Video from the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Scotland addressing Peace and Disarmament (2022)
In 1982, the Scottish bishops released a landmark statement on nuclear weapons. In this letter they challenged not just the use of nuclear weapons, something the church has always condemned, but they challenged also the very notion of deterrence and the morality of deterrence.
Last year, 40 years on – with the help of schools – bishops and anti-nuclear activists made a video version to endorse the words of the statement. The school pupils also call for peace education in the classroom as a right.
The Bishops have re-shared the video to mark Hiroshima Day, 6 August 2023.
Kew Gardens, Victoria Gate, TW9 3JR, United Kingdom (map)
All are welcome to join the Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Outing to Kew Gardens on Thursday 14th September, 11am-4pm.
This is a last chance to see the Plants of the Qur’an exhibition before it ends on Sunday 17th September. We will visit the exhibition in the morning, with time to explore the gardens in the afternoon.
This visit will be of particular interest to anyone with an interest in the care of creation, food projects and interfaith relations in the Diocese, but also to anyone who would like a relaxing day out in nature and looking at art. All are welcome. No prior connection to Justice & Peace needed!
Please purchase your own tickets in advance via the Kew website (there are different pricing options) or on arrival.
The meeting point is just inside the ticket barriers at the Victoria Gate entrance at 11.00am where we will begin and end the day with prayers. Please bring a picnic with you if you can. We will have lunch together near the Victoria Gate café. Drinks, sandwiches and cakes are also available to purchase. Those who wish can stay on to explore more of the gardens in the afternoon.
Please contact Colette Joyce – colettejoyce@rcdow.org.uk/ 07593 434 905 – or Fr Dominic Robinson – dominicrobinson@rcdow.org.uk / 07840 868 568 – to let us know you are coming or just join us on the day. Call us on arrival if you have any difficulty finding us!
Pax Christi vigil outside Westminster Cathedral, 9th August 2022
The nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945) killed hundreds of thousands of people and left countless others living with the effects, many of which continue today. Those who survived the bombings, known as Hibakusha, have been leading campaigners for nuclear disarmament for nearly eight decades.
This year the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship will come together on the evening of Sunday 6 August, 8.00pm, for an Online Vigil – ‘Reflections for Peace’ -including prayers, reflections and songs. While the evening will include prayers for the victims and survivors, it will also look forward with hope towards a world without nuclear weapons.
In London, there will be also be a Pax Christi vigil and stall outside Westminster Cathedral from 11.00am to 1.00pm on both Sunday 6 and Wednesday 9 August.
On Wednesday 9 August there is a Service to Commemorate Blessed Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943) on the 80th anniversary of his death at 6.30pm in the Crypt of Westminster Cathedral, which is followed by a walk to the London Peace Pagoda in Battersea to join an interfaith gathering to remember the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and pray for a world free from nuclear weapons.
In Hertfordshire, on Sunday 6th August, 3.00 pm, the Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Group from Ss Alban and Stephen Catholic Church in St Albans mark the event with a short service on the theme ‘Against Nuclear Proliferation’ at the Abbey Peace Pillar in Sumpter Yard, Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1BY.
All are invited to join us online for the annual national vigil to remember the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There will be readings, prayer and reflections on the occasion and looking towards a future without nuclear weapons. Organised by Christian CND and Anglican Pacifist Fellowship. Register for the free Zoom link here.
For more details of other events commemorating the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, please visit the Pax Christi website
CAFOD’s much loved Westminster Diocese coordinator Tony Sheen is retiring after working for the Catholic international development charity for 17 years.
Tony’s energy and enthusiasm for tackling injustice and raising the plight of people all around the world has been infectious and the extensive bank of volunteers he has built across Westminster is testament to that.
He joined CAFOD in 2006, at the height of the Make Poverty History campaign. Yet, Tony’s determination and desire to fight against injustice is as strong now as it was back then.
From getting volunteers to speak at Mass regularly, running workshops in Catholic Schools across the diocese, to organising a hugely popular annual family bike ride no task was too big or too small for Tony.
His time at CAFOD was celebrated by over 70 people, many of whom were active or past volunteers for CAFOD Westminster, at the Parish of Christ the King in Oakwood on the 27 July 2023.
Speaking at the retirement event, Tony Sheen said: “CAFOD has become an integral part of who I am. It has been a vocation for me to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers overseas fighting for a more just world.
“Along my journey I’ve been so lucky to have had the support of so many volunteers and visited so many parishes across Westminster diocese. Working with the volunteers and sharing CAFOD’s work in parishes has taught me how important CAFOD is to the life of the Church.
