International AIDS Conference

The International AIDS Conference will take place from August 3-8 in Mexico City. Click here for more information.

July 21 Call-in Day on Iran

On Monday, July 21, there is a nationalcall-in to Congress to coincide with a lobby day in Washington coordinated by Peace Action. Please let your elected representativesknow that there is strong opposition to military action against Iran. Further information can be found on the website of Pax Christi USA, inaddition to a new resource, "Nonviolence and Dialogue with Iran," byDave Robinson. See http://www.paxchristiusa.org/ for more information.

Convention for the Common Good (Conclusion)

Sunday, July 13 involved the commissioning of the delegates. John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, addressed the assembly and Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ -- author of Dead Man Walking and The Death of Innocents -- provided much food for thought. The delegates left the convention with a renewed sense of spreading the word on voting the common good in the upcoming Presidential election.

Convention for the Common Good (Continued)

On Saturday morning, July 12, breakout sessions were held regarding ecology, immigration, war/peace, economy, and health care. The statements and questions generated at these sessions will be available on the web site soon. Stay tuned . . . In the afternoon, conversations were held with elected officials. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Democrat from Ohio's 9th District, and representatives of other elected officials answered specific questions raised by the morning breakout sessions. The affirmation of the Platform occurred in the afternoon. The evening's Presidential Election Forum was led by Washington Post Op-Ed writer, E.J. Dionne, author of Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics after the Religious Right. John Podesta, former Chief of Staff to President Clinton, and John Dougherty, former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives (from Pennsylvania) served as panelists.

Kristof on Mortenson

Remember Three Cups of Tea, this blog's recommended book from April? Nicholas Kristoff wrote an Op-Ed piece about it in Sunday's NY Times. Click here to access the piece. And -- if you haven't read the book yet, perhaps now is the time!

Signing the Platform

Check out http://www.votethecommongood.com/ for information about the Platform for the Common Good and to sign the Platform.

Faith Can Move Mountains: Vote the Common Good

What a convention! About 800 of us descended on Philadelphia for this inaugural event. On Friday we were greeted by Sister Simone Campbell, NETWORK Executive Director and Alexia Kelley, Executive Director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Senator Bob Casey, Jr. welcomed us to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with some inspiring words, reminding us (as does the prophet Micah and the hymn, "We are Called") that WE ARE CALLED TO ACT WITH JUSTICE, TO LOVE TENDERLY, TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD. The keynote speaker on Friday evening was Dr. M. Shawn Copeland of Boston College. Dr. Copeland's entire speech was inspiring, and I'm sure it will be available in other formats, so I won't repeat it here. However, here are some important points:

1. Our world cannot change if we do not.
2. We should cultivate the virtue of hope.
3. We should draw on the theological literacy, spiritual resources, etc., that we have.

She also strong encouraged us to pray and fast for the common good to be carried out in the November elections.

More to follow . . .

Convention for the Common Good

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and NETWORK are leading the Convention for the Common Good in Philadelphia this weekend, July 11-13. Stay tuned to this blog for more information during the weekend. Depending on Internet availability, reports will be posted during or immediately after the Convention. Click here for more information. If you're attending the Convention, I'll see you there!

USCCB Study Guide on Human Torture

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released a study guide, "Torture is a Moral Issue," which looks at church teaching as it relates to the use of torture by government authorities around the world. The study guide can be used by discussion groups, classes, individuals, and families. Click here to access the study guide through the USCCB web site.

Partnership for Global Justice

You may recall the reports provided by Sister Mary Irene from the Partnership for Global Justice Annual Meeting. Now, the talks from the Annual Meeting are available online by clicking on "Annual Meeting" at http://www.partnershipforglobaljustice.com/.