#608 - Peace & Life: Interfaith Days/Sex Abuse Awareness - April 22, 2022
High Interfaith Holy Days
CLN board member Julia Smucker took this photo at a Good Friday peace vigil at a Maine shipyard where Navy warships are made. Christians following the western calendar observed Good Friday last week, commemorating the violent death of Christ by crucifixion; the eastern calendar has Easter coming up this coming Sunday. In the Christian peace tradition, it's often said that Christ is symbolically crucified in all human beings killed by violence.
From sundown April 15 to sundown April 23 this year is the Jewish holiday of Passover, which commemorates the Exodus when the ancient Hebrews fled slavery and the threat of mass violence. This year, many Jewish communities have noticed an especially poignant connection between the Passover story and the present day, as they welcome refugees fleeing war in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other global hotspots: This Passover, European Jews Step up to Welcome Refugees.
The proximity of Easter and Passover isn't a coincidence – the historical events of Holy Week were associated with Passover when they happened – but this year we also have Ramadan from sundown April 1 to sundown May 1. Muslims follow a lunar calendar, so the month of Ramadan travels throughout the year; this year it so happens to fall at the same time as the others. Daytime fasting is done in solidarity with the poor, and charitable giving and other help for the poor is especially fostered.
We have a blog post on Why the Interfaith Approach is Important to life and peace issues.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
The “rape and incest exception” becomes moot if the rape and incest never happened – and of course it’s intolerable that they happen whether a pregnancy occurs or not. But one thing to know is that sexual perpetrators are keenly aware that abortion is available to help cover up their crimes, and for some of them the crimes may therefore be more likely to happen. We cover this in:
Abortion Gets Sexual Predators Off the Hook
April 27 is Denim Day
Sponsored by Peace Over Violence, people are asked to wear blue jeans “as visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.” They explain: “The campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped the person who raped her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim." Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it.
Our Latest Blog Post
John Whitehead has more reflections on the horrifying situation in Ukraine in Untying the Knot of War: Seek Negotiation, Not Escalation in Ukraine.
Quotation of the Week
Fr. Walter Burghardt, SJ, When Christ Meets Christ
Good friends: The passion of Christ did not end on the first Good Friday. The passion of Christ surrounds you, chokes you: every human wasted in the womb; every third black child languishing below the poverty line; the thousands of women savaged by men vowed to love and honor; the homeless on your streets rummaging for food in garbage cans; the racism that lurks just below our civilized surface.
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