Caritas NZ says the pilgrims are in Glasgow to pray and to press world leaders for strong action at COP26 - the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Religious leaders representing Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and Baha'i traditions are offering prayers and calls for concrete actions.

The 31 October to 12 November conference is the first requiring countries to honour their Paris accord commitment to submit new, more ambitious plans to environmentally-damaging emissions.

Caritas NZ says the global Catholic charity has three critical targets it wants to see COP26 progressing:

• Strong emissions cuts to keep the 1.5C target alive
• More climate finance that is targeted and more readily accessible to the most vulnerable communities, equally shared between mitigation (cutting emissions) and adaptation. Finance to address Loss and Damage already incurred by the poor must be stepped up, recognising the ecological debt owed by richer countries to poorer ones.
• Tackling climate change in an integrated way, including protection and restoration of ecosystems and prioritising the needs of the poor in a just transition, in line with Laudato Si'.

During the conference, Caritas will hand over its "Healthy Planet, Healthy People" petition along with other messages from faith-filled activists and leaders from around the world.

Several hundred people gathered in the vicinity of the Scottish Events Centre when the conference opened, to pray for world leaders at the conference.

"We remind governments of their commitments made in Paris in 2015 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees," says a multifaith declaration read at the event and signed by more than 50 religious leaders from Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Another multifaith statement asks "governments to swiftly and justly transition the global economy from fossil fuels toward renewables and compensate communities already affected by climate change."

"Across our doctrinal and political differences, we know that we must change our ways to ensure a quality of life which all can share, and we need to provide hope for people of all ages, everywhere, including future generations. To offer hope in the world we need to have confidence that those in power understand the vital role they have to play at the Glasgow COP26."

Scottish Catholic Bishop Brian McGee says the interfaith group is offering prayers for world leaders. It also expects to exert pressure on them to deliver on public demands for an urgent response to the climate crisis.

"Certainly that's what a lot of people have been doing. That is contacting the politicians and explaining to them that this is really, really important and we have to do something here," he says.

McGee says Catholic action at the climate summit shows love of God's creation and those suffering the impacts of global warming.

Pope Francis's "extraordinary leadership" in widening the ecological question beyond conservation has widened the way we look at creation and people suffering the impacts of global warming, McGee says.

"It's about how we treat people. It's about justice in all its forms."

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• La Croix
• Caritas
• Image: Caritas Internationalis

Caritas Jerusalem is preparing to respond to the urgent needs of the thousands injured and the thousands of people forced to leave their homes either because they were destroyed or because they tried to save their lives.

"The bombings are extremely heavy. The people of Gaza have lived through many wars over many years, but everyone agrees that this time it is completely different. They are trapped in this densely populated strip of land at the mercy of intense air bombardment with nowhere to flee for safety." Read more

Leaders of the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, along with the Quakers, have addressed their members in an Open Letter encouraging them to support their agencies.

Caritas and Christian World Service are both working through local partner groups inside Syria and Iraq, as well as in neighbouring countries.

The global community needs to step up their efforts to ensure food, water and other essential supplies are distributed to the most vulnerable in the country,” says Julianne Hickey, Director of Caritas.

Caritas and Christian World Service partners are providing vital aid to Syrian refugees in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, including food, fuel, water, warm clothing, shelter and healthcare.

“Local people are working effectively and compassionately to help Syrian and Iraqi families. They need more resources to help more people,” says Pauline McKay, National Director of Christian World Service.

“The Open Letter has been signed by Rt Rev. Andrew Norton of the Presbyterian Church, Archbishop Philip Richardson of the Anglican Church, Cardinal John Dew of the Roman Catholic Church, Yearly Clerk Elizabeth Duke for the Quakers, and President Tovia Aumua of the Methodist Church.

• Donations to Caritas can be made on line at http://www.caritas.org.nz/donate by phone: 0800 22 10 22 or by post to: Caritas, PO Box 12193, Wellington 6144
• Donations to Christian World Service can be made on line at http://cws.org.nz/donate by phone: 0800 74 73 72 or by post to: CWS, PO Box 22652, Christchurch 8140.

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• Supplied Peace Movement Aotearoa
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The Catholic agency for justice, peace and development, Caritas points out that proposals recognising infrastructure and economic growth alongside environmental impacts run the risk of undermining stewardship and kaitiakitanga - currently key principles included in the Act.

"Decisions about the environment and resource management must take into account their impact on and the needs of people not only in New Zealand, but in other parts of the world and on future generations," says Caritas Advocacy and Research Manager Lisa Beech. Continue reading

Casualties from the storm have been minimal however, there has already been significant damage left in the wake of the typhoon, with 80 per cent of homes destroyed in some areas.

