OFM-JPIC Newsletter: September 2011 issue

1. 1
OFM JPIC NEWSLETTER
PREPARED BY THE OFM OFFICE OF JUSTICE, PEACE AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION IN ROME
CONTACT
SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER
2011
www.ofm.org/jpic
Brother Jacek Orzechowski OFM
pax@ofm.org being arrested for protesting in
front of the White House
Tel: +39 06 68491218
In this issue:
- PROTESTS AGAINST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE (USA)
- FRANCISCAN ECOLOGICAL MARCHES (BRAZIL & MEXICO)
- ENGLISH-SPEAKING CONFERENCE (ESC) JPIC SEMINAR AND
CONFERENCE MEETING (USA)
- JPIC PROGRAM OF SACRED HEART PROVINCE/USA
- JPIC FORMATION IN FRANCISCAN SCHOOLS (PERU)
- MEETING BETWEEN EVANGELIZATION AND JPIC IN
SOUTHERN CONE CONFERENCE (LATIN AMERICA)
- FRANCISCAN WORK WITH PRISONERS (LITHUANIAN)
- JPIC PLANNING SEMINAR IN THE PHILIPPINES
- INDONESIA: JPIC TRAINING
- BISHOP GIOVANNI MARTINELLI, A FRANCISCAN BISHOP
IN LIBYA
- DEATH OF MATEUSZ TUNIEWICZ ( FI AIA PACIFIC)

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CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
PROTESTS AGAINST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
Two OFM friars of Holy Name Province be with his savior he went to the wild places
(USA), Jacek Orzechowski and Erick Lopez, of Italy, especially Mount La Verna. He un-
were arrested on August 29. They were derstood that we cannot love and honor
among the nearly 600 people arrested during God without loving and honoring all that the
weeks of demonstrations in Washington in Lord has created. Francis also believed
front of the White House. Inspired by religious that ours is a faith that must be lived and
responsibility to care for God’s creation, they acted on. To preach the Gospel is first and
had joined protests against the proposed Key- foremost to live it, only then will our words
stone XL pipeline, which would connect the and exhortations have real meaning.”
toxic tar sands of Alberta, Canada, with the
Texas oil refineries. Jacek and Erick were Brothers Jacek and Erick said that it is con-
representing the Franciscan Action Network cern for the potential disaster of the tar
(FAN)* at the demonstrations. sands project that motivated their decision
to be arrested. They added: “It is only
According to Brother Jacek, experts have said when people of faith join the chorus of the
that use of petroleum from the tar sands will vast majority of reputable scientists and
significantly increase the rate of greenhouse those concerned about climate change in
gas production. This will be destructive not speaking and acting for the common good
only of the environment in northern Canada, of all God’s creation, that we might be able
but threatens to alter the ecological balance of to avert the catastrophe. We invite you to
the Earth itself. In the face of such disaster, join us in saying no to the destruction of
Brothers Jacek and Erick note: “As Christians God's creation and yes to a more just and
we believe that all creation is the gift of a lov- sustainable future for all people and our
ing and caring God, a God who charged us to planet.”
be stewards of that gift. Thus we have an obli- Brothers Jacek and Erick were taken to a
gation to seek what is beneficial to the earth police station in handcuffs, held for about
and oppose what is harmful.….As followers of four hours, and released when they paid a
St. Francis of Assisi, we believe that the world required fee.
is charged with the presence of God. When
Saint Francis needed time alone to pray and
* FAN is located in the
USA. It is a grass-
roots, faith-based civic
engagement organiza-
tion with a growing
national base of
groups and persons
who are inspired by
the witness and exam-
ple of St. Francis and
St. Clare of Assisi.
FAN is designed to
bring a coordinated
and effective voice to
matters of Justice,
Peace and Care for
Creation.

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CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
FRANCISCAN ECOLOGICAL MARCHES
1. MARCH TO THE SOURCE OF THE SÃO ecology based on the fact that we are children of
FRANCISCO RIVER: MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL God and inhabitants of the Earth.
