India - Solidarity movement to organize retreat for bishops

Indore — The Universal Solidarity Movement (USM), which is committed to promote peace and harmony, plans to organize a retreat for bishops.

USM national coordinator Fr. Varghese Alengaden says the retreat is only for bishops because of the great influence they have in their dioceses and the impact they can make both within the Church and in society. Those who are open to new ways will enrich themselves much from this leadership retreat, he claimed.

“Surely this is not a traditional retreat. It is fully based on the life and teachings of Christ. It is an opportunity to explore new possibilities,” Father Alengaden added.

The retreat is scheduled for August 18-25 at Indore, the commercial capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Fr. Jacob Peenickaparampbil, a member of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, will join Fr Alengaden as the retreat preachers. The two priests have conducted many retreats and seminars for several groups of priests and religious across the country.

The central theme of the retreat is ‘what would Jesus do if he were present today?’ The first two days will be spent for an exclusive pilgrimage with Christ with the help of the famous film ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ by Franco Zeffirelli.

(http://mattersindia.com/solidarity-movement-to-organize-retreat-for-bishops/)

Pope: unemployment and migration deserve greater solidarity and cooperation

In a message to the International Labour Organisation, Francis says it is "time to join forces and work together to free" the victims of human trafficking. There is also a need to plan "development that is focused "on the human person as its central actor and primary beneficiary".

(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-unemployment-and-migration-deserve-greater-solidarity-and-cooperation-31209.html)

Fraternity, the foundation and pathway to peace

"Fraternity, the foundation and pathway to peace". This is the theme of the 47th  World Day of Peace, the first during the pontificate of Pope Francis.

The World Day of Peace was an initiative of Pope Paul VI and it is celebrated on the first day of each year. The Message for the World Day of Peace is sent to particular churches and chancelleries all around the world, drawing attention to the essential value of peace and the need to work tirelessly in order to attain it.

As the theme of his first Message for the World Day of Peace, Pope Francis has chosen Fraternity.  Since the beginning of his Petrine Ministry, the Pope has stressed the need to combat the “throwaway culture” and to promote instead a "culture of encounter", in order to build a more just and peaceful world.

Fraternity is a dowry that every man and every woman brings with himself or herself as a human being, as a child of the one Father.  In the face of the many tragedies that afflict the family of nations - poverty, hunger, underdevelopment, conflicts, migrations, pollution, inequalities, injustice, organized crime, fundamentalisms - fraternity is the foundation and the pathway to peace.

The culture of personal well-being leads to a loss of the sense of responsibility and fraternal relationship.  Others, rather than being “like us”, appear more as antagonists or enemies and are often treated as objects. Not uncommonly, the poor and needy are regarded as a "burden", a hindrance to development.  At most, they are considered as recipients of aid or compassionate assistance. They are not seen as brothers and sisters, called to share the gifts of creation, the goods of progress and culture, to be partakers at the same table of the fullness of life, to be protagonists of integral and inclusive development.

Fraternity, a gift and task that comes from God the Father, urges us to be in solidarity against inequality and poverty that undermine the social fabric, to take care of every person, especially the weakest and most defenceless, to love him or her as oneself, with the very heart of Jesus Christ.

In a world that is constantly growing more interdependent, the good of fraternity is one that we cannot do without.  It serves to defeat the spread of the globalization of indifference to which Pope Francis has frequently referred.  The globalization of indifference must give way to a globalization of fraternity.

Fraternity should leave its mark on every aspect of life, including the economy, finance, civil society, politics, research, development, public and cultural institutions.

At the start of his ministry, Pope Francis issues a message in continuity with that of his predecessors, which proposes to everyone the pathway of fraternity, in order to give the world a more human face.

(http://www.news.va/en/news/fraternity-the-foundation-and-pathway-to-peace)

“Expect the unexpected” – World Youth Day with Pope Francis

Lilian Chan.

Credit: Caritas Australia

What inspires young people to cross continents for a celebration of faith with Pope Francis? Lilian Chan, on line editor for Caritas Australia, tells us about the energy, diversity and unity to be found at World Youth Day.