Donations to assist with the humanitarian response and ongoing aid programmes can be made to Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand by:

• Phoning 0800 22 10 22 to make credit card donations
• Donating online using a credit card at www.caritas.org.nz
• Posting to Caritas, PO Box 12193, Thorndon, Wellington 6144, New Zealand

Aid organisations like Caritas, working with government and communities, to prepare for emergencies like this have done a lot to reduce the number of casualties.

Caritas in the Philippines has stockpiled essential supplies, provided updates to areas in the path of the typhoon and has joined with other NGOs and local authorities to help organise the largest peacetime evacuation in the country's history.

In the wake of Haiyan - the largest typhoon ever recorded over land - Caritas has continued to work with dioceses around the country to put in place contingency plans that better prepare people for the regular natural disasters that hit the Philippines.

Nearly one million people have been pre-emptively evacuated from affected regions and have taken shelter in evacuation centres.

Relief supplies for thousands of families have also been pre-positioned to allow the essential items to be distributed easily and quickly to those in need.

Caritas is continuing to monitor the typhoon and monitor communities affected by the typhoon.

"With Typhoon Hagupit now decreasing in strength, Caritas is going back to affected areas to assess the damage, assist with cleaning up and ensure that people have essential items and shelter," says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand director Julianne Hickey.

"Once these basic needs are met, we will work with communities to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods to be more resilient in future emergencies."

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• Supplied Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• Image: caritas.org

The Warawara Forest resource aims to teach students to be protectors of the environment

resource aims to teach students to be protectors of the environment.

It is called Te Warawara: Te Wairua o te iwi o te Rarawa.

The guide was written at the request of Te Kura Taumata o Panguru, a small local area school in north Hokianga.

This forest has one of the largest kauri stands in Aotearoa new Zealand, and is home to many threatened native species, including North Island kiwi and kaka, bats and karearea (New Zealand falcon).

Dame Whina Cooper described the Warawara as the living spiritual being of the hapu of Te Rarawa which is the local sub-tribe.

The guide includes activities, worksheets and lesson plans and is aimed at primary and secondary school students.

It features worksheets tailored to specific year groupings, meaning the book is both instructional and inspirational.

The Warawara Forest is of utmost cultural and historical significance to Te Rarawa.

They still own the land's resources and it is hoped that through deeper learning about their taonga/treasures, the next generation will not only see how important it is for them to serve as guardians and protectors of the Warawara Forest, but also how their efforts will support the community in ways that will lead to future employment opportunities.

"This is another strand of the life story of the Warawara that reaches back for centuries, it is a life line for the forest," the resource's author and Caritas Social Justice Education Coordinator, Catherine Gibbs says.

Caritas has a strong commitment to indigenous peoples and environmental justice. Work on the resource has been through our Tangata Whenua workstream. Principles of Catholic social teaching including stewardship (kaitiakitanga), the common good and participation, are woven into the resource.

For more information, please contact Crispin Anderlini (Communications, Marketing & Fundraising Advisor) on 021 190 9908 or email to crispin@caritas.org.nz

Press release from Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.

At the G20 summit in Australia on the weekend, Prime Minister John Key pledged $3 million to the Fund, but said New Zealand would continue to focus on the Pacific in bilateral climate change funding initiatives.

The United Nations fund aims to support developing countries to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is also prioritising direct support to our Pacific partners, with an additional $200,000 being budgeted in 2015 for projects which support Pacific communities to respond to the impacts of climate change.

"The urgency of the need for small, often low lying islands among our Pacific neighbours means it's right to continue to focus on what we can practically do here," says Caritas director Julianne Hickey.

"While New Zealand should also contribute to multilateral responses being coordinated by the international community, our neighbours in the Pacific cannot wait for the international fund to get fully up and running."

Caritas research this year highlighted communities around the Pacific fending off rising sea-levels and coastal erosion with makeshift seawalls, built from sticks and stones, shells and coral; or relocating temporarily or permanently to escape sea inundation and groundwater salination.

"We met women from low-lying Popua, in Tonga, banding together to truck in coral and soil to try to keep their homes out of the water. The authorities told them 'If you want to reclaim the land, reclaim it," says Mrs Hickey.

"Among the people we spoke with, there wasn't much evidence of climate funding getting to where people need it the most, so we welcome New Zealand's priority of the Pacific over general climate change funding. However, we need to ensure our projects prioritise the most poor and vulnerable in our region - like the women of Popua who are doing what they can with what they've got."

New Zealand and the world need to do more to cut emissions, adapt to widespread changes already underway, and prepare for an uncertain future - a future that is already hitting the poor the hardest.

