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Whereas, we, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, New York, strive to live the Gospel call to love God and our neighbor through our efforts to promote justice, non-violence and reverence for all creation; and Whereas, we move towards fullness of love through our active participation in Jesus’ mission and pledge ourselves to advocate for systemic change wherever injustice is found; and Whereas, more than 30,000 nuclear weapons exist in our world today, despite the fact that the largest and oldest nuclear weapon states – the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom- promised more than 30 years ago to eliminate their nuclear weapons when they signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1970 and reiterated that promise at the conclusion of the NPT Review Conference in 2000; and Whereas, the United States has embarked on programs to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons, missile defenses and space-based weapons; and

Whereas, military spending in the United States has reached unprecedented heights causing growing poverty, increasing social inequality and environmental degradation,
WE, THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF BRENTWOOD, NEW YORK, CALL ON ALL NATIONS AND PARTICULARLY OUR NATION, THE UNITED STATES, TO DARE TO PLAN FOR A NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREE WORLD AND WE URGE THE UNITED STATES AND ITS DELEGATES TO COME TO THE NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE AT THE UNITED NATIONS THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY 2005 AND DEMAND THAT THE WORLD BE FREED FROM THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION AND ALL NATIONS, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES, ENGAGE IN NEGOTIATIONS TO DISARM THEIR NUCLEAR ARSENALS AND BE OPEN TO CITIZEN AND INTERNATIONAL INSPECTION WITHIN A TIME FRAME TO BE DETERMINED BY PARTICIPATING NATIONS.

PUBLIC STATEMENT REGARDING THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY

We, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, New York, whose mission is one of unity and reconciliation, declare our opposition to the death penalty while reaching out in compassion to victims of violent
crimes. We join our voices with our sisters and brothers from around the world who have denounced
the use of the death penalty as a deterrent for crime and who consider the death penalty as a violation
of human rights. We believe that every human life has an inherent dignity given by God. Jesus calls us
to follow His example by meeting violence with love, by forgiving in all circumstances and by valuing
every human life. This belief challenges us to reverence life from conception through death. We desire
to stand in solidarity with Pope John Paul II and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops who
have clearly declared their opposition to the death penalty.

We recognize at the same time, the need to reach out to victims and their families, to support them in their pain and loss, and to facilitate forgiveness and healing. We affirm the importance of our society’s addressing the needs of victims of violent crimes. We are also aware that society has a right to protect itself against individuals who have proven to be dangerous. Few can deny and ignore the violent nature of the world in which we live. We affirm the necessity of society to develop ways of addressing the roots of violence. However, we believe that incarceration, properly applied, could effectively alter the cycle of violence.
We call upon members of our congregation and those associated with us in ministry; we call upon our church and civic leaders to take appropriate nonviolent actions for the abolition of state sanctioned death and to put forth every effort to recognize and affirm the dignity of each life.

CORPORATE STATEMENT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph is one of unity: “that all may be one.” We strive to build loving, compassionate and right relationships with God, our neighbor and ourselves. In the twenty-first century, slavery and bondage still affect the lives of millions of people, but the greatest challenge is the
trafficking of women and children (primarily), and men. Victims of human trafficking are taken across borders world-wide and subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or abusive labor. Their humanity is destroyed and terror becomes a way of life. The United States (and
the New York City area) has the largest demand for this criminal activity.

We, Sisters of St. Joseph, abhor the trafficking of persons, all of whom are our dear neighbor. We are committed to educate ourselves and others about this destructive behavior, to speak out for the truth in
order to heal and support victims of this injustice, and to promote life through systemic change for
justice.