering musical worship that includes global voices, the musicians are committed to forming local leaders seeking to introduce global themes in their communities. The songs they teach are grounded in the community stories that raise awareness and inspire advocacy. The musicians embody what it means to be “Glocal”—simultaneously global and local—so we can accompany one another across cultures, even in our own neighborhoods.

Saturday, April 16 - SATURDAY POLICY PLENARY: “RACISM, CLASS AND POWER”

Ashindi Maxton Independent Strategist in Democracy Reform, Racial Justice and Education
Sandy Sorenson Director of Washington Office, Justice and Witness Ministries, The United Church of Christ

Read more about and view the video  of these speakers.

SATURDAY LUNCH PLENARY: “THE CRADLE TO PRISON PIPELINE”

Marian Wright Edelman  Founder and President, Children’s Defense Fund

More about this speaker is at  http://advocacydays.org/2016-lift-every-voice/speakers/saturday-lunch-plenary/

BREAKOUT by STATES: SATURDAY April 16 - 11:00  – 12:00 PM

Gathering of fourteen New England (VT, CT, NH) participants, all but one (NH) from Connecticut, to discuss our approach to legislators during the “lobby day” on the Monday morning. The “ASK”:

We call on Congress to restore the voice of all Americans in our democratic process and to help create a global economy of inclusion, ensuring livelihoods for all God’s children and a sustainable planet by:

·        Supporting the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 (S. 1659/H.R. 2867) as a substantial legislative step to restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and

·        Defeating the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that deepens inequality and prioritizes corporate interests over both God’s creation and people, especially vulnerable communities in the U.S. and abroad.

More on the specifics of the “ASK” at: http://advocacydays.org/2016-lift-every-voice/lobby-day-ask/

ISSUE WORKSHOPS

There were a total of sixty 2 ½ hour “Issue Workshop Sessions” scattered between the Plenary Sessions of Saturday and Sunday. Participants could choose from among eight distinct issue areas to follow in their workshop participation:

·       Africa

·       Asia Pacific

·       Domestic U.S.

·       Eco-Justice

·       Global Economic Justice

·       Latin American & Caribbean

·       Middle East

·       Peace & Global Security

Or participants could pick-and-choose according to diverse interest areas. I chose to pick-and-choose the workshops listed in the following sequence:

Session I: Latin American & Caribbean

Session II: Domestic U.S.

Session III: Latin America and the Caribbean

Issue Workshop Session I - Saturday, Apr 16, 2016, 1:45 - 3:15 pm

BORDER AND TRADE JUSTICE IN THE AMERICAS

Co-Sponsored by the Eco-Justice and Latin American/Caribbean Workshop Areas

This workshop will help connect the dots between U.S. imports of bio-fuels, GMOs, the drug war, hunger, and migration.

Speakers:

·        Luis Cabrales, ActionAid USA

·        Representatives from the Caravan for Peace, Life, and Justice: Stephen Bartlett,

Issue Workshop Session II - Saturday, Apr 16, 2016, 3:45 - 5:15 pm

THE #BLACKLIVESMATTER MOVEMENT AND THE CHURCH

The #BlackLivesMatter Movement was founded in the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin and burst to public consciousness after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. It is a broad based movement of mostly young people who feel disenfranchised by institutional systems, including the institutional church. However, many of the young people on the frontlines are people of faith. This workshop will explore the role of the faith community and how “church” is defined on the front lines of an activist movement. Presenters: Waltrina Middleton & Erica Totten

5:30 Denominational Gatherings, including Baptist, Dicsciples of Christ & United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran in America, Peace Churches, Presbyterian Churches, Roman Catholic Mass and United Methodist Church.

The Eucharist was arranged by Franciscan Advocacy Network (FAN), Patrick Carolan. Father George, a local DC priest from Ghana was to be presider. He was delayed and I spoke to Patrick, whom I know from Connecticut, offering to stand in as presider. But there was a “canonical priest who was ready to do the same. I suppose we could have co-presided. But Fr. George arrived, apologizing for his delay and explaining it was due to a taxi side-swiping the car in which he was being driven. Fr. George did a fine job of the homily using the theme “Don’t be surprised of the finish” and including stories that illustrated the message well.  

