12 March 2023
 Today our mission must radically change. That mission is traumatic, ongoing, and accelerating. In less than 200 years. Just a blink in geological time we humans have burnt so much coal, gas and oil, and destroyed so many forests, that our planets climate has become unstable. Sea levels are rising, oceans are heating, acidifying, and filling with plastic. Large populations of animals have vanished, and many species are going extinct. People world wide are struggling with extreme heat waves, droughts, floods and storms. Countless people are going hungry and being forcibly displaced because of climate shocks. |
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11 March 2023
 An amazing documentary that envisions how our world could be in 2040 if we took the environment seriously. Don't do this for yourself. Do this for our children and grandchildren. |
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11 February 2023
 As many thousands of people were killed. There are many thousands exposed in sleeping outside in freezing conditions. The Turkey and Syrian governments are asking the International Community to respond by sending support and aid. Please watch these videos to make people aware of what is going on. Please give to the many organisations such as Caritas and UNHCR who have people on the ground helping these people. |
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29 January 2023
 Almost 50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, either forced to work against their will or in a marriage that they were forced into, according to Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The new data shows that the number of people trapped in modern slavery has risen significantly in the last five years, and that it affects every region of the world. The world needs to move quickly and decisively to get progress back on track. However, the report also details several actions which, taken swiftly and together, can make significant progress towards ending modern slavery, worldwide. |
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29 January 2023
 When reporter Nick McKenzie received a tip-off about this story last year, he couldn’t believe what he was being told. Twelve months of investigating though has not only confirmed it, but also established it is much worse than he first thought. In a joint 60 MINUTES, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald special report, McKenzie exposes what could be one of Australia’s largest human trafficking operations. What he has discovered are vulnerable Asian woman being coerced into enduring shocking conditions as sex workers. In fact, their treatment is so poor that even police admit not enough is being done to help them. Meanwhile the crime bosses make huge profits off this multi-million-dollar industry, while making a mockery of Australia’s supposedly strict border security. |
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23 January 2023
 Our challenge is to accompany people from the margins into a journey towards the fullness of life and love. We are meant to be in the coalface, in the messiness of it all and at the same time in fidelity to the Gospel… Like Christ in his ministry among the sick and the lost, we are called to meet God in the most unlikely people and places. We, too, must be in that frontier space. |
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23 January 2023
 The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched the proposal for the indigenous voice to parliament. The focus is of hope and humility. Years of broken promises, failures, and false starts demand nothing less. The prime minister outlines some of the detail for this reform. The draft question is Do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice? |
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16 January 2023
 An inspiration speech concerning Laudatio Si, the current environmental crises and the actions which need to be taken. This was delivered to the Marist Family of Brothers, Fathers, Sisters and Laity using Zoom in February 2021. This journey is be taken together. We as people are integrally connected to the world who is suffering. We need leaders to emerge. Together we must become more aware so that we might respond as a community both locally in connection to our brothers and sisters across the world. |
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24 December 2022
 A number of activities were executed in Myanmar. These are the first executions since 1988. There has been a continuing coup by violence of the military. The military is not monolithic. There are different factions within the military. The coup was a product of these factions. Ever since Myanmar's military leaders took control in a 2021 coup, the country has deteriorated into civil war. But who are the men in charge and what do they really want? |
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14 December 2022
 I remember the 19th of February was one of the happiest days of my life. We had bowling between friends. We had a competition between friends. It was a normal and happy day of my life. The 23rd of February was the last day I saw and met my classmates. On the 24th of February you woke with loud noises and they turn out to be being rain-down on Kharkiv..... |
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11 December 2022
 Christmas Eve Homeless Outreach |
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11 December 2022
 A 2021 documentary film about the environmental impact of fishing directed by and starring Ali Tabrizi, a British filmmaker. The film is produced by Kip Anderson, director of animal consumption documentaries Cowspiracy and What the Health. |
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29 November 2022
 Marist Sisters in Australia taking Action to Care for the Earth. Have a a close look at the concrete actions what the Marist Sisters are doing to Care for the Earth. |
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27 November 2022
 I have 22 mug shots lying in the Victorian prison system. I am proud that I am a survivor with those photos. I am a member of the Stolen Generation. Survivor. Spend many of my time in jail. Jail was a useful tool for me. It was some kind of respite from my activities of being on the streets. From being homeless. Being addicted to Heroin. Thank God I was sleeping in a bed and had something to do in jail. I taught ceramica in prison. I started a pottery shop. I called it psycho ceramica because you had to be a crack pot to be there in the first place.... |
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24 November 2022
 Brother Leo said that in novitiate he was told to read 'The Soul of the Apostolate' every year. He learned from this book that prayer is the foundation for everything. He said that action is the shadow side of the Brothers as they have become workaholics. They would rather teach, coach, clean than become mystics. We need time for life, energy and to develop a passion for God that can only come about by prayer. We are not social workers or activists -we do love the work but it is not enough. We are Marists in Action and for this we need a deep prayer life to support our ministry. |
