Prayers and Readings for Refugees, Immigrants and American Muslims

All faith traditions teach about welcoming the stranger, supporting the vulnerable, and helping those in need. In response to the cruelty of the recent presidential executive orders, as people from diverse spiritual communities, we lift up our hearts in prayer and join our minds and lives in solidarity.

MVPJ has just begun collecting prayers, statements and other faith-based readings from diverse traditions for refugees, immigrants, Muslim-Americans, and others who are hurt by these orders. If you have resources you would like to share, please let us know.

We encourage congregational leaders to speak out for friendship and peace with our Muslim sisters and brothers and against Islamophia and hate of any sort. Find ways to educate your congregation about Islam and build relationships and understanding across religious differences. Invite a speaker from American Muslim Voice, CAIR or ING. Organize a time of fellowship and community building between communities. Consider using your church sign as a way to make a public statement of solidarity and friendship with the Muslim community.

Make your voice heard!

Call your Senators and Congressperson in Washington to make your voice heard! This does make a difference! Consider spending 3-5 minutes each day making these brief calls. While emails and letters are good, phone calls have the most impact! Identify yourself as a person of faith, and briefly explain how your faith leads you to your stand.

See below for contact information for Senators and Representatives.

Organizations and Efforts to Stand for Inclusion, Justice and Compassion

This is a time to work together! So much of what we hold dear - human rights, compassion for victims of war, nuclear disarmament, protection of the earth, welcoming of immigrants and refugees, health care for all, peace and diplomacy with other countries - is under attack. Let's support one another and build networks that are strong in diversity and united in compassion.

Here is a broad list of organizations that we consider worthy of consideration in these times. We know that not all communities endorse all the groups on this list, nor does this list represent official endorsement of MVPJ or any of our participating communities. There are surely many other wonderful and worthy organizations that do not yet appear!  Most of these are either local, faith-based, and/or partners of MVPJ in various endeavors.

Pope Francis Supports Abolition of Nuclear Weapons

On December 8, at a conference in Vienna, Pope Francis issued a new statement on nuclear weapons titled "Nuclear Disarmament: Time for Abolition" that indicates a major change in Roman Catholic policy.  "Nuclear deterrence and the threat of nuclear assured destruction cannot be the basis for an ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence among peoples and states," the Pope said. While the Roman Catholic Church has long declared the use of nuclear weapons to be immoral, it has, up until now, articulated a "conditional acceptance" of nuclear deterrence as a necessary evil.  This changes with the Pope's message, which was read on the first day of the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons conference in Austria.

The Vatican's statement declares, "The youth of today and tomorrow deserve far more....  Peace must be built on justice, socio-economic development, freedom, respect for fundamental human rights, ... and the building of trust between people."

Muslim Employee Fired by Abercrombie & Fitch for Wearing Head Scarf

Christmas Truce in Ukraine

[image1_left]As people of faith and conscience,
believing in the sanctity of all life on this planet,
we call for a
CHRISTMAS TRUCE IN UKRAINE.

Inspired by the miraculous Christmas truce of 1914, faith leaders of many diverse traditions petition the Biden administration to push for negotiations.

Signers include Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Jewish Renewal movement; Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Valarie Kaur, Sikh leader and founder of Revolutionary Love Project; Thay Phap An, Plum Village Buddhist community; Bishop William J. Barber II, Repairers of the Breach and Poor People's Campaign; Rev. Grayland Scott Hagler, Fellowship of Reconciliation; Dr. Zoharah Simmons, National Council of Elders; Mary Novak, Executive Director of NETWORK Lovvy for Catholic Social Justice,

"In the spirit of the truce that occurred in 1914 during the First World War, we urge our government to take a leadership role in bringing the war in Ukraine to an end through supporting calls for a ceasefire and negotiated settlement, before the conflict results in a nuclear war that could devastate the world's ecosystems and annihilate all of God's creation."

Add Events to our Calendar!

Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice wants to help spread the word about local events promoting peace, justice, compassion, human rights and environmental sustainability. Just go to our Events page and click on "Submit an Event." Faith-based events are specifically encouraged, but other events are always welcome and will be considered. Please be sure the description of the event is clear and accurate.

And now you can check our calendar to learn about local events worth considering. We hope this will help build stronger networks as we work together for justice and peace.

International Day of Peace Candlelight Vigil

The Power of Listening

The Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers recently wrote:

In this noise of militarized mania,
to listen is to unclench history’s grip on the poor and powerless,
to listen is to shoulder the inconveniences of love,
it would be an act of non-violent resistance.