Monthly Archives: January 2020

The Seminar on Integral Ecological Conversion, held Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2019, in San Jos, Costa Rica, focused on the challenges and roles of religious life with the conclusion of the Amazon synod. (GSR photo/Soli Salgado)

San Jose, Costa Rica As one of just 10 women who participated in the Amazon synod, Sr. Daniela Cannavina returned to Latin America eager to impart the wisdom from her experience at the Vatican to fellow religious, with anecdotes and summaries of the lively discussions from inside the hall.

But mainly, Cannavina returned eager to keep the momentum of the synod alive.

"We didn't want to waste time," she said, adding that to wait for the pope to publish his final document on the synod, which has not yet been released, risked spoiling the "nutrients" within the working drafts. (A Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto, Cannavina attended as a representative of the International Union of Superiors General.)

At the synod, which explored the Amazon's pastoral and environmental concerns Oct. 6-27, 2019, every participant was granted four minutes to speak. Cannavina chose to spend her brief time advocating for women deacons and for the region's ministries to have a more elevated, "feminine, Amazonian profile," she said.

She told Global Sisters Report that the many committees and seminars of the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious (CLAR), of which she is general secretary, are almost entirely made up of women, so "it is up to us to create our own visibility, to continue that formation and build a synodal church."

She took this message and all her reflections from the synod back to Latin America, where, not even two months later, her representative role was flipped: Cannavina, an Argentine, was now tasked with communicating her experience to a small room full of Latin American religious, all of whom gathered in San Jos, Costa Rica, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, ready to localize the synod.

Sr. Daniela Cannavina, a Capuchin Sister of Mother Rubatto, is CLAR's general secretary and participated in the Amazon synod as a delegate for the International Union of Superiors General. (GSR photo/Soli Salgado)

Amazon region's challenges apply to all

The group of roughly 40 women and men religious, priests, deacons and lay theologians came from all over Latin America for the CLAR gathering. But most of their respective countries are geographically untouched by the Amazon.

Alirio Cceres Aguirre, a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Bogot, Colombia, who spent 15 days at the synod, said one of the triumphs of the synod was the understanding that the Amazon is a "laboratory," meaning all the challenges and issues discussed with respect to that specific region "still apply to other 'little Amazons,' the planet as a common home that contains pluralities, different cultures fundamentally linked by ecology," he said.

A chemical engineer and theologian, Cceres attended the CLAR gathering in Costa Rica on behalf of the Episcopal Conference of Latin America and Caritas' integral ecology program.

He described the synod as a "confluence between an ancestral, indigenous, Latin American worldview and the European structures of Catholic thought."

"The fact that the synod happened is, in and of itself, a success," he said. That many Catholics on the outside, including his own friends and family, saw the synod as controversial accusations of pagan practices and fear for the church's future, he said, contrasted the beauty and fraternity experienced within the synod serves as "a kind of diagnosis on where we are as a church."

"It's an invitation to think: How is it that we are going to achieve communion?" he said, adding that those meeting in Costa Rica were privileged to live out the lessons imparted by the Amazonian people: Words must become actions; beware of letting good intentions stay trapped in discussion.

The three-day CLAR summit included presentations from religious and laypeople on various environmental challenges they face in their regions and how they've worked to address them, which was a source of inspiration for those gathered.

Ariana Daz Acua is a 33-year-old lay theologian and the deputy director of the Laudato Si' Observatory, which the Catholic University of Costa Rica launched in 2017 to influence environmental public policy in developing countries in the spirit of the encyclical.

While education is a key focus of the observatory, promoting workshops and projects throughout Latin America, Daz said she and her colleagues also educated local bishops several months ahead of the synod who knew only rough details about the pastoral and ecological challenges in the Amazon.

At the CLAR gathering, she presented scientific information from the observatory's Environmental Development Index, which measures environmental impacts of countries all over the globe.

"We already have a lot of theological depth on this topic, but sometimes, we don't know the science as well," Daz said.

