Nakba 75: National March, London – Saturday 13th May 2023
Catholic peace organisation, Pax Christi, will be among many other groups joining the national march organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign in London this coming Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the ongoing Nakba.
The assembly point is the BBC, Portland Place W1A from 12pm. Let them know on info@paxchristi.org.uk if you are coming along or look out for the Pax Christi banners on the day.
Date: May 15th 2023
Time: 12.30-1.30pm
Location: Opposite HOME OFFICE, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
Join us to pray for
We invite you to join us every third Monday of the month, remembering those who have died, and praying for those who are struggling for safety. Just come along on the day or contact us for the prayer resources in advice: Barbara Kentish – barbarakentish11@gmail.com or Br Johannes Maertens – johanmaertens@amys251
The London Catholic Worker
Westminster Justice & Peace
London Churches Refugee Fund
Jo Siedlecka – Independent Catholic News
There has been a dramatic increase in homelessness in England in the past year. At the same time, latest data shows there has been a huge rise in the number of empty properties. Campaign group Action on Empty Homes estimate that the proportion of long-term empty homes – vacant for six months or more – hit a record 248,633 in 2022, over 11,000 more than the previous year.
BBC Report – Most Empty Homes in London since 2010
In London, some 34,327 properties are described as “long-term vacant”, meaning that they had not been lived in for more than six months and were “substantially unfurnished”, as of March 31, 2022.
Between April and September 2022, 5,712 people were sleeping rough in London, a 21% increase compared to previous year – Shelter reports.
The number of individuals sleeping rough across the country is 74% higher than it was in 2010, when the data started being collected. These figures are likely to be an underestimate of rough sleeping, as people spending the night in less visible locations like parks and buses are often missed.
During the ‘Everyone In’ scheme during the Covid pandemic, nearly all rough sleepers in towns and cities across the country were brought from the cold and housed in hotels and hostels. But very few were offered permanent accommodation. Once the pandemic ended, people were forced back on the streets.
While the number of single people sleeping rough continues to grow, many more families are also struggling to find accommodation. The government’s latest statutory homelessness figures, which show the number of households who approached their local council between July and September 2022 and were found to be homeless or at risk of homelessness within the next eight weeks, reveal:
– 72,320 households in England became homeless or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless – a 4% annual rise on the same period last year.
– In the same period, 25,570 families with children faced homelessness – an 8% annual rise on the same period last year. Many of these families will end up in unstable and poor-quality temporary accommodation, including hostels and B&Bs.
Fr Dominic Robinson, SJ, Parish Priest at Farm Street Church, Mayfair, and Chair of Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace Commission, told ICN: “These staggering statistics are not just extremely worrying but should be a wake-up call to those who can make a difference to work with charitable agencies and faith groups more closely to address the housing crisis in the capital.
“Our volunteers are seeing every day how the issue of ‘homelessness’ is not just more serious than ever but more complex than traditional rough sleeping and we need to realise that.
“Appalling housing conditions, sofa surfing, living on and off of night buses is a daily reality and it is getting worse. Surely this outrageous revelation of the amount of empty property in London represents an opportunity to do something about this.
“But it is not the only solution of course. Affordable housing, community integration and above all treating those in desperate need more humanely must be at the heart of policy decisions both locally and nationally.”
God save The King! When I think carefully about what I’m singing or saying I can’t help thinking this is an invitation to wish God’s salvation on every human being, from my best friend to my worst of enemies, all of us made in the image of God. I think that’s of the essence of Christianity, to wish no malice to anyone but only God’s blessing for their long, happy and fruitful life. When someone takes on a special responsibility in God’s name I want to pray for them in a special way, that they will be given the strength to bear that responsibility well for the good of us all. And it is in that spirit that we approach the Coronation Ceremony tomorrow, resembling as it does in so many ways too the ceremony of ordination to priestly ministry. And so I invite us to pray in this Mass on the Coronation Vigil for King Charles and for the fruitful exercise of this ancient office ordained by God for the common good of all.