Sunday, April 17 - SUNDAY INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORSHIP

Rev. Amy Gopp Vice President of External Relations, IMA World Health

                      Read more about and view the video  of this speaker.

 SUNDAY INTERNATIONAL PLENARY: “PEOPLE POWER AROUND THE WORLD”

Esam Boraey Human Rights Activist
Frances Bagotlo Laminero Executive Director, InPeace, Philippines
Samantha Master #BlackLivesMatter Movement Activist
Conrado Olivera Director, Joining Hands Peru
Moderator: Rev. Traci D. Blackmon Acting Executive Minister, UCC Justice and Witness Ministries

Read more about and view the video  of these speakers.

BREAKOUT by STATES - LUNCH: SATURDAY April 16 - 12:15  – 1:30 PM

Continuation of strategizing for the visits to legislative offices of Rep. John Larson and Senators Blumenthal and Murphy on The Hill on Monday morning.

Issue Workshop Session III - Sunday, Apr 17, 2016, 2:00 pm

A PLAN FOR PEACE FOR ALL: NEED FOR AFRO-COLOMBIAN AND INDIGENOUS VOICES IN COLOMBIA’S PEACE PROCESS

Co-sponsored by the Latin America & the Caribbean and Peace and Global Security Workshop Areas

This year Colombia stands on the brink of reaching peace accords to end a fifty-year war that has left 220,000 dead. Yet for peace to truly be lasting and sustainable, Colombia’s leaders and the international community accompanying the process must recognize and listen to the voices of all victims of the conflict, particularly Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities that have suffered disproportionately from abuses, violence, and forced displacement. While Plan Colombia is touted as a huge success in the United States, for these communities it is synonymous with war, extrajudicial killings, and human and land rights violations. Speakers will discuss the particular concerns of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities and how the international faith and civil society community can support the way forward toward lasting peace.

Speakers:

·        Father Sterlin Londoño, Pastoral Afro-Colombiana, Diocesis de Yuto and CONPA

·        Yvonne Caicendo, Foro-Inter Etnico Solidaridad Choco (FISCH) and CONPA

·        Marino Cordoba, AFRODES and CONPA

Sponsors: CONPA, Washington Office on Latin America, Latin America Working Group Education Fund, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Advocacy Skills Workshop Session  - Sunday, Apr 17, 2016, 4:00 - 5:30 pm

STRATEGIC FAITH COALITION BUILDING – BEST PRACTICES, POWER MAPPING, OPTIMIZING COLLABORATION

This workshop will focus on efficiently building the coalition you need for issue advocacy in any context. Tapping into strategic networks, facilitating collaboration between like-minded groups, building power. This workshop will cite state case studies + strongly encourage opportunities for potential collaboration.

Speakers: Ria Riesner, Senior Organizer, Faith in Public Life

EAD 2016 Dinner Banquet - 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Film Screening: “Dream On” - 9:00 pm

DREAM ON investigates the perilous state of the American Dream after decades of rising income inequality and declining economic mobility. In an epic road trip, political comedian John Fugelsang retraces the journey of Alexis de Tocqueville, whose study of our young country in 1831 came to define America as a place where anyone, of any background, could climb the ladder of economic opportunity. Following in the Frenchman’s footsteps, Fugelsang asks whether the optimistic spirit of the American Dream that Tocqueville popularized is alive and well in the 21st Cenruty, or whether George Calrin was right when he famously quipped, “It’s called the American Dream because whether you have to be asleep to believe it.”

Details about the film and planning a free screening are at: http://www.pppdocs.com/dreamon.html

Monday, April 18 - Lobby Day

7:30 AM Bus to the Lutheran Church of the Restoration, in DC

 Delegation to the Office of Rep John Larson

Meeting with staff member Scott Stepahnou at the offices of both Rep Larson were Jack Wentland, left, Stanley Maticka, Sister Nancy Audette RSM, and Michele Mudrick. Scott was informed about the topics of TPP and Voting Right Act. Our work was made easy by our CT legislative delegation being pretty much on board, Rep. Larson being a co-signer of the House version of the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 (H.R. 2867) and Senators Blumenthal and Murphy being co-signers of the Senate version (S. 1659). But none of the staff held out much hope for either Act coming up for a floor vote soon.