But being among men and women religious who see the negative effects of climate change firsthand, she said, was a powerful reminder of the greater purpose of her academic work.

"I could feel the pain of the people who suffer from drought, who are up against mining, whose homes are destroyed," Daz said. "The work I do in the observatory, the synod, this seminar, it leaves me restless and makes me think, on a personal level, about what decisions I can make in 2020 to help the disadvantaged in my community."

But while smaller day-to-day deeds at the individual level are necessary, Cceres emphasized that "it is at the institutional, community level where meaningful change happens."

"Our response should not be through a rigid, business-like structure, but rather, through networks, alliances and coalitions that create concrete action," he said, adding that they ought to replicate the synodal process in its inclusivity and open dialogue.

"This is how the global Catholic movement can offer guidance and inspiration to all of humanity."

The Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2019, CLAR gathering was an opportunity for religious involved in ecology in their respective Latin American countries to network and share experiences. (GSR photo/Soli Salgado)

Religious must be involved

Sr. Marleen Renders, a Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Belgium, has been ministering in Guatemala since 1986. She's spent much of the last decade accompanying Guatemalans who have been resisting a mining operation on their land outside Guatemala City.

"It hurt this community that the church wasn't present on this issue," she said, noting that parish priests hesitated to get involved because some in the community were in favor of the mine. In 2012, locals then turned to Guatemala's conference of religious, CONFREGUA, for which Renders was then the secretary.

A few times a week, Renders joins the protests that take the form of overnight campgrounds in the middle of the street to prevent the mining trucks from reaching the pueblos.

"Those fights are never just about the people today, but about future generations, the animals dying in exchange for gold extraction," she said. The more time she spent with them, Renders added, the more she understood the overlap between the Earth and their spirituality.

"I've been a part of so many experiences like these, where you see people who are willing to put their lives on the line for their environment, for their community," she said. "As religious, we can't be on the outside looking in."

Participants discuss their countries' issues at the Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2019, CLAR gathering. (GSR photo/Soli Salgado)

Even though the focus of the synod was the Amazon, Renders said, "you still feel Guatemala's indigenous in all of this, the people who live in the ravines.

"You can't look at the Amazon like one specific place in the world. The conversation is bigger than that. We're talking about all the territories who share those problems and concerns," she said. "And I have a lot of hope."

Moving forward, CLAR's role in supporting the religious in the Amazon, Cannavina said, will be through strengthening the Panamanian ecclesial network, REPAM, ensuring that "the process that was lived in the synod does not fall through the cracks, but that it continues to mobilize us." She added that CLAR will also reflect on and revisit its structures, such as how they can expand their presence in the regions where it's needed.

At the synod, Pope Francis encouraged creativity and novelty in addressing the challenges before the church, which Cannavina emphasized as a key takeaway but, ultimately, an ongoing process.

"Creativity isn't just born in a few days of meeting; it's all the possibilities that come from the reception of the synod," she said. (The CLAR gathering concluded with a final document summarizing the group's reflections and calls to action, available here in Spanish.)

"We as a church have to be allies with the people who are most exploited, who are most in need of a presence to walk beside them," she said. "With that alone, we have a lot on our plate."

The synod more than anything demonstrated "emerging points," Cannavina said, such as developing formation houses inspired by Amazonian cultures, an observatory for Latin American research, and for religious life to see themselves as pilgrims in a process that is at once intercultural, intercongregational and itinerant.

"I'll never forget at the synod when the pope was told he is not alone in this, that there were many of us accompanying and supporting him," Cannavina said. "It was like an invitation for the pope to keep paddling, to keep sailing inland because we'll go with him a church in communion. We're all in this process of looking for a new way of being a church."

Like after all CLAR gatherings, the group wrapped up the three days in San Jos, Costa Rica, with a cultural party, this time with a local Costa Rican dance troupe kicking off an evening of music and dance. (GSR photo/Soli Salgado)

[Soli Salgado is a staff writer for Global Sisters Report. Her email address is ssalgado@ncronline.org. Follow her on Twitter: @soli_salgado.]