Read Caritas' environment report: Small yet strong: Voices from Oceania on the environment here.

Read Caritas' environment report: Small yet strong: Voices from Oceania on the environment here.

"People across Oceania are already losing shorelines and experiencing rising temperatures and unusual weather patterns that have disrupted food and water supplies," says Caritas director Julianne Hickey. Continue reading

"

"At United Nations level we certainly need for there to be a commitment from the countries that are causing the environmental challenges for the people in the Pacific."

"But we also need to make sure the finance for climate change actually gets to those communities around the Pacific because at this stage we're not seeing on the ground much evidence of that."

Hickey said it was a surprise to discover the extent of environmental changes affecting people right across the Pacific.

"Rising sea levels and water, issues with their food supply and food security, challenges with fishing, concerns over mining and new things like deep sea mining, and problems with things that have happened in the past like nuclear testing."

She said it makes daily life more difficult and unpredictable.

"Whether it's where they get their food from or the water that they drink, or cyclones and El Nino events, it's just more that they have to cope with."

Caritas has prepared a Pacific environment report, Small yet strong - Voices from Oceania on the environment which was launched at St Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Auckland on 4 October 2014.

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• Radio New Zealand
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The Climate Change Summit is trying to find agreement on ways to limit further environmental damage.

"The people most affected - at grass roots level and on the coastal edge - must be part of those discussions," says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand director Julianne Hickey.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has produced a report based on interviews of people across Oceania at grass roots and coastal edge level on the environmental challenges they face as a result of climate change.

"Vulnerable people throughout Oceania are living every day with and adapting to environmental changes and challenges. They are actively striving to overcome environmental problems not of their making and beyond their control," says Hickey.

She says Pasifika people think the money going to high level negotiations about climate change could be better spent.

"They're tired of people coming and doing research and doing big scientific studies. They actually want to see action now."

"They are scrambling to build sea walls out of sticks, stones, shells and coral, to protect their lands and homes from erosion and rising sea levels".

The report, Small yet strong: Voices from Oceania on the environment, is to be launched at St Peter Chanel Catholic Church, Clover Park, Auckland on October 4 (St Francis Day).

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• Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• Radio New Zealand
• Image: Caritas

These are among the resources Caritas has created for the annual Social Justice Week, which runs from September 14-20 this year.

The campaign focuses on Catholic social teaching and the Church's tradition of justice.

One of the videos shows the joint work in Rotorua of St Vincent de Paul, St Michael's parish and John Paul College, which run the Full Fill community van taking food to vulnerable communities.

"Our hope is that this focus during Social Justice Week will lead to a renewed understanding and commitment to the ways in which each of us can put Catholic social teaching into practice, in our homes, families and communities," said Caritas director Julianne Hickey.

This year, the New Zealand General Election falls on the last day of Social Justice Week.

Rather than telling New Zealanders how to vote in the election, the Social Justice Week materials aim to inspire Catholics and the wider community to consider what ethical principles underlie responses to economic and social issues.

Continue reading

Caritas Jerusalem is providing medical assistance, food and other necessities to the thousands of vulnerable people affected by the escalating conflict.

More than 775 people have been killed during Israeli attacks, with more than 100,000 Palestinians displaced.

The pledge of $20,000 from Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is possible because of the public's generosity through the Caritas Gifts, Gifts of Peace programme (www.caritasgifts.org.nz)

Much-needed donations are now being accepted to implement the humanitarian response as soon as possible.

Continue reading

It allows him to support his family and keep his five children in school.

He is the secretary of a farming collective called the St Anthony of Padua group

The collective is part of Caritas Tonga's sustainable livelihoods programme.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand assists with funding

The programme aims to boost the income of over 400 families in Tongatapu and Vava'u.

It provides small loans which farmers can use to set up micro-enterprises.

Community members are trained in business management, produce development and marketing.

The income they gain will allow them to become financially independent.

"We support poor farmers who cannot afford any collateral for their loans and otherwise would have no other way of acquiring financial support either from a bank or other private institution," says Sr Senolita Vakata, director of Caritas Tonga.

Source

• caritas.org.nz
• Image: food.caritas.org

When Cyclone Ian hit Tonga in January 2014, the roof of St Joseph's Technical College industrial arts classroom was destroyed.

Practical skills like woodwork and metalwork, which were taught in the classroom, are important in Tonga as many students go on to become carpenters, mechanics or involved in hands-on trades.

Sister Malia Kiutau, the principal of the school said after the classrooms were destroyed by the cyclone, they tried teaching woodwork in our main school building.

