Br. Superior-General Alvaro Rodriguez FSC called upon all Lasallians throughout the world to observe the International Lasallian Days of Peace from September 21 to October 21 by promoting and defending the rights of the children and adolescents. Below is the complete transcript of his message in English:
“For the Peace Day this year the theme proposed was to create bonds of peace together and the question along with that was: How can we be agents of peace for the children of our world?
“Our Founder asked us to always start from reality as the place where we can find God’s call in our regard and to collaborate in his plan of salvation. Today, unfortunately, the reality we are presented with regarding children and peace is tragic and it is a call for solidarity and commitment. We could recall as a very sad reminder the thousands of children that have been killed in the military conflict recently in Syria.
“As I have mentioned on other occasions the defense of the rights of the child should be a characteristic trait of all Lasallians. Our recent General Chapters invite us to be more aware of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, approved in 1989, to cooperate with organizations that work for the promotion of these rights, and to be attentive to the violation of these rights, alerting authorities in such cases.
“There are situations to which we cannot remain indifferent. Today we hear about more than 250,000 boy and girl “soldiers;†275 million children who each year witness acts of domestic violence (“with devastating psychological consequences that may mark them for lifeâ€); 218 million children obliged to work – and, therefore, without the possibility of studying –; more than 126 million used in dangerous practices, intrinsically violent ones; 5.7 million children forced to work in payment of debts, 1.8 million involved in prostitution and pornography, and 1.2 million who are victims of trafficking for that purpose.
“We know that today, to the great disgrace of societies in the North as well as in the South, children constitute the most fragile and vulnerable link. It is a drama that knows no geographic or social borders and it also strikes millions of minors in financially advanced countries, because its roots are hidden in a culture and in behavior that does not recognize the child as a bearer of rights or as persons to whom you have to listen with much attention.
“As an Institute we came into being for children and their defense and we need to have that posture deeply rooted in our hearts and the heart of all those who share the Lasallian mission. Education gives us many possibilities to do this. It is not just about combating everything that is opposed to the rights of children and adolescents but it also deals with preventing any form of violence, recalling that children and young people today in our classrooms will be the men and women of tomorrow who, with their convictions and attitudes, will be able to change any kind of practice that is seen to be to the detriment of children.
“Young Lasallians, we are counting on you to make the Defense of the Rights of the Child a banner of our Lasallian family. What can you do? I think that you can do a lot, whether by direct volunteer service or active participation in local organizations that work to defend the rights of children, or by respectful and cordial treatment of the children you relate with. This is our concrete way of creating bonds of peace together.” (Taken from http://www.lasalle.org/en/2012/09/create-bonds-of-peace-together/).
In response to this call, the International Council of Young Lasallians (ICYL) has issued an invitation for all Lasallian schools, groups and communities to come together around the theme of Peace. ICYL is encouraging every Lasallian to share his/her thoughts and feelings about ways to promote in our communities the International Lasallian Days for Peace and to send a clear message that Lasallians are not only committed to praying for peace, but that we also need to take specific actions to nurture peace, first in our own lives and then within our communities!
(Image credit:Â lasalle.org)