Delegation Meeting with the Legislative Aides of Senators Blumthal and Murphy in the Office of Sen. Blumenthal

EAD Attendees: Mary Hunt, Michele Mudrick, Stanley Maticka, Jordan Rebholz, Sister Nancy Audette RSM, Art Hunt, John “Jack“ Wentland,

Notetaker :  Art Hunt (mmarhunt@gmail.com)

What were your impressions of your lobby visit?  What does your Member or his/her staffer already know about the issue(s) presented?  Were there particular points or concerns raised by the Member or staffer(s)  Did the Member or staffer(s) make any commitment.

Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 (S. 1659 / H.R. 2867)

Both CT Senators are co-sponsors of the Voting Rights Advancement Act.  None of the staff members believed there would be any action on the bill prior to the election and probably no action during the current congress.  The chairs of the Judiciary Committees in both the Senate and the House are not willing to vote the bills out of Committee.

We gave personal examples of the importance of voting and the difficulty of complying with exact address requirements.  We emphasized that this will be the first presidential election in 50 years without a functioning voting rights act.

Trans-Pacific Partnership Act

Both CT Senators have expressed opposition to the Treaty;  however, Sen. Blumenthal’s Legislative Correspondent, Donald Bell, and Se. Murphy’s Staff Assistant, Daniel Lee did not indicate a firm commitment of the Senators to vote against it if it came to the floor. Staff members indicated that the Senators were still studying the language. Both staffs expressed concern over the extra judicial tribunals. The staff members did not think there would be any action on the Treaty during this congress.  There are only 90 days before the summer recess and fall campaign season.  During this period, emphasis will probably be on appropriations.  

We specifically mentioned the effect on prescription drugs and the environment with examples from South America.

Senator Murphy’s staff assistant, Daniel Lee, indicated that it was useful for constituents to email their concerns or “talking points” to them.

Our reception was warm and our conversation was friendly.  They expressed their appreciation for our visit.  The staff members were well informed on both issues.

Further Comments:

The meeting lasted a full half hour.  At the end of the meeting, we gave them the EAD 2016 “Ask“ document plus documents collected by Art Hunt in the session on “Finding A Lasting Peace in Syria” as well as mentioning debt relief for Puerto Rico which prioritized the needs of the Puerto Rican people over hedge funds.

Departure by Train to Hartford from Union Station on Monday April 18, at 3:05 PM,

Passing through New Jersey with a view of the sunset reflecting off the One World Trade Center Tower, Manhattan, arriving in Hartford at 10:00 PM.

The Epidemics Afoot and A Method to Seek a Cure for One Being Almost Ignored

There are more than just a couple of epidemics abreast. Epidemic is the word being used about both the rise of the Zika virus  [Hartford Courant: Connecticut Has 'Clear And Present Stake' In Zika Epidemic, Authorities Say, Jan 26] and the rise in the number of heroin deaths [Hartford Courant: Heroin-Related Overdose Deaths Soar In Connecticut, Feb, 14].  

The threat of Zika has Sen. Blumenthal and state leaders calling on Congress to approve more funding for the treatment and prevention of the rapidly spreading virus. Heroin overdose deaths deserved a statewide forum in which Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Connecticut’s Senators took part with Michael Botticelli, the nation's drug control policy director "in another effort to discuss and raise awareness about the opiate epidemic."

Not to diminish the importance of responding to these threats to health and life or the pain and sorrow of those who suffer from the effects of them, some say that arousing the public and holding summits may be good as sounding boards, but that these do not address the threats to health and life that epidemics present.

The same can be said of what amounts to another threat that many are now calling an epidemic: violence among young people in our cities. If the number of violent deaths in our cities was viewed as a contagious disease, the whole country would be alarmed and demand action. If one considers numbers alone, 2014 saw 12,585 violent deaths in the US, and in 2015 there were 13,309.

http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls

By comparison, there were about 11,000 deaths due to overdose of heroin in 2014. https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/cdc-us-overdose-deaths-2014_jr-5.jpg

Rather than death, the Zika virus epidemic presents a major danger from other effects than death, mainly infant brain underdevelopment (microcephaly) and is spread by a type of mosquito (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus).

Addressing violence with new stricter gun laws may be seen as part of an answer. Yet, in Connecticut in 2011, 73% of the 128 homicides involved guns. And of the 31 homicides in Hartford in 2015, 16% resulted from assaults with a knife. The percentages of violence in other forms cannot be addressed by stricter laws. Those of us who have taken part in the vigils held by Mothers United Against Violence in Hartford hear the wailing and crying of those who have the lives of their family members taken as a result of violence.