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22 November 2022
 At COP 27, countries come together to take action towards achieving the world’s collective climate goals as agreed under the Paris Agreement and the Convention. Building on the outcomes and momentum of COP 26 in Glasgow last year, nations are expected to demonstrate at COP 27 that they are in a new era of implementation by turning their commitments under The Paris Agreement into action. The conference will take place from 6-18 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Heads of State and Government will attend the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit on 7 and 8 November. A high-level segment primarily attended by Ministers will take place from 15-18 November. |
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14 November 2022
 In the last few weeks of this liturgical year our scripture readings focus on the last things including death, judgement, heaven and hell. Today's readings sound dire and indeed they are because Jesus and the prophet Malachi before him speak of a persecution which is to come. We know in history Jesus followers were often persecuted often to death in the early years and centuries after Jesus. We can use this history as a springboard as Jesus followers still suffer in parts of the world because of their faith. There are also people persecuted because of their political elegance or sexual orientation or other faiths such as the Muslim Uyghurs. Today I would like to reflect of suffering that happens closer to home and that is within families and intimate relationships. |
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04 November 2022
 Zahra, her husband, and 3 children have been in Australia for the past 4 years. Her eldest daughter won 2 scholarships to uni, the middle daughter is at high school and the little boy starts school next year. Zahra has a cleaning business, her husband works 6 days a week as a tiler. But their life is far from normal. |
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30 October 2022
 In this unique feature documentary, titled David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, the celebrated naturalist reflects upon both the defining moments of his lifetime and the devastating changes he has seen. Coming to Netflix October 4 2020, the film addresses some of the biggest challenges facing life on our planet, providing a snapshot of global nature loss in a single lifetime. With it comes a powerful message of hope for future generations as Attenborough reveals the solutions to help save our planet from disaster. |
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30 October 2022
 Australian Religious Response to Climate Change or ARCC is a member-based organisation of people from around Australia who are committed to taking action on climate change. Our members represent a variety of religious traditions. We believe that as people dedicated to the common good, inspired by our beliefs and energized by our spirituality, people of all faiths can and should be at the forefront of creating a safe climate. While celebrating the uniqueness of our different traditions, we stand together in working for an ecologically and socially sustainable future. |
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30 October 2022
 A film about a nation on the front line of climate change: the central Pacific nation of Kiribati is one of the countries in the world most vulnerable to rising sea levels. |
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27 October 2022
 Ask one of the children residing in a Brownsville, Texas unaccompanied minors' shelter if they have ever met an angel and they might just say, 'Yes, actually, an older fellow with white hair and a big belly and a bigger laugh who brought us into his church and fed us pizza and soft drinks even though the shelter staff told him that he couldn't do that.' |
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27 October 2022
 Most Australians say “yes. We fully support the Uluru statement from the heart”. But do you actually know what is in it? Do you actually know where those words come from? |
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23 October 2022
 Leading iconographer and artist Michael Galovic has created his own deeply-felt response to the war in Ukraine in his latest work, Ukraine Response. |
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23 October 2022
 Rachel Perkins is one of this country's great storytellers, translating distinctively Australian stories for the screen, including a new television series called The Australian Wars.It tracks the bloody conflicts that broke out across the continent after the arrival of the British colonists.Rachel says these are the most important wars in our history: they were fought on Australian soil, between Australians, to determine the ownership and control of the entire country.The stories from this era are stories of violence, of peace, of epic adventures, which make up the foundational narrative of this nation. |
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21 October 2022
 Domestic and family violence and abuse are a plague on our society. Far too many people do not feel safe in their own homes. And really, the time has come for this to stop. Our relationships should be marked by equality and reciprocity, rather than dominion and violence, respect and freedom, rather than coercion and control. Far too often, some use false religious teachings or beliefs, to justify these destructive attitudes and behaviours. |
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17 October 2022
 Heal the world. Make it a better place. For you and for me, and the entire human race. There are people dying. If you care enough for the living. Make a better place for you and for me |
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16 October 2022
 The Uluru Statement from the Heart was both historic and practical, laying out a way that the relationship between Indigenous Australia and the Commonwealth could be reset. Now the campaign for a Voice to Parliament is moving into a new phase, as chief political correspondent Laura Tingle reports. |
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13 October 2022
 If the fields are parched. And the trees are felled. Will the rocks cry aloud on their own. If the birds are starved. And the beasts are killed. Will the bones in the dust lift a song. |
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12 October 2022
 In 2015, Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si’ (The Letter); an encyclical letter about the environmental crisis to every single person in the world. A few years later, four voices that have gone unheard in global conversations have been invited to an unprecedented dialogue with the Pope. Hailing from Senegal, the Amazon, India, and Hawai’i, they bring perspective and solutions from the poor, the indigenous, the youth, and wildlife into a conversation with Pope Francis himself. This documentary follows their journey to Rome and the extraordinary experiences that took place there, and is packed with powerfully moving personal stories alongside the latest information about the planetary crisis and the toll it’s taking on nature and people.