The rest is here:

Religious keep momentum of Amazon synod alive in wider Latin American, Caribbean region - Global Sisters Report

CEO Richard Fain says his company is deviating ships to bring hot meals to the people of the Bahamas.

The grandfather of a toddler who fell to her death from a cruise ship window was "reckless and irresponsible," the cruise line said as it asked a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit.

Royal Caribbean blamed the grandfather, Salvatore Anello, for the death of 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand last summer, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Photo of 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand in the Freedom of the Seas' H2O Zone. (Photo provided in lawsuit)

ROYAL CARIBBEAN SUED BY FAMILY OF TODDLER WHO FELL TO HER DEATH

The cruise line made the accusation in court records filed in response to a lawsuit from the Indiana family. The family's lawsuit alleged the cruise line neglected to warn passengers that windows in the play area where Chloe fell could open.

The cruise line, however, said that surveillance video showed Anello leaning out the window for several seconds before picking up Chloe and holding her out the window, according to the report.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Photograph showing distance between the wooden railing and the window, which was open at the time of Chloe Wiegand's death (lawsuit)

ROYAL CARIBBEAN PASSENGERS HURT IN VOLCANO ERUPTION: WHO IS LIABLE?

Anello "held her by and out of the open window for thirty-four seconds before he lost his grip and dropped Chloe out of the window,"the court documents state.

An attorney for the family told the Star that the cruise line "did not implement industry standards for toddler safety aboard its ships."

In a statement to FOX Business, Royal Caribbean said, The death of Chloe Wieband is undeniably a heartbreaking tragedy that has prompted a criminal prosecution of Chloes step-grandfather and a civil lawsuit brought by the Wiegand family attorneys. Our position in the matter is outlined in our Motion to Dismiss, which we were legally mandated to do in response to the civil complaint.

In a separate criminal case, Anello is facing a charge of negligent homicide in Chloe's death.

The family was aboard the Freedom of the Seas, which was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when Chloe fell 150 feet from the ship to the pier.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Excerpt from:

Royal Caribbean: Grandfather 'reckless' in toddler death: report - Fox Business

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has warned of the attempt to divide the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping as some regional leaders get ready to meet with United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Tuesday.

Addressing a gala to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the late Barbados prime minister and regional integrationist Errol W. Barrow on Saturday night, Mottley said that she is conscious that in the next week questions will be asked as to whether the Barbados foreign minister happened to be missing in a meeting in Kingston in Jamaica that will take place on Tuesday.

We dont look to pick fights. I dont look to pick fights, but I am conscious that if this country does not stand for something, then it will fall for anything. As chairman of CARICOM, it is impossible for me to agree that my foreign minister should attend a meeting with anyone to which members of CARICOM are not invited. If some are invited and not all, then it is an attempt to divide this region, Mottley said.

Earlier this week, Jamaicas Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said Pompeos two-day working visit, which begins on January 21, is a commitment to strengthen relations with the Caribbean.

We welcome the visit of Secretary Pompeo as a demonstration of the commitment of the United States of America to once more strengthen its engagement with Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. We truly look forward to this opportunity to engage and reinforce our longstanding ties, she added.

Pompeo will hold talks with Jamaicas Prime Minister Andrew Holness and senior members of his cabinet on the second day of the visit and is expected to give a policy speech on the Caribbean regions critical importance to the United States, and the countrys renewed commitment to closer ties, based on shared values, interests and economic prosperity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said.

Both the Jamaica Gleaner and the Observer newspaper, quoting sources, said that Pompeo is also due to meet with several Caribbean leaders.

But a CARICOM source told the Caribbean Media Corporation that the regional grouping had not been formally invited to participate in the discussions during Pompeos visit.