The Franciscan March has been held annually 2. MARCHES IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO
since 2001. It makes its way toward the source of
the São Francisco River, a wonderful sanctuary for On June 4, 2011, the Province of San Felipe de
life. The March seeks to help people live out the Jesús held an Ecology March to remember the
spirituality of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of International Day of the Environment. Around
Creation. 800 people of all ages joined in the celebration.
Brother Adín, JPIC animator for the province,
The objectives of the March are: to raise aware- reported that participants, including friars from
ness of the current environmental situation; to pro- the region, walked for about 10 kilometers (6.2
mote care of our world; to share Franciscan spiritu- miles). They collected trash from the roadside
ality; to awaken people to a better quality of life; to as they moved along. The President of the Mu-
learn to value interpersonal relationships; to be in nicipality of Rayón also participated; he belongs
solidarity with the marginalized of society; to join to the green party in Mexico and was interested
forces with those who dare to march in search of in the event. The next activity planned by the
liberation. The Franciscan March is an opportunity friars is reforestation of an area of 50 hectares;
for evangelization in a JPIC perspective, an experi- this will be part of a contest sponsored by the
ence of simplicity, poverty and fraternity. It is a State government of Chiapas, throughout its 118
time to bring together spirituality and militancy in municipalities. There will be a prize for the win-
defense of life in its different expressions. ner. The friars are in contact with environmen-
talists in their municipality, and hope to make a
The 2011 March began on July 16th, and covered good showing in the contest.
about 103 kilometers (64 miles), roughly 21 kilo-
meters (13 miles) per day. After five days of walk- A second March was held in Chiapas August 1-2
ing, there was a big celebration at the source of of this year. It was the VII Franciscan March on
the São Francisco River, an important ecological the occasion of the Pardon of Assisi. Its theme
sanctuary for the region and for the country. The was “Together, let us care for Nature.” Around
theme for the March was: “Fraternity and Life on 2500 people participated. During the March the
the Planet: Creation Groans with the Pains of friars promoted reconciliation and intercultural
Birth,” taking up once again the theme of this togetherness; activities included religious
year’s Lenten Fraternity Campaign in Brazil. dances and reforestation (two thousand trees
were planted). The March ended with celebra-
Participants showed courage and perseverance, tion of the Eucharist; Archbishop Rogelio
and chose peace and well being as their response Cabrera López from the archdiocese of Tuxtla
to the challenge of building fraternal and respectful Gutiérrez, Chiapas, presided.
relationships. The March has always sought
to include different ethnic groups, religions
and social classes. This year the March was
blessed with the presence of a Muslim, a Jew
and Spiritists. All were inspired to promote an

4. 4
CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
ENGLISH-SPEAKING CONFERENCE (ESC) JPIC SEMINAR
AND CONFERENCE MEETING
Fifteen participants attended the ESC-JPIC shared mission.
Seminar held June 22-23, 2011 in Belleville,
Illinois. The ESC provincials had encouraged In the ESC-JPIC meeting that followed the
JPIC animators in this effort so all but one next day, the animators agreed to take on a
North American province was represented. common project: promoting commemoration
Joe Rozansky, OFM, of the Rome JPIC Office of the 25th Anniversary of the Spirit of Assisi.
was the facilitator. They made the decision to ask that all prov-
inces designate at least one official celebra-
The seminar began with participants respond- tion and, where possible, hold individual
ing to the questions: “Where is JPIC operative celebrations on or around October 27, 2011.
in your province right now?” And “How would
you like to see JPIC animation grow in the fu- Support material for these events will be
ture?” Responses were as diverse as the made available to anyone wishing to partici-
provinces but the energy around JPIC con- pate in or plan a celebration. The Province
cerns was clearly evident. Joe presented in- of St. Barbara has posted numerous re-
formation about the direction of the Order re- sources on their JPIC website
garding JPIC, some of the projects being un- (www.franciscansforjustice.org) and will con-
dertaken, the resources and documents avail- tinue to post them as they become available.
