Second Pan-American Conference on Family and Education attracts diverse speakers
After her recent experiences at the UN Fourth World Conference on women in Bejing, China, Kara Johnson is looking forward to working on her next project.
“The only bright spot in the two weeks came from the network of pro-life, pro-family lobbyists from around the world,” says Johnson, who lobbied on behalf on the crisis pregnancy centre Aid to Women.
“The lobbyists were ordinary people, concerned for their families their communities, their respective religious faiths and their freedoms, she says.
With common goal of the defence of human dignity particularly with respect to women, this diverse group collaborated with remarkable consensus as the Coalition for Women and the Family. In the face of the machinations of the UN and the appalling initiatives of the delegations from Canada, the United States, and the European Union, Johnson said, the conferences could have been a cause of nervous breakdowns among the Coalition members.
Instead, it was seen as an opportunity to galvanize relationships on an international level. Their strength of these newly formed relationships will become evident as pro-family people continue to influence the society around them.
A major step in this direction is the Second Pan-American Conference on Family and Education, which is being hosted in Toronto Ontario from May 26-30, 1996. Now serving as the media liaison for the conference Johnson is excited at the prospect of the conference serving as a forum for further communication and collaboration.
The 2nd Pan-American Conference on Family and Education is an initiative of WAFE, the World Association for Family and Education, which is headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico.
The United Nations’ declaration of 1994, as the International Year of the Family, gave the impetus to form this association. The UN declaration launched a World Forum on Non-Governmental Organizations in Malta at the end of 1993.
Carlos Sanchez, along with some other participants, felt entirely unrepresented by this UN forum and they decided to act. The First Pan-American Conference on Family and Education, organized by WAFE, was the result. The conference was a tremendous success with 3,000 participants, far beyond organizer’s expectations.
WAFE promotes the research of issues related to education, family and the person, in various cultures throughout history. As a result the World Institute of Family Science has been founded to establish a network of communication and a taskforce. Part of their mandate is to organize a world conference, every two years, where plans of action for the following two years will be established.
The theme of the conference is “Building the Civilization of Love, ”a development of the concept of the “civilization of love” as expounded by Pope John Paul 11. The Holy Father affirms that “the civilization of love” is possible; it is not a utopia and as such, “the civilization of love is not exclusively a Catholic concern, but a concern of all men and women of good will who recognize the existence of a natural order which was not the creation of man.”
Diversity among participants is hoped for by the organizers, and the assortment of speakers will appeal to a wide audience. Confirmed speakers include: Michael Medved, co-host of Sneak Previews, on PBS and his wife Dianne; Dr. Allan Calson, The Rockford Institute; Professor Janine Langan, University of Toronto; Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Truillo, Pontifical Council on the Family and Dr. Margaret Ogola, pediatrician an director of a hospice for HIV and AIDS orphans in Kenya.
Participants will be coming from all over the world and assistance, in the form of room and board is being offered to encourage couples on a tight budget to attend.
Toronto organizers are looking for host families who could take a single person, a couple, or a family into their home for this period of time. A place to sleep and breakfast are the minimum requirement of the host family. The conference is being held at the Constellation Hotel near the airport. If you have a room in your home or want more information about the conference contact the 2nd Pan-American Conference on Family and Education, P.O. Box 372, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3C 2S7 or call (416) 733-7677 or Fax (416)224-9494. Pamphlets are available for distribution in churches.
Profile of a picketer
Many in the media feel that pro-life picketers in Hamilton are responsible for inciting violence which led to to the sshooting of a local abortionist. Tony Gosgnach’s profile on Carm Scime should put these questions to rest.