Raising the issue of violence as reaching levels of an out-of-control contagious disease, the TED Talk by Dr. Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist, has been viewed online by over 688,000 people. His thesis is that since we've reversed the impact of so many diseases, we can do the same with violence. His 15-minute TED Talk is at:

https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_slutkin_let_s_treat_violence_like_a_contagious_disease?language=en

In cities across the country, there is an epidemic so spread out over space and time that it’s all but ignored. But these violent deaths are taking place in areas of our cities unseen or avoided by the majority of its citizens and, unfortunately, are considered the norm, So violent deaths continue as an “epidemic by accumulation” in our cities, state and country.

New methods of law enforcement, gun laws, town hall meetings and forums don’t seem to have had an effect. While these actions may show interest in finding solutions, they amount to hand wringing that doesn’t answer the need to address the systemic racism inherent in city policy-making. Addressing poverty and the lack of training for jobs that leads to employment for youth as an alternative to being drawn into street marketing of controlled substances demands something more.

The actions recommended by Dr. Slutkin were implemented in the Garfield Park Community of Chicago resulting in a 69% drop in the number of homicides. Dr. Slutkin offers an epidemiologist’s approach with a series of practical steps to mobilize against the epidemic of violence similar to those set up to address contagious disease. And he has now established “Cure Violence” as an organization offering this epidemiological response to violence. http://cureviolence.org/the-model/

Isn’t it time to take a multi-disciplinary approach to the epidemic of violence?

Is “Uncanonizing” Where We Need To Go From Here?

Fascinating coverage, this reporting of the meeting and joint statement by Francis and Kirill I. Makes one wonder where we go from here?

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/152daa359adcd689?projector=1

But if history and church are subjects that put you to sleep, you’ll probably want to quit this blog now. I know I was totally bored, as I remember, listening to the lectures of this period of Church history in the Aula of Mt. St. Mary of the West, Cincinnati, though I received an uncharacteristic "B" for the course. Now since I’ve lived to this age of 78, this kind of stuff gets me going. So here I write.

HISTORICAL QUESTION. . .

Is there's any thought of "uncanonizing" the  German reformer, Leo IX, who was nominated pope by the German Emperor, Henry III? After all Leo started this division between the West and East Church of the time by his excommunication of Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, in 1054.

Other students of history will remember that, earlier, Leo, after his election in 1049, had campaigned throughout Europe—an extraordinary papal step at that time—to promote his agenda, especially enforcing clerical celibacy, railing against simony and promoting papal supremacy. And the quarrel between the two of them escalated to the point of Leo leading a poorly equipped army against the Normans in Southern Italy, an area claimed by Byzantium. His defeat made him a prisoner of war in 1053. Cerularius was not recognized as a saint, his motto having been "I Will Not Serve." He closed Latin churches in Constantinople, fulminating against Latin Church liturgical practices like the use of unleavened bread at mass. The attempt by Leo to free southern Italy exacerbated the situation. The clash of these two strong-willed leaders led to Rome's excommunication of Cerularius and, in turn, Leo's being declared anathema by the East.

COMMENTARY

Celibacy, simony and supremacy along with liturgical practices are certainly an interesting juxtaposition of issues over which to create an historic division in Christendom. Meeting of Francis and Kirill in an island country once considered a threat to the democracy in the Western Hemisphere, their signing a 

30-paragraph joint policy statement witnessed by married Eastern Rite clergy (and perhaps even married bishops) as the two carry out pastoral visits in that hemisphere is an ominous event that bodes well for the journey back to unity.  

COMPARING NAMESAKES

Francis: According to most hagiographers, Francis of Assisi, whose name Cardinal Bergolio took upon being named pope, had a vision that spoke to him the words “. . . rebuild my house.” The poverello saw this as a call to bring the Gospel message to wherever it was needed. He travelled across the Mediterranean during the “Albigensian Crusade,” or Cathar Wars, that raged from 1209 to 1229. Francis landed at Damietta in Egypt in 1219, arriving in the crusader camp. Francis wanted no part in the war of Innocent III, but tried to convince the crusaders to peace. Met with ridicule, he went over to preach to the sultan, Al-Kamil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Crusade

http://webzine.thesocialedge.com/columns/the-lessons-of-the-albigensian-crusade/

According to many, the caliph was impressed with this ill-clad European preacher as he had to other mystics of the time. An NCR article by Sister Rose Pacatte says:

No one actually knows what was said since Francis did not speak Arabic and the sultan didn't speak whatever French-Italian dialect Francis used. It was their way of being together, the attitude of mutual respect and understanding, as well as their belief in one God, prayer, kindness to the poor, and peace that certainly appealed to both men.