One of the phrases I’ve most heard during my preparations for WYD is “to expect the unexpected”!

I am definitely looking forward to seeing Pope Francis. I’ve read a few of his addresses, and they have been so amazing and inspiring – he is simple to understand, but has such insight into the world and how we as Catholics fit in. He also shows such love and understanding of humanity when he speaks, which is so different to what we often hear in our world today.

The chance to see a pope from Latin America in Latin America will be really amazing. Most importantly, I’ve decided to go to WYD this year because I want to grow in my faith and have a stronger relationship with Christ.

I’ve had friends who have attended WYD overseas, and they’ve all come back with a renewed passion for their faith, so attending an overseas WYD has always been something I’ve thought about doing. I think one of the things which particularly attracted me to WYD in Brazil is that it’s such a predominately Catholic country, so I’m keen to experience the passion and dedication that people have for our faith.

As I’m going with my diocese group, I’ve been attending the formation sessions that they’ve run over the past few months. I’ve also been trying to do practical things to prepare, like finding out more about places, and trying to learn a tiny bit of Portuguese. In terms of preparing spiritually, we’ve had catecheses at the formation sessions, and I’ve also been trying to read the Bible a bit more often over the past few weeks.

We will be spending 4 days in Peru before WYD. The first day will be a pilgrimage to visit significant sites of St Rose of Lima and St Martin de Porres. Then we will be spending 3 days with the Houses of Hope – one of the Caritas programmes in Lima. For me, this was definitely one of the things which swayed me to sign up to WYD this year. Being relatively new at Caritas, I’m keen to see a Caritas programme in action. But even more so, I think the few days spending time with the poor will be a really important part of the pilgrimage experience.

I went to WYD in Sydney in 2008. It was a great experience – the thing that struck me most was the energy and passion of young people for our faith – it’s not something you see every day, especially in Sydney! I was also struck by the diversity of our faith – the different cultures, and different ways of expressing our faith; but yet also the universality – the one united faith which was really demonstrated in the final mass.

But I’ve been told that attending a WYD in your home city is nothing like attending one overseas, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what WYD in Rio will be like!

(http://blog.caritas.org/2013/07/01/expect-the-unexpected-world-youth-day-with-pope-francis/)

Solidarity

"We must not be afraid of solidarity; rather let us make all we have and are available to God."

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

Caritas Hong Kong, one of the largest diocesan Caritas in the world, with over 10 thousand volunteers and projects in India, Japan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, China

Hong Kong - Tireless work to "contribute to the formation and development of man": is what is carried out by Caritas Hong Kong, one of the largest diocesan Caritas in the world, with over 10 thousand volunteers and projects in India, Japan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, China. This is what His Eminence Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum stressed in an interview with Fides Agency, who traveled in past weeks in Hong Kong on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of Caritas. The Cardinal brought with him the loving concern of Pope Francis, who notes Cardinal Sarah, "thinks much about Asia, in particular about China. The support he offers is a sign that the Church has at heart everyone’s well-being, regardless of their religious or political affiliation."

(http://www.news.va/en/news/asiahongkong-dialogue-and-charity-for-a-new-societ)

CBCI, working with the unorganized workers of country since 1972

The Commission for Labor of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) inaugurated a campaign to combat child labor in the country.

“We the arm of the Catholic Church in India working in the labor sector is also committed and join many others in the worldwide combating against the child labor,” said Fr. Jaison Vadassery, secretary of the labor commission.

The priest said that it is an occasion to highlight the global and national extent of child labor and raise awareness on the situation of millions of children, girls and boys, working across the globe and our country India.

He said that the CBCI office for labor has the history of working with the unorganized workers of country since 1972.

The participants at the event noted that Children are a ‘supremely important national asset’ and the future well-being of the nation depends on how children grow and develop.

Though children are considered valuable and future of the country, but child labor disfavors this fact depriving the children of education, play and recreation, stunt their physical growth leading to defects and ailments.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) launched the first world day against child labor in 2002 to highlight the plight of the children workers and what can be done to help them.