able, ways to implement the JPIC-related The blog of the Romans VI, the JPIC group
General Council mandates, the role of the ani- of the Franciscan family (http://
mator, etc. He noted that the Amazon project spiritodiassisi.wordpress.com) also has
is moving ahead, with each of the Latin Ameri- many useful resources and links. As infor-
can Conferences committing one friar to form mation becomes available about dates and
the initial fraternity. The Curia’s JPIC Office is times of individual celebrations, the informa-
collaborating with the Office of Evangelization tion will be shared on the above noted web-
in this project to insure that our presence is sites, so that all who wish to participate can
comprehensive, addressing justice and envi- find local events in their area.
ronmental issues as well as pastoral con-
cerns. These celebrations will also be used as a
way to promote the upcoming ESC-JPIC
We discussed how the Order sees JPIC work theme for the year: "Franciscan Civility in
as a shared mission, with the Provincial and Discourse." It will be a year dedicated to
Provincial Council as the primary JPIC anima- promoting, engaging, reflecting on, and hon-
tors. We encourage Provincial Councils to oring peace and civility in all communica-
study the Guidelines for the Animation of tions.
JPIC, found at http://www.ofm.org/01docum/
jpic/jpicGUIDeng.pdf, and invite any interested We are called, as individuals and as commu-
friars to do so as well. nities, to act justly and peacefully toward all
of God's creation. The Spirit of Assisi re-
We are aware that friars often see JPIC minis- minds us of that calling and challenges us to
try as something separate from their own min- discover how we might promote civility in
istry. But the Order is clearly promoting the public discourse, not just in the upcoming
attitude that JPIC is a shared mission. As year, but as a permanent way of interacting
Jose Carballo, OFM, says, “The commitment with all of our brothers and sisters.
to JPIC is a part of our DNA, of our spiritual-
ity…” The way in which friars carry out the
JPIC ministry can be as diverse as the friars Donna Graham OSF, Conference Coordinator
themselves. But the ministry itself should be a Michelle Juhasz, JPIC, Saint Barbara Province
part of every friar’s life in some way. The role
of the JPIC animator is to carry out the Provin-
cial Council’s animation strategy and to assist
the friars of the province to participate in this

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CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
JPIC PROGRAM OF SACRED HEART PROVINCE/USA
Maury Smith, JPIC animator for Sacred move to another JPIC issue at this time.
Heart Province in the USA, recently A special brief format will be used that
wrote a note to the friars of the province has proven to be helpful and effective. A
about his activities: large benefit of learning this format is that
it can be used in many areas of ministry
I want to inform you about the discussion and even one’s personal life.
I had with the Provincial Council about
JPIC. There will be a day of Recollec-
tion for the Provincial Council during the
Leadership Conferences for the Guardi-
ans, to be held on October 1, 2011. Its
main focus is on inviting the friars to re-
flect on their JPIC ministry. This may be
a JPIC ministry in which they are already
in some way involved. Some friars have
the gift to give direct service such as a
soup kitchen, as one example. Other fri-
ars have the gift to be involved in chang-
ing unjust systems such as COPS in San
Antonio as an example. One of the goals
of the JPIC Day of Recollection is to af-
firm all the gifts that the friars bring to
JPIC. The tone of the discussion with the
Provincial Council was that most friars
are already involved in some way with
JPIC. Another goal of the JPIC Day of
Recollection is to support the friars in
their efforts for JPIC.
