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 publication of a manual entitled Making Human Rights Work for People Living in Extreme Poverty: a Handbook for Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.
Interventions at today's press conference were presented by His Excellency, Bernardo Johannes Bahlmann, OFM, Bishop of Óbidos (North-East of Brazil); Mister Michel Roy, Secretary General of Caritas International; Father Michael A. Perry, OFM, Minister General of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor; Mistress Francesca Restifo, FI (Franciscans International), International Advocacy Director; and Mister Jean ATD Fourth World, Delegate for Italy and Relations with the Holy See.
Last week, we entered into the Year of Mercy. At the heart of Caritas mission locally and globally.
Pope Francis will open tomorrow the Holy Door of Mercy at the Caritas Romana hostel and restaurant.
And many Bishops around the world will do the same.
Mercy cannot be considered as a weak approach as opposed to rights.
Both are related. Rights without love would be very dry, not contributing to building humanity in all its dimensions.
Love without justice would be airy, moony, goodhearted for sure, but not transformative to the necessary point.
Love and mercy, are inspiring justice, inciting, motivating justice.
This is a special role of FBOs, beyond the Catholic and the Christian one. Implementing the SDGs, called by the UN and the WB.
Caritas Internationalis has associated to this important piece of work because:
Pope Francis brings us and calls us on both levels of mercy (you are the caress of the mother Church to her wounded children) and call for justice: cf the 3 T: Tierra, Techo, Trabajo to the Social Movements.
Making Human Rights Work for People Living in Extreme Poverty
A Franciscan Perspective on Rights Based Approach
Good morning!
Pope Francis reminds us that The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to human and social degradation. In fact, the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet (Laudato Si’, 48).
One of the most fundamental insights of Biblical and Catholic Social teaching and that of our Franciscan tradition, relates to the fundamental dignity that all creatures enjoy by their very existence. This dignity cannot be earned, nor can it be denied or diminished without serious consequences. Societies that fail to respect the fundamental dignity of their citizens, and those who sojourn within their borders, not only do harm to the persons most affected - principally those who are poor, marginalized and excluded, but also undermine the very foundations upon which human societies are constructed and from which they derive their right to exist.
As is made clear in the Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, par. 36: All policies relevant to poverty must be aimed at empowering persons living in poverty. They must be based on the recognition of those persons’ right to make their own decisions and respect their capacity to fulfil their own potential, their sense of dignity and their right to participate in decisions affecting their lives. The values espoused and promoted in the Guiding Principles, and elucidated in the very helpful Handbook for Implementation, are most clearly reflected in the Social Development Goals, to which the Franciscan family actively and energetically subscribes at the local, national and international levels.
Franciscan men and women in India, Indonesia, South Sudan, Lebanon, Lampedusa (Sicily), Peru, Kenya, and in other parts of the world are working together with other religious congregations, with the local Bishops’ Conferences, with Caritas-based groups, with other Christians churches, with Muslims, Jews, Hindus and also with non believers, engaging directly with those trapped in extreme and all forms of poverty and exclusion, gaining their trust (cf Handbook, p. 13), promoting social cohesion, identifying and activating human and other resources at the local, national, and international levels (cf Handbook, p. 18, Step 3), and developing programs and strategies by which they might pursue an effective course of advocacy. Franciscans International continues to play a critical role in its collaborative work with Franciscan and other organizations at the grassroots.
In India, the Franciscans and their Muslim and Hindu partners are living and working closely together on a tea plantation, educating the workers and their families about their fundamental rights, the right to a decent wage, to just and safe work conditions, and to quality health care and education for themselves and their families. They also are helping workers to organize and to bring their concerns regarding abuses committed by state and non-state actors to the attention of competent State authorities so as to gain their confidence and commitment to protect human rights (cf Handbook, p. 19, Step 4).
In Indonesia, the Franciscans and their partners are establishing a strong link between promotion of human rights and the rights of the natural environment through their work with local farming cooperatives they are helping to create and sustain. From a Franciscan perspective, the human and natural environments are intrinsically and inextricably intertwined. These same farmer cooperatives are now exercising control over land use, playing a major role in the fixing of prices for their agricultural and other products, and are working with civil authorities to defend against exploitative and abusive landowners and national and multi-national interests that do harm to both the human community, especially those who are poor and marginalized, and to the natural environment. Strong monitoring and measurement tools are slowly being developed in collaboration between Franciscans, the poor who are their partners, and with other groups and individuals, in order to measure progress achieved and also to identify weaknesses within their own respective approaches to social analysis and advocacy.
It is the hope of the Minister Generals of the Franciscan family (CFF) who I represent today that the Handbook for Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, produced by Franciscans International, ATD Fourth World, in collaboration with Caritas Internationalis might serve as an effective tool for deepening capacity, mutual trust, critical analysis, and social cohesion among those living in conditions of extreme poverty. It also is our hope that these Guidelines will help ensure full respect for the inherent rights and dignity of all and that, through the concerted efforts of the world community, the Social Development Goals might be fully realized, and with them, extreme poverty might be wiped from the face of the earth.
Thank you!
Interventions at today's press conference were presented by His Excellency, Bernardo Johannes Bahlmann, OFM, Bishop of Óbidos (North-East of Brazil); Mister Michel Roy, Secretary General of Caritas International; Father Michael A. Perry, OFM, Minister General of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor; Mistress Francesca Restifo, FI (Franciscans International), International Advocacy Director; and Mister Jean ATD Fourth World, Delegate for Italy and Relations with the Holy See.