Around the world it is estimated that 215 million children are trapped in child labor and 115 million of these are in hazardous work including armed conflicts, slavery, drug trafficking and all other illegal activities.

(http://www.ucanindia.in/news/poster-campaign-launched-to-fight-child-labor/21162/daily)

Counter a culture of waste with solidarity

"When stock markets drop ten points its ‘a tragedy’ but starving children, homeless people dying on our streets, people disposed of like trash - such as the unborn or the elderly - has become the norm.

This is the result of a culture of waste, of our being unable to ‘read the signs’ of God’s creation, His free gift to us, and of allowing money and not man rule society. A culture of solidarity should prevail over our culture of waste, because when we care for and cultivate creation – including the human person – when we share our resources, we all have enough."

Pope Francis

(http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-audience-counter-a-culture-of-waste-with-s)

 

Pope: the economic crisis has ethical roots, we need a global rethink of system

Pope: the economic crisis has ethical roots, we need a global rethink of system

We can not put "the idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person." Unemployment "is spreading like wildfire in large areas of the West and boundaries of poverty are spreading at an alarming rate. And there is no worse material poverty, I am compelled to emphasize, than that which does not allow people to earn their daily bread and deprives them of the dignity of work. "

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Rethinking solidarity", "returning to the centrality of man, to a more ethical vision of human activities and relationships" for "a global rethinking of the system" is a requirement made more pressing by the current crisis, with "the phenomenon of unemployment spreading like wildfire." The crisis, in fact, warns Pope Francis, "is not only economic and financial but is rooted in an anthropological and ethical crisis" that puts "the idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person "forgetting that" above the business, logic and parameters of the marketplace, is a human being", who must able to "live in dignity".

The meeting with the Centesimus Annus - Pro Pontifice Foundation, who have been holding an n international conference on the theme "Rethinking Solidarity for Employment: The Challenges of the Twenty-First Century", was an opportunity today for the Pope's reflection on the actuality of the social doctrine of the Church and the need to "combine Church teaching with socio-economic development, which, being constant and fast, always presents us with new aspects."

In a reference to the problem addressed by the Foundation - established by Pope John Paul II twenty years ago, and which bears the name of one of his encyclical on work and the human person - Francis noted that "rethinking solidarity" certainly "does not mean questioning recent Magisterium, the foresight and actuality of which is increasingly coming to bear".  It means "above all combining Church teaching with socio-economic development, which, being constant and fast, always presents new aspects for discussion".  Secondly, it means "deepening and further reflecting on it, to bring out the entire fecundity of a value - solidarity, in this case - that draws deeply from the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ, and as such contains inexhaustible potential".
"The current economic and social crisis adds urgency to this 'rethinking' and brings out the truth and relevance of the Churches social teaching even more." Inside the crisis is the phenomenon of unemployment, "the lack and of loss employment, which is spreading like wildfire in large areas of the West and which is alarmingly spreading the confines of poverty. And there is no worse material poverty, I am compelled to emphasize, than that which does not allow people to earn their daily bread and deprives them of the dignity of work. By now this 'something is wrong' no longer concerns only the South, but the entire planet. This is why there is an ever greater need to 'rethink solidarity' no longer as simple assistance to the poor, but as a global rethinking of the whole system, such as finding ways to reform it and correct it in a manner consistent with the fundamental human rights of all men. We must restore this word 'solidarity', which is not well seen by the economic world - as if it were a bad word - its well-deserved social citizenship".
"The current crisis is not only economic and financial but is rooted in an anthropological and ethical crisis. The idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person, has become a basic mode of operation and decisive criterion in organization. It is forgotten and people still forget that above the business logic and parameters of the marketplace, there is the human being and there is something which is due to man , by virtue of his profound dignity: the opportunity to live with dignity and participate actively in the common good. Benedict XVI reminded us that every human activity, even in the economic sphere, precisely because it is human, must be structured and governed in an ethical manner. We must return to the centrality of man, to more ethical human activities and relationships, without the fear that in doing so we will lose something."

