Human Rights - Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

Human Rights The Way to Peace Lighting of the Peace Tree…December 10, 2013

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Artists at Work

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St. Mary Springs Academy Students Display Their Ornaments Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Introductory Prayer O God, you have created us in your image, and through the Incarnation of your Son, Jesus, you have bestowed on all humans an essential dignity. You speak to us about the precious humanity and potential of every person, and the duty to affirm and promote Human Rights for all members of the global family. Help us to listen to those who call for human dignity in our world, and to hear clearly the Good News that economic and social rights, as well as political and legal rights, are meant for every child of God, everywhere on earth. Amen. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

12/10/2013

“The right to water, the right to food, the right to health and the right to education are intrinsically linked to the right to life and to the right to development. Therefore, we must be bold in affirming them, and equally resolved to safeguard the evident reality that these rights are at the service of the human person…” His Eminence Odilo Cardinal Scherer, Special Envoy of Pope Benedict XVI to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio de Janeiro, 22 June 2012

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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“If we love others with charity, then first of all we are just towards them. Not only is justice not extraneous to charity, not only is it not an alternative or parallel path to charity: justice is inseparable from charity, and intrinsic to it. Justice is the primary way of charity.” Pope Benedict XVI: Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

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“The rights of every (wo)man are diminished when the rights of one (wo)man are threatened” John F. Kennedy

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 1: The right to equality

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Article 2: Freedom from discrimination

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Article 3: The right to life, liberty, and personal security Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 4: Freedom from slavery Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Abu G

Article 5: Freedom from torture or degrading treatment

At Abu Ghraib Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 6: The right to recognition as a person before the law

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Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center Biloxi MS 12/10/2013

Article 7: The right to equality before the law Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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In an opinion released on July 3, 2013, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that the detention of an Afghan detainee in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was arbitrary and in violation of several international human rights standards. The Working Group requested the U.S. government to take the necessary measures to remedy the situation, including the release of Mr. Obaidullah from detention and the provision of the right to compensation.

Article 9: Freedom from arbitrary arrest or exile

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Arizonans vow to take law into their own hands

Article 10: The right to a fair public hearing Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 11: The right to be considered innocent until proven guilty

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Article 12: Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence

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Article 13. The right to free movement in and out of any country

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Edward Snowden meets with human rights activists and lawyers on July 12 in a transit zone of the Russian airport. He announced that he was seeking refuge in Russia while awaiting safe passage to Latin America, where he has been offered asylum.

Article 14. The right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 15: The right to a nationality and freedom to change it

In Lebanon, women do not have the same legal entitlements to citizenship as men. If a Lebanese woman marries a foreign national she is not entitled to pass her nationality to her spouse and children. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 16: The right to marry and to found a family Christina Asima says she had no choice but to marry at age 12 to help care for younger siblings after her mother abandoned the family. But her husband was abusive, so she left him, and now must look after her 8-month-old son, Praise, alone.

11.25.2013: NPR reported a story about forced marriage of young girls in Malawi. The Girls Empowerment Network helps girls reimagine their futures. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 17: The right to own property

August 9, 2013: Colombian farmers from Montes de Maria receive formal titles to their land. Colombia’s Registry of Victims lists more than five million persons forcibly displaced from their lands during its nearly half-century civil conflict. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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A woman takes a picture of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro after midday prayers in August in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Opponents of the mosque waged a two-year court battle trying to keep it from opening.

Article 18: Freedom of belief and religion Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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BALANCING THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION, AND HOMELAND SECURITY

Our government classifies documents (e.g. restricted, confidential, secret and top secret), with differing clearance requirements. Article 19: Freedom of opinion and information

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Wisconsin Capital Police arrest people gathered in the WI Capitol rotunda for the daily noontime singalong (7.24.2013). Police arrested more than a dozen people in their first crackdown after a federal judge ruled large groups need a permit to gather in the building. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Madison, WI: Solidarity Singer Arrested

Article 20: The right of peaceful assembly and association Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Honduras. On November 28, 2013, Rights Watch reported numerous electoral irregularities including the buying and selling of votes, violence and intimidation of voters.

Honduras’ Presidential Election 11.24.2013

Article 21: The right to participate in government and free elections Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Top countries for where-to-be-born index, 2013 1 Switzerland 2 Australia 3 Norway 4 Sweden 5 Denmark 6 Ireland 7 Singapore

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Netherlands Canada Hong Kong Finland New Zealand Austria Taiwan Belgium

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist, attempts to measure which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead.

Article 22: The right to social security Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Steady Decline of Union Membership in USA Article 23: The right to desirable work and to join trade unions Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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77% of working moms say they are responsible for more than half of the housework. Meghan Casserly, Forbes Staff, June 2011

Article 24: The right to rest and leisure

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FAO Hunger Map 2010 Prevalence of Undernourishment in Developing Countries

Article 25: The right to an adequate standard of living Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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“I said to myself, Malala, you must be brave. You must not be afraid of anyone. You are only trying to get an education. You are not committing a crime.” Pakistani Malala Yousafzai addresses the UN on her 16th birthday.