When Francis returned home, he even amended the rule he had written for his brothers, saying that those who feel called to go to Muslims should be allowed to do so. In 1272, a sultan allowed the Franciscans to settle in the Cenacle in Jerusalem. In 1342, Pope Clement VI named the Franciscans the custodians of the Holy Land "in the name of the Catholic church."

Source: http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/recent-release-francis-and-sultan-documentary-perfect-timing

Kirill: The namesake he took upon being raised to Patriarch is Cyril, one of the two brothers of great ninth century missionary work. The work of Cyril and Methodius influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited with devising the Glagolithic, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic. The script became known as Cyrillic. After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the Orthodox Church as saints with the title of "equal-to-apostles". In 1880, Pope Leo XIII introduced their feast into the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared them co-patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saints_Cyril_and_Methodius

CONTRASTING FRANCIS AND KIRILL I

One is recognized as a humble leader who cares for the poor and has kissed the feet of peasants.

The other has been plagued by scandal and become an object of ridicule because of his luxurious lifestyle, which includes an apparent penchant for pricey ski vacations in Switzerland.

Source: http://mashable.com/2016/02/05/pope-francis-to-meet-patriarch-kirill-in-cuba/#Povk.7w7akqV

Interesting juxtaposition of personalities and events, indeed. Where do we go from here?

A Revised “Injun Summer": A Call to Create A “Summer” of Reflection, Reconciliation and Reparation

The blog post below is a contemporary reworking of the classic celebration of autumn composed by John T. McCutcheon, first published in The Chicago Tribune on September 30, 1907.

Those raised in the Midwest may remember seeing the original publication each year on the front page of that newspaper until October 25, 1992. Perhaps, like it did for me, this piece inspired a sense of nostalgia in those innocent days before we grew out of the period of revisionist history that glorified the "Winning of the West" and of the childhood times of playing "Cowboys and Indians." The beginning of the usage of the phrase dates back to our beautiful New England, but from Wikipedia to the Old Farmers' Almanac, there is no definitive word about its origin.

I choose not to publish the original text, now considered offensive. I offer, instead, this reworking I composed at the dawn of the new millennium. I chose to begin the composition in the same plain-spoken homespun language as the original in an homage to the author who can be forgiven his use, in his day, of references which today might be considered at best unenlightened in writing about indigenous peoples.

The original text may be found at Injun Summer

Background on the original composition is at Chicago Tribune's McCutcheon

 

Yep, sonny, this is certainly the time that’s been called “Injun Summer” for more than a couple centuries. That’s the phrase people have been used to describe this time of year when warm weather returns after the first frost of Autumn. It was said that the spirits of the “homesick Injuns come back to play” and the burning leaves were the “campfires and the Injuns a hoppin’ ‘round  ‘em” in the haze of the autumn nights. The red leaves of fall were seen as “jest another sign o’ redskins,” the red of the leaves being “war paint rubbed off an Injun ghost.” 

But, y’ know, today it’s clear that term “Indian Summer” is a name full of contradiction. We appreciate the yearly return of the season we’ve named for peoples we have badly abused. It wasn’t that the Native American Peoples just “all went away and died, so there ain’t no more left.” You see, sonny, in the name of progress, the White Man drove the Native American peoples from their own lands, the lands of their ancestors. The greed and ambition of these rich land grabbers employed the legislators of Congress to make laws about where the tribes of the Native American peoples were allowed to live and sent its armies to back up the unjust laws against these people. In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act empowering Andrew Jackson to send General Winfield Scott, in an infamous enforcement of the law, to drive the five nations living east of the Mississippi from their rich rolling Appalachian lands to the dry flat Oklahoma reservations. The Cherokee, in particular, suffered greatly after successfully taking the law all the way to the Supreme Court. Though the court ruled in their favor, they were nevertheless forced at gun point from their lands. Placed under forced migration, thousands died along the route these people followed, which became known as the “Trail of Tears." These are remembered by those who count this devastation—along with Wounded Knee and the bloody retaliatory aftermath of Little Big Horn [the Battle of Greasy Grass Creek]—as significant chapters in the history of bias and prejudice against them as peoples who inhabited this land before the Age of Discovery.