But I pray also that this solemn, joyful occasion, amid the pageantry and celebrations in our communities, and despite whatever anyone feels about the institution of the monarchy, teaches us about our own calling to service in our own lives. Because dutiful service is what HM The King believes clearly is at the heart of what his ministry is to be about. Indeed, we know it is already. Like him we have to say no to our own desires, our own attachments, our own needs, our own views, and say yes to a life of service for others. His witness to duty in service of others does indeed give us a lead in how we might respond as Christian disciples and citizens at this challenging time on history.
Right now in our country we are faced with huge challenges as the cost of living soars. Around our city we see the Churches needing to step in to help the increasing number of poor, the 1 in 58 statutory homeless despite more empty property in London for forty years. Somehow we need to break through the bureaucracy here and HM The King has shown us his passion for doing this. We are globally facing a crisis, perhaps too late, of the destruction of the planet and the need to tackle this. HM The King spoke of this prophetically forty years ago and continues to be a passionate supporter of radical ways to care anew for creation. When he meets Pope Francis soon one hopes this is high on the agenda as they are both world leaders on this issue. And we know our new king is above all a person of great faith, a strong Christian faith rooted in Orthodox monastic spirituality, commitment to the established Church of which he is head, and yet a truly Catholic sensibility which embraces sacramentality, spirituality, faith put into action, and which respects and encourages a truly diverse outlook on the faith life of the nation which embraces faith in all its multicultural reality today.
As we look forward to the Coronation, though, and as we pray for him, may we also remember what lies at the heart of the calling of every one of us. Pope Francis’ motto says it all of course, thanks to St Bede: ‘a sinner loved by God’; and the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius helps us to reflect deeply on this truth about ourselves. Thanks be to God that none of us are perfect. If we were we would never grow, never learn, and never have that vulnerability which enables us to understand others. I know so well that, however hard I try and am faithful to who I am and called to be, I make mistakes, errors of judgement, have blind spots, and again and again, but I know I’m called by the God who uses me as I am. In society we like often to paint people as saints or sinners, we condemn public figures, we misrepresent them and never get the full picture of basic human goodness tarnished by sinful humanity. We love to do that. We wish ill on people. And that is profoundly unchristian. May this weekend reawaken our faith in humanity and service and draw us out to pray for our new king who has an awesome task, only possible through the grace of God, and perhaps teach us again to consider how we are called as loved sinners to work in service of the common good.
The monthly E-Bulletin contains a two-page list of dates and activities for Catholics and others interested in getting involved in justice and peace issues. We try to produce short, pithy descriptions suitable for cutting and pasting into parish newsletters, but please do let us know if there is any way the information could be improved or better presented – justiceandpeace@rcdow.org.uk
Here is a sample of the Diary Dates to give you an idea of the sort of events that are included:
5 May, 7-9pm: Catholics and the Monarchy in Britain – London Jesuit Centre. 114 Mount Street, London, W1K 3AH.At the coronation of Charles III, join a discussion about the relationship between Catholics and the Monarchy. Dr Aidan Cottrell-Boyce with Mary Kenny, Peter Stamford and Jon Crudas MP. £10 suggested contribution. Book in advance
6 May – 30 July: St Francis of Assisi Exhibition, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. Art and imagery of Saint Francis (1182–1226) from the 13th century to today. Paintings from the National Gallery Collection by Sassetta, Botticelli, and Zurbarán with international loans including works by Caravaggio, Josefa de Óbidos, Stanley Spencer, Antony Gormley, Giuseppe Penone, Andrea Büttner, and a new commission from Richard Long. Saint Francis of Assisi
9 May: Day of Prayer for Survivors of Abuse – a national day of prayer called by the bishops of England and Wales for those who have been abused in a season of hope and new life. The Isaiah Journey has prepared a range of resources for prayer, action and reflection for use throughout the year, to be launched on the day of prayer. CBCEW Day of Prayer
13 May 10.15am-4.30pm: A Climate Retreat with Ruth Valerio – The Royal Foundation of St. Katharine, 2 Butcher Row, London, E14 8DS. An opportunity to be refreshed and re-envisioned amidst our current climate crisis. Ruth Valerio is an environmentalist, theologian and social activist. Cost £45. Bookings with Eventbrite