At the JPIC Day of Recollection for both
the Council and the Guardians a recent And finally I would invite the friars to
document of the Order called “Pilgrims share at least a summary of their JPIC
and Strangers in This World” will be re- plan with the Office of JPIC. The office
viewed. It is a document that is like a re- could then do a listing of the kinds of
source kit which makes it different from JPIC ministry the friars of Sacred Heart
the documents we normally see from Province are doing. This would be an oc-
Rome. The resources in this document casion of affirmation, support and cele-
may be used for Days of Recollection, bration of what we are hoping to accom-
retreats, preaching, a daily spiritual read- plish for the poor people in our care.
ing of a small section and workshops. It
is a valuable and handy resource to
know about. Br. Maury Smith OFM
JPIC animator Sacred Heart Province USA
Another part of the JPIC Day of Recol-
lection is to invite the friars to develop a
plan for the JPIC issue of their choice.
This may be a review of what a friar is
already doing or perhaps a friar wants to

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CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
JPIC FORMATION IN FRANCISCAN SCHOOLS
Peru is a land of diverse students, teachers and par- We would like to highlight our
landscapes and great natu- ents participate in these participation at regional
ral resources. It is one of the days. courses and training ses-
most biologically diverse sions, like those offered in
countries in the world and We are aware that besides Bogotá (Columbia), Mostazal
enjoys the good fortune of individual events of social (Chile) and Cochabamba
having people who live in impact, we need to reach (Bolivia). They provide a win-
direct contact with Mother society in a permanent dow to help us know our
Nature, showing her care manner, sharing informa- needs, problems and appro-
and respect. tion that will raise aware- priate solutions relative to this
ness of the public. To do priority of the Order.
We friars who serve on the this we created an
JPIC Secretariat of the “Ecological Guide” in 2007. We have provided other ma-
Twelve Apostles Province of We have produced and dis- terials to the schools to help
Peru, promote our work of tributed a provincial publi- in this work. For example,
communication and con- cation, “Brother Sun,” since we have videos that acquaint
sciousness-raising in each of 2008. This journal deals students and the rest of the
the high schools run by our with local, regional and community with the problems
province. We offer needed national environmental of our planet and alert them
support so that they may themes related to the world to dangers caused by human
adequately address JPIC ecological crisis. Production activity leading to the deterio-
issues and bear fruit in pro- of this document depends ration of our Great Home. In
motion of life and Creation. on the collaboration of the like manner, we have distrib-
The present article is an schools and the administra- uted written materials that
overview of the work of the tion of our province. serve to guide and help in
provincial JPIC animator in this project. They include bro-
this area. We help prepare future chures that promote celebra-
Franciscan Youth Leaders tions like “Day of the Environ-
To foster our work in the in the care of the environ- ment”, “March for Peace”,
schools, we held a series of ment by organizing annual etc.
meetings to educate them congresses. Our students
about the work to be done. participate actively, making The experience of working in
At the same time supporting their concerns known and the JPIC Secretariat of the
materials were distributed to proposing solutions for the province fills us with pride
help fulfill our objective and real problems of the planet. and satisfaction, knowing that
guarantee a fruitful result in This work has been ongo- we are a sort of barrier
caring for Creation. ing for twelve years. Last against the pollution and de-
year the meeting took place terioration of the Earth. It al-
We have promoted the at the College of Saint lows us to do many things
planting of trees and the in- Francis of Assisi in Are- right where we are, things
stallation of Peace Poles. quipa. Each year the peo- that will benefit future genera-
Ecology Patrols have been ple responsible for JPIC in tions. We do not even con-
organized and also teams of each of the schools meet to sider failing in this goal,
Environmental Auditors, evaluate implementation of which is to promote responsi-
which are made up of stu- the activities of the previous bility for this work, and in do-
dents from our schools. One year, and plan activities for ing so to create a world with
of the ways that we have the upcoming year. To greater justice, fraternity to-
been raising awareness is date twelve meetings have getherness, and respect for
though celebration of a “Day taken place, one per year. Creation.
for Peace and Environ- The last one took place at
mental Health”. It is a series Saint Joseph, Piura, in April Brother José Hidalgo
Benavides, OFM
of public activities in the of 2011.
main streets of our towns;

7. 7
CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
MEETING BETWEEN EVANGELIZATION AND JPIC IN SOUTHERN CONE CON-
FERENCE LATIN AMERICA
our form of life.
