Peace, Justice and Sustainability… Background & Articles

Send submissions to “Peace and Justice” Webpage Editor: Claudia Morgan

We all know that the daily practice of meditation, if undertaken with faith and love, increases our awareness of Jesus’ indwelling presence and makes it possible for us to experience that peace that He promised to leave with us. Many entries on this website are dedicated to strengthening our personal meditation practice and deepening that inner peace that is a wonderful fruit of meditation. 

The Peace and Justice pages remind us that meditation is a way of love and compassion that has not only individual but also global significance. Meditation is a practice that can bring peace, not only to individual meditators, but also to the whole world. The pages also remind us that peace and justice are inextricably linked, for, as Pope Paul VI stated, “If you want peace, work for justice.”

The Way of Peace initiative is the centerpiece of The World Community for Christian Meditation’s commitment to meditation as a common ground for seeking peace and justice. Undertaken in partnership and friendship with the Dalai Lama, the original three-year program began in 1998, included a pilgrimage to India and a retreat in Tuscany (right), culminating in an extraordinary three-day gathering of over 450 people in Belfast in 2000. Entitled “The Way of Peace: Religious Harmony in the Third Millennium,” and led by Laurence Freeman and the Dalai Lama, the event was attended by 450 people from around the world, and included meetings with community leaders, religious leaders, politicians, young people, victims and survivors of violence, and business leaders. In a warm letter of encouragement, Prime Minister Tony Blair stated: “The purpose of the Seminar could not be more relevant to our goal of establishing lasting peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.”

In 2004, Father Richard Rohr, OFM was chosen to continue the Way of Peace initiative because of his personal, powerful and eloquent witness for peace. After giving the 2004 Way of Peace Address in Houston on April 22, 2004, Father Richard participated with Father Laurence in a conference entitled “Seeking Peace: A Dialogue on Jesus.”Father Laurence and Father Richard (photo left to right) focused on the gospel link between contemplative consciousness and non-violence, emphasizing that they both served as twin pillars of Jesus’ witness to the truth. They emphasized that those who have purified the eye of the heart through prayer, whereby the truth can be seen, can also see through and resist the deceptions that justify violence and injustice.

The Peace and Justice pages of the WCCM website support the continuing work of the Way of Peace initiative. The pages will report on the peace and justice activities of WCCM members around the world, and will include other peace and justice items of interest to the community.

Anti-war activists decry Lansdowne defence fair
(Paul Harris at far right)

Joe Lofaro
19 May 2011 02:43
 

joe lofaro/metro

The Raging Grannies and their supporters sing anti-CANSEC songs outside the Air Force Mess Thursday to protest the arms fair being held at Lansdowne Park in June.

Anti-war activists the Raging Grannies picketed outside the Air Force Mess Thursday as the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) held a luncheon leading up to their annual defence and security trade show, CANSEC. 

“We shouldn’t be using taxpayers’ money to support war,” said Shannon Lee Mannion of the Raging Grannies, who is upset that the fair will be held at Lansdowne Park on June 1.

Over 9,000 people, including government officials, and members of various defence and security agencies are expected to attend CANSEC 2011, which will feature about 220 firms and 150,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibition space for equipment and security technology.

Activists argue that the event’s promoters are in violation of Principle 6 of the Nuremberg Principles established after the Second World War.

Tim Page, president of CADSI, said weapons are only a small part of the showcase and the Raging Grannies protest CANSEC every year. Firms at the trade show are involved in other businesses too he said, such as textiles, sensory equipment, and chemical detection.

“We live in a democracy and people get to express their opinions. Young men and women have fought down through the ages to defend that right to free speech,” Page said. “We respect their opinions, we just don’t share them.”

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