CBCP to host prison chaplains meet in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will host an international meet of prison chaplains in Manila on Nov. 24 to 29. An article on the CBCP website said the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care will host the meeting at the Manila Hotel. Participants to the third annual meeting of the Steering Committee of the International Prison Chaplains Association (IPCA Worldwide) include the IPCA president, Vice president, Project Manager, representatives of Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America and Latin America and the Caribbean. Members of the Christian Council of Sweden will also attend the meeting. While in the country, members of the Steering Committee will visit the Manila City Jail and learn from the director of the Bureau of Jail Management the present situation of jails in the Philippines. The group will also meet and discuss with Church leaders and government officials who are involved on the issues of human rights. A fellowship night is likewise scheduled with Chaplains and Volunteers in Prison Service. The Committee will meet media on Nov. 26 to discuss Jail and Prison Reforms and Restorative Justice. Speakers include CBCP-ECPPC chairman Bishop Pedro Arigo, IPCA Worldwide president Birgitta Winberg, Rev. Agneta Johnson of the Correctional Service of Sweden, Rev. Tom O'Connor, chaplain of Correctional Service of America, and Rev. Hennie Human, Representative of Africa and the Correctional Service of Africa. IPCA, an ecumenical Christian movement, is a conference of prison chaplains committed to serve the unity of the Churches. It provides a worldwide network of prison chaplains who are deeply committed in their work for peace and justice for prisoners. - GMANews.TV