 The spirits of those dead do not rest easily. Indeed, their bones are not even left in peace as museums battle to hold on to what they call historical artifacts, while the indigenous peoples of this land must use the White Man’s legal system to sue for the return of the sacred remains of their ancestors. We need to rethink this Indian Summer, then. It should be a time for us to reflect on the spirits of those who are our models of environmental stewardship. The peoples who lived on these lands before Europeans arrived cared for the land because the Great Spirit had put them on it to care for it. In our time we need to look over our harvest fields and reflect on the spirits of those indigenous peoples whose environmental principles of respect for the land and waters of this great nation are only now being discovered and adopted as sane stewardship of the land. And while some tribes have discovered successful enterprise in the gaming industry, the white man’s attitude seems to be “How can we curb their success?” All the while peoples of all ethnic backgrounds flock to these palaces of chance to indulge what seems to be their addiction. Ironically, it was the white man’s addictive “fire water’ that was often used by unprincipled white traders and others to beguile their Indian customers into exploitative prices for trade goods.

It’s up to those who enter into this corrected Indian Summer reflection to begin creating an attitude that will allow the spirits of the ancestors of these proud and punished peoples to truly rest. Maybe it’s only with this kind of reflection that we’ll take the action to create a change in attitude that will replace reservation casinos with land reparations, paternalism with respect, and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs with a national council of indigenous promotion of self-determination. Then the imagined “homesick injuns” dancing around smoldering campfires will no longer need to long for their homeland. Then, their spirits, no longer restless, will not need to return from the happy hunting ground. Then, in that day, we pray, they will rest forever in the knowledge that justice and peace have been established for the indigenous tribes of this land.

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If you'd like to take an advocacy action on service to one tribe of indigenous people, join me in watching a 2-minute video of her work, and then go to http://heroes.cnn.com/ and vote for the Rochelle Ripley, one of ten "CNN Heroes of 2015." She is a descendant of the Lakota people and lives in my town of Glastonbury, Connecticut. Her dedicated service to the Lakota people benefits them with the results of her drives for goods, like toys, school supplies, library books, clothing, appliances and whole lot more. Voting for her makes her eligible to receive $10,000 for her work if she receives the most votes. You can vote once a day up to November 15th, for her or for any others of the 10 Heroes.

© 2000 - John P. Wentland

Don't Be Afraid of New Thngs

The pope-ification of the daily news reports has ended, and Pope Francis’ departure will bring the usual event amnesia that infects the national scene at the end of any news cycle.

But Pope Francis offered parting words, as reported by Joshua J. McElwee, that call us to remember: “Don’t be afraid of new things!”:

Jesus encountered hostility from people who did not accept what he said and did. . . For them, his openness to the honest and sincere faith of many men and women who were not part of God’s chosen people seemed intolerable. . . The disciples, for their part, acted in good faith, but the temptation to be scandalized by the freedom of God, who sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike, bypassing bureaucracy, officialdom and inner circles, threatens the authenticity of faith. Hence it must be vigorously rejected. For Jesus, the truly 'intolerable' scandal consists in everything that breaks down and destroys our trust in the working of the Spirit! God will not be outdone in generosity and he continues to scatter seeds. He scatters the seeds of his presence in our world, for 'love consists in this, not that we have loved God but that he loved us' first. That love gives us a profound certainty: We are sought by God; he waits for us.

It is this confidence that makes disciples encourage, support and nurture the good things happening all around them. To raise doubts about the working of the Spirit, to give the impression that it cannot take place in those who are not 'part of our group,' who are not 'like us,' is a dangerous temptation. Not only does it block conversion to the faith; it is a perversion of faith!

That admonition needs to be taken to heart everyone, including, as his demeanor during this visit would seem to indicate, himself.

