Hong Kong Crackdown

Pax Romana Statement on Mass Arrests of Pro-Democracy Figures in Hong Kong

Pax Romana Statement on Mass Arrests of Pro-Democracy Figures in Hong Kong

The mass arrests of activists and human rights defenders in Hong Kong this past week represents a serious attack on human rights and democracy.  

As the two international movements in Pax Romana, IMCS and ICMICA are particularly concerned by the arrest of John (Jack) Clancey, a lawyer, chair of the Asian Human Rights Commission,  and a former chaplain to our movements.  We are happy to know that Jack has been granted bail and we pledge to support him in the weeks ahead.

We stand in solidarity with Jack and with all the people of Hong Kong in this difficult time. These attacks come as the promise of participatory democracy is eroding not only in Hong Kong, but also in many other parts of the world as we saw with the failed coup in the United States this week. As movements, we continue to believe in the values of human rights and participatory democracy.

We urge our members, groups of Catholic students, professionals and intellectuals, and others friends to learn more about the human rights situation in Hong Kong and to reach out to their political leaders to take immediate action to put pressure on the Chinese government to abide by human rights norms as established in international law and to drop the charges on the human rights activists. 

For more information, see:

Signed,

Ravi Tissera – International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Pax Romana

Kevin Ahern, PhD, on behalf of the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA)

William Nokrek – Asia Pacific Secretariat, International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS)

Fasika Lachore Laba – International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS Pax Romana) Pan African Coordination, Nairobi Kenya

Eirini Freri – European Coordination (JECI-MIEC) International Young Catholic Students- International Movement of Catholic Students

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Pax Romana Journal 2020

IMCS and ICMICA are pleased to present the latest issue of the Pax Romana Journal, an intercultural, international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational review.

This year’s theme is Beyond COVID-19: A Comprehensive Perspective.The issue includes articles and creative works from sixteen contributors coming from ten countries (Bangladesh, Canada, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius (Chile), Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines). The authors in this volume bring a range of experiences, expertise, and ideas. Some are university students; others intellectuals with doctoral degrees. Some are members and chaplains of our movements; others are friends and collaborators who responded to our open call for papers. We hope that these diverse papers can contribute in some way to the type of dialogue and social friendship that is urgently needed today.

Contributors include

  • Michael Afolami
  • Daniel Deak
  • Bernard Lee Heriberto Cabrera Reyes, SDB
  • Jojo M. Fung, SJ
  • Rosemary Goldie
  • Disha Mary Gomes
  • Jephte Olimpo Muñe
  • I.M. Panditha
  • U.V.A.P. Kalpashaka
  • Erika Montes de oca Rivas
  • Aloysius Pieris, SJ
  • Sandy Francis Peris
  • Shoshi Sylvester Peris
  • Patrick Drishya Purification
  • Djamester S. Simarmata
  • Helen Grace M. Udtuhan

The Pax Romana Journal is an interdisciplinary annual publication for literature reviews, research and opinion pieces on specific contemporary social issues. Key themes, include but are not limited to: Human rights; Democracy, good governance and global governance; Themes on the United Nations agenda; Faith, church reform, synodality, and lay participation; Youth participation and advocacy; Climate change and ecological justice; Intercultural/interreligious dialogue

It is published jointly between ICMICA and IMCS.

Each of these themes is approached from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching with the goal of promoting peace, justice and mercy, in service of the common good of the poor and the Earth

click here to Download a copy of the journal

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Solidarity Statement by The 2020 IMCS Pax Romana Global Advocacy Training Participants To #EndSARS Protesters In Nigeria

Solidarity Statement by The 2020 IMCS Pax Romana Global Advocacy Training Participants To #EndSARS Protesters In Nigeria

We, the 2020 International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Pax Romana Global Advocacy Training Participants from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa have followed with interest the #EndSARS Protest by the Nigeria Youths, calling on their government to end Police Brutality, Reform the Police, end marginalization, serve justice to families and victims of police brutality and guarantee a good governance that inspires hope, vision and aspirations among the young people.

On the 20th October, 2020, the Nigeria Government instead of listening to the legitimate demands her future generation have placed before them, they unleashed heavily armed military men on peaceful and unarmed protesters which led to the killings of the peaceful protesters and metamorphosed to social unrest even as they raised up the nation’s flag with chants of national anthem.

We call on the Nigeria Government led by President Mohammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Army and all the stakeholders to rise and stop the killings of innocent peaceful #EndSarsNow Protesters for no nation on earth should be found with political will to wipe from the earth surface her future generation. The government should recognize that violence begets violence. 

We call on young people of Nigeria to follow the spirit of Peace and turn away from any form of violence continue to and seek more democratic and legal processes in their struggles for Justice.

Finally, we call upon the international community to recognize such processes in their own countries and respond meaningfully to the sufferings of victims of bad policy in the name of security and law.