 
(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-the-economic-crisis-has-ethical-roots,-we-need-a-global-rethink-of-system-28022.html)

Pope takes another swipe at the global 'cult of money'

"Not to share one's goods with the poor is to rob them".

Vatican City: 

Pope Francis has called on world leaders to put an end to the "cult of money" and to do more to help the poor, warning that insecurity was rising in many regions of the world and the "joy of life" was diminishing in developed countries.

"The worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly human goal," Francis said in an address to ambassadors to the Vatican on Thursday.

Francis said that radical free-market ideologies had created "a new, invisible, and at times virtual, tyranny" and human beings "considered as consumer goods" and called for global financial reform that would benefit everyone.

"Solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy. While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling," he said.

"I encourage the financial exports and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of St John Chrysostom "Not to share one's goods with the poor is to rob them", he said.

The Argentine pope, formerly the archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became a powerful voice on the side of the poor during his homeland's devastating economic crisis.

Increasing transparency

The Vatican Bank, a centre of scandals for decades, is to launch its own website and publish its annual report in an effort to increase transparency, its new president said.

Ernst von Freyberg told the bank's employees of the changes, which should be in place by the end of the year, this week, according to Vatican Radio.

He also said the bank, formally known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) and dubbed the world's most secretive bank by Forbes magazine, had also hired an auditing firm to make sure it meets international standards against money laundering.

Freyberg was appointed in February to take the place of Ettore Gotti Tedeschi who was fired last May.

Gotti Tedeschi said he was dismissed because he wanted more transparency but the board, made up of international financial experts, said he had neglected basic management responsibilities and alienated staff.

His abrupt departure, along with the arrest of Pope Benedict's butler for stealing confidential papal documents, came during a leaks scandal that shook the Vatican last year and contributed to Benedict's decision to resign.

The Vatican has been trying to shed its image as a murky financial centre since 1982, when Roberto Calvi, known as "God's Banker" because of his links to the Vatican, was found hanging from London's Blackfriars Bridge.

Calvi was head of the Banco Ambrosiano, then Italy's largest private bank, which collapsed in a fraudulent bankruptcy.

The Vatican bank owned part of the Ambrosiano.

In July, a European anti-money laundering committee said the Vatican Bank failed to meet all its standards on fighting money laundering, tax evasion and other financial crimes.

The report by Moneyval, a monitoring group of the 47-nation Council of Europe, found the Vatican had passed only nine of 16 "key and core" aspects of its financial dealings.

(http://robertjohnkennedy.blogspot.in/2013/05/pope-takes-another-swipe-at-global-cult.html?spref=bl)

A new tyranny

The majority of the men and women of our time continue to live daily in situations of insecurity, with dire consequences. Certain pathologies are increasing, with their psychological consequences; fear and desperation grip the hearts of many people, even in the so-called rich countries; the joy of life is diminishing; indecency and violence are on the rise; poverty is becoming more and more evident. People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of this situation, in my opinion, is in the our relationship with money, and our acceptance of its power over ourselves and our society. Consequently the financial crisis which we are experiencing makes us forget that its ultimate origin is to be found in a profound human crisis. In the denial of the primacy of human beings! We have created new idols. The worship of the golden calf of old (cf. Ex 32:15-34) has found a new and heartless image in the cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.

The worldwide financial and economic crisis seems to highlight their distortions and above all the gravely deficient human perspective, which reduces man to one of his needs alone, namely, consumption. Worse yet, human beings themselves are nowadays considered as consumer goods which can be used and thrown away. We have begun a throw away culture. This tendency is seen on the level of individuals and whole societies; and it is being promoted! In circumstances like these, solidarity, which is the treasure of the poor, is often considered counterproductive, opposed to the logic of finance and the economy. While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling. This imbalance results from ideologies which uphold the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and thus deny the right of control to States, which are themselves charged with providing for the common good. A new, invisible and at times virtual, tyranny is established, one which unilaterally and irremediably imposes its own laws and rules. Moreover, indebtedness and credit distance countries from their real economy and citizens from their real buying power. Added to this, as if it were needed, is widespread corruption and selfish fiscal evasion which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to power and of possession has become limitless.