Intervention of Mister Michel Roy
Secretary General of Caritas International
Last week, we entered into the Year of Mercy. At the heart of Caritas mission locally and globally.
Pope Francis will open tomorrow the Holy Door of Mercy at the Caritas Romana hostel and restaurant.
And many Bishops around the world will do the same.
Mercy cannot be considered as a weak approach as opposed to rights.
Both are related. Rights without love would be very dry, not contributing to building humanity in all its dimensions.
Love without justice would be airy, moony, goodhearted for sure, but not transformative to the necessary point.
Love and mercy, are inspiring justice, inciting, motivating justice.
This is a special role of FBOs, beyond the Catholic and the Christian one. Implementing the SDGs, called by the UN and the WB.
Caritas Internationalis has associated to this important piece of work because:
- It reflects our philosophy/pedagogy for action (serve, accompany, defend); From helping (outsiders) to accompanying (insiders); A HR approach to extreme poverty: empowering people.
- It is of prime concern to all our actions: we have a horizontal approach, rights based even if we don’t proclaim all the time. For instance, our Food for All campaign, started with a strong push from Pope Francis on the 10th December 2013 – HR day – is focused on achieving the right to food.
- There is a diversity of angles to address the issue that are complementary and that is the case between our organizations.
- The handbook is a systematic, extremely concrete tool, approach to fighting extreme poverty, to be made known widely.
- Together because it is an overarching challenge, at all levels, local, national, global.
Pope Francis brings us and calls us on both levels of mercy (you are the caress of the mother Church to her wounded children) and call for justice: cf the 3 T: Tierra, Techo, Trabajo to the Social Movements.
Intervention of Father Michael A. Perry, OFM
Minister General of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor
A Franciscan Perspective on Rights Based Approach
Good morning!
Pope Francis reminds us that The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to human and social degradation. In fact, the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet (Laudato Si’, 48).
One of the most fundamental insights of Biblical and Catholic Social teaching and that of our Franciscan tradition, relates to the fundamental dignity that all creatures enjoy by their very existence. This dignity cannot be earned, nor can it be denied or diminished without serious consequences. Societies that fail to respect the fundamental dignity of their citizens, and those who sojourn within their borders, not only do harm to the persons most affected - principally those who are poor, marginalized and excluded, but also undermine the very foundations upon which human societies are constructed and from which they derive their right to exist.
As is made clear in the Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, par. 36: All policies relevant to poverty must be aimed at empowering persons living in poverty. They must be based on the recognition of those persons’ right to make their own decisions and respect their capacity to fulfil their own potential, their sense of dignity and their right to participate in decisions affecting their lives. The values espoused and promoted in the Guiding Principles, and elucidated in the very helpful Handbook for Implementation, are most clearly reflected in the Social Development Goals, to which the Franciscan family actively and energetically subscribes at the local, national and international levels.
Franciscan men and women in India, Indonesia, South Sudan, Lebanon, Lampedusa (Sicily), Peru, Kenya, and in other parts of the world are working together with other religious congregations, with the local Bishops’ Conferences, with Caritas-based groups, with other Christians churches, with Muslims, Jews, Hindus and also with non believers, engaging directly with those trapped in extreme and all forms of poverty and exclusion, gaining their trust (cf Handbook, p. 13), promoting social cohesion, identifying and activating human and other resources at the local, national, and international levels (cf Handbook, p. 18, Step 3), and developing programs and strategies by which they might pursue an effective course of advocacy. Franciscans International continues to play a critical role in its collaborative work with Franciscan and other organizations at the grassroots.
In India, the Franciscans and their Muslim and Hindu partners are living and working closely together on a tea plantation, educating the workers and their families about their fundamental rights, the right to a decent wage, to just and safe work conditions, and to quality health care and education for themselves and their families. They also are helping workers to organize and to bring their concerns regarding abuses committed by state and non-state actors to the attention of competent State authorities so as to gain their confidence and commitment to protect human rights (cf Handbook, p. 19, Step 4).
In Indonesia, the Franciscans and their partners are establishing a strong link between promotion of human rights and the rights of the natural environment through their work with local farming cooperatives they are helping to create and sustain. From a Franciscan perspective, the human and natural environments are intrinsically and inextricably intertwined. These same farmer cooperatives are now exercising control over land use, playing a major role in the fixing of prices for their agricultural and other products, and are working with civil authorities to defend against exploitative and abusive landowners and national and multi-national interests that do harm to both the human community, especially those who are poor and marginalized, and to the natural environment. Strong monitoring and measurement tools are slowly being developed in collaboration between Franciscans, the poor who are their partners, and with other groups and individuals, in order to measure progress achieved and also to identify weaknesses within their own respective approaches to social analysis and advocacy.
It is the hope of the Minister Generals of the Franciscan family (CFF) who I represent today that the Handbook for Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, produced by Franciscans International, ATD Fourth World, in collaboration with Caritas Internationalis might serve as an effective tool for deepening capacity, mutual trust, critical analysis, and social cohesion among those living in conditions of extreme poverty. It also is our hope that these Guidelines will help ensure full respect for the inherent rights and dignity of all and that, through the concerted efforts of the world community, the Social Development Goals might be fully realized, and with them, extreme poverty might be wiped from the face of the earth.
Thank you!
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