“But our fight for a more just world continues, and I’ll be praying for you all as the struggle continues!”
In 2011, Tony visited CAFOD partners in Brazil visiting the Favelas of São Paulo and this trip has continued to inspire him to this day.
Cica Iorio, CAFOD’s country rep for Brazil accompanied Tony on that trip and said a few words about him at the event:
“I was fortunate to travel with Tony to Brazil and it was a wonderful trip because of his energy and passion. Tony had an open heart, listening and taking in all the stories he heard. The beauty of Tony is that he is all of his volunteers and all the diocese when he undertakes his work for CAFOD.”
Tony shared some lines from a prayer attributed to Oscar Romero:
“We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something and to do it well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.”
But it isn’t just CAFOD where Tony has made his mark, he has also been a tireless supporter of the Justice and Peace Network.
Barbara Kentish, a retired field worker for Westminster Justice and Peace attended the event and spoke about the difference Tony has made to the cause: “Tony has not only given so much to CAFOD, but also to all the issues Justice and Peace campaign on. Tony was fundamental to getting the Westminster Diocese to become Fairtrade and we are so thankful for that.”
Tony will continue to work for CAFOD until the 17 August 2023. It is clear whatever he does next, he will continue to be driven by his passion to tackle injustice.
l-r: Anne Peacey, Sir John Battle, Christine Allen, Fr Dominic Robinson SJ. Photo: Jo Siedlecka, ICN
Source: Ellen Teague, Independent Catholic News
“Our Network is needed more than ever before,” a former MP and Minister of State at the Foreign Office told last weekend’s annual conference of the National Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales. In a talk entitled, ‘Advocacy and Faith Action’, Sir John Battle, an NJPN patron and activist with Leeds Justice and Peace, said: “we need to shift from charitable action to challenging the causes of injustice in line with the preferential option for the poor.”
The 45th annual conference addressed issues crucial to the common good and the well-being of the natural world, with a particular focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Commitments at the end included lobbying politicians and leaders in general, involving the Bishops’ Conference, to remind the UK government of its promises in terms of the SDG goals. “No new oil, coal and gas” was another call and a promise to live more simply as individuals and in our communities.
“Work for justice is part of preaching the Gospel.” Christine Allen, Executive Director of CAFOD said in her presentation. Christine works closely with partners around the world, putting the SDGs into practice. A video was played of partner Caritas Brazil, which was founded by Dom Helder Camara, which embraces the SDG principle of ‘leave no one behind’. Caritas Brazil works to tackle social injustice and defend indigenous populations, “who are the primary guardians of forests and rivers,” and promotes the rights of nature as well as human rights. Christine also gave examples of CAFOD’s work with partners in drought-stricken Marsabit, Northern Kenya and in DR Congo with victims of sexual violence in the context of conflict. All of this was applauded by participants.
In another presentation, Brian O’Toole, Director of the Presentation Sisters Justice Desk for Ireland and England, said the International Presentation Association is committed “to respond to ‘the cry of the Earth and to people kept poor’ and it is doing this by embracing the SDGs in a human rights framework, addressing such issues as women and children, care of creation and indigenous peoples.”
The 2023 NJPN conference gathered Justice and Peace campaigners from across England and Wales, taking the theme: ‘Sustainability? Survival or Shutdown’. Held 21-23 July at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, there were around 150 participants. Justice and Peace activists from 16 dioceses and from National Justice and Peace Scotland, priests from three missionary societies and six orders of religious sisters joined representatives of CAFOD, CSAN, CARJ, Missio, Pax Christi England and Wales, SVP, Archbishop Romero Trust and the Laudato Si Movement to highlight social justice issues, structural injustice, climate change, conflict, and migration.
The weekend included a screening of ‘The Letter’. The film follows the stories of front-line environmental champions from around the world, each of whom is facing the effects of our planetary crisis, as they come into dialogue with each other and Pope Francis and build new bonds to face the future with hope. A ‘Just Fair’ hosted more than 20 stalls, including Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Justice for Palestine, and Global Justice Now. Ecumenical partners included Christians Aware, Christian Climate Action, Green Christian and Church Action on Poverty.
Of the 12 workshops, Columban Missionaries explored responses to people seeking asylum in the UK in the light of the Illegal Immigration Bill. Westminster J&P introduced materials for bringing the Season of Creation into the life of parishes and schools. Other workshops included, ‘Farming in the Future’, ‘How can we answer Pope Francis’s call to live more simply’, and ‘Being peacemakers in time of war’.