Concealed behind this attitude is a rejection of ethics, a rejection of God. Ethics, like solidarity, is a nuisance! It is regarded as counterproductive: as something too human, because it relativizes money and power; as a threat, because it rejects manipulation and subjection of people: because ethics leads to God, who is situated outside the categories of the market. These financiers, economists and politicians consider God to be unmanageable, unmanageable even dangerous, because he calls man to his full realization and to independence from any kind of slavery. Ethics – naturally, not the ethics of ideology – makes it possible, in my view, to create a balanced social order that is more humane. In this sense, I encourage the financial experts and the political leaders of your countries to consider the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Not to share one’s goods with the poor is to rob them and to deprive them of life. It is not our goods that we possess, but theirs” (Homily on Lazarus, 1:6 – PG 48, 992D).

There is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone. This would nevertheless require a courageous change of attitude on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with determination and farsightedness, taking account, naturally, of their particular situations. Money has to serve, not to rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but the Pope has the duty, in Christ’s name, to remind the rich to help the poor, to respect them, to promote them. The Pope appeals for disinterested solidarity and for a return to person-centred ethics in the world of finance and economics.

For her part, the Church always works for the integral development of every person. In this sense, she reiterates that the common good should not be simply an extra, simply a conceptual scheme of inferior quality tacked onto political programmes. The Church encourages those in power to be truly at the service of the common good of their peoples. She urges financial leaders to take account of ethics and solidarity. And why should they not turn to God to draw inspiration from his designs? In this way, a new political and economic mindset would arise that would help to transform the absolute dichotomy between the economic and social spheres into a healthy symbiosis.

Pope Francis

(http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-financial-reform-along-ethical-lines)

Imbalance between a rapid globalisation of the world's economic system and the lack of a corresponding political authority to monitor this global phenomenon

Justice and Peace Council: 'Banking on the Common Good'

(Vatican Radio) A international colloquium on the theme ‘Banking on the Common Good’ is taking place in the Vatican on Monday, with discussions focused on how to bring ethical values to bear on the world’s financial and monetary systems.
Jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Justice and Peace Council and several institutes supporting a values based economy, the colloquium took as its starting point a recent document from the Council which explores the roots of the global financial crisis.In a key note speech, the president of the Pontifical Council, Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana, said the past five years of economic crisis have shown there is an urgent need to restore public trust in the banks and other financial institutions. This can only be done, he said, if their activities are more focused on the common good and if there is some form of effective governance to make sure this goal is achieved.

Cardinal Turkson highlights the imbalance between a rapid globalisation of the world's economic system and the lack of a corresponding political authority to monitor this global phenomenon...."

(http://www.news.va/en/news/justice-and-peace-council-banking-on-the-common-go)

The reopening of the “long-stalled” canonization of martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador

"Gunned down in 1980 while celebrating Mass, Romero was openly sympathetic to “liberation theologians” and those who fought political repression and injustice.

Wrote David Gibson for Religion News Service: “But the news that Pope Francis, just six weeks on the job, has cleared the way for the long-stalled canonization of [Romero] is a stunner that sends another important signal about the new pope’s priorities.”

Gibson quoted Jesuit theology professor Fr. Harvey Egan: “Sainthood is often as much about politics and image as anything else. It’s not surprising to me that this present pope, being from South America, having the same inclinations as Romero, would unblock the process and say, ‘Push his cause through,’ and I think rightly so.”

Romero championed the poor and human rights during the bloody war in El Salvador. A right-wing death squad gunned him down while he was at the altar. There is a famous black-and-white photo that shows Romero slumped on the floor, surrounded by nuns. Being proliberation had its price.

Although Romero was instantly hailed as a martyr, his cause did not sail smoothly, partly, it is surmised, because then Pope John Paul II and his doctrinal enforcer Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (who would later become Pope Benedict XVI) were not too fond of left-leaning liberation theology.