Article 26: The right to education Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Aboriginal Day in Canada: Two young First Nations men dance in full regalia on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 11, the National Day of Reconciliation. The occasion marked the oneyear anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's historic apology for abuses in the residential school program (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

Article 27: The right to participate in the cultural life of the community Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Article 28: The right to social order assuring human rights Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sits in jail cell in Birmingham, AL in October, 1967.

Article 29: The right to be subject only to such legal limitations that secure the rights of others Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Noam Chomsky Article 30: Freedom from state or personal interference in the above rights. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Artists in Action

St. Mary Springs Academy Students Show Artistic Creations Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Tree Ornaments Decorated by St. Mary Springs Academy Students Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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We hear your voice, O God, as your Church affirms the right to food: “One Human Family, Food for All” “Consumerism and a “culture of waste” have led some of us to tolerate the waste of precious resources, including food, while others are literally wasting away from hunger.” Pope Francis: World Environment Day Message, June, 2013

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Thus we pray: • That we unite in prayer and action with Pope Francis and Caritas International to provide food for all in the human family • For the 925 million people in the world who are malnourished • For the 46.7 million people in the U.S. who must rely on food stamps • For the millions of people who lack access to nutritious food • For the agribusiness corporations that they may recognize the right of all humans to nutritious food

All: Hear our prayer, Lord of Mercy, compassion and justice. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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We hear your voice, O God, as your Church affirms the right to health care: “Affordable and accessible health care is an essential safeguard of human life, a fundamental human right for all people.” U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Faithful Citizenship, 2003

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Thus we pray:

• For the 60 million people in the US who lack access to adequate health care and the 48 million who are uninsured • For parents throughout the world who sacrifice their health treatment in order to provide care for their children • For those dying of treatable diseases while politicians and pharmaceuticals debate about patents and profits for drugs

• For deeply indebted countries that must cut social spending on health care in order to repay loans

All: Hear our prayer, Lord of Mercy, compassion and justice. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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We hear your voice, O God, as your Church affirms the right to decent housing: “By virtue of their human dignity, all persons must be guaranteed housing which not only offers physical shelter, but a suitable place for satisfying social, cultural, and spiritual needs.” Pope John Paul II, St. Peter’s Address, June 16, 1996

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Thus we pray:

• For the 400,000 Haitians who remain homeless after the 2010 earthquake • For the 830 million people world wide who live in urban slums without proper sanitation and clean water • For the 45.2 million displaced people throughout the world forced to flee because of conflict or persecution

• For the thousands left homeless by natural disasters around the world • For the 1.1 million homeless in the United States

All: Hear our prayer, Lord of Mercy, compassion and justice. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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We hear your voice, O God, as your Church affirms the right of workers to decent jobs with adequate pay: “Work is a fundamental right and a useful good, belonging to all people, and must be made available to all who are capable of engaging in it…A society in which the right to work is thwarted or denied, … , cannot be justified from an ethical view, nor can that society attain social peace. The State has the duty to promote active employment policies.” The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Teaching of the Church, 2004: #287-291.

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Thus we pray: • For workers of companies that make very high profits but do not respect the dignity and rights of their employees • For workers who lose their jobs because corporations seek cheaper labor in developing countries • For workers in developing countries who labor long hours in unsafe conditions for low pay, no benefits, and no job security • For workers who are denied their right to form trade associations and to bargain collectively

All: Hear our prayer, Lord of Mercy, compassion and justice. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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We hear your voice, O God, as your Church affirms the dignity of every person and that all be treated justly: “The duty to respect the dignity of each human being, in whose nature the image of the Creator is reflected, means in consequence that the person cannot be disposed of at will. Those with greater political, technical, or economic power may not use that power to violate the rights of others who are less fortunate. Peace is based on respect for the rights of all.” Pope Benedict XVI: Message for the World Day of Peace, 1.1.2007

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes 12/10/2013

Thus we pray: • For gender equity throughout the world, that the rights of women and girls be fully respected • For the millions of lives lost through abortion • For the 2.3 million prisoners in the U.S., the majority of whom are African American and Hispanic • For the abolition of Capital Punishment in the U.S. and globally • For the victims of modern slavery and prosecution of those who commit these crimes

• For those still held in the U.S.’s war prison at Guantanamo Bay

All: Hear our prayer, Lord of Mercy, compassion and justice. Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Closing Prayer on Human Rights Day Leader: God of justice and mercy, help us to remember that you have created each and every person with dignity and worth. All:

In all that we do, help us to build peace by treating one another with the respect and honor due to each person.

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Closing Prayer on Human Rights Day Leader: This day we remember and give thanks for the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All:

We honor the courage of those who came before us, who sought to declare that regardless of any differences among peoples that we all share basic human rights.

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Closing Prayer on Human Rights Day Leader: We pray for fortitude in the face of fear that we might create a path to peace by doing what is right and just whenever we see a human right being violated. All:

In all that we do, help us to treat one another with the respect and honor due to each person.

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Closing Prayer on Human Rights Day

All:

We pray for strength and steadfastness in the work of establishing peace in the world. In all things may we honor you, O God, and honor the dignity of each person made in your image. We as this in the name of Your Son, the Prince of Peace. Amen.

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

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Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

12/10/2013