Meet the Speakers

Our Justice and Peace annual day will take place on Saturday 28th October 2017 at St John Vianney Parish Centre, London N15 3QH from 10am. You can get a free ticket through eventbrite here, or by emailing us at justice@rcdow.org.uk

This year we are pleased to welcome Julie Ward MEP, who will talking to us about Human Rights after Brexit, and Dr Patrick Riordan SJ and Nicolette Busuttil, who will talk about the Catholic Church’s thinking, history, and action on human rights. You can find out more about our guest speakers below.

Julie Ward MEP

MEP for the North West

Julie Ward is an active campaigner for equal rights and social justice, most recently organising local events for One Billion Rising, the global movement to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.  Prior to being elected as an MEP, Julie had been working with partners in the EU and beyond for more than a decade. For instance, she was recently involved in an international delegation to Belfast to participate in an all-party discussion about the role of the arts in peace-building processes.  Julie decided to go to university for the first time in 2009 and enrolled on a Masters’ course at Newcastle, studying Education and International Development. This meant learning about economics, human rights and poverty. She graduated in 2012 determined to use her new-found knowledge for the greater good.

Dr Patrick Riordan, SJ

Theologian and philosopher at Heythrop College London

My graduate studies in philosophy were in Munich and Innsbruck. I was awarded the doctorate in philosophy by the University of Innsbruck in 1985 for a thesis entitled The Senses of Justice: A Critical Reconstruction of Justice-Talk in Practical Discourse. My M.A. studies had been at the Hochschule für Philosophie, Munich, where I submitted a Masters Thesis in 1981 entitled Das Entstehen des Geistes. Karl Rahner’s Theorie der Selbstüberbietung.  Current teaching:  Undergraduate:  Introduction to Value: I teach the section on Political Issues for first year BA students, Political Philosophy, Marx and Marxism.  Postgraduate:  Together with Dr Anna Abram I lecture on Ethical Issues Today for MA students taking the MA in Contemporary Ethics, and other degrees.  For those taking the MA in Philosophy I lecture on Political Philosophy.

Nicolette Busuttil

Communities of Hospitality Coordinator for the Jesuit Refugee Service

Nicolette joined the Jesuit Refugee Service in 2016 in a new role, as the Communities of Hospitality Coordinator. Her role will be to work with religious communities, parishes and individuals to support them to host some of the refugees who find themselves homeless. The JRS UK “At Home” scheme brings together asylum seekers with people willing to open up their homes and hearts, as destitute asylum seekers in need of respite are matched with individuals, families and religious communities that can offer short-term accommodation.