In the 1980s, here in the Philippines where many militant clergy, religious and Church workers fought against the excesses of martial rule, Romero was an icon. He was an inspiration to priests, nuns and bishops who strode the fine line. And then the name Romero seemed to have vanished in the Church firmament.

The good news is that two weeks ago, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, a Vatican official who is in charge of Romero’s cause, announced that he and the Pope had met on the matter and that Romero’s case was now “unblocked.” In other words, proceed.

Martyrdom, in Church parlance, means dying for one’s faith and not for some ideological or political reasons. Martyrdom can be a fast path to beatification (the process before canonization). The usual requirements can be waived and only one miracle—instead of two—is required for sainthood."

(http://opinion.inquirer.net/51821/sainthood-for-archbishop-oscar-romero#ixzz2S6lUHa31)

Bishops' May Day message stresses workers' social security

The message stressed on to organize the unorganized workers in some format in order to secure justice.

By Bijay Kumar Minj
New Delhi: 

Indian bishops have asked Church organizations and dioceses to promote a social security scheme and just wages among unorganized workers at all levels to ensure worker's rights, especially of migrants and women.

The May Day message from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) stressed on to organize the unorganized workers in some format in order to secure justice.

It said that the Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church states that workers' unions are “a positive influence" for social order and solidarity and are therefore an "indispensable element of social life.”

The message from CBCI Labor Commission also asked to create a pastoral desk in each diocese to cater to the needs of the inter-state migrant workers to promote their spiritual and social integration.

Fr. Jaison Vadassery, Commission secretary, said in order to intervene meaningfully in the issues of the poor workers of our country "we need to strengthen these national movements and regional structures under each Catholic diocese.

"We bargain and fight for just wages for all the employees of our country, we also struggle hard to ensure just wages for the employees in the Church's institutions," he said.

The social security for the employees in our institutions is also the special concern of the Church. Therefore CBCI has come forward with Mazdoor Suraksha Yojana (MSY), for Church workers across the country.

It is a contributory pension scheme that deposits minimum of Rs.1000 for the employee and the government also contributes. At the age of sixty (60) Governments through Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will give pension for staff and family. During the period of employment the worker is covered under life insurance also.

The CBCI promotes this scheme in the civil society as well as within Church institutions because Right to Work and right to rest are the fundamental rights of every human being, the priest said.

The May Day message also urged to combat the child labor and promote just wages.

(http://www.ucanindia.in/news/bishops-may-day-message-stresses-workers-social-security/20865/daily)

Catholics and public back dockers' strike

Catholics and public back dockers' strike

Hong Kong sees rare display of worker unrest

ucanews.com reporter, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
2013-04-05 15:56:18

Dock workers' representatives outside the terminal

Two diocesan commissions today called for Catholic support for dockworkers who have been on strike since March 28.

Hundreds of stevedores have remained outside the terminal even in pouring rain this week to demand a pay rise, which would be only their second in 10 years. 

In the diocesan weekly published today, the Justice and Peace and the Labor Affairs commissions gave their support to the workers, citing concern over conditions, including 12-hour days and low wages. 

The Hong Kong Labor Department arranged a meeting yesterday between the strikers and the labor subcontractors for a terminal owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, but no resolution was reached.

“Our 10 representatives waited for two and a half hours, and only one of the four contractors came for the negotiation,” said dockworker Ah Fai, adding he expects the strike will go on for at least one more week.

The workers are reportedly demanding a 20 percent pay raise, making up for cuts over the past few years. 

Labor strikes are rare in Hong Kong. The last was a strike by structural steel workers in 2007 that lasted 36 days.

So far, more than HK$2 million (US$258,000) has been donated by a public sympathetic to the dockworkers, who say current salaries are effectively lower than in 1997. 

Hong Kong is the third busiest port in the world, moving 17 million containers in 2012.

(http://www.ucanews.com/news/catholics-and-public-back-dockers-strike/67950)

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