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07 October 2022
 The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries on Earth. But it holds the world’s richest deposits of cobalt. Now the race is on to mine the metal essential to making electric car batteries. People in this region are digging and dying for. It is dangerous work. The massive industrial mines are a law until themselves. People are dying for lack of safety. Corruption and violence and rampant. Small scale miners who work on the fringes of the mine risk arrest and even death. Many are children. This is the cost of our green energy revolution. |
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26 June 2022
 Since the war in Ukraine began, more than 3,000 refugees have arrived here in Australia. But while waiting for news of their humanitarian visas, many have found themselves needing shelter and guidance. Reporter Amelia Moseley followed the journeys of two mothers and their children all the way into Australian homes. |
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26 June 2022
 On February 1st 2021, the government in Myanmar was overthrown in a military coup. Aung San Suu Kyi is now being held in prison and hundreds of protestors have been shot on the streets. For many decades, Christians and Muslims have been at the hard end of military oppression. Now the Buddhist majority are feeling the crack of the whip. To discuss Myanmar’s turbulent history and the current crisis, Ernie Rea is joined by Soe Win Than (Editor of the BBC Burmese Service), Khin Ohmar (a democracy and human rights activist noted for her leadership in the 1988 uprising in Myanmar) and by Benedict Rogers (Senior Analyst for East Asia at Christian Solidarity Worldwide). |
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26 June 2022
 Asia’s culture and religion go hand in hand, said the cardinal, who also serves as the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. He called the culture and religions – including Buddhism, Islam, and Catholicism – “very rich, very diverse.” |
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21 June 2022
 Barely a day goes by without some dire warning about the state of the environment. But we also hear that if we act now we may be able to avoid the worst consequences of man-made climate change. The vast majority of the world’s population hold to a faith tradition. So what role can religion play in bringing about the kind of change that is needed? Religion appeals not only to science but to deeply held beliefs and values. Religion can talk the language of hope as opposed to fear and can tap into vast networks and mobilise communities. So what difference can religions make, what kind of things are already happening and are they doing enough to tackle a problem that will connect all people regardless of faith and belief? |
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19 June 2022
 Mary Ghisolfo, Lay Marist serving with Notre Dame des Victoires, San Francisco, California, writes to answer the question: 'Why Does Ministry Among the Poor Awaken for Us the Critical Role of a Marist Vocation?' |
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25 April 2022
 Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, has washed the feet of inmates in a gesture of respect, humility and love for some of the most marginalised members of our community. |
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22 April 2022
 Sir David Frederick Attenborough is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural history documentary series forming the Life |
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22 April 2022
 Afghanistan is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, with the country seeing a sharp deterioration in the situation since the Taliban seized power in August.International funds which propped up the country’s fragile economy have been stopped as the world debates how to deal with the Taliban regime.The United Nations has issued a stark warning – that millions will die if urgent aid does not reach the country soon. In this video, the BBC’s Yogita Limaye travels to Herat, in the west of the country, and witnesses first-hand the dire situation on the ground. |
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29 March 2022
 Integral Ecology is about pursuing the good for our common home. In this video we explore the meaning of integral ecology, and we will be introduced to the 'Economy of Francesco', one of the most explicit calls made by Pope Francis on acting from an integral economy perspective. |
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22 March 2022
 Caritas Ukraine is caring for people - Children and youth, Healthcare, Migration issues and Crisis situations |
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03 March 2022
 How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand? Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly Before they're forever banned? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind. |
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02 March 2022
 Saint Francis in the 1219 traveled to Egypt to engage with the Islamic sultan Al Kamil during the crusades. Francis went to seek peace. After Francis had approached the Christian generals, they rejected him. Francis stayed in the camp with Sultan in dialogue. There was a mutual understanding and appreciation of each other. |
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02 March 2022
 In 1963 the cuban missile crisis between communist Russia and the United States saw the threat of nuclear war at its highest point. Pope John XXIII played a pivotal role resolving the conflict between Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and President John F Kennedy. Shortly after, John release Pacem In Terris months before he would die. This document promoted peace in all parts of our lives. |
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02 March 2022
 In 1994 the world turned its back on the country of Rwanda. Over 600,000 died in a genocide. This movie documents the story of Hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina brave act to protect 1000s of refugees from being killed. |
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01 March 2022
