Pax Christi prayer, study, action for Japan
As the situation in Japan continues to unfold, get worse (the state of alert is now equivalent to the incident at Chernobyl), and send ripples world-wide, Pax Christi USA has prepared the following resources for prayer, study and action.
Prayer for the Japanese people
Compassionate Jesus, Brother of the cross, we pray in your name for the Japanese people at their time of need, at their time of sorrow. Grant them your courage and peace as they face loss and suffering, as they endure: rebuilding community, creating a future from disarray. Spirit of peace, strengthen our bonds with our sisters and brothers and all creation affected by the choices we make. For this we ask in humility and hope. Amen.
Study:
The cost of nuclear energy As the aftershocks further disrupt their lives and livelihoods, we continue to grieve with the people of Japan in the loss of so many of their families and neighbors, their homes, flora and fauna, and communities. In this world of war and violence we are reminded of the power of nature to inflict such raw devastation.
In our choice to consider the nuclear option as a solution to our ever increasing need for energy, when will we seriously examine its true and potential costs? How much more helpful could we be if our military dollars were converted into funds to help mitigate natural disasters like the earthquake and tsunami that claimed the lives of so many people, destroyed so much land, and multiplied the burdens of the poor in Japan?
Click here to learn more about the health effects of radiation. www.nirs.org/radiation/radiationhome.htm
Act:
Sign the petition to expand the evacuation zone More than 168 citizens organizations in Japan submitted a petition to their government March 28 calling for an expanded evacuation zone near the Fukushima nuclear disaster site and other urgent measures to protect the public health and safety.
The official evacuation zone remains only 20 kilometers (12 miles), while the government has encouraged people within 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) to evacuate. Yet levels of cesium-137 in the village of Iitate, for example, have been measured at more than twice the levels that prompted the Soviet Union to evacuate people near Chernobyl.
Iitate is 40 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of Fukushima. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommended a 50-mile evacuation zone for US citizens in Japan. The people of Japan are now asking for international support for their petition.
Click here and consider signing a petition in support of the Japanese people who are urging their government to expand the evacuation zone. http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1159105
Source: Pax Christi USA/Columbans