13-21 May: Urban Tree Festival – Programme 2023
15 May, 12.45-2.00pm: Southern Dioceses Environment Network – Update on the Guardians of Creation Project. Monthly online meeting for prayer, sharing and networking on the Care of Creation. Attend as a one-off or participate regularly. Southern Dioceses Environment Network
15 May, 12.30-1.30pm: Monthly Prayer Vigil outside the Home Office with Westminster Justice & Peace and London Catholic Worker to pray for migrants seeking safe passage to the UK. Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF. Contact Barbara Kentish for more details please message barbarakentish@talktalk.net
17 May, 11.30am: Westminster Cathedral Interfaith Group – Group visit to the National Gallery to see the St Francis of Assisi exhibition. Free, but please book own tickets in advance. Contact John Woodhouse to let him know if you would like to join in woodhousesopten@btinternet.com
17 May, 2-3.30p.m: Westminster Cathedral Interfaith Group – ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Monthly discussions on Fratelli Tutti, the encyclical on fraternity and social friendship by Pope Francis. Chapter 5 “A better kind of politics” with Sheikh Ramzy from Oxford. Hinsley Room, Morpeth Terrace, SW1 1EN. Contact John Woodhouse woodhousesopten@btinternet.com
24 May: 8th Anniversary of Laudato Si’ – Laudato Si Week 21-28 May
24 May, 6-8.30pm: PACT Harold Hood Lecture – “Is there a Christian answer to the problems of the criminal justice system?” Speaker: Dr Chijioke Nwalozie (Senior Lecturer in Criminology at De Montfort University.) Maria Fidelis Catholic School, Drummond Crescent, London NW1 1LY. Music by Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir. Free. Optional £25 suggested donation towards the support of prisoners and their families, if you can afford it. More details from PACT
We hope you will read or download the full bulletin to find out the rest!
The Big One
By John Woodhouse, Laudato Si’ Animators UK. John is the Westminster Justice and Peace Contact for Westminster Cathedral.
How did it feel at 76 to be going on my first real demo and march? A bit daunting, but the two days I spent were fantastic and fun!
We started at St John’s Waterloo with a service of praise and lament and then we walked to the Shell building where Magda Kadziak who leads the European Laudato Si’ Animators and had travelled from Poland read the prayer of Pope Francis from Laudato Si’. Led on by the Salvation Army band we reached Parliament Square to find thousands more protesters.
The second day I settled at the Faith Hub – I had walked 6.2 km with my stick the day before!- and Fr Joe Ryan celebrated Mass. This was very special. Fr Joe said he had waited fifty-two years for this day and he produced a copy of Laudato Si’. The Gospel was the road to Emmaus and it was noticeable how the congregation grew during the Mass.
This was a fantastic opportunity to meet twenty Animators from around the country who I had known on Zoom for two years and, in fact, I met lots of other Catholic and Anglican friends as well. The variety of protesters was just staggering and all was well-organised and stewarded. It was good to see families taking a full part. The reason I am so committed to this cause is that I want a better world for my three grandsons. We must all do what we can!
Source: Jo Siedlecka, Independent Catholic News
Christians from many denominations taking part in the Big One climate protests on Friday, began with a prayer service led by church leaders including Bishop John Sentamu at St John’s Church, Waterloo. So many had arrived for the No Faith In Fossil Fuels Service, there was standing room only in the church, and hundreds remained outside.
After the service, a line of seven Anglican bishops and other church leaders led a march via Shell HQ to Parliament, (where Bishop Sentamu tried to deliver a letter – but was reported to the police – read more here ) to join the protests.
They were accompanied by Christine Allen director of CAFOD, with dozens of CAFOD supporters, Anthony Cotterill head of the Salvation Army UK, with the Salvation Army Brass Band, plus representatives from Tearfund, Christian Aid, Young Christian Climate Network, Student Christian Movement, Operation Noah, Just Love, A Rocha UK, Engage Worship, Green Christian, All We Can, Christian Climate Action and others.
The Big One, taking place from 21 to 24 April, is already one of the biggest UK climate protests to have taken place, with thousands of people gathering around Parliament across four days to demand an end to the fossil fuel era. This peaceful protest has planned many family-friendly activities throughout the four days.
Christine Allen, director of CAFOD told ICN: “Pope Francis has called on every one of us to take collective responsibility to care for our common home. The Pope has said that means leaving behind the fossil fuels that are destroying our common home.
