Prayer-Study-Action          E-Newsletter: July/Aug 2017 

Pax Christi Florida is a regional section of Pax Christi USA and Pax Christi International .

PRAYER

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A Prayer of Remembrance Written by Rev. Loey Powell 

 

O God, tender and just,the names of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

cut through our denialthat we are capable of destroying the earth

and all that dwell therein.Forgive us -

and help us to always remember.We must remember because this must never happen again.

We must remember because you would have us livein harmony with each other, 

seeing the joy of your creation in oursisters and brothers.

Holy God, God of all the ages,lead us from death to life,

to the stockpiling of hope, and of possibilities,and of love

rather than the stockpiling of weapons, or stones to throw,or of hate.

We pray for the healing of the earth and of its peoples,especially for our sisters and brothers

upon whom a nuclear rain poured down. Help us to imagine that another world is possible

and guide our actions towards the peaceyou envision, the peace you have already given us.

In the name of the One who came so that we might have life,and have it abundantly, we pray.

Amen.  

For Pax Christi USA prayer service, Hiroshima/Nagasaki: Never Again, click here.  

STUDY

Ballot Initiatives and Court Appeals Are Challenging the South's Felony Disenfranchisement LawsOlivia Paschal, Facing South: A ballot initiative campaign in Florida and a lawsuit against Louisiana seek to restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they're released from prison. The efforts are parts of a broader movement to overturn felony disenfranchisement laws rooted in white supremacist politics.Read the Article 

Gaza on Verge of Collapse as Israel Sends 2.2 Million People "Back to Middle Ages" in Electricity CrisisAmy Goodman, Democracy Now!: Israeli-imposed restrictions have limited electricity in Gaza to barely four hours a day, creating a humanitarian catastrophe for its 2 million residents. The United Nations now says the area has become unlivable. Human rights lawyer Raji Sourani and author Tareq Baconi discuss the escalation in Gaza.Watch the Video and Read the Transcript   

PowerPoint presentation by Church World Services on the Environment, Climate and Gender Inequality  

Click here to link to PowerPoint presentation.  

Major religious and worker leaders of Interfaith Worker Justice endorse the Florida fast!

Earlier this week, the dozens of fasting Florida clergy and lay leaders received tremendous national backing from major religious leaders associated with longtime CIW supporter Interfaith Worker Justice, which endorsed the Wendy’s Boycott late last year.  At IWJ’s annual convening in Chicago, the IWJ Board of Directors, which is representative of 10 faith traditions, unanimously voted to support the Florida fast. Their searing letter, also signed by over 50 faith and workers’ center IWJ affiliate representatives, is addressed to Wendy’s President and CEO Todd Penegor and condemns the fast food giant’s failure to join the Fair Food Program...

Head over to the CIW website to get the full report from faith leaders' actions from Florida to Chicago in support of the national Wendy's Boycott!  

ACTION

Florida Death Warrant!! Gov. Scott has ordered the execution of Mark Asay for Thursday, August 24 at 6PM. This would be Florida's first execution in 18 months.

Gov. Scott had already broken the record for most executions under a

Please   Take Action !

FADP is rolling out the new "DON'T KILL FOR ME - Stories of Life Over Death" Florida outreach, awareness, and action campaign. Exonerated Florida Death Row survivors, murder victims family members, and others who have directly experienced the devastating effects of the death penalty are telling their stories to the Florida public, policy makers, and the media. We will be updating the FADP web pages with more on this and execution vigils/protests as Mark Asay's execution date approaches.

Shine the Light!  

Take the Pledge! 

Endorsed by Pax Christi Florida

Catholic Mobilizing Network invites all people of faith and good will to sign the National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty.The belief in the dignity of the human person is a pillar of our Catholic faith. The death penalty represents a failure of our society to fulfill the demands of human dignity, as evidenced by the 159 people and counting who have been exonerated due to their innocence since 1973. This denial of human dignity calls all to make known the mercy of God and uphold the Church’s teaching: in a modern society where the death penalty is not needed to maintain public safety, punishment must “correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and [be] more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.” (1) The death penalty does not align with this understanding of human dignity and needs to be abolished in the United States. 

Click here to sign the CMN pledge to end the death penalty. NOTE:  CMN has created a wide-