Category: World Movement of Christian Workers

Popular movements bid farewell to Francis

The Political Committee of the World Meeting of Popular Movements organisation, which includes the World Movement of Christian Workers, has issued a statement mourning the death of Pope Francis.

“With deep sorrow and immense gratitude, the popular movements of the world bid farewell to our brother Francis —pope, pastor, and prophet— who walked with those discarded by history and taught us that it is not enough to survive: we must live with dignity,” the statement begins.

It continues:

Our beloved Pope Francis was not a distant ally, but a companion on the journey. From the fi rst World Meeting in 2014 to his fi nal message, he saw in the most humble and rightless workers, in those without land, shelter, or work, a transformative force, a living hope, a seed of fraternity and friendship capable of building a truly inhabitable world. He gave us a voice, recognized us as “social poets”, and entrusted us with a mission that we must now honor with even greater commitment.

He walked alongside us and taught us that land, housing, and work are sacred rights—and that fi ghting for them is not populism nor ideology: it is Gospel and it is social justice. He reminded us that Christian faith —and indeed any human conscience— cannot silence the cry of the suff ering people or make peace with the culture of discard. His magisterium was tenderness with courage, denunciation with compassion, politics with love.

He gave us trust and also a mandate: “You are not insignifi cant; you are at the forefront”. He warned us against the logic of individualism, corruption, and war. He denounced the power that kneels before money instead of justice. He called on us to care for our common home, to confront structures of sin with the face of the people building the common good, to dream together, and to leave no one behind.

Today, Francis departs, but he does not leave us. He remains in our struggles, in our assemblies, in every workplace, in every community kitchen, in every urban garden, in every neighborhood, in every act of resistance and every work of solidarity. His faith became concrete hope. His word became community. His heart, a home for all peoples.

In the name of the excluded who embraced him as their own, in the name of those who continue to believe in the power of tenderness and in the power of a collective “we!, we say: Thank you, Francis. Thank you, brother. May your memory sustain us, may your example guide us, and may your legacy live on in every struggle for human dignity everywhere.

Signed by

Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) Brazil | Union of Workers of the Popular Economy (UTEP) Argentina | Slum Dwellers International (SDI) | World Movement of Christian Workers (WMCW) | PICO Network United States | Mediterranea Saving Humans (MSH) and Spin Time Italy.

An initiative of Pope Francis, the World Meeting of Popular Movements’ (WMPM) purpose is to create an “encounter” between Church leadership and grassroots organizations working to address the “economy of exclusion and inequality” (Joy of the Gospel, nos. 53-54) by working for structural changes that promote social, economic and racial justice.

SOURCE

Statement from the Political Committee of the World Meetings of Popular Movements on the Death of Pope Francis

International Day for Decent Work

The World Movement of Christian Workers has published its message for this year’s International Day for Decent Work on 7 October.
Entitled “Let’s dare to dream of a better world,” the statement highlights WMCW members’ efforts to advance the cause of decent work.

“Decent work is central to the four strategic objectives of the International Labour Organisation relating to rights at work, in particular those defined as fundamental by the Declaration of Fundamental Principles Rights and at Work and its Follow-up, adopted in 1998,” the message begins.

“For the ILO, it is necessary to put in place economic policies to stimulate the creation of more and better jobs, to reduce informal work, to fight against child labour and slavery as well as against all forms of discrimination. It is also imperative to promote youth employment, extend and improve social protection, stimulate education and vocational training and strengthen workers’ rights.

“This implies that women and men all over the world benefit from decently paid employment carried out under conditions of equality, freedom, including freedom of association and total security in order to guarantee a dignified life.

“Decent and productive work is the main tool in overcoming poverty that afflicts millions of working people around the world. It is fundamental for building more democratic societies and for combating all forms of exclusion.

“On this international day of Decent Work October 7, it is time to strengthen our reflection on the right to decent work for all.

“Since March, the world has been going through a real upheaval. We realise that we are weak and very fragile in the face of this Covid-19 pandemic. The economy in many countries around the world have been severely impaired. The poor are hit hardest by both disease and misery.

“This global disaster should enable us to reflect and fight, collectively, to change the model of development and our relationship to nature and our environment. We must show more respect for the common good: The Earth. The economic model has to be reformed. We have operated with an economic model of ‘the survival of the fittest. I have more money,
so I will buy more. ‘
“

“This virus that has hit the world has set off the alarm bells. It is up to each and every one of us, in own lives to react. Let’s change our minds, you, me, us…. Let’s not stand by simply criticising. Let us act in our neighbourhoods, our workplaces, in our trade union and political parties. Let’s get out of our comfort zone, let’s reinvent a more just and human model of life,” the message concludes.