Surrounded by the Cordoba Mountains of
Argentina, a meeting of the Southern Cone The JPIC Animation Plan for the Confer-
Conference was held in the city of Saint ence was presented. It called for cele-
Anthony of Arredondo from the 23rd to the bration of the Spirit of Assisi in 2011,
27th of May, 2011. Participants included with a commemoration on the day of the
the provincials of the conference; the Gen- anniversary, October 27, 2011. More-
eral Animator for Evangelization, Brother over, a schedule and suggested cele-
Arturo Ríos Lara; the secretaries for Mis- brations will be prepared for the various
sion/Evangelization; formators; animators entities of the Conference, and the over-
in the area of Education; JPIC animators; arching theme for these celebrations will
along with other friars. The purpose of the be: “Praying for Peace is Praying for
meeting was to compare the most signifi- Life.”
cant experiences in our various entities,
and to plan together the future of our efforts During the meeting, two experiences
in this part of South America. were presented showing the transversal-
ity of JPIC values in evangelization and
Brother Luis Scozzina, conference JPIC in education:
Animator, presented the vision of the pon-
tifical magisterium regarding the mission of > The Project of the Franciscan Cen-
JPIC. He added a reflection from the Gen- ter for Studies and Regional Devel-
eral Constitutions and the most recent opment – CEFEDER-UCA, located in
documents of the Order, which state that Rosario, in the San Miguel Province.
JPIC values are a constitutive dimension of
> Plan for Recycling Electrical and
Electronic Components (RAEE) at
the Santa Monica Special School,
located in San Lorenzo in the San
Miguel Province.
It was agreed that the next Conference
assembly will be held in Chile in April,
2012. Its main theme will be the values
of JPIC as a dimension of our lives,
based on mandate No. 43 from our last
General Chapter.
Br. Luis Antonio Scozzina OFM
Conference Coordinator for JPIC
Southern Cone

8. 8
CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
FRANCISCAN WORK WITH PRISONERS IN LITHUANIAN
On May 19-20, 2011 the Lithuanian Ministry between the public and prisoners.
of Justice hosted an international conference
entitled: “The Integration of Convicts into So- There are no rehabilitation programs to help
ciety”. The conference was organized by the convicts change. Very little attention is paid
vice-Minister of Justice T. Vaitkevičius; the to the attitude of prison guards who treat
OFM Province of St. Casimir, represented by prisoners as objects rather than as human
the chaplain of prisons Br. Arūnas Peškaitis beings. Influenced by the media, public
OFM; and the Prisons Department of Lithua- opinion toward prisoners and the prison sys-
nia. tem is negative. Politicians are afraid to dis-
cuss these issues, worried about their public
The main themes of the conference were: the image and future elections.
humanization and individualization of punish-
ment, changing the public attitude toward In this context, it is clear that a Christian and
convicts, the possible establishment of a pro- Franciscan contribution is very important.
bation system, and deepening the under- The international conference “The Integra-
standing of sentence as transformation of tion of Convicts into Society” was a first step
personality. The conference was attended by towards understanding the present situation
politicians, experts, non-governmental organi- and changing the prison system in Lithuania
zations, media representatives, as well as by offering practical solutions to the issues
guests from abroad - Estonia, Latvia, Swe- raised.
den, and representatives of the European
Probation Organisation and the International Br. Arūnas Peškaitis OFM
Association of Prisons. Prison Chaplain
Regarding these issues, a major problem in Br. Alvydas Virbalis OFM
JPIC Animator of Lithuanian Province
Lithuania is a misunderstanding of the proba-
tion system. Individualization and humaniza-
N.B. - Br. Arunas is a chaplain at the Prison
tion of sentence is perceived by the public as
of Lukiskes in Vilnius. He works with prison-
a concession to evil rather than as an oppor-
ers on Death Row, where there are about
tunity for the convict to change. Such change
80 inmates. He has been a chaplain for 4
is positive not only from humane and Chris-
years.
tian perspectives, but also from a pragmatic
point of view.
