At 11:30am today, in the John Paul II Hall at the offices of the Holy See Press Centre, there was a press conference held to present the details of the Meeting entitled A day of reflection - United to God we hear a cry, promoted and organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and including representatives from various communities involved in mining from countries in Africa, Asia and America. This meeting is taking place in Rome, at the Salesianum, from July 17 to 19, 2015.
Dearest ladies and gentlemen,
I thank Father Lombardi and the staff of the Vatican Press Centre for another occasion to present some of the work of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
During these two days, at the invitation of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, there are about thirty representatives of communities involved in mining activity gathered at the Congress Centre at the Salesianum. They come from Africa, Asia and America for this gathering focusing on the title: A day of reflection - United to God we hear a cry. The aim of this meeting is to focus on the situations in these various communities.
On September 27, 2013, responding to the desire of some Executive Directors of mining companies, guided by the Director of the International Council of Mining and Metals, Mark Cutifani, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace organized a day of reflection entitled Mining for the common Good for 24 members and representatives of various mining companies, eager to critically examine the character of the worldwide mining industry. The PCGP prepared that event, with the collaboration of members of the Religious Congregations already engaged in those areas, and at the end of the day of reflection, the PCGP had prepared and distributed a report about that event in order to inform various regional Episcopal Conferences.
Now that the executives of mining companies wanted to hold a second day of reflection, as they had decided during the first such encounter, and this time with the title: Creating a new future, Re-imaging the future of mining, the PCGP has thought it prudent to proceed with the preparation of this second day of reflection, which will take place from September 17-19, 2015, an occasion for listening to the communities affected by the activities of this industry.
There were many reasons for this decision on the part of the Pontifical dicastery: With the encyclial Laudato si', the Holy Father exhorts us to hear the cry of the earth as much as the cry of the poor (LS, 49). We cannot remain indifferent to such cries, because the need to listen comes from the same liberating work of grace in each one of us, therefore this is not a mission only reserved for some: The Church, guided by the gospel of mercy and of love for human beings, hears the cry for justice and wishes to respond with all her efforts (Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 188).
There are many of us who are aware of this agonizing cry from many places where people attempt to extract minerals. To site only a few examples: Kofi Annan's Africa Progress Report, the OECD Directive Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas; numerous and detailed reports prepared by the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples regarding extracting industries; the initiative Publish what you pay; legislation concerning the traceability of minerals being developed in the European Parliament; cinematic endeavours such as the films Blood Diamonds, Avatar and so on.
The Church too, on many occasions and for many years, is closely following mining activity. At the national level, the documents of Episcopal Conferences denouncing violence against human rights, lawlessness, violence and the exploitation of deposits which pollute and cause many problems for local food security. A letter written by USA Bishop Richard Pates, published on July 24, 2014, explains the context in which some multinational mining companies operate in these terms: calamitous public health and environmental consequences of mining operations ... violence, gang activity, narcotics, weapons and human trafficking, inadequate institutions of law enforcement and corruption/impunity, poverty, as well as unequal and inadequate economic development. The Pontifical Council is also aware of the commitment of multiple stakeholders
a) at regional levels such as Continental Episcopal Conferences: the Red Eclesial Panamazónica, or the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa's Department of Justice and Peace with the recent declaration entitled Laying foundations for a just extractive industry; and
b) at trans-national levels, such as the Franciscan network, CIDSE and the Caritas family.
All these voices are pointing in the same direction: faced with such situations, we cannot allow indifference, cynicism and impunity to continue. What is needed is a radical paradigm shift toward the common good, justice, sustainability and human dignity.
Through this three-day meeting, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace brings together representatives of communities affected in various ways by mining activity. They also bring with them, in a certain sense, the cry of those who could not be here, from regions and situations which are not represented, which often escape the eye of experts and of commentators. I must emphasize that some of the people participating in this meeting have been pressured and intimidated in recent days, for example, after having requested a passport. The Pontifical Council has received testimonies of threats, violence and killings, reprisals and of compensation that has never arrived and of promises that have not been kept.
There are therefore, individuals who are working without a truly human purpose (Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 188). There are doubts about the primacy of the human being, insensitivities about approvals regarding the social and natural environments and full experiences of fragility, abandonment and rejection. Those who are responsible for these conditions are investors, businessmen, politicians and governments of countries where we find such incidents as well as countries where the headquarters of he multinational countries are located.
On the other hand, in exploited and poor countries, it is a matter of all levels of government working together, educated persons and investors with an acute sense of justice and of the common good, for it is morally unacceptable, politically dangerous, environmentally unsustainable and economically unjustifiable that people in developing countries (continue) to fuel the development of richer countries at the price of their own present or future ... (Laudato si', 52 and 160).
It is our hope that the closeness of the Church will be made known to the participants and to all people who are affected by this industry by means of our various networks and institutions, especially during the upcoming day of reflection with Directors of mining companies.
Thank you.
I promote peace and harmony in Odisha by keeping out the steel company. I have done this for 10 years. When a company comes in the community with a memo of understanding (MOU) the community becomes divided with pros and cons regarding the company. We have sustained this effort for 10 years by peaceful demonstrations near the border of the proposed project areas. The companies not only want the land but also the water which we have for drinking and for irrigating the fields.
Just July16, 2015 the company said it was temporarily suspending the project due to lack of progress and the drop on steel prices.
This success did have a cost. There have been 370 criminal cases against the people by the government, police and by the companies which are false. 2500 persons have been under warrant 500 of them are women. 700 persons have been in jail and 4 persons have died.