 There is a cost to everything we do. But the biggest cost is doing nothing. This climate emergency is a race. The climate crisis is caused by us and the solutions must come from us. It will require fundamental transformations in all aspects of society. How we grow food, use land, fuel our transport. The COVID pandemic has impacted human well being. It has caused indirect effects on species and the environment. COVID is a consequence of the depletion of nature. Therefore there is a need and proactive in fighting climate change. We are called to become stewards of God's creation. How are we called to take action? |
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26 January 2022
 Kiama Council has announced lay Marist Maria Baden as Australia Day Citizen of the Year for 2022. |
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26 January 2022
 Congratulations to Australian of the Year 2022, Dylan Alcott.As a teenager, tennis player Dylan Alcott was bullied over his disability and 'dreaded being in a wheelchair'.Now 31, Dylan has made history as the first man to achieve a Golden Slam, using his success on the tennis court to reshape perceptions around disability through the Dylan Alcott Foundation, Get Skilled Access and AbilityFest — Australia's first accessible and fully inclusive music festival. 'It may shock a lot of people but the thing I am proudest of now is my disability and I love it.' |
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19 January 2022
 Father Luigi Savoldelli sm, sent this news, at the end of last year, from District's Laudato Si Project in Cameroon. |
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05 January 2022
 All around the world, the Communion is meeting these needs. We can’t do everything, but we can do everything that God gives us the resources to do. I know of a place in the middle of a civil war, which is nevertheless running a COVID clinic. I know of a province, where there is appalling terrorism, which is strengthening communities. I know of places that are speaking up for injustice, and saying ‘this must stop’. I know of places that are welcoming refugees and internally displaced persons. |
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05 January 2022
 Jesus is the fullness of God’s revelation of love for us and for all of creation. This means that no matter who we are: male or female, black or white, straight or gay, rich or poor, high or low, citizen or refugee, God’s love embraces us and reverences us all. Jesus came down to live in a typical Middle Eastern village called Nazareth, that was home to a couple of hundred ‘country’ people. He did not decide to brandish his power, but to spend most of his time with the powerless and disenfranchised. |
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18 December 2021
 What is it like to be a refugee? In this animated film two polar bears are driven into exile due to global warming. They will encounter brown bears along their journey, with whom they will try to cohabitate. Please watch this 8 minute film. |
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10 December 2021
 It is now 6 years since Pope Francis published his encyclical 'Laudatio Si' or Our Care for our Common Home. At the time it attracted world wide attention for its focus on ecology, climate, economics, and how this all impact on the poor and marginalised people. |
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30 November 2021
 Michael Anderson (Nyoongar Ghurradjong Murri Ghillar) is an Aboriginal rights activist, leader of the Euahlayi tribe of 3,000 people living in north-western New South Wales, and Native Title claimant to their traditional lands on their behalf.From 1969 Mr. Anderson was a leader in the Australian Black Power movement and was appointed by his peers as the first Aboriginal ambassador to white Australia after he and three comrades established what was later called the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the front lawns of Australia's parliament house in 1972. |
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19 November 2021
 A story of a refugee family who have fled afghanistan making their way to the EU. |
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17 November 2021
 Rev. James Bhagwan, general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, addresses the High level Segment of COP26 on behalf of the Interfaith Liaison Committee. |
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14 November 2021
 In today’s Gospel – Mark 13:24-32 – we have an example of apocalyptic literature, a particular articulation of our shared belief. The English word, “apocalyptic”, comes from the Greek word, apokaluptein meaning “uncover” or “reveal”. The central focus of Christian apocalyptic literature – indeed of all Christian witness – is the uncovering or revealing of the glory of God in Jesus who is the Christ. We might reasonably think of today’s Gospel text as an incoherent articulation of the ineffable. |
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14 November 2021
 With a million species at risk of extinction, Sir David Attenborough explores how this crisis of biodiversity has consequences for us all, threatening food and water security, undermining our ability to control our climate and even putting us at greater risk of pandemic diseases. |
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12 November 2021
 What does it mean to lead? Invictus models an approach to leadership which is relational, but uses injustice as a vehicle to lead. |
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08 November 2021
 This song tells the story in August 1966, 200 Gurindji stockmen, domestic workers and their families initiated strike action at Wave Hill station in the Northern Territory.Negotiations with the station owners, the international food company Vestey Brothers, broke down, leading to a seven-year dispute. |
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07 November 2021
 On Saturday November 6, 25 lay and Religious Marists joined together online to discuss “How are we called to be stewards of God’s creation”? Pope Francis spoke about the Laudatio Si Action Platform. That all people are called to an ecological conversion. Pope Francis calls all of us to be more connected to creation through how we live our lives. This is very urgent because it is the poorest of the poor who are most effected. Those that do not have a voice. |
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06 November 2021
 Marist Laity Australia would like to invite you to join us on Saturday November 6 at 7 pm (EAST Eastern Australian Time) to reflect on 'How are we called to be stewards of creation'?
