Read more about Simone Campbell here and about the Partnership for Global Justice and it’s new Executive Director Deirdre Mullen, a Sister of Mercy from Northern Ireland.  The theme ‘Together We Can Build a Sustainable Future for All”  Following a welcome from Deirdre,  Simone delivered her address.  She reflected that this is a wilderness time – striving for justice – and the surprising gift is ‘Manna’ for a hungry world.  Simone referenced Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones.  Ezekiel is told to ‘Breath on them’ letting them know they can have life.  Manna is nourishment given for the moment – if stored it rots, is destroyed.

We are called to touch the pain of the world as real and to let our hearts be broken by the experience … hope is released into the darkness.  We are called to look at the issues – lift them up and pose questions.  How move forward to build a sustainable future for all.

Simone listed 4 global issues for today –  Climate Change,  Employment, Development and Migration.  Climate change is an issue that requires a global response – it cannot be addressed at the local level.  Climate Change need us to come together in new ways advocating for a healthy world.  Simone quoted Pope Francis with regard to employment saying that it is the right of all to live in dignity, earning a living wage.  Employment is both a global issue and a domestic issue.  The horrific fire in Bangledesh is a wake up call – these workers were supporting first world expectations.  This bring up the issue of corporate responsibility.  Simone invited us to find new ways of advocating with corporate entities.  In Development we need to be conscious of diverse cultures.  Let development  be defined in ways that meet  the host culture and be changed by that culture.  We need to find new ways to work together in diverse cultures.  Migration is greatly influenced by ‘global television’ where hunger and hope come together resulting in movement of peoples.  People go to where the jobs are.  Employers benefit from this exploitation.  Amid all the international policies that exist an international migration policy is lacking.

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