Last Updated: Friday - 09/24/2010
April 19, 2010
WCR Letters to the Editor
Ensure G8 supports sustainable agriculture
Prime Minister Harper is setting priorities for the G8 meeting in Canada in June. On March 16, he said his G8 proposal was to work for the "millions upon millions of people on every continent (who) have been raised from want and privation, to middle class expectations over the past generation."
He proposes to make the middle class richer and more secure through open global markets. There are two things wrong with Harper's goal: It leaves out one-sixth of the world's population, one billion persons who are hungry. Open global markets, the means he proposes, create more hunger and poverty.
In 2008, the world food crisis reached unprecedented levels. In many parts of the world grain prices doubled or even tripled. The World Bank attributed three-quarters of this dramatic rise in global food prices to the increase of agrofuel production.
In 2009 alone, 105 million more people went hungry. For the first time in the history of humanity, the number of hungry people reached one billion, which is 15 per cent of the global population.
Seventy-five per cent of the poor in the world live in rural areas and depend on agriculture to survive. Yet, only five per cent of development aid is dedicated globally to agricultural projects.
Large-scale production of agrofuels displaces populations from their land, causes deforestation, uses large amounts of water and contaminates land and water with fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and raises the price of food.
Prime Minister Harper should use his influence as host of the G8 and G20 to ensure support of small-scale sustainable agriculture in the Global South.
If you haven't done so, sign Development and Peace's fall campaign card to ask Harper to act against hunger in the world.
You can sign online (www.devp.org/campaign) or get extra copies from your parish representative.
Cecily Mills
Edmonton
Keep your perspective and keep the faith
Catholics are angry and ashamed by the criminal conduct of some members of the clergy but we have to keep things in perspective. Christ's teachings have not changed over the years; it is still the same as it was over 2,000 years ago. We have to remember that one of Christ's disciples also betrayed him.
The Church has made great progress recently to prevent that from happening again. We cannot compound the problem by leaving the Church because that would be another betrayal.
That is precisely what the devil wants us to do. We have to have faith in Christ and his teachings and can not abandon him.
Kenneth D. Curry
Sherwood Park
Turn to the power of prayer so the Church be purified
Much is being said about the Catholic Church these days, some good, some not so good. We as Catholics are deeply hurt, saddened, confused, betrayed and bewildered by the sordid revelations of sexual abuse of minors by priests.
The Catholic Church is shaken. Will it crumble? It will not. It will rise from this time of trial, purified and stronger than before.
I humbly ask all people of good will to pray for our priests. There are so many good and holy ones who put God before self and live a life of quiet sacrifice, belonging to everyone and to no one.
Come, pray with us for those priests who have lost their way, putting self before God, the God they vowed to serve. Let us pray that they will repent, be enlightened, strengthened, guided and supported, that they may return to the ideals of their awesome vocation and know once again the joy they first knew at their ordination.
Ben Rompre
Sherwood Park
Sarah Palin a strong voice for disabled children
I must let you know how disappointed we are that you ran the Catholic Register article blaming Sarah Palin for leading people away from Church ("Palin effect leads people away from Church - sociologist," WCR, March 29).
Sarah Palin is an open Christian follower of Jesus Christ and it is a shame to blame her and run her down as she is a strong voice for the disabled child.
The WCR and the Catholic Register would be much more loving if they would support this burning candle in a dark place.
I am very sorry that my Church would side with Obama who supports partial birth abortion instead of supporting a mother who is no doubt loved by the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Bernadette Rae
Parksville, B.C.
Letters to the Editor
The WCR welcomes your letters. Please write 300 words or less and tell us your name, address and daytime phone number. All letters are subject to editing.
Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily represent the views of the WCR.
Deadline for letters to be considered for publication is Friday noon, 10 days prior to the date of the issue.
The WCR's policy for letters to the editor is available online at www.wcr.ab.ca/letters-policy.shtml.
|