"The noise disturbed students in other classes. We had to stop and now students are missing out on a very important part of their education, because we can no longer use these classrooms."

Mufti Mania 2014 will support building a new classroom at St Joseph's.

Since 2007, Catholic Schools across New Zealand have raised over $100,000 through Mufti Mania to support schools in the Pacific.

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• Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• Image: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

The annual competition invited students from all colleges and high schools across the country, to consider ways a song can express empathy for people in need. The songs were judged by well-known singer-songwriter and recording artist, Father Chris Skinner SM, and a panel made up of other musicians and music educators.

A song which challenges listeners to think about people who are ignored and unnoticed, by Jessica Hannah Rodgers, a Year 10 student from Carmel College in Auckland, won the junior section.

Fr Skinner says Jessica's song Waiting has a sweet melody and the beauty of her voice was immediately appealing. "I appreciate songs that challenge you to think and go deeper even to places the songwriter may not have been intending. It challenges the listener to open their eyes and see the need."

The senior section was won with a powerful song, Hide and Seek, by Maisy Start Walter and Tobias Girod, Year 13 students from Campion College in Gisborne.

Fr Skinner says Hide and Seek is well-crafted and builds musically both vocally and instrumentally, with a chorus that hooks you in. "What a powerful image, Maisy and Tobias have presented to us - an innocent child's game of hide and seek juxtaposed with the scourge of child abuse. Children have an inalienable right to be safe and to play innocent games. The song draws our attention to that."

Fr Skinner congratulated Caritas on encouraging young people to think about and reflect on social justice issues and the entrants on their efforts. "I am sure it is helping to effect positive change in their lives and in the lives of other people they encounter. All of the young people are to be commended for their efforts. Isn't it great all this creativity is going on in their lives and in their colleges?"

The winning song writers will each receive a music voucher to the value of $400 and a Caritas Gifts voucher to donate to the project of their choice to the value of $100.

Read more about SingOut4Justice and listen to the winning songs here.

The Wellington wind had fled; stillness paired with the embers crackling, huddled closer, marshmallows devoured in flame as stories swept us elsewhere and nothing mattered anymore save each other, the flame and the specks of light above.

The weekend meant laughter, wired smiles as morning broke and caffeine rushes; all for a good cause.

Beneath those same stars, rain was falling somewhere far away.

The water was rising, while we slept in cardboard shelters through a cloudless night.

Houses of living memories had been suddenly swallowed by the swollen rivers while we set out to make this weekend as memorable and life-changing as possible.

A day of difference for a lifetime of change.

Solidarity amidst reckless forces

What is solidarity in the face of such reckless forces and what is awareness going to change?

Us.

Though we feel so small, we must begin somewhere to pave the way for a lifetime of change.

We had gathered together to join with 6000 other young people across New Zealand who were also standing in solidarity with the people of Solomon Islands, as part of the inaugural Caritas Challenge, from Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.

A chance to find out more about the reality of people's lives around the world, to stand alongside them, and raise some money to support people who need it.

Throughout the 24 hours, we reflected on the cost of apathy and what it means to live justly.

Open eyes

During our discussions, one person stated that it is easy to ignore the need if you can't see it, and this simple truth reverberated throughout the room.

What does it mean to open our eyes to the need in Solomon Islands, within Aotearoa New Zealand, our communities, our families, and within ourselves?

What are the costs of ignorance and the costs of choosing to be aware?

I woke shivering; during the night I had kicked my blanket off and in a sleep-induced state, lacked the initiative to pull it back up.

For the rest of the night I rolled into a ball with hands buried deep in my pockets, wishing I had brought something warmer.

But even then I knew that a bed awaited me back home, food would be stacked neatly in the pantry and friends would enquire politely on how I slept and I'd describe the experience as "eye-opening."

But one of these days, we have to begin somewhere.

Huddled around the smoking ashes of yesterday, we knew what we had to do and began.

A day of difference for a lifetime of change.

Jacob Bang is studying English Literature with History at Victoria University. Last year he was on the Marist-Challenge 2000 gap year programme.

Source: CathNews NZ Pacific

Image: Stephen Davies/Caritas Aotearoa NZ

The Caritas Challenge is an annual 24-hour event for schools and youth groups during Lent

At Garin College in Nelson, for example, over 170 students are spending Saturday night in cardboard boxes on the school's tennis courts and going without food for 20 hours to experience and understand what living in poverty is like.

The Caritas Challenge is an annual 24-hour event for schools and youth groups during Lent.

The aim is for participants to join together in solidarity with the poor and in doing so to connect with the principles of Catholic social teaching while raising money towards one of the many international partnerships that Caritas supports.

