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The John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (JJCICSI), through its Church and Society Program, will be holding a forum entitled “Catholic Social Teachings and Politics” August 9, 2010 (Monday), 1:30 to 4:30 pm at Conference Room A, 2nd Floor Mayo Hall, Social Development Complex, Ateneo de Manila University. Our main speaker will be Fr. Eric Genilo, SJ, STD, professor of moral theology at the Loyola School of Theology and member of the Board of Trustees of JJCICSI. The main discussant for Fr. Genilo’s talk will be Ms. Eleanor Dionisio, Ph.D. candidate at the New School University and Visiting Research Fellow at JJCICSI. The schedule for the forum will be as follows:

1:30 – 1:40 pm Introduction
1:40 – 2:00 pm Overview of Catholic Social Teaching (Fr. Roberto Rivera, SJ)
2:00 – 3:00 pm “Catholic Social Teachings and Politics” by Fr. Eric Genilo, SJ
3:00 – 3:20 pm Break
3:20 – 3:40 pm Response: Ms. Eleanor Dionisio
3:40 – 4:20 pm Open Forum/Discussion
4:20 – 4:30 pm Concluding Remarks

“Catholic Social Teachings and Politics” will be the first in a series of political education, analysis, and reflection sessions organized by JJCICSI for its staff and its partner institutions and organizations.

For inquiries, please contact 426-6001 local 4666 and 4668 and look for Malou or Rina.

The John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (JJCICSI) remembers Bishop Francisco F. Claver, S.J., 81, who passed away on 1 July 2010 at 2:41 A.M. Bishop Claver had undergone a triple bypass operation and surgery of the mitral valve on 4 May 2010. Together with Fr. John J. Carroll, S.J. and Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J., Bishop Cisco, as he was fondly called, established the Institute on 1984. He was an Associate Director until 1995.

The Jesuit anthropologist was an Igorot from Bontoc, Mountain Province. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1948 and was ordained priest in 1961 at the age of 32. He became bishop of Malaybalay (1969-1984) and the Vicar Apostolic of Bontoc-Lagawe (1995-2004). During the 1986 snap election, Bishop Claver played a significant role in orienting the Philippine bishops and drafted their Post-election Statement which denounced the election as "unparalleled in fraudulence" and called on the people to peacefully compel the government to undo the wrong it had done –something which was accomplished in the popular revolt which drove Pres. Marcos from power.

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A Pastor Within the Community

On November 18, 1976, radio station DXBB, operated by the Prelature of Malaybalay in Bukidnon, was raided and closed by the military of President Marcos. The pretext was that it was secretly sending messages to the N.P.A guerillas in the hills. The reality was actually much worse: DXBB was revealing the abuses of martial law and encouraging critical thinking among the people: a heinous crime! Bishop Francisco Claver responded with a series of pastoral letters, critical and hard-hitting, one every week, read in his name in all the parishes of the Prelature. He took his stand as shepherd of his people, analyzing the local and national situation with his trademark calm but powerful language and even more powerful thought – always with the people and their genuine development at the center of his concern.

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The power of the meek

THE DAY after Bishop Francisco F. Claver, S.J. was laid to rest under a grieving sky, I brushed the dust off a collection of essays he had written as bishop of Malaybalay in the 1970s. One letter, “The Violence of the Meek,” spoke of civil disobedience as a Christian response to structural and state violence. The bishop suggested that violating the unjust laws of the dictatorship was a moral duty. Disobeying the mandatory voting law, the strike ban in “vital” industries, the laws banning public criticism of government—these were ways to wield the violence of the meek.

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A tale of two prelates

Perhaps something of what these two bishops have stood for has captured the national imagination during these first weeks of President Noynoy Aquino’s administration. In his inaugural address, Aquino invited all Filipinos to participate in the task of nation building. And by sounding this clarion call on a doable, concrete level—not accepting bribes, falling in line, outlawing the use of VIP sirens (“wangwang”)—Aquino generated much goodwill and enthusiasm at the start of his term. It is his invitation, to paraphrase Bishop Figaredo, to truly make the Philippines the center of the world for all Filipinos.