Last year, Holness was among four Caribbean leaders St. Lucia, the Bahamas and Haiti who flew to Miami to meet with US President Donald Trump where they discussed the ongoing political situation in Venezuela where Washington is seeking to remove President Nicolas Maduro in favour of opposition leader Juan Guaido.

CARICOM leaders at their last summit in St Lucia last July reiterated their position of non-interference and non-intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela.

Mottley told the gala that she was conscious that when Errol Barrow stood and remarked that we shall be friends of all and satellites of none, little did he know that that statement would be embraced by every single prime minister of Barbados that succeeded him.

It is as valid today, perhaps even more so than it was at the time of its initial delivery. And I say so conscious that principles only mean something when it is inconvenient to stand by them.

Conscious that this region must always cheek itself to ensure that we do not become the pawns of others, the satellites of others, but that we keep every most and uppermost in our minds what we must do for our people without simply becoming pawns on a chessboard for others to be able to benefit from, she added.

The CARICOM chairman said that the sense of commitment to principle is what inspires the region to this position.

And therefore, it didnt take a lot of thought as to what our decision should be because this country does not pretend to be what it is not and does not pretend to have that which it doesnt. But it does aspire to be sincere and to be correct and to be moral and to be principled.

She told the audience that the expression delivered to Trump who offered to pay our dues to join the Organization of American States when Barrow politely refused and said in our part of the world where I come from, if you cannot afford the dues, you do not join the club.

That is the Barbados first to which I speak, she told the gala.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us @onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.

Original post:

Mottley warns of attempts to divide the Caribbean - Jamaica Gleaner

By Sophie Hares, UNDRR Americas and the Caribbean

Menaced by increasingly violent hurricanes, Caribbean countries face an enormous bill to better protect themselves disasters and need to weave a web of financing options to help insulate against shocks, said speakers at a regional conference.

Boosting lackluster economic growth, ramping up insurance and disaster funds, and embracing the private sector would help bolster countries which needed to invest more in resilience, said speakers at the Comprehensive Disaster Management Conference (CDM11) in Sint Maarten.

"Budgeting for disaster should be a must for us all," said Silveria Jacobs, prime minister of Sint Maarten, which was ravaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

A common disaster fund and a joint insurance plan to protect the small businesses that drive local economies could help the region, she told the conference, organized by the Caribbean Disasters and Emergency Agency (CDEMA).

"Government cannot definitely not go it alone Business resilience drives the economy which ensures that islands can bounce back even faster," said Jacobs, who urged more investment in resilient infrastructure.

With many countries heavily indebted, creating layers of risk financing was key if countries are to limit the economic impact of disasters, which could also include flooding, drought, tsunamis and seismic activity, said speakers.

Risk financing layers should include funds shaved from national budgets, paired with fast-paying parametric insurance and access to lines of credit, said Ming Zhang, World Bank regional practice manager for urban and disaster risk management.

While new insurance products could help protect livelihoods and the fishing industry in the event of disasters, there was more scope to expand insurance to include households and small businesses, said Zhang in an interview.

"You cannot set up a contingency fund to address a Category 5 hurricane," said Zhang, who estimates disasters cost the Caribbean 1 percent of its gross domestic product each year.

"You need a risk financing strategy each country should look at different layers and different contingencies, insurance and other mechanisms."

While countries such as St. Lucia and Grenada were looking to set up disaster funds bolstered by lines of credit, there needs to be more focus on how money was being spent in the region to better prepare for disasters, he said.

More advanced recovery planning was needed to make sure emergency shelters and supplies were available, while strengthening homes and infrastructure could help reduce economic impact down the track, he said.

"In the midst of borrowing for public investment, governments need to ensure that these funds are certainly being spent to ensure resilience," said Ronald Jackson, CDEMA executive director, said in an interview.

"That's one area that will drive down exposure and be a lower cost to government when these events occur."

NO SILVER BULLET

Emergency cash payments to small businesses, farmers and the most vulnerable after hurricanes in Barbados and Dominica helped stimulate the local economies and get people back on their feet, said speakers.

