whether or not you can make the 4:00 reception at UUSS or the 7:00 lecture at Trinity Episcopal, I thought you might like to see information about Padre Melo. This is the press release. –Roger

PRIEST FROM HONDURAS TO SPEAK ON MIGRATION
Local Churches Host Human Rights Award Recipient

Several Sacramento area churches are joining together to bring a prominent voice for human rights in Central America to speak locally. Father Ismael Moreno Coto, known in his native Honduras as “Padre Melo,” will speak in Sacramento September 17, 2019, 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Cathedral, 2620 Capitol Avenue. Fr. Melo’s talk will follow meetings that day with local elected officials and church leaders, including presentation of a resolution by Sacramento City Councilmember Allen Warren for his active commitment to human rights.
Fr. Melo will be discussing the root causes of mass migration from Central America, focusing specifically on the ongoing human rights crisis in Honduras. His talk in Sacramento is one of several speaking events on the west coast. At Gonzaga University in Spokane on September 15, he will be the final keynote speaker at a conference on Ethnicity, Race, and Indigenous Peoples.
In addition to host, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, involved local churches include St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis of Assisi Pathways for Justice, Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento, and Sacramento Area Congregations Together (Sac ACT). A grant from the Racine Dominican Sisters has helped to support this event. Fr. Melo’s evening talk will be open to the public free of charge; donations will be accepted for his work in Honduras. IMBA Folklorico Academy under the direction of Abraham Perez will provide a cultural performance at the public event to help welcome Padre Melo to Sacramento.
Padre Melo will have the opportunity to meet with other who want to address the issues challenging Honduras during an Interfaith Luncheon and a Community Leaders Reception. Anyone interested in attending the Luncheon or Reception should contact Sr. Ann Pratt, OP at apratt@racinedominicans.org.
About Fr. Melo
Fr. Melo is a Honduran Jesuit with master’s degrees in philosophy and theology. He is an analyst and writer on social and political issues; he is the director of Radio Progresso and the Reflection, Research and Communication Team (ERIC) based in El Progresso, Honduras. Radio Progresso is the only non-government controlled radio station in Honduras. Because of its criticism of the Honduran government’s corruption and human rights abuses, Radio Progresso’s team members, including Fr. Melo, are subject to harassment and death threats.
In 2002, Fr. Melo founded the Human Rights Department of ERIC, which assists cases before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights related to activists murdered for their work in defense of the environment and human rights. In 2015, he was awarded the Norwegian Rafto Award in 2015 for Human Rights and Freedom of Expression.
Regarding the significance of Radio Progresso’s work, Fr. Melo wrote in a recent letter to supporters of his station: “We believe in solidarity among peoples…And we believe that when everyone contributes to the common cause of justice, then we become strong in love and grow as people bound together in pursuit of freedom.”
Fr. Melo’s Curriculum Vitae is posted at https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/rafto-documents/Press-kit-Rafto-Prize/FACTSHEET-ENGLISH-2015.pdf
Other links relating to Fr. Melo’s current work:
https://www.gonzaga.edu/ethnicity-race-indigenous-peoples-conference/speakers
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2018/03/radio-progreso-honduran-journalists-threat-180331074058381.html

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