(June 28, 2018) The U.S. Region of the Missionary Society of St. Columban is disappointed in the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold President Trump’s Travel Ban. The Administration’s most recent ban bars visitors and immigrants from five Muslim majority nations – Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen – as well as Venezuela and North Korea.
Family unity is sacred. Every person has the right to seek safety. These are some of the most basic tenets of Catholic Social Teaching. Separating families at the border and restricting access to asylum stands in direct contradiction to these core values.
We Must Stop the Potential for Further Violence in Syria: War Is Not the Answer
On Tuesday, April 10, President Trump and his advisers weighed a more robust retaliatory strike against Syria than last year’s missile attack, reasoning that only an escalation of armed force would look credible and possibly serve as a deterrent against further alleged use of chemical weapons on Syrian civilians (NYT).
Under the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution, Congress, not the President, decides when the U.S. will use military force.
As Catholics and people of faith, we unite around principles of compassion, stewardship, and justice. In his address to Congress, Pope Francis reminded lawmakers of their fundamental responsibility: “Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.”
December 18, 2017
Never before in human history have so many people been uprooted and displaced from their homes and forced to seek shelter. On International Migrants Day, the United Nations reminds the nations of the world of their responsibility to protect the safety, dignity, and fundamental freedoms of all migrants and refugees.
On behalf of Columbans worldwide who see intimately the devastating impacts of climate change on both the human and non-human world, we offer our prayers especially for the people of Fiji and other small island nations as well the world leaders who have gathered in Bonn, that meaningful action will be taken to keep a commitment to the 1.5 degree threshold agreed to in Paris.
The Columban Center is appalled by the content of the administration’s recently released immigration proposals. These proposals fly in the face of Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger, to build a community of love, and to uphold family dignity and unity.
Faith communities vigorously oppose the administration's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan. Our faith traditions see the care of creation and protection of the vulnerable as two of humanity's fundamental responsibilities. Below are the responses of many different faith groups to this decision.
As the persecution of the Muslim minority in Rakhine State in Myanmar/Burma reaches a feverish pitch and forces thousands to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, Columban Superior General, Fr Kevin O’Neill, sends a message of solidarity saying: “We reject persecution of any community regardless of religion, race, or ethnic identity. We urge an end to the violence and violation of human rights of the Rohingya people and hope for their peaceful return to their homes in the Rakhine State of Myanmar/Burma.”
The U.S. Region of the Missionary Society of St. Columban joins Catholic leaders in urging dialogue with North Korea and Iran. Pope Francis has called for dialogue with North Korea and a rejection of “the narrative of fear…and the rhetoric of hatred.” At the UN, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, said, ”The international community must respond by seeking to revive negotiations ... Peace and international stability cannot be founded on mutually assured destruction or on the threat of annihilation.”