This event will coincide with the COP26 gathering in Scotland. It has become urgent that we as people must play our part as well to care for the earth. How are we called to change? What real and practical things can we do? What is the impact to our regional neighbours? Like Kiribati. |
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26 October 2021
 Globally, people who are LGBTQIA+ are at increased risk of depression, suicide, and verbal, physical and sexual harassment and abuse. James recognised a lack of Church advocacy on these issues following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting in the USA, noticing that few Catholic Bishops publicly spoke out about the massacre. |
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21 October 2021
 This program follows a group of primary school students as they learn to recognise and address issues of racism, prejudice and stereotyping. |
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21 October 2021
 Key global climate talks will be be hosted by the UK in Glasgow in November 2021. Campaigners for action on global warming say the summit will need to agree tough and radical reductions in carbon emissions if they are to limit the worst effects climate change. So what are the main challenges facing those trying to forge a new agreement at the talks? |
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01 October 2021
 Today's youth have inherited a big, unprecedented climate problem to solve -- and the eco-anxiety to go with it. Gen-Zer and activist Clover Hogan knows the struggle firsthand, but she also understands the path to climate action starts with the one thing you can control: your mindset. She explains why challenging the stories that keep you feeling powerless can help you take the first step to protecting the planet for generations to come. |
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29 September 2021
 But in recent days up to some 15,000 migrants mainly Haitians (but other nationalities including Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans) crossed the river over the span of a week, by wading over a dam on the river and were then blocked from moving forward . So they made camp under the international bridge on the US side thus creating yet another crisis and for anti-Biden critics a reason to make a lot of noise. |
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29 September 2021
 Three years ago Border Force officers removed Nades Murugappen, Priya Nadaraja and their two young daughters from their adopted Queensland town of Biloela. |
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29 September 2021
 ‘Shine Your Light’ – Song by refugees featuring Ricky Kej, Aditya Narayan, Neeti Mohan and Salim Merchant |
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18 September 2021
 Listen to four key presenters talk about the current Climate Crisis for Pacific people - Vincent Long, Rev Mata Havea Hillau – Uniting Church, Rev James Bhagwan and Archbishop Peter Chong – From Fiji |
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18 September 2021
 Foreign Correspondent. One Spanish yacht. A quarter of a million square kilometres of sea. Boatloads of desperate men, women & children fleeing for their lives. Can a Barcelona crew help the thousands on this risky journey and steer them to safety? |
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13 September 2021
 Afghanistan’s Panjshir valley is in crisis. Families are trapped inside the narrow valley without enough food or medical supplies, and cut off from the outside world as the conflict in the region continues. As we continue to do what we can on the ground we are making an appeal for international intervention from global NGO’s to assist us reach more people in need of our help. We can’t do this alone. We need your help. |
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13 September 2021
 I regret to write to you that the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating very quickly. In over 40 years of war, I have not seen the situation so devastating as it is today.
The violence in Kabul and the northeast has forced hundreds of thousands of terrified families to flee their homes in desperate search of safety.
I know first-hand what it is like to flee your home in the face of war and terror. When families flee the terror, they have no choice but to escape quickly, with very few or no possessions. |
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18 August 2021
 Conversations and opinions about whether Australia should take refugees. |
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18 August 2021
 Bashir Yousufi is an orphan who fled Afghanistan leaving behind three younger brothers. He's now a high school student in Sydney's west with a passion for the country that gave him refug |
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12 August 2021
 Set in Afghanistan. Follow the story of a 12 year old girl who has to dress up as a boy to receive work under the Taliban prior to 2003. This movie explores the culture and harsh realities for women in Afghanistan. |
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11 August 2021
 Phil Glendenning brings tales of horror about refugees sent back to their countries by Australia. He provides compelling arguments to support the claim that the Australian public is being lied to by its politicians. |
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11 August 2021
 What has happened to the many refugees Australia sent back to Afghanistan? Are they still alive? Phil Glendenning director of the Edmund Rice centre follows the stories of refugees who Australia deemed safe to return home. For many of these people, their stories are chilling. |
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11 August 2021
 The Taliban have been making major advances across Afghanistan as foreign troops withdraw, taking at least five regional capitals since Friday. In their most significant gain, the Taliban are now reported to have overrun the northern city of Kunduz. |
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10 August 2021
 The 2021 IPPC Regional Workshop provides an exceptional forum for regional and national plant protection organizations to share ideas, enhance cooperation and work together to strengthen plant health at the national, regional and global level. By reviewing draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, discussing topics of phytosanitary concern, and moving from ideas to action countries and regions will contribute to advance plant health globally. |
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05 August 2021