The conference chair was Anne Peacey of Hallam Diocese, vice chair of NJPN. The Conference Mass was celebrated by Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Chair of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, accompanied by Columban Fr Ed O’Connell. Fr Dominic highlighted the Hope that Justice and Peace work brings. He talked about “the huge amount of good work going on”, singling out support for asylum seekers and people in need of food banks and advocacy on decarbonisation, “but we need more”. He called for more integration with local Catholic communities. The Liturgy was led by the Lay Community of St Benedict, and involved children’s contribution of artwork, and hymns with a strong theme of social and environmental justice.
Two long-time supporters of NJPN who died very recently were remembered at the Mass – Brian Davies, former Head of Education at CAFOD, and Mike Clarke, former NJPN Treasurer.
Fr Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development sent a video message to the conference urging participants to promote the SDGs and the Laudato Si Action Platform. “May justice and peace embrace so that the life of all can flourish,” he said.
Tomas Insua of the Laudato Si Movement in Assisi said in a second video message that, “the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth are deeply connected, and I hope this gathering motivates action for our common home, particularly during the Season of Creation in the Autumn.”
Almost eight years have passed since the international community agreed to take bold and transformative steps to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a UN plan to end poverty while protecting the planet. Yet, only about 12% of SDG goals are on track to be achieved by 2030. The international UN SDG Summit, in September 2023, must mobilise the political commitment and breakthroughs our world desperately needs. The NJPN conference showed how people of faith can support that process.
The overall message of the conference was one of Hope. Participants were urged to bring hope by advocating back in their dioceses for the political will to take human rights and sustainability more seriously.
Hope you can join us for next year’s National Justice and Peace Network Conference: ‘Just Politics’ 19-21 July 2024 Make a note in your diaries now!
Over the next few days we will be publishing the texts of some of the 2023 Conference addresses.
On 18th July 2023, the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence of Carla Foster to 14 months suspended, following her earlier imprisonment for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy during lockdown. Commenting on the ruling, Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Bishops’ Conference, said:
‘I reiterate the consistent teaching of the Church that both the mother and the unborn child should be afforded the protection of the law and that abortion is always a tragedy for all concerned.
‘It is important that the law which protects the life of the unborn child is upheld. In this case I welcome the court’s decision to show mercy and compassion so that Carla Foster is reunited with her children and her family life can continue.
‘I raise again the concern that telemedicine (pills by post), which allows the home termination of pregnancies of up to 10 weeks, is dangerous for the health of women.’
The following tribute was delivered by the sons of Mike Clarke, Matthew and Andrew, at his funeral at Edmonton Parish in North London on 10 July 2023.
Dad was aware of the pain of the world, and the nonsenses that can cause it, and he met it with a mischievous spirit, always ready to prick pomposity with a joke, undermine any forced formality with a winking playfulness, and by quietly working all his life to make the world around him a better place.
And he never stopped trying, right up until the end, doing work in the hospital; simply and quietly ‘getting on with it’ – applying the skills he had to make things run a little bit better.
Let us give you an idea of what he did.
Michael Thomas Clarke was born on 21 January 1943, in West Ruislip. Mike’s parents were both from the south of Ireland. His Dad, Tom, built planes for the war effort, and his Mum, Nora, was a housekeeper for the rich folk of west London and a good cook to boot.
They moved to Chalk Farm, where he spent most of his younger years. The Rosary Primary School on Haverstock Hill, St Dominic’s in Hampstead, and then Cardinal Vaughan School in Kensington.
He was frighteningly bright and a model student by most accounts, but a little distracted and lazy by his own. He, of course, ultimately excelled, and left school with a clutch of A levels
But his true focus was having a good time with friends: music, and theatre, and football and having a drink. He met some of his life long friends at the St Dominic’s youth group.
He was a teacher for a time, teaching Biology although he had very little grounding in Biology himself, and did it, so he said, by keeping one chapter in the textbook ahead of the students. He also had a stint selling Menswear at Moss Bros.
Then, in the early 60s, he got a job at Lloyds Bank who, seeing he had a Maths A Level, moved him to a newly formed department: ‘computing and programming’, and so he started his main career at the very forefront of the computer revolution that has so transformed our modern world. Combining his gifts for numbers, for detail, and for organisation, it was perfect for him.
But outside of his work, he never gave up his love of singing, and live performance.
He joined the Lloyds Bank Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society and became a leading man. There he played Nathan Detroit in ‘Guys and Dolls’, Oscar Madison in ‘The Odd Couple’, appeared in ‘Cabaret’, ‘Half A Sixpence’ and many more, all performed in the West End.