“We cannot continue to allow a situation where fossil fuel companies reap record-breaking profits while people in communities that have contributed least to the climate crisis pay the price.”
The former Archbishop of York and current Chair of Christian Aid, John Sentamu said: “Climate change is the most insidious and brutally indiscriminate force of our time. The people suffering the most have done the least to cause it. That is why continuing to search for new sources of fossil fuels, despite explicit warnings against this from the International Energy Agency, is such an offence against humanity. If we want to limit climate suffering we have to leave fossil fuels in the ground. The Church has a proud history of standing up against injustice and once again we need to see Christians calling on the [UK} government to take decisive action.”
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Usher, the lead Church of England bishop for the environment, said: “I commend this peaceful, prayer-fuelled service and pilgrimage. The message is loud and clear: ‘Wake up world!’ It is time to stop playing political games and take action now. We are already seeing the effects of the climate emergency around the world – and it is the world’s economically poorest people who are already suffering the most. So it is our moral duty and a Christian calling to do all we can to try to turn the tide. Our leaders must seize this moment and deliver real and impactful change for the future of God’s creation. We don’t have a spare Earth – this is our one precious home.”
In 2021, the International Energy Agency said that exploitation and development of new oil and gas fields must stop if the world is to stay within safe limits of global heating. But since this stark warning, all major oil companies are continuing to explore for and develop new fossil fuel reserves.
Despite the advice of the IEA, the UK government has opened a new licensing round for companies to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea. Nearly 900 locations are being offered for exploration, with more than 100 licences set to be awarded. The UK government is also subsidising the fossil fuel industry. Since 2015, the UK government has given £20 billion more in support to fossil fuel producers than to those of renewables.
Last year, a YouGov poll commissioned by CAFOD found that 59 per cent of Christians felt the government had done too little to tackle climate change over the last year. Only 16 per cent of Christians surveyed thought the government had done the right amount.
The Rt Rev Dr Steven Croft, Anglican Bishop of Oxford said: “Earth is the only planet, the only corner of this vast universe, where we are certain there is abundant life. Yet the once-rich tapestry of life on earth is now being degraded year by year because of the expansion and greed of a single species, ourselves. We have time, just, to respond to the climate crisis. This is the moment to send a clear message to the Government that they must go further and faster to tackle carbon pollution.”
The Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, Anglican Bishop of Truro, said: “The climate emergency isn’t a problem for the future; it’s a disaster that already affects many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Jesus said that he came to be ‘good news to the poor’ and I hope that many Christians will be in London for The Big One to stand with Jesus and speak up for the poorest of the world.
The Rt Rev Richard Jackson, Anglican Bishop of Hereford, said: “Climate change is an international emergency, the consequences of which reach to every corner of the world. In Herefordshire excess rainfall has caused the Wye to reach its highest ever level in the last few years, bringing not just flooding but sewage outflows that have had a devastating effect on wildlife. We can do our little bits as individuals, but only concerted government action can bring the necessary changes to reach our net zero target. I commend Christian Climate Action for continuing to bring this issue to government for their response.”
Rev Jo Rand, a Methodist Minister from Cumbria, said: “I’m really glad to see the number of mainstream charities and organisations that are taking part in the Big One. We must end our dependence on fossil fuels, and there’s strength in numbers as we show our leaders this isn’t a fringe issue but something that’s at the heart of working for a just world. Come and be a part of it!”
Passionist priest Fr Martin Newell said: “This is such a critical time for life on our planet. The sad truth is that the window in which we are able to turn the climate crisis around is closing fast. This is a really difficult thing to comprehend. But I choose to believe in the Church. I believe that we will not let God’s creation be sullied by greed, by selfishness and all the horrible systematic sin we are seeing around us. I invite my fellow Christians to stand alongside me as we say no to fossil fuel exploration.”
Dear Friends of Justice and Peace,
This spring and summer we are supporting many activities across the Diocese for refugees, ending homelessness, tackling racial discrimination and promoting peace. As usual, protecting our natural environment is a key priority for us, so for Friday 21st April we especially invite you to join ‘The Big One’ – the largest climate rally planned yet for action to end the dangerous fossil fuel emissions that are harming our planet.
