“Enough with silence! Shout with a hundred thousand tongues, for it is because of silence that the world is rotten!”
Recalling these words of Saint Catherine of Siena, uttered in her time, I observe that silencing the voices of those suffering injustice has become normalized today. This is why we, as Dominicans, are called to denounce the realities our brothers and sisters face around the world.
From September 23 to 27, 2024, the members of the International Commission for Justice and Peace of the Order of Preachers gathered at an assembly, led by our brothers, the General Promoter, Br. Aniedi Okure, OP, and Sr. Durstyne Farnan, OP, both of whom represent the Order at the United Nations (UN). During those days, we were able to reflect on the various challenges that confront us as we face the harsh realities of our brothers and sisters who cry out for justice—voices that many seek to silence.
The members of the Commission agreed that families are the most vulnerable, suffering from the wounds of poverty, lack of employment, decent housing, or land where they can live in peace. These families have been torn apart by migration and the violation of their human rights due to unjust migration policies; school violence and the uncontrolled use of firearms by children; the distortion of truth when politics manipulate beliefs and emotions to influence public opinion and social attitudes; war and armed conflicts; the weakening of democratic systems due to poor governance in some countries; gender-based violence, human trafficking of women and children; and global warming and/or climate change, among other issues.
What impacted me the most during this gathering was the suffering experienced by our brothers and sisters in Haiti, where people have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to the violence of armed groups that control the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The most affected are children and women, who have been victims of murder, injury, rape, and kidnapping, creating a collective fear among the population, who avoid going outdoors.
During the assembly, we sought to provide answers to the different realities of our world and accompany those suffering through our prayers.
In an atmosphere of prayer, peace, and fraternity, the regional promoters present decided to develop the following lines of action for the 2024-2025 year:
- To focus on the issue of poor governance in some countries.
- The distortion of truth and the blocking of digital media. Both lead to consequences reflected in forced migration, violence, the digital world, climate change, wars, and conflicts, among others.
As a Lay Dominican and the Dominican Laity’s Justice and Peace representative for the Order of Preachers, I feel committed to denouncing the various realities that affect the world through different communication channels, especially the situation affecting the people of Haiti.
We also discussed initial plans for the “Dominican Month for Peace in Haiti,” which exhorts us as a family not only to accompany the Haitian people in prayer but also to support them financially to the best of our ability, so they can develop their projects and, in doing so, help change the situation of certain individuals.
In conclusion, I can say that there are many voices crying out in the world, each one with different realities to which, as the Dominican Family, we are called to respond. The great challenge that unites us today is seeking the truth in each of these realities. To achieve this, we must educate ourselves and learn to recognize the signs of the times. I believe that, as Dominicans, we are urgently called to evangelize families, restoring justice and peace to the most vulnerable through love, hope, and solidarity. Only in this way can we transform the world.
Attorney Mariee Belle Baldó L., OP,
International Promoter for Justice and Peace on the IDCPJ
