CRY OF THE EXCLUDED-BRAZIL

SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH TAKE PART IN THE CRY OF THE EXCLUDED IN CURITIBA AND MACEIÓ

"Life Comes First!" and "All forms of life matter! But who cares?"

7 September, 2024 was a day set apart to go out on the streets to join forces with movements, communities, institutions and social ministries, to shout together with the excluded, in the fight for rights (health, education, housing, work, food security, water, leisure, public safety and the fight against police violence, ...) and to actively participate in structural changes.

This year, the motto of the ‘30^th Cry of the Excluded’ was: "Life Comes First!" and "All forms of life matter! But who cares?" A motto that leads us to reflect on the caring and strengthening all forms of life that inhabit on the planet, "our Common Home". Some necessary actions:

·     Demand that the State implement public policies for social and economic inclusion that protect the lives of the Brazilian people and the environment, overcoming inequalities and combating and eradicating hunger.

·       Defend access to land, shelter and work, as well as peasant and family farming based on agroecology; demand access to healthy food and food sovereignty; access to water, as well as care for Mother Earth, rivers and forests, and the rights of peoples in their territories.

·       Promote inter-religious and/or ecumenical dialogues as a way of combating religious intolerance and ensuring that everyone has the right to profess their faith and religiosity.

·       Continue our commitments to the Community outreach for life and the well-being of people, promoted by the 6^th Brazilian Social Week - SSB.

We, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, seek to walk with the people in their cries and outcries, and give encouragement and be present to the demands of the communities in which we are located. May our journey in the struggle for unity make us mature and give us wisdom to care for our common home as a whole.

Srs. Marlete F. da Silva and Rita Tessaro, Curitiba/PR

CRY OF THE EXCLUDED 2024: A CALL FOR DIGNITY AND LIFE IN MACEIÓ

The Cry of the Excluded 2024, in Maceió, took place in the Flexais neighborhood. This theme for this year was: "All forms of life matter. But who cares?". The theme exhorted us for the urgent need to give a voice to those who find themselves on the margins of society. It was organized by Cáritas and the Pastoral Land Commission (PLC). The event brought together a diversity of people and institutions concerned with the living conditions of the local community.

The program began at 9:30 a.m., with an ecumenical celebration attended by five priests, a male and female pastor from the Evangelical Church, as well as several religious women from different congregations, including two Sisters (Riziomar and Elenice) from the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambery. Among the participants were also social movements, associations and residents of different neighbourhoods and neighbouring cities.

A CALL FOR SOLIDARITY

During the march, which extended throughout the Flexais neighborhood, we heard the testimonies of people from the neighbourhoods who suffered and are suffering from the damage caused by Braskem. In this area, the Flexais neighbourhood was isolated, as all other nearby neighbourhoods were evacuated due to the risk of collapse.

At noon, the demonstration reached the square in front of the St. Anthony Church, which is closed, like the surrounding houses, due to the risk of collapse. The event not only raised the voice against social injustice, but also served as a call for solidarity from a large part of Christians and organized civil society.

The Cry of the Excluded in Maceió was, therefore, a milestone of resistance and a reminder that all forms of life matter, and that, more than ever, we need to care for each other. With this action, the community reaffirmed its right to live with dignity and in areas that guarantee safety and quality of life.

Srs. Maria Rizomar Macedo Costa and Elenice Reis from Santos/Maceió -AL