http://www.departmentofpeace.ca/2009/08/costa-rica-declares-a-minister-of-peace/ News from the Campaign to Establish a Canadian Department of Peace Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:01:11 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://www.departmentofpeace.ca/2009/08/costa-rica-declares-a-minister-of-peace/comment-page-1/#comment-33712 Fr. Benjamin J. Urmston, S.J., PhD Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:56:33 +0000 http://www.departmentofpeace.ca/?p=216#comment-33712 Rep. Dennis Kucinich made a similar proposal for the U.S. some years ago. I hope America revives the idea. Three events regarding world order moved me and others this summer. On July 8th Pope Benedict XVI issued an encyclical, Love in Truth. On July 17th Walter Cronkite passed to the next life. On July 31st the Society of Jesus world-wide and their partners in over 160 nations, Christian Life Community, celebrated the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola At first these three events may seem unrelated. But Benedict XVI, Walter Cronkite, and St. Ignatius point us to a major issue facing our human family which affects all of the other issues, a democratic world federation. Is it possible to say we’re non-violent if we don’t even discuss ending the war system? The war system is eating us alive! War is dangerous, expensive, wasteful of human and natural resources, irrational, unnecessary. Look at what percentage of taxes goes to supporting military security. Federal, state, local budgets are a scandal. Look at the way the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have not only killed and wounded many soldiers but has affected their mental health! There are four million Iraqi refugees. More civilians have been killed and wounded than military personnel. There are Christians who believe that to work toward a world federation before Christ comes again is the work of the devil. An Episcopalian, Cronkite responded, “If that’s true, put me at the devil’s right hand.” Benedict XVI proceeds from theology and philosophy. Cronkite concludes the necessity of a democratic world federation from experience in, and observation of, world events. The Society of Jesus and Christian Life Community follow Jesus and Christian leaders. Benedict XVI states that the basic form of poverty is isolation, not being able to love or not being loved, closing in on oneself, thinking one is self-sufficient, or considering oneself too insignificant to belong. There is much interaction now on a world-wide basis. We need an aha! moment when we recognize we are one human family. No one can go it alone. All of us have talents we can contribute to the common good. Rep. Dennis Kucinich made a similar proposal for the U.S. some years ago. I hope America revives the idea.
Three events regarding world order moved me and others this summer.
On July 8th Pope Benedict XVI issued an encyclical, Love in Truth. On July 17th Walter Cronkite passed to the next life. On July 31st the Society of Jesus world-wide and their partners in over 160 nations, Christian Life Community, celebrated the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola At first these three events may seem unrelated. But Benedict XVI, Walter Cronkite, and St. Ignatius point us to a major issue facing our human family which affects all of the other issues, a democratic world federation. Is it possible to say we’re non-violent if we don’t even discuss ending the war system?
The war system is eating us alive! War is dangerous, expensive, wasteful of human and natural resources, irrational, unnecessary. Look at what percentage of taxes goes to supporting military security. Federal, state, local budgets are a scandal. Look at the way the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have not only killed and wounded many soldiers but has affected their mental health! There are four million Iraqi refugees. More civilians have been killed and wounded than military personnel.
There are Christians who believe that to work toward a world federation before Christ comes again is the work of the devil. An Episcopalian, Cronkite responded, “If that’s true, put me at the devil’s right hand.”
Benedict XVI proceeds from theology and philosophy. Cronkite concludes the necessity of a democratic world federation from experience in, and observation of, world events. The Society of Jesus and Christian Life Community follow Jesus and Christian leaders.
Benedict XVI states that the basic form of poverty is isolation, not being able to love or not being loved, closing in on oneself, thinking one is self-sufficient, or considering oneself too insignificant to belong. There is much interaction now on a world-wide basis. We need an aha! moment when we recognize we are one human family. No one can go it alone. All of us have talents we can contribute to the common good.

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