Signatories:

Name of the Signatory Organization
Joseph Nyamayaro National Movement for Catholic Students (NMCS), Zimbabwe
Tinotenda Wakabikwa National Movement for Catholic Students (NMCS), Zimbabwe
Mpho Mehlape Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS), South Africa
Zoleka Shangase Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS), South Africa
Gmafumi Timothy Mabinkun International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Ghana Federation
Marvis Idemudia Ehigiator International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Ghana Federation
Tuntufye Simwimba IMCS Southern Africa Sub Regional Coordination
Nwalie Chinwe Maureen Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Clinton Boniface Onoyima Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Ogbonnah Francis Ugochukwu Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Chukwu Stephen Chukwuebuka Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Orbum Joseph Iorfa Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Peter Uchenna Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Ogbonnah Francis Ugochukwu Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Madukwe Peter Obinwanne Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS)
Michael Afolami Peace Actor Network, Nigeria
SENZIRA Emmanuel International Movement of Catholic Students, Rwanda Federatiom
Koone Thamae National Movement for Catholic Students (NMCS) Botswana
Kudzai Sibusisiwe Mkwala National Movement for Catholic Students (NMCS), Zambia
Victoria K. Muzyamba National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS) Zambia
Abhijith Mathew All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF)
Aniket Shubham Beck All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF)
Pasindu Lakshan Sri Lanka University Catholic Students’ Movement
Ruklan Kularatne Sri Lanka University Catholic Students’ Movement
Patrick Drishya Purification Bangladesh Catholic Students’ Movement
Swopnil Louis Cruze Bangladesh Catholic Students’ Movement
Sumic Maclean Gomes Bangladesh Catholic Students’ Movement
Anna Holtkamp Katholisch Studierende Jugend (KSJ) Germany 
Jonathan Pagel Katholisch Studierende Jugend (KSJ) Germany 
Conrrado Sigisfredo Vargas Unión Nacional de Estudiantes Católicos (UNEC) Perú
Erika Quispe Guerra Unión Nacional de Estudiantes Católicos (UNEC) Perú
Francisco Viany Flores Hilario Unión Nacional de Estudiantes Católicos (UNEC) Perú
Ariel Coello Peralta Jeunesse Etudiante Catholique (JEC) Ecuador
Sameh Kamel Advocacy Coordination Team, IMCS Pax Romana
Victor Kweku Ayertey Advocacy Coordination Team, IMCS Pax Romana
Eirini Freri JECI-MIEC European Coordination
William Nokrek IMCS Asia Pacific
Jorge Parra MIEC-JECI Latin American Coordination
Fasika Lachore Laba IMCS Pan African Coordination
Aurelie Monganzimbi IMCS Pan African Coordination
Fr. Fratern Masawe, SJ IMCS Pan African Coordination
Ravi Tissera International Coordination, IMCS Pax Romana
Michael Mmadubueze International Coordination, IMCS Pax Romana
Fr. Jojo Fung, SJ International Coordination, IMCS Pax Romana

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Pax Romana statement for International Workers’ Day 2020

“We ask St. Joseph …to help us fight for the dignity of work, so that there might be work for all and that it might be dignified work, not the work of a slave.”

Pope Francis on May 1, 2020

Today, we celebrate International Workers’ Day and the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. This day honors the collective dignity and rights of workers and the role of movements working for labor justice. 

This May Day, workers around the world are facing new challenges caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic. While the economic fallout of the crisis has impacted all workers, we take note that the poor and vulnerable have been most impacted by this crisis: extremely high rates of unemployment, dangerous working conditions, lack of protective equipment and medical care, rising cases of domestic violence, and growing discrimination against minorities and migrants. 

Daily wage workers are stranded in their confinements without any means to secure some food for their daily sustenance. Hunger has forced them to violate lockdown laws and put their lives in danger of getting infected. Scavenging has been the only way to find some food for many working-class families. 

All of this, as St James (James 5:1-6) reminds us, cries out to God and to our shared humanity to take action.

As many governments strengthened their war machineries, they neglected their obligation in establishing effective public healthcare systems. We are now paying a price. Many healthcare workers lack basic protective equipment. Many governments praise the healthcare workers as heroes without providing them with necessary protection and proper contracts to the unregulated healthcare workers.

Migrant workers and refugees have become one of the first communities to be victimized and discriminated during this pandemic. Many of the 244 million migrant workers have become jobless, homeless, and stranded away from home. Without the government subsidies and the access to public healthcare facilities, their plight has become more intolerable and fatal.

The Coronavirus pandemic is illuminating the glaring flaws in our present neoliberal world order and the need of a new social, economic, cultural, political post-pandemic world where everyone is included and mother earth is respected. As Pope Francis points out in Laudato Si’, Integral ecology “needs to take account of the value of labour” (124). Everyone must be able to work, because it is “part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfilment” (128), while “to stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for society” (128).

On this International Workers’ Day, the Pax Romana family -the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) and the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) – further confirms our Christian duty and commitment to find a society which liberates the “All and Whole human”. The Ponnamallee declaration (1970) of All India Catholic University Federation serves us a timely challenge: “We were born in an unjust society and we are determined not to leave it as we have found it.”

International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs Pax Romana (ICMICA)

International Movement of Catholic Students Pax Romana (IMCS

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International Day of Rural Woman

The bodies were lying in the streets un-buried. All railroads and vessels carrying food and such things into the great city had ceased runnings and mobs of the hungry poor pillaging.

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Joint letter to Italian movements COVID

Joint letter to Italian movements COVID

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IMCS PAX ROMANA SOLIDARITY STATEMENT FOR UNITED NATIONS DAY, 2020

The bodies were lying in the streets un-buried. All railroads and vessels carrying food and such things into the great city had ceased runnings and mobs of the hungry poor pillaging.

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