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The 2009 Annual Report provides an overview of JJCICSI's projects and accomplishments for the year. Download the report HERE.

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Things Both New and Old

As in previous years, the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (JJCICSI) presents its annual national situationer on selected, relevant themes in Philippine society. This issue of the Intersect is somewhat special as it falls on the 25th year of JJCICSI’s faith-based research and advocacy work, intended primarily to better the lives of the poor and marginalized sectors.

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Staying the Course

This 2008 edition of Intersect lives up to its name as the “inter- sectoral communicator” of the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues (JJCICSI). As with previous issues of Intersect, this volume contains situationers and analyses of pertinent developments in the issues and sectors that our various program desks were involved, the past year. This year’s Intersect, however, also represents a true intersection, a junction of sorts for our work in JJCICSI. And as with every intersection we encounter, there are two options: to stay the course or change directions.

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Heeding Poverty: An Assessment of Microfinance in the Philippines

This study is an attempt to provide an indicative assessment of the impact of implementing microfinance in the Philippines in the last ten years, specifically in terms of its client-level objectives of poverty alleviation and empowerment (especially of women). It was conceived in the light of a worldwide recognition on the role of microfinance as a potent tool in poverty alleviation and the great amount of interest it has generated in the Philippines. It aims to contribute to establishing what microfinance has done so far in its overall objective of reducing poverty and in empowering the poor. It also intends to provide inputs and ideas in enhancing the current intervention strategies and in scaling up microfinance outreach.

Making Microfinance Work for Agriculture

This study showcases the innovations designed or adjustments made by
four selected microfinance institutions (MFI) to cater to the microfinance needs
of their agricultural clients – the coconut farmer, the fisher, rice farmer and
sugar farmer/worker. Each case is unique, yet it also shares common ground for
relevant policies and programs that can be implemented in the agricultural sector.

PROCEED TO THE PUBLICATIONS PAGE (OTHER PUBLICATIONS SECTION AT THE BOTTOM) TO DOWNLOAD

For 25 years, research-based advocacy has been our tool in building bridges to make the concerns of the powerless comprehensible to the powerful. In carrying out this mission, we are enlightened by Catholic Social Teaching as we participate in the Church’s work of integral evangelization. It is this faith that does justice that distinguishes JJCICSI from other non-government organizations.

This 2009, JJCICSI is rekindling the fire for social justice, remembering friendships, and renewing its commitment to respond to the call to the frontiers. We invite you, as our partner and friend, to celebrate with us, and join us in reaffirming our mission to promote a Filipino society that upholds the dignity of the human person, especially of the poor.

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Urban Poverty and Governance

The Urban Poverty and Governance Program addresses urban poverty and its principal manifestation - the lack of access to humane and secure housing. Through research and advocacy, the program aims to alleviate urban poverty by empowering urban poor groups to work for better urban governance.

Church and Family Life

Through research, advocacy and direct services, the Church and Family Life Program assists the Catholic Church in addressing the social and spiritual needs of Filipino families, especially those in underprivileged communities.

Environmental Economics and Policy

The Environmental Economics Program uses the tools of economics to understand and help solve the many environmental problems facing people today, especially the poor. The Program recognizes that one of the biggest environmental problems that threaten humanity is climate change.

Rural Development

The Rural Development Program of the Institute recognizes that the majority of the Filipino poor live in rural areas. It also sees that the lack of access to land and other productive resources hinders the rural poor from participating in economic activities to improve their incomes.

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2/F Benigno Mayo Hall (ISO Building)
Social Development Complex
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines

PO Box 250, U.P. Post Office, 1144 Quezon City, Philippines

E-mail: intersect_icsi@yahoo.com
Tel: (632) 426.6001 to 30 local 4655 - 4668
Fax: (632) 426.6070

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