Category: Campaigns

Christian Peace groups urge UK government to work to de-escalate Middle East crisis

Source: Independent Catholic News

As the death toll in Gaza, from Israel’s ongoing bombardment, has reached over 5,000, including more than 2,000 children – with more than half the population have been displaced from their homes and a dramatic increase in evictions and killings of Palestinians in the West Bank – the Network of Christian Peace Organisations has written to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly MP condemning the attacks by Hamas on civilians in Israel but urging the UK government to use its influence to de-escalate the violence.

They write:

Dear Foreign Secretary,

We write to you in response to the outbreak of violence in Israel and Palestine. We urge the UK Government to use its influence to help create space for de-escalation and meaningful dialogue in the coming days and weeks, to urgently avert a deepening humanitarian crisis and military conflict that could cost many more lives than have already been tragically lost.

Indiscriminate attacks on civilians violate international humanitarian law. We condemn the Hamas attacks on civilians and the taking of civilian hostages. We also condemn the response of the Israeli Government in bombing of Gaza and targeting of the civilian population. The increased restrictions and complete cutting off of water, electricity, food and fuel constitute collective punishment and