 Launch of Social Justice Statement 2021-22: Cry of the Earth and Cry of the Poor. Join us for the national launch of the Social Justice Statement 2021-22: Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor. This is the only statement where all the Bishops of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) release a joint reflection on a particular topic annually. This year it focuses on why it is so important that we as a community respond to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor. |
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31 July 2021
 The Fijian government is taken a very serious stance on vaccination. At the latest count 78% of the population has received one dose of vaccine. They are using Astra Zeneca. About 19% are fully vaccinated. The government has said for public servants that anyone who has not commenced vaccinated by the 1st of November will find themselves out of work. The governments “no jab no job” policy. |
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24 July 2021
 Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) has written to the Government highlighting where its refugee and asylum seeker policies do not uphold Australia’s international human rights obligations, contrary to the Government’s insistence otherwise. The United Nations Human Rights Council has reached the same conclusions in its recent Universal Periodic Review (UPR) |
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14 July 2021
 For refugees, getting a full-time job and finding a place to live is incredibly difficult. That was certainly the case for Moj, a young man from Afghanistan whose entire family was killed in the war. Suffering from PTSD, he was unable to find work until an ABC documentary shared his story with the world. This report produced by Laura Kewley. |
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11 July 2021
 At 6 years old, Ruby Bridges went to school in the protection of U.S. Marshals due to threats from white families who didn't want a Black child attending school with their children.her attending a formerly all white elementary school. Ostracized by teachers & peers, Ruby soon realized she was the target of their hate simply for being born Black. Today, she speaks on the experience & the continued fight against anti-Black racism in America. |
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11 July 2021
 The Royal Dutch court has held that Royal Dutch Shell is liable for its contributions to climate change. The court found that its ongoing fossil fuel operations undermined basic guaranteed human rights and authorised the company by slashing its global carbon omissions by 45% by 2030. |
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07 July 2021
 The global climate crisis will require us to transform the way we act, says His Holiness Pope Francis. Delivering a visionary TED Talk from Vatican City, the spiritual leader proposes three courses of action to address the world's growing environmental problems and economic inequalities, illustrating how all of us can work together, across faiths and societies, to protect the Earth and promote the dignity of everyone. 'The future is built today,' he says. 'And it is not built in isolation, but rather in community and in harmony.' (English voiceover by Bruno Giussani. Watch this talk in Italian at go.ted.com/papafrancesco and Spanish at go.ted.com/papafrancisco) |
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30 June 2021
 As part of the exhibition we need thousands of people to come down and plant hands into the lawn of The Calyx. The design will involve 10,000 hands in the colours of charred and burnt banksia pods as part of the 'Healing Country' theme. Head to the Calyx lawn from 29 June to get involved. |
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28 June 2021
 29 June 2020, marks the 20th anniversary since the official launch of the Earth Charter. Therefore, Earth Charter International, in collaboration with various partner organizations, organized a series of webinars under the theme “Earth Charter 2020 Turning Conscience into Action for a Thriving Earth”. The event offered a space for presenters and participants to consider the relevance of the Earth Charter to current times, for instance, as an ethical compass for building the “new normal”.This is the recording of Webinar 1: Turning Conscience into Action for Global Collaboration Sunday, 28 June 2020 |
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27 June 2021
 We are stealing from the generations to come. The thief comes to steal and destroy. We are the thieves from the generations to come. The rich are getting richer. While the poor are becoming ever more poor. |
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27 June 2021
 Wiradjuri man Duncan Smith is an inspiration to many, but most especially his children. Meet the Wiradjuri Echoes and see them perform by the Murrumbidgee River. This film was produced for the Canberra Museum & Gallery. |
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27 June 2021
 This story's right, this story's true. I would not tell lies to you. Like the promises they did not keep. And how they fenced us in like sheep.Said to us come take our hand. Sent us off to mission land.Taught us to read, to write and pray. Then they took the children away,Took the children away,The children away.Snatched from their mother's breastSaid this is for the bestTook them away. |
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27 June 2021
 Displaced by war, persecution and natural disaster, tens of millions of refugees have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. Are we doing enough to protect the most vulnerable among them: children? |
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24 June 2021
 Be inspired and moved hearing Bishop Vincent, Idrissa, Kane and Len share their first steps on their journey as migrants and refugees. |
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23 June 2021
 As we enter July here in Australia we enter one of the coldest months of the year. One of the saddest memories I have of volunteering for St Vincent De Paul Night Patrol is arriving at Central Station park on a -1 degree July Night many years ago. The wind was blowing, and it was freezing. At 11.30 pm we were to pack up and go home to a warm bed and shower. But one of the last visitors was a couple with a stroller. They had a young child pushing her along. Maybe 2 years old. After a hot milo and some fruit which we had left, they decided to spend the night in the park in freezing conditions. A family of 3. My heart when out to them. |
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18 June 2021
 In June 2016, days ahead of the first anniversary of Laudato Si', the Global Catholic Climate Movement made its first joint divestment announcement, consisting of four religious orders in the Pacific, one of the parts of the world most threatened by rising sea levels tied to global warming. Among them were the Marist Sisters in Australia. |