We have a stay on the cutting of trees on the private land.
Presentation prepared by His Eminence, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson
President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Dearest ladies and gentlemen,
I thank Father Lombardi and the staff of the Vatican Press Centre for another occasion to present some of the work of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
During these two days, at the invitation of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, there are about thirty representatives of communities involved in mining activity gathered at the Congress Centre at the Salesianum. They come from Africa, Asia and America for this gathering focusing on the title: A day of reflection - United to God we hear a cry. The aim of this meeting is to focus on the situations in these various communities.
On September 27, 2013, responding to the desire of some Executive Directors of mining companies, guided by the Director of the International Council of Mining and Metals, Mark Cutifani, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace organized a day of reflection entitled Mining for the common Good for 24 members and representatives of various mining companies, eager to critically examine the character of the worldwide mining industry. The PCGP prepared that event, with the collaboration of members of the Religious Congregations already engaged in those areas, and at the end of the day of reflection, the PCGP had prepared and distributed a report about that event in order to inform various regional Episcopal Conferences.
Now that the executives of mining companies wanted to hold a second day of reflection, as they had decided during the first such encounter, and this time with the title: Creating a new future, Re-imaging the future of mining, the PCGP has thought it prudent to proceed with the preparation of this second day of reflection, which will take place from September 17-19, 2015, an occasion for listening to the communities affected by the activities of this industry.
There were many reasons for this decision on the part of the Pontifical dicastery: With the encyclial Laudato si', the Holy Father exhorts us to hear the cry of the earth as much as the cry of the poor (LS, 49). We cannot remain indifferent to such cries, because the need to listen comes from the same liberating work of grace in each one of us, therefore this is not a mission only reserved for some: The Church, guided by the gospel of mercy and of love for human beings, hears the cry for justice and wishes to respond with all her efforts (Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 188).
There are many of us who are aware of this agonizing cry from many places where people attempt to extract minerals. To site only a few examples: Kofi Annan's Africa Progress Report, the OECD Directive Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas; numerous and detailed reports prepared by the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples regarding extracting industries; the initiative Publish what you pay; legislation concerning the traceability of minerals being developed in the European Parliament; cinematic endeavours such as the films Blood Diamonds, Avatar and so on.
The Church too, on many occasions and for many years, is closely following mining activity. At the national level, the documents of Episcopal Conferences denouncing violence against human rights, lawlessness, violence and the exploitation of deposits which pollute and cause many problems for local food security. A letter written by USA Bishop Richard Pates, published on July 24, 2014, explains the context in which some multinational mining companies operate in these terms: calamitous public health and environmental consequences of mining operations ... violence, gang activity, narcotics, weapons and human trafficking, inadequate institutions of law enforcement and corruption/impunity, poverty, as well as unequal and inadequate economic development. The Pontifical Council is also aware of the commitment of multiple stakeholders
a) at regional levels such as Continental Episcopal Conferences: the Red Eclesial Panamazónica, or the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa's Department of Justice and Peace with the recent declaration entitled Laying foundations for a just extractive industry; and
b) at trans-national levels, such as the Franciscan network, CIDSE and the Caritas family.
All these voices are pointing in the same direction: faced with such situations, we cannot allow indifference, cynicism and impunity to continue. What is needed is a radical paradigm shift toward the common good, justice, sustainability and human dignity.
Through this three-day meeting, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace brings together representatives of communities affected in various ways by mining activity. They also bring with them, in a certain sense, the cry of those who could not be here, from regions and situations which are not represented, which often escape the eye of experts and of commentators. I must emphasize that some of the people participating in this meeting have been pressured and intimidated in recent days, for example, after having requested a passport. The Pontifical Council has received testimonies of threats, violence and killings, reprisals and of compensation that has never arrived and of promises that have not been kept.
There are therefore, individuals who are working without a truly human purpose (Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 188). There are doubts about the primacy of the human being, insensitivities about approvals regarding the social and natural environments and full experiences of fragility, abandonment and rejection. Those who are responsible for these conditions are investors, businessmen, politicians and governments of countries where we find such incidents as well as countries where the headquarters of he multinational countries are located.
On the other hand, in exploited and poor countries, it is a matter of all levels of government working together, educated persons and investors with an acute sense of justice and of the common good, for it is morally unacceptable, politically dangerous, environmentally unsustainable and economically unjustifiable that people in developing countries (continue) to fuel the development of richer countries at the price of their own present or future ... (Laudato si', 52 and 160).
It is our hope that the closeness of the Church will be made known to the participants and to all people who are affected by this industry by means of our various networks and institutions, especially during the upcoming day of reflection with Directors of mining companies.
Thank you.
Testimonial given by Prassant Kumar Paikray
India
I promote peace and harmony in Odisha by keeping out the steel company. I have done this for 10 years. When a company comes in the community with a memo of understanding (MOU) the community becomes divided with pros and cons regarding the company. We have sustained this effort for 10 years by peaceful demonstrations near the border of the proposed project areas. The companies not only want the land but also the water which we have for drinking and for irrigating the fields.
Just July16, 2015 the company said it was temporarily suspending the project due to lack of progress and the drop on steel prices.
This success did have a cost. There have been 370 criminal cases against the people by the government, police and by the companies which are false. 2500 persons have been under warrant 500 of them are women. 700 persons have been in jail and 4 persons have died.
We have a stay on the cutting of trees on the private land.
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