Partnerships for Peace
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “…there is no such thing as ‘disharmony’; there is either harmony or we fall into chaos, where there is violence, argument, conflict, fear…” (Pope Francis, Vigil for Peace, September 7, 2013) On Monday, September 21, the world will observe the International Day of Peace. The United Nations […]
No to assisted suicide
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI We are all ‘masterpieces of God’s creation’ “How great a lie…to make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not worth living!” (Pope Francis) I am involved in London at the moment in encouraging individuals to contact their Member of Parliament to ask them to […]
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “The interests of the indigenous peoples must be part of the new development agenda in order for it to succeed…Together, let us recognize and celebrate the valuable and distinctive identities of indigenous peoples around the world. Let us work even harder to empower them and support their […]
Observing Indian Arrival Day
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI On Saturday May 30, the nation observed the 170th Anniversary of Indians arriving in TT. While we celebrate diversity in our blessed twin-island Republic, we must acknowledge that we still have a long way to go to ensure that every creed/race in TT has an equal place. […]
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – March 29
by Archbishop Joseph Harris AT THE PROCESSION WITH PALMS Gospel Mark 11:1-10 When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a […]
Called to respond to human needs
by Nadine Bushell, member of the CCSJ World Humanitarian Day, celebrated on August 19, was designated by the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. Since then the day has been used to recognise firstly those who face danger and adversity […]
CCSJ: Promote Justice
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ During Respect For Life Week, please reflect on the following statement: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men and women of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of […]
Combatting human trafficking
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ “The trade in human persons constitutes a shocking offense against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights. … Such situations are an affront to fundamental values which are shared by all cultures and peoples, values rooted in the very nature of the human person.” (Pope John Paul […]
Human development in T&T
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice Recently I attended the launch of the UNDP’s 20th Human Development Report (2010). The report, entitled: “The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development”, opens with the words uttered by Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen, in the first report published in 1990: “People are […]
Mary, teach us to respect all life
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice Today we celebrate the Assumption of Mary. As Catholics we believe that Mary was assumed into heaven – body and soul. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of our faith. He stated in his […]