Prisoners should not be treated as non-
members of society, but as people who, as
far as possible, need to compensate the dam-
ages they have caused. But for this to hap-
pen, certain conditions need to be created. A
prisoner must be seen as a human being in
spite of all the things he/she has done, and
needs to be given a chance to change, thus
respecting his/her dignity. Custodial sentenc-
ing should not be an end in itself. Unfortu-
nately, in Lithuania this is the case. The exist-
ing system of prisons has been inherited from
Soviet times. Living conditions in prisons are
poor and cells do not meet the basic stan-
dards of hygiene, with as many as 15 – 20
prisoners crowded into some cells. This situa-
tion creates a strict caste system among pris-
oners. At best, only 50 percent of prisoners
are provided with work, thus creating hostility

9. 9
CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
JPIC PLANNING SEMINAR IN THE PHILIPPINES
The JPIC Orientation-Planning Seminar that poor we can facilitate the process of awak-
was held in the Philippines at OLAS June 20- ening and evangelization by creating struc-
23, 2011, was a graced encounter with the tures of conversion. These would include
Lord of history. Attended by 13 friars and 27 real BECs (Base Ecclesial Communities),
lay people, the participants went home in- which are not simply prayer meetings, and a
spired and motivated to implement JPIC in JPIC that is sustainable and truly rooted in
our institutions. We lived at the crossroads the person of Jesus who exorcizes the
of our history where we can make a differ- “demons” from the pyramid.
ence.
Participants prepared a summary of the con-
Poverty and the destruction of the environ- version experience that they lived during the
ment continue unabated despite the beautiful seminar, written in prayer form to help cap-
words of politicians. We have seen how relig- ture what happened.
ion for 500 years has been used to legitimize
oppression, even though changes that have The friars present made recommendations
happened in the Church and the Order have to the province to help set a direction for
given us the capacity to transform the op- JPIC in life and ministry. They prepared a
pressive pyramid structure of society into checklist to help friars evaluate the JPIC di-
what Mary has proclaimed: “He has put down mension of life in house chapters. They
the mighty from their thrones and raised up called for preparation of a summary of the
the lowly.” national and international situations that
could be distributed to the friars, and sug-
gested that the bi-monthly bulletin CON-
TACT from the General Curia be sent to the
friaries.
Plans were made to follow up on sugges-
tions made at the seminar, and to hold an-
other province-wide JPIC meeting next year.
Some suggestions were also sent to the of-
fice. One invited friars to contribute P200
from their monthly allowances for the envi-
ronment, to help create income-generating
projects. Another asked that a liturgy be
prepared to raise awareness about the con-
The influence that we have in Philippine soci- tinuous destruction of the environment; it can
ety can either perpetuate the dichotomy of be used in formation houses, parishes and
faith and life or hasten the birth of barangays. schools. A third called for a JPIC seminar
These are towns where people for youth, to tap into their energy. Finally,
are empowered, where the poor put an end suggestions were given to help encourage
to political patronage and dependency and more participation in JPIC activities, with a
assert their right to equality in sharing the special effort to include lay partners.
wealth of the country with the greedy ruling
elite. Real transformation of an entrenched Br. Pedro Montallana OFM
system will not be implemented by the peo- JPIC Animator, Philippines
ple who benefit from it.