Youth are encouraged to undertake an activity that brings them closer to the living conditions of those less fortunate.

There are four themes to choose from:

• ‘Move it' - 24 hours of physical activity like running or cycling;
• ‘Live it' - build a temporary structure from cardboard and sleep in it overnight;
• ‘Sweat it' - work in shifts over 24 hours, making products in a ‘sweatshop' environment;
• ‘Stop it' - give up something like technology or food for 24 hours.

Participants seek sponsorship for taking up and surviving the Challenge.

The 2014 Caritas Challenge focus is on the Solomon Islands which consists 992 islands spread across the southwest Pacific.

Ongoing recovery from conflict of a decade ago, presents daily challenges for its people to provide vital services like water, housing, health and education.

Previous events have left countries with decaying venues and huge bills that take years to pay off.

Local communities are increasingly unhappy that a large portion of their government's funds are directed towards events that might line the pockets of corporations, but do little to support local industry.

The $51 billion Sochi Winter Olympic Games — believed to be the most expensive Olympics in history — may have showcased modern Russia to the world, but it also shone a spotlight into the darker corners of the country's society: its treatment of LGBT people, the crackdowns on free speech of groups like Pussy Riot, and the corruption among the country's elite.

The spotlight will soon turn on Brazil, with the World Cup kicking off in June.

Here too, the event has brought world attention to the country's issues.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to protest the enormous financial costs, the forced evictions of communities, and the exploitation of construction workers.

Marginalised people bear the brunt of costs for these global events.

A new report from Caritas Australia estimates that around 200,000 people have been forced out of their homes in favelas in Brazil to make way for the construction of venues for the World Cup - that's one in every 1000 people. Continue reading.

Source: Eureka Street

Image: ShutterStock

The young people, identified by their colleges and peers as leaders, came together to find out more about Caritas and the upcoming Caritas Challenge, 4-6 April. The days focused on Caritas's work in Solomon Islands, and how our Catholic faith calls us to work for justice both in New Zealand and across the world.

In Auckland and Rotorua, Caritas partners from Solomon Islands, Fr Stephen Te'e and Bernadette Kairoronga, shared with the groups their experience of life in the islands. In Gizo diocese, Fr Stephen is one of only three priests for the whole diocese, and only one in three people have access to clean water.

Monique and Olivia from Verdon College, Invercargill, said ‘We realised that it's about appreciating everything that we have; it's not what we don't have, but what we do with the things we have that matters'.

The motto of Solomon Islands is "To lead is to serve". Reflecting on this, and Jesus' example of servant leadership, Shanay and Sophie, also from Verdon College, said ‘leadership isn't always about taking control; it's also about being aware of others, supporting them, and helping them flourish'.

Gabriel added, ‘It was a great way to find out about the realities of the world, whilst making new friends and having a lot of fun at the same time. We can't wait to take on the Caritas Challenge at college and have big plans for both Y12 and Y7 to get involved.'

Led by Caritas, the days were supported by The Logos Project, Challenge 2000, Vinnies (Auckland and Christchurch), as well as diocesan youth teams.

For more on the Caritas Challenge, including resources on how to make the plastic bottle light and paper bags, visit caritaschallenge.org.nz

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• Caritas
• Image: Caritas

The brutal Syrian conflict has left an estimated 146,000 people dead, half of them reportedly civilians, and caused millions to flee.

Aid experts say up to 4 million people could be displaced by the end of this year, making it the worst exodus since the Rwandan genocide 20 years ago, and there is no end to the conflict or solution to the refugee crisis in sight.

Mark Mitchell, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand's Humanitarian Programmes co-ordinator, recently returned from Lebanon where more than 1.2 million refugees have sought safety. He said the situation there was dire.

"The feeling I had was in many ways a sense of hopelessness. At the moment Syrians I met in Lebanon feel there is no end in sight," he said.

Syrian refugees, most of whom live outside the camps, were forced to find shelter where they could, including in abandoned chicken coops, storage sheds or other derelict structures, often without running water.

Diseases such as cholera and polio were major concerns in the cramped and unhealthy conditions, Mr Mitchell said.

He said the refugee influx was also putting a huge strain on resources in Lebanon.

"Imagine if war started in Australia and we suddenly had 1.2 million refugees in an area the size of Northland? It's hard to imagine, but it is just the situation in Lebanon."

Mr Mitchell urged people to donate to aid organisations as the UN launches its largest-ever appeal for a single humanitarian crisis, saying $6.5 billion was needed to meet the need of all those affected.

New Zealanders have already donated more than $2m while the Government has given $12.5m to help those agencies.

Source:

• Dominion Post
• Image: Dominion Post