Yet he ignores the 59% of Catholics a Pew Opinion Research Survey indicates favoring the ordination of women.

http://www.pewforum.org/2015/09/02/chapter-4-expectations-of-the-church/

And in Philadelphia the week before Francis’ visit, hundreds gathered for the Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) Conference in Philadelphia in a "call to action for Catholics and to get Francis' attention". "We want more Catholics to see women's rights as a justice issue," the leader of the WOW conference, Miriam Duignan said.

The conference was scheduled just before the World Meeting of Families, where Pope Francis is speaking, The Pope has said the topic of ordination of women is a closed book.

I readily acknowledge that many women share pastoral responsibilities with priests, helping to guide people, families and groups and offering new contributions to theological reflection," the Pope wrote in in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium. 

Despite this, he maintains that "The reservation of the priesthood to males, as a sign of Christ the spouse who gives himself in the Eucharist, is not a question open to discussion." 

Women are told they cannot be priests because they do not physically resemble Christ and therefore cannot stand on the altar to represent Him to the Church.

WOW says that the denial of female priesthood on physical grounds is damaging. 

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/pope.francis.says.its.a.closed.book.but.some.catholic.women.are.getting.ordained.anyway/65057.htm

Earlier last week as he visited in New York, actions by some representing 59% of Catholic, calling for the ordination of women got them arrested. Hostility from people within the power structure, not only of the Church but also civil authority, shows they do not accept or respect the opinion of this majority. As reported on September 25^th  in truth-out.org:

Seven activists have been arrested in a civil disobedience in Washington, DC, to call for Pope Francis to recognize the rights of women to be ordained. Among those arrested were four women priests who staged a die-in near St. Matthew's Church. We speak to Janice Sevre-Duszynska, an ordained priest with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.    

More at:  http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/32952-female-priests-stage-die-in-urging-pope-francis-to-open-priesthood-to-women

Anyone who denies that the Spirit is speaking through these actions runs the risk of falling into the “dangerous temptation” Francis mentions as giving “the impression that it cannot take place in those who are not 'part of our group,' who are not 'like us.'” And that not only “blocks conversion to the faith; it is a perversion of faith!”

Finally, a kind of coming back to the beginning, I extend an invitation to view a short video in which Kate McElwee, the wife of the journalist who wrote the article cited at the beginning of this blog post, appears. See it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjFw3dovvqk

Galatians 3, 28. . . Afraid of new things, indeed!

Considering Violent Crime An Epidemic

Today in Hartford, where there have been 25 homicides this year, John Dankosky on his daily WNPR program Where We Live, offered food for thought discussing violence as resulting from a contagion:

Violent crime in America has been dropping for years, reaching a point in 2012 that was roughly half of what it was in 1993. But that may be changing. The New York Times reported last week that violent crime was rising sharply in cities like Milwaukee and St. Louis. In Hartford, homicides jumped to 25 so far this year, up from 19 in 2014.

Read more at: http://wnpr.org/post/violence-contagious

Whenever cities experience violent crime increasing above the number of the previous year’s homicides, city administration, other authorities and the public there is often a tendency to see greater police presence as a solution. The commentary on Where we Live on which professional academics offer another element to consider in seeking solutions demands our attention. One of the comments went something like this:

When we see an outbreak of a contagious disease—think Ebola—all kinds of measures are put in place to contain it. Community hospitals in major cities are inundated with victims of shootings and other violence threatening the life of citizens, and yet there is no healthcare measures implemented.

On the TED Radio Hour, Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist, an innovator in violence reduction and the founder/executive director of Cure Violence, addresses the question about increases in violence in cities:

“What if it could be treated like a communicable disease?” at:

http://www.npr.org/2015/02/06/379185265/why-should-we-treat-violence-like-a-contagious-disease

This is not the place to attempt a total summary of the commentary on these presentations. But in the light of national discussion on gun control and growing concern in our major cities, this important topic seems to call us to pay attention when seeking community responses.

Citizenry who call for greater police presence as a measure to prevent gun violence are looking for a way to assure safety for themselves and their children. Those who live in communities where gun violence is almost non-existent cannot imagine what it is to live in neighborhoods that can only be compared to a war zone. Community activists in our area have commented on the effect on children who walk through their neighborhood to school past crime scene tape, and even see residue of blood on the sidewalk, terming that effect as “Yellow Tape Syndrome.”