But countries needed to ensure adequate systems were in place to disperse social protection payments to make sure they reach the right people as quickly as possible, they added.

"No single financial instrument is the solution, we have to adopt a risk layering approach," Nicholas Grainger, programme associate at the World Food Programme, told the conference.

Given the private sector shells out for up to 85 percent of all investment and absorbs the lion's share of disaster losses, businesses should be closer involved in trying to driving down risk and promoting economic resilience, said speakers.

"It's very clear that reducing disaster risk cannot be done by one actor or sector alone," Nahuel Arenas, Deputy Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, told the conference.

"Resilient investment is about integrating risk through business practices and investment decisions."

The UNDRR-backed business network, known as The Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies or ARISE, is growing quickly in the Caribbean where companies are increasingly aware that disaster risk reduction (DRR) makes sound business sense, said speakers.

Jeffrey Beckles, chief executive of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, said the private sector wanted a greater role in DRR given it was a major employer and driver of growth.

It also has a lot to lose. Businesses suffered some 90 percent of the massive losses in the Bahamas caused by Hurricane Dorian in September, he added.

"We bring to the table the ability to look further down the road than any single administration," Beckles told the conference.

"We bring to the table a much deeper, wider capacity for casting a longer-term strategy for resiliency and prospects for our country's stability,"

Developing the digital and blue economies, while finding ways to expand the benefits of industries such as tourism could help bolster the region's economy and ultimately make households more resilient, said speakers.

"Resilient people build resilient lives, and resilient communities and economies," said Sint Maarten's Jacobs.

Original post:

Mix up financing to better protect Caribbean, say experts - World - ReliefWeb

Every franchise needs a breakout character to establish itself, and Pirates of the Caribbean had its star-making performancein Captain Jack Sparrow. He has been so popular that the series has exclusively relied on the audience draw that comes with the character with each film.

RELATED:Pirates Of The Caribbean: 5 Reasons There Should Be A 6th Movie (5 There Should Be A Reboot)

Jack is such an interesting figure that even his very first appearance had everything you needed to know about him - in a scene where he didnt even speak. But his strongest suit remains his fast tongue, and here are 10 of the best quotes that we heard Captain Jack Sparrow say in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Jack hasapersonality that brims with confidence, and hefindspositivity even in the worst of positions. During the first part, everybody tended to underestimate Jacks worth, who only proved them wrong every time.

In this scene, Commodore Norrington looked to take the mickey out of Jack by listing down all the things that made him the worst pirate that Norrington had ever heard. To this, Jack pointed out that, while Norringtons assertion might not be wrong, the latter had still heard of him, meaning Jack was still someone worth knowing.

Talking your way out of a bad situation is a much more valuable technique than fighting out of it, as it avoids needless conflict and an easy getaway. We all know that Jack isnt supposed to be Superman who can just punch his way around, but his effectiveness was perhaps just as great.

Jacks method of putting the other person in a false sense of security by playing the fool meant he could wiggle his way to freedom and even walk away with something in return. This allowed him to catch weaknesses in his enemy that he could use later on.

Many wondered how Jack remained on top of his game even though it appeared as if everyone was out to get his head. The answer would be that Jack was always mentally prepared for his battles. He did thingson the fly rather than have it premeditated.

He did this by having the right attitude to approach his problems, as Jack would take the situation in stride rather than rue over it. This quote was actually one of the rare glimpses in Jacks mind, which told us that he improvised his solutions each time.

Jack was clearly a shipper on deck in the matter of Will and Elizabeth, providing one-liners as his pieces of advice for the two of them to get their act together. Will, being the shy guy that he was, never knew when to make his move on her.

RELATED:10 Things The Pirates Of The Caribbean Reboot Needs

Jack inwardly decided he would look out for when Will would have his opening where the moment arrived. Catching onto it, he informed Will that his opportune moment with Elizabeth had just passed. He didnt say this to mock him; rather, it was Jack telling Will that Elizabeth loved him too and there was nothing to fear.