Real transformation will be pursued by the
poor who feel the intensity of marginalization,
and change will come through a systematic
and comprehensive rebuilding of the system,
stone by stone. In deep solidarity with the

10. 10
CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
INDONESIA: JPIC TRAINING A FRANCISCAN BISHOP IN LIBYA
In 2002 the Indonesian Franciscan Family Bishop Giovanni Martinelli, an Italian Fran-
established INFO-JPIC (Inter-Franciscan ciscan, has been the bishop of Trípoli since
JPIC Group) as an informal institution to 1985. In two recent interviews (Vatican In-
organize collaboration among JPIC Coordi- sider, 23-08-2011, and Los Angeles Times,
nators. Every year INFO-JPIC organizes 03-07-2011), he shared his views on the
trainings, seminars or workshops to ani- situation in Libya. He called the NATO
mate and strengthen collaboration among campaign immoral and ineffective, noting
JPIC Coordinators. Such collaboration has that “Kadafi is a Bedouin, and you can’t
been very helpful in organizing joint activi- change his mind by bombing him.” His
ties, like helping the victims of natural dis- comments have led some critics to suggest
asters in Aceh, Jogyakarta, Padang, that he is a Kadafi appeaser, and that he
Mentawai, etc. would be better off sticking to spiritual mat-
ters.
This year INFO JPIC facilitated a training
session on Organizational Management. It But Martinelli declares that he is an advo-
took place August 8-18 in Pringsewu Lam- cate of peace and negotiation. He notes
pung. There were 43 participants, including that bombing and war are immoral, and
Franciscan JPIC coordinators (male and says that he abhors all violence. He also
female), the coordinator for the SCJs points out what he calls the positive accom-
(Sacred Heart of Jesus), and JPIC coordi- plishments of Kadafi: a social welfare state,
nators from the dioceses of Larantuka and relative equality for women and, most point-
Tanjung Karang. edly, liberty of worship in a country that is
overwhelmingly Muslim. At the same time,
Besides the training session, participants the bishop concedes that Kadafi was slow
had two days to reflect on JPIC values as to respond to the needs of long-neglected
values of the Kingdom, making them im- eastern Libya, and was not able to listen to
perative for Christians, especially for reli- the young people of Bengazi or to under-
gious. The late Mateusz Tuniewicz, director stand them.
of the FI Office in Bangkok, was present to
introduce Franciscans International. Dur- The actions of Bishop Martinelli challenge
ing his return trip to Bangkok, he was us all to examine our positions and to reflect
drowned while swimming in Bali on August on different ways to approach perennial
12th. May he enjoy eternal joy. RIP. problems. He reminds us how Saint Francis
challenged the popular wisdom of his own
day. Christians accepted the Crusades as
the only way to deal with Islam, yet Francis
insisted that dialogue and peace were a bet-
ter approach. We might take time to reflect
on the two interviews of Bishop Martinelli in
order to evaluate our own attitude toward
war and violence, and to look for more ef-
fective ways to promote dialogue and peace
in our world today.

11. 11
CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011
DEATH OF MATEUSZ
We at the Rome JPIC Office of the Order of Friars Minor join with Franciscans International
and the entire Franciscan Family in mourning the tragic death of Mateusz Tuniewicz, the Re-
gional Director of the FI Asia Pacific program. He drowned in Indonesia between 11 and 12
August 2011. We pray for his family, particularly his wife, Anna-Karin Jatfors and their two
children, son Emil (almost 4 years) and daughter Mila (11 months). Mateusz was a native of
Gdansk, Poland, and joined FI as Regional Director for the Asia Pacific Program in June
2010, having previously worked for international justice and developmental organizations in
Asia, Africa, and Latin America. May he rest in peace.
****** * SPIRIT OF ASSISI * ******
Brothers and Sisters, after almost two years of preparation, the 25th anniversary of
the Spirit of Assisi is upon us. In less than a month, on October 27, Pope Benedict
and many other religious leaders will visit Assisi once again to promote peace and
dialogue in our world. We invite all of you to join in the celebration. Franciscans
throughout the world are planning local activities, and perhaps you can consider a
similar event. The material found on the Spirit of Assisi blog of the JPIC promoters
of the Franciscan family, at http://spiritodiassisi.wordpress.com/ , might help you in
this process. May the spirit of Francis and Clare inspire us to live and proclaim the
peace and justice that are the foundation of the message of Jesus!