Westminster Justice & Peace will be joining CAFOD, Faith for the Climate, Christian Aid, Christian Climate Action and many other groups for an ecumenical ‘No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ service at St Johns, Waterloo Rd, London, SE1 8TY, 12noon, after which we will walk together to join the main civic rally outside the Houses of Parliament, pausing via the Shell HQ on the South Bank. Participants are invited to compose and bring prayers for climate justice on a placard, which you can hold up as we walk.
We would love to be joined by clergy and parishioners from all over the Diocese. For more details please visit:
21 April – ‘The Big One’ – Climate Service and Rally
We wish you a blessed and sacred time this Holy Week as together we accompany Jesus through his passion to the Cross.
May we rejoice once more in the joy of the Resurrection and know the love of the Lord in everything we do.
In peace, with justice,
Colette Joyce (Co-ordinator)
Westminster Justice & Peace will be joining CAFOD, Faith for the Climate, Christian Aid, Christian Climate Action and many other religious and civic groups for the largest climate rally yet on Friday, 21 April 2023.
Come and take a stand against fossil fuel company greed and government inaction – which is fuelling both the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis.
The faith groups’ action will centre around an ecumenical ‘No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ service at St Johns, Waterloo Rd, London, SE1 8TY, after which we will walk together to Parliament in pilgrimage. You can bring your own banners, collect one at the rally or write prayers for climate justice on a placard, which you can hold up as we walk.
Programme
From 11am – Gather at St John’s, Waterloo, for Music and Worship
12 noon – No Faith in Fossil Fuels Service
1pm – Pilgrimage to Parliament Square via the Shell HQ
2pm – Join main rally outside Houses of Parliament
By Barbara Kentish
On Monday 20 March, more than 20 people attended the monthly ecumenical Home Office Prayer Vigil in London to commemorate refugees who have died trying to find a place of safety. The group has gathered every month over 18 months. Organisations represented included the London Catholic Worker, Westminster Justice and Peace, the London Churches Refugee Fund, the Community of the Word of God and Columban missionaries. Barbara Kentish gave the reflection.
Reflection
So here we are, in the Fourth Week of Lent, in the middle of a worsening political situation. How can we continue to pray and have faith that God is with those coming to our shores looking for safety?
I think that it is this very sense of powerlessness that aligns us with refugees and migrants. We are unable, as things stand, to do anything significant to change the policies and hardline mentality of our government. Exiles on the move are powerless even to death, as we realise every month. We campaign, hold placards, try to communicate with our fellow human beings. We take comfort that all of us here feel the same outrage and sometimes despair that anything can be different. I have taken this reflection from a book on shared spirituality with refugees compiled by the International Jesuit Refugee Service.
‘It is in that weakness that we can take refuge. Weakness links us profoundly with God, because it provides a privileged area in which his grace can be seen, in which his sustaining presence can reveal itself, in which even his power can become manifest. This is why weakness stands as almost the opposite of sin. Weakness is a chosen context for the epiphany of the Lord, it is the night in which he appears – not always felt as assurance, but rather as a power to move on faithfully, even when we do not feel the strength, even when fidelity means simply putting one step in front of the other.”
The writer, a Jesuit Refugee Service director, points out an important corollary of our weakness, which might make us stop and think:
“The experience of weakness deepens both our sensitivity to human need and our experience of prayer. There is an important consequence for all of us in the refugee support network: we must support one another in weakness, forgiving one another our daily faults and carrying one another’s burdens. It would be absurd to maintain weakness as essentially part of our vocation and then to belittle those who are deficient, to resent those who are insensitive, unsophisticated or clumsy, to allow disagreements to become hostilities, or to continue battles and angers because of personal histories.”
There is a great tendency for us to become embittered and cynical about those whom we oppose. We have a clear duty to show love, however that is to be manifested, to those we see as enemies to the good of refugees. I don’t know quite what that looks like. But standing here in this public place, I pray that it will be revealed to us!
Let us pray: Jesus, who told us to love our enemies, and do good to those who hate us, bless our weakness, and give us the heart and the wisdom to follow your teaching. Amen
Love the Stranger – Document from the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, March 2023
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 