With The Friends of St Edmunds, he put on musicals and music hall reviews in the church hall – he would usually be the host, and the glue that held it all together. He joined the Choir at St Edmunds, and everyone in the church would know what the tune was when he was singing as he led the entire congregation with his powerful bass. In the words of Maire, our organist: “He had a calming influence on all of us. He offered many sensible suggestions especially when we approached anything challenging and was supportive in every way. He was loved by all of us and is deeply missed.”
Later on, after retirement, he joined the Concord Players. Dad was still performing either singing or leading dramatic roles well in to his 70s. In 2017 he starred in ‘The Hebrew Lesson’ by Wolf Mankowitz with the Incognito Group.
Outside of that he was an avid golfer, and sometimes a good one. And, at the Bush Hill Park Golf Club he of course became the resident host of many entertainment nights. He implemented a Handicap System which, though it contradicted the governing rules of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, made the mixed ability group fairer.
And outside of all that, as a part of this parish and community, he became a school governor and eventually, after we had both left, chair of governors of St Edmunds Primary School.
He was the chair of the finance committee for this parish of St Edmunds. He was also the Chair of Church Street Residents’ association.
And, following Mum and her work with the National Justice & Peace Network, he joined and became their national treasurer. In the words of Anne Peacey, vice-chair of the NJPN:
“In my mind I have a clear picture of Mike during our many meetings at CAFOD, reclining at the back of the gathering, until called upon to present his financial reports. His approach was direct, along the lines of ‘this is what we spent, this is what we have left. Any questions?’
We knew with certainty that Mike had all the information at his fingertips and that NJPN was in very safe financial hands. Using his natural talent for numbers, for detail, and organisation, he put the work in to make his communities run better, to work properly, so they could carry on putting good back into the world.”
And outside of all that he got married and had a family. In the early 60s he met one Lauretta Lanigan (Lauri) at a weekend for the Priory Choir at Spode House. They would go to Spode sometimes twice a year, and socialise at The Hampstead Catholic Club at weekends. They were married in 1968 – a marriage lasting 55 years. In 1972 they moved to Edmonton. The house always full of laughter and people chatting. During these nights he taught us how to appreciate a good whiskey, the importance of sharing a bottle of wine with friends, and, most importantly, of making guests feel like our house was theirs. And he would tell long rambling jokes (complete with accents) and effortlessly occupy the centre of the party.
One of the last things Dad said to us, as he lay in the hospital bed – with my mum, my brother, and me alongside – was ‘I’m terribly sorry about this chaps’. He was sad that he was causing pain, even as he suffered himself. Right until the end, he was still working in order to care about others. In his own way he was looking out for those around him, quietly working to make the lives of the people around him better.
Michael Clarke died in the early morning of 25th June 2023.
His funeral was on 10 July 2023 at St Edmund’s RC Church, Edmonton.
The presider was Fr Emmanuel Ogunnaike MSP
Concelebrants were Fr Gerry Onyejuluwa MSP, Fr Noel Ugoagwu MSP, and Fr Dominic Robinson SJ (representing Westminster J&P Commission)
Representatives of the National Justice and Peace Network and Pax Christi were in the congregation.
Pope Francis has nominated Bishop Nicholas Hudson, as a member of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that will convene from 4th to 29th October in Rome. Bishop Nicholas led a team of four in-person delegates at the Synod’s European Continental Assembly meeting in Prague in February 2023.
“I feel very honoured to have been nominated by the Holy Father to be a member of the October Synod; and to have been asked to play a part in the contribution of England and Wales to this vital work of the Universal Church,” said Bishop Nicholas.
“I trust that all of us who take part in this Synod will experience something of the same ‘transformative power of listening’ which characterised the European Continental Assembly. I hope we will know in Rome the deep sense gained in Prague of standing alongside one another with our gaze fixed on Christ – sometimes even a sense of His walking among us, contemplating with us the mystery of the Church.”
He joins Archbishop John Wilson and Bishop Marcus Stock as episcopal members of the Synod from England and Wales. Fr Jan Nowotnik is a non-bishop member with voting rights.
Dominican friar Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP will lead a synod retreat for participants and has been nominated a Spiritual Assistant.
Professor Anna Rowlands and Dr Austen Ivereigh will serve as experts/facilitators.
Bishop Nicholas is auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Westminster with responsibility for Justice and Peace.
All are welcome to join the congregation of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral to mark 500 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The service will be in English with music in Ukrainian.
The service will include thanksgiving for the help and welcome given to thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the UK.
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 