Changing the culture of repellant crimes
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI Initially, this article was titled: ‘Cleaning the Augean stables’. However, when I reflected on what Hercules had done by rerouting two rivers to wash out the filth that had gathered in the King’s stables over a 30-year period, due to the dung of more than 3,000 cattle […]
Charity and justice
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI On Wednesday September 5, the world will observe the International Day of Charity. The UN states: “Charity, like the notions of volunteerism and philanthropy, provides real social bonding and contributes to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies. Charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian […]
Reflections on Independence
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “…to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others” (Nelson Mandela) These words came to mind as I walked around the Nelson Mandela Exhibition at Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, […]
Caring for Creation
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “The ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion…Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience. (n 217, Laudato Si, On Care for our […]
Euthanasia – a crime against life
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI I am in London at the moment and have been involved in discussions about an official report that has revealed that “the annual number of euthanasia cases across all age groups has multiplied almost fivefold in ten years. The practice was legalised in Belgium in 2003—a year […]
We need the Eucharist to live lives of service
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI Today’s gospel, John 6:24–35, offers us an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a disciple of the “true bread”; “the bread of life”. In the gospel Jesus tells us: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; […]
What we can do to stop human trafficking
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI Tomorrow, July 30, the world will observe World Day against Trafficking in Persons. Around the world, human traffickers continue to exploit people for profit, and to violate their human rights. Pope Francis rightly says that human trafficking is “an open wound on the body of humanity…a crime […]
Let’s save our swamps
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “In some coastal areas the disappearance of ecosystems sustained by mangrove swamps is a source of serious concern.” (Laudato Si, Pope Francis) On Thursday, July 26, the world will mark International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. Mangroves, these beautiful, resilient, evergreen trees, referred to […]
Meeting the challenges of today’s world
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “World Youth Skills Day is calling on global communities to engage youth to identify types of investments needed to support youth skills development. Together we can all make a difference in youth and skill development and work towards creating a more sustainable future for all” (World Bank […]
Build right relationships with the homeless
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI We should heed Pope Francis’ warning in his homily at a Mass at the Vatican for about 6,000 poor, homeless and displaced people from a dozen European countries and Africa (November 2016): “We should be worried when our consciences are anaesthetized and we no longer see the […]