Pirates are those without honor, and they look for openings where they can cheat and win their fights. While Jack was of the same mold, he wasnt one to take an innocents life this way. After he defeated Will through his cheating, Jack found him still standing in the way.

Anyone such as Barbossa wouldve instantly shot and killed Will, but Jack insisted Will move out; he even used please as a request. With a solitary bullet in his gun - that was meant for Barbossa - Jack confessed that he only had one target for that bullet.

Playing the fool and being a fool are two very different things, and Jack fellin the former category easily. While incarcerated, he heard the Black Pearl approaching as the other inmates started freaking out over the undead crew.

Jack proved he was hardly as gullible and foolish as the other pirates when he scoffed at the idea that the undead crew never left anyone alive. He made the very true and hilarious point that it wasnt possible for there to be any stories about the Black Pearl if nobody who encountered it was allowed to live.

Jacks superhero equivalent would definitely be Tony Stark, as he had the same level of wit and snark that Tony had. In between his many rants, Jack would generally throw in words of wisdom that ultimately were profound and meaningful.

Unlike the other pirates, Jacks idea of treasure wasnt the silver and gold kind as he was above such worldly pleasures. It was by knowing where the limits of treasure began and ended that Jack knew when to fold and walk away rather than lose his life for something that ultimately was a superficial prize.

Perhaps we spoke too soon on Jacks idea of treasure, seeing as he did seem to value rum above everything else in the world. If you were to ask him if he wanted world peace or rum, then Jack would easily give the world away for a bottle.

RELATED:The 10 Most Expensive Disney Movies Ever Made

Unfortunately for him, he had horrible luck when it came to keeping said rum within his reach as circumstances around him always led to Jack being devoid of his favorite drink. At one point, in his exasperation, he asked this very question to the universe.

Never trust a pirate because they always lie, but poor Jack doesnt get trusted even though he doesnt lie all that much. If you notice, Jack tends to skirt around the truth rather than tell an outright lie. He plays the others distrust in him to his advantage.

However, Jack himself didnt seem to understand why people didnt consider him a truthful person, as when Norrington confessed his surprise that Jack really was telling the truth during a particular situation, the latter voiced his exasperation that his honesty is always met with surprise.

The funny thing is that whenever Jack says this line, things end up going very badly for him. Even funnier is how he tends to say it after hes managed to pull off a great escape, only for karma to come roaring back at him the next moment.

And yet, it still ranks as Jacks finest line because it tells you most of what his characterization is. The quote conveys that Jack is a confident man capable of talking his way out of any given situation, and that those who encounter him would always remember him for the larger than life person that he was.

NEXT:Pirates Of The Caribbean: 10 Worst Things Captain Jack Sparrow Ever Did

NextQueen of the South: The Worst Thing Each Main Character Has Done

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He's been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.http://3statesapart.com

See original here:

Pirates of the Caribbean: 10 Best Jack Sparrow Quotes - Screen Rant

St. Thomas has been named one of the best fishing destinations in the Caribbean for 2020, according to FishingBooker.com.

The list was based on a number of factors, such as user reviews, quality of fishing, and overall experience, and resulted in a list of the 12 best fishing spots in the Caribbean, according to a news release.

St. Thomas is a true paradise for any type of visitor. From some of the worlds most stunning beaches, to amazing nature, to numerous museums, forts, and historic houses, theres something here for everyone. And anglers here are in for a treat! Offshore, they can expect to catch anything from marlin, mahi mahi, and sailfish, to tuna and wahoo, while inshore, kingfish, bonito, barracuda, and yellowtail snapper are biting, according to the statement.

FishingBooker is the worlds largest platform for connecting anglers and fishing guides, with over 30,000 fishing trips available in more than 1,950 cities worldwide.

Other destinations on the list include Montego Bay, Jamaica, Freeport, Bahamas, and Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

Read this article:

St. Thomas named one of Caribbean's best fishing destinations - Virgin Islands Daily News