A Culture of Peace: Recommended Sites for Information and Religious Statements

To join in Dominican activities related to establishing peace and justice, we recommend Dominicans for Peace and Justice, a permanent presence at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. This group works on the challenges of achieving justice and peace in the global community. In addition, Dominican Life, U.S.A., offers information on issues and actions in Africa, Iraq, Columbia, and Palestine as well as discussions in regard to disarmament. This information can be found at http://domlife.org/Justice/index.html (see left hand column for links to specific issues).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Justice and Peace addresses International concerns by region and issue. Letters and statements on arms control, war and peace, sanctions, etc., can be found on the USCCB site at http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/warandpeaceind.shtml.

The Episcopal Church, U.S.A., lists several linked Episcopal and ecumenical organizations that work for peace at http://ecusa.anglican.org/8020_59913_ENG_HTM.htm.

The Institute for Peace and Justice is an independent, interfaith organization that lists a number of suggestions for advocacy and references for further information on specific world hot spots and social situations that contribute to war and violence. See http://www.ipj-ppj.org/Advocacy-new.htm.

The Center for Peace and Spirituality  http://www.cpsglobal.org/cps_peace_efforts (Islam and Peace).

The National Council of the Churches of Christ lists a number of pertinent publications and web sites under the heading “Working for Peace,” in the left-hand column of its home page: http://www.ncccusa.org/ . Included in this listing is “For the Peace of the World,” the NCC curriculum for Christian Churches.

The Orthodox Church’s Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s annual messages (1989-2006) for September 1st, the Day of the Protection of the Environment, can be found at http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=en&cat=11 . Symposia and other ecological activities and messages of Orthodox Christian Church are also listed the website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The World Council of Churches, a Christian ecumenical movement representing more 300 “churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories,”   lists a number of projects dedicated to “addressing power, affirming peace.”