And it’s only natural for people in a war zone to seek militaristic solutions like law enforcement. Even in communities where law enforcement places a strong emphasis on community policing, city administrations, especially in an election year, want to be seen as addressing violence in their city. People see more police presence, no matter how that impacts the municipal budget, as a measure that will immediately reduce the number of homicides and thus make them feel safe and more confident about where they allow their children to play.

The recognition of the nature of violence as a kind of epidemic presents people with an added element to consider. If the commentary about violence as an epidemic is considered, the question arises: What is the part that we all play in bringing this element to the gun control debate? While consideration of this question can only lead to a long-term process toward a solution, it’s one that demands attention.

Videos of the Arrest of Freddie Gray, Mother and Son, State’s Attorney and Police Union: A Lesson in Looking Deeper

We have watched the videos of the arrest of Freddie Gray, the videographer of one, Kevin Moore, later arrested. We have seen the video of the mother beating on her son to get him away from the protest. We have heard Baltimore State’s Attorney Mosby’s announcement of the indictment of six police officers. And more recently we hear the denials by Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police of any wrong doing.

Thanks to David Horsey and the LA Times for the insightful political cartoon

There are human values at work in these videoed incidents viewed nationally and around the world. And perhaps we considered the first response that came into our heads as we watched. 

In the wake of the announcement of the indictment of 6 Baltimore police officers in the Freddie Gray case, the video of the mother forcing her son to leave the demonstration has great positive value, once we hear the interview of mother and son.

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/04/28/mom-caught-on-video-hitting-son-taking-part-in-baltimore-riots/

Toya Graham, having recently lost her job, says she always tries to show her 16-year-old son, Michael Singlton, what is right. She was seen on footage that went viral forcing him to leave the area of the protests, which later turned violent. Her actions brought debating commentary on the YouTube posting of the footage.

Whatever the opinion, the viewer hears in the interview that human values were at play here, not just a knee-jerk reaction to participation in the aftermath of the violence following the death of Freddie Gray.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/30/mother-son-baltimore-protests-confrontation-tv-viral/26628207/

We watch with relief as we witness the human values at play in the announcement of indictment following the work of the office of Baltimore’s States Attorney. The announcement yesterday by Baltimore City’s States Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby's that Gray had been illegally arrested and suffered a spinal injury while unrestrained in a police transport wagon led to joyous outbursts in many parts of a city that has been under heavy police and National Guard watch and a 10 p.m. curfew following Monday's rioting.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/05/01/city-states-attorney-says-freddie-grays-arrest-illegal-has-enough-evidence-for-charges/

The police union made public a letter to States Attorney Mosby from Baltimore FOP’s president, Gene Ryan, requesting she appoint an independent prosecutor.

https://twitter.com/fop3/status/594147983731490820

Following the announcement of the indictments, Ryan has decried the State’s Attorney actions are “an egregious rush to judgment.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-riots/bs-md-fop-letter-20150501-story.html

And now the report that the arresting officer, Lt. Brian Rice, has had mental health issues adds a new element to the events surrounding Gray’s death. A Business Insider article reports that “Rice, who initially pursued Gray on a Baltimore street when Gray fled after Rice made eye contact April 12th, declared three years ago that he ‘could not continue to go on like this’ and threatened to commit an act that was censored in the public version of a report obtained by the AP from the Carroll County, Maryland, Sheriff's Office.”

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/indicted-baltimore-police-officers-has-mental-health-issues-2015-5#ixzz3YzSstnnt

There are differing reactions to the videos linked above. We view the video of the arrest of Freddie Gray in horror at the treatment shown, and have deep pain in imagining what happened in that police van as we here the detailed description of the indictment read by States Attorney Mosby.  We see mother and son, Toya and Michael, with varied emotional response—from “You go, Girl!” and “That boy needs to listen to his Mama” to “That kind of video gives  ammunition to those who say we don’t know how to act in public” and “He has a right to protest.”

In these human exchanges—Toya/Michael and Mosby/Police Union—there are differing points of view working against one another that, once  .

What we are witnessing is not a Baltimore thing. It’s an “us” thing. What we are judging as a Black-and-White thing is a human thing.

In these incidents we are struck with our own first reaction to what we see. Rush to judgment? Or perhaps what we have here is a view of the facts with a need to look deeper into the national plague of racial prejudice.