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18 June 2021
 Listen to the important stories of these members of our community. CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes as experienced a 20% rise in demand for our services - particularly for homelessness and emergency accomodation. Please help support the most vulnerable in our community. |
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18 June 2021
 Affordable housing and over crowding in our community is at an all time high. Especially in Aboriginal communities we have family members living on top of each other. Couch surfing. What that relates to is that our men turn to other issues that effect them. We need to say enough enough is enough. We need to call men to be warriors in our community. There needs to be changes in mens attitudes. Men need to speak up more and return back to their roots. |
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13 June 2021
 We continue to hear sad stories from the Myanmar refugees in Thailand. MMC funds a hostel program for young refugees and an education and health program in Ranong. Some of these programs have been disrupted due to the uncertain and violent times in their country. The refugees from Myanmar attending our program in Ranong Thailand are directly across the border from Myanmar and these young people are deeply concerned for their families and relatives back in Myanmar. |
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13 June 2021
 This week world leaders, pushing for more coordinated and strenuous action on climate change, no doubt hoping to capitalise on the lesson of coronavirus while it's still fresh - that doing too little, too late has dire consequences. So far, most nations - including Australia - have acted with insufficient urgency, meaning that the task ahead is now both mitigation and adaptation. |
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13 June 2021
 The time has come. A fact's a fact. It belongs to them. Let's give it back. How can we dance. When our earth is turning. How do we sleep. While our beds are burning |
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12 June 2021
 Victoria and South Aust have passed this bill with options within it. For providers to conscientiously object but Queensland look to Pass the bill with no Options for Providers to object…this is very concerning.For all Christian based health and aged care facilities. |
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05 June 2021
 Breaking Boundaries tells the story of the most important scientific discovery of our time - that humanity has pushed Earth beyond the boundaries that have kept Earth stable for 10,000 years, since the dawn of civilization. The 75-minute film takes the audience on a journey of discovery of planetary thresholds we must not exceed, not just for the stability of our planet, but for the future of humanity. It offers up the solutions we can and must put in place now if we are to protect Earth’s life support systems. |
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10 May 2021
 A shelter for street boys located in the heart of Bankerohan, Davao City, Philippines. The center is administered by the Society of Mary-Marist Fathers & Brothers. |
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17 April 2021
 More than 200 people were killed or injured in Yemen in March, the deadliest so far this year. The world’s biggest humanitarian crisis has exacerbated with a second wave of Covid-19 infections. The UN is urging for a ceasefire and eventual end to the war |
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10 April 2021
 The spotlights illegal fishing fleets use are so powerful, they can be detected from space. The EU, the world's champion of sustainability, takes home almost a quarter of the yellowfin tuna court in our Indian Ocean, a species that has been overfished for years and is on the brink of collapse. Iran's fishing fleet illegally plunders the water of Yemen and Somalia, where millions of children are on the brink of starvation. And our own Australian trawlers fished out 90% of the population of orange roughy, a deep-sea perch, before we realised that this fish grows incredibly slowly and lives for up to 200 years |
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06 April 2021
 Father Luigi Savoldelli sm, writes: I would like to begin my article by focusing on the experience that I have been living with African confreres and the people of Cameroon for some years now; our experience is grounded in the encyclical 'Laudato Si'' by Pope Francis. The Agricultural project that we began as Marist Fathers of Cameroon, working with a group of poor, local, people has its origins in meditating on this encyclical, and finding a way to develop and express its meaning. |
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06 April 2021
 Floods & landslides in Indonesia & East Timor leave scores dead | DW News |
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05 April 2021
 I am wanting to let you know about the screening of a wonderful documentary, Rosemary's Way. You will find details of the screenings at Randwick, Shellharbour and Campbelltown in April and a TBA screening at Parramatta Riverside Theatre in May. |
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25 March 2021
 Father Peter Nawt Lawt, a Diocesan Priest from Myanmar, left our Marist Fathers General House Community 2 weeks ago to return to his home Diocese in Myitkyina Myanmar. Amidst the political turmoil caused by the military coup he felt he needed to be with his People in this time of their need. He had been staying with us, completing his Licentiate in Canon Law, due to a connection with Fr John Larsen, who had spent some years in that part of Myanmar where father Peter comes from. |
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24 March 2021
 Early on March 24, 1944, a Nazi patrol surrounded the home of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma on the outskirts of the village of Markowa in southeast Poland. They discovered eight Jewish people who had found refuge with the couple and executed them. |
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02 March 2021
 Twenty-two-year-old Oliva lives in Tanzania with her farmer husband, two young sons and an adopted niece and nephew. She didn’t have the opportunity to go to school growing up - and was embarrassed that she couldn’t read, write or count. Around 25 percent of Tanzanian girls and women over 15 years cannot read or write, with many families unable to afford school fees or uniforms. |
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17 February 2021
 Missionary priest in Africa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. |
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17 February 2021
 Marists from all over the world and representing all branches of the Marist Family connected on Feb 11 with Fr Joshtrom Kureethadam for a webinar on Laudato Si's 7-year planning. Fr Joshtorm is Coordinator of the Sector of “Ecology and Creation” at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. |
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12 February 2021
 Bill Gates is focusing on Climate Change. We need to go green. Gates with the overwhelming number of scientists who are warning of a climate disaster. The good news is that Gates believes it is possible to avoid a catastrophic rise in temperatures. The bad news...he says in the next 30 years we need scientific breakthroughs, technical innovations and global cooperation on a scale the world has never seen. |
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08 February 2021
 Pope Francis has declared the feast of St Josephine Bakhita on February 8 the International Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action against Human Trafficking. Join ACRATH and mark this day by sharing information, joining the world community in prayer and committing to do something in your own life to end slavery. |
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28 January 2021
 We do not break generations apart. That is what we learn in scripture. We carry the best of every generation with us. That is the difference between tradition and traditionalism. There was a liturgist at St John’s in Minnesota, Godfrey Dateman said one day “I don’t have a lot to teach you. But I will teach you the difference between tradition and traditionalism. Traditionalism is the stuff we pass on. Tradition is the passing on of the stuff”. |
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25 January 2021
 1989. Two lines of Kurdish refugees, children in the foreground and adults behind. Eyes forward or staring down the barrel of the camera, they stand squashed together, chests pressed into the backs of their line neighbour as though queueing for some inane activity. Only one young boy in a small blue parker breaks the continuity by looking directly into the camera and smiling. His smile is broad and genuine, as though he recognises the photographer – as one would smile at a friend or a beloved relative. He is calm. He shows no fear. He looks happy. |
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13 January 2021
 Pope Francis in the face of a grave crisis says we lack the culture to address the global environmental crisis. We need an new ecological conversion. But, solutions will not be emerged from just one way of transforming the reality. Christians are faced with a crisis both socially and ecologically. Christians need to reconsider the architecture of our lives. Christians need to redefine our notions of happiness to get beyond our notion of happiness. Art, writing and music are ways of building up a new culture of care for each other and the environment. |
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11 January 2021
 As part of a series highlighting the work of young people in addressing the climate crisis, writer Patricia Lane interviews Matt Humphrey, an Anglican priest, writer and educator who mixes faith with environmental stewardship |
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11 January 2021
 Since the 1950's, orangutan numbers have halved. Young orangutans are being snatched from the wild for the illegal pet trade, and their mothers often killed to fuel the illegal wildlife trade. |
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05 January 2021
 Strangers organise funeral for Arpad Kiss, 82, who died alone on the streets of DarwinThe 82-year-old man's funeral service was small and simple, attended by about a dozen people who were both strangers and the last people he encountered.Those who went said it was a strange but deeply moving experience: gathering to farewell someone they had never really met. |
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29 December 2020
 Belay Banaag is a centre for girls at risk in the south of the Philippines. Balay Banaag – “House of Hope” is a ‘safe place’ for girls at risk. This Marist Sisters Centre provides shelter, support, education and an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty for ‘at risk behaviours and abuse of girls’. These young girls come from families at risk and are very vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Often these girls cannot return home because they are at risk. Balay Banaag offers these girls a future with dignity, hope and independence. |
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29 December 2020
 This grandmother tree connects me to Country. I cried when I saw her burned. I remember brushing my teeth over the green enamel sink. I would gaze out the window at a prominent grandmother and ponder her age. This grandmother had soft pink skin, smooth and dimpled, and incredible curves that burled in places. She stood at least 25 metres tall. |
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26 December 2020
 I was exiled to that prison in August 2013. The comments underneath were full of hate towards refugees. Do the people writing this know that this place was a torture camp? Have those people ever asked themselves why refugees leave their families and flee their homelands? |
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24 December 2020
 On Wednesday, my own home church contacted me and, asked “Can you give up coming to church on Christmas day this year because the government had just halved the numbers of people who can attend church?” When I told my mum of eighty, she was quiet upset. All her life she has gone to church on Christmas day. |
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22 December 2020
 Up to 93,000 others were affected by the cyclone, the Disaster Office said — adding that those numbers may rise as communications are restored with affected areas. |
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22 December 2020
 Yesterday, 12 December, on the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, called on the leaders of the world's nations to declare states of 'climate emergency' in their countries to spur action to avoid 'catastrophic' global warming. |
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10 December 2020
 On 26 July 2013, I was with my classmates on my way home from my English language class. Suddenly, two bomb explosions occurred, one in the market and the other in the neighboring bazaar. I was just walking around the market (which was just 20 meters away from me) and going back to my village to the main town to catch a bus. The second blast almost hit me. Fortunately, I was behind a bus that saved me with just minor injuries, but I lost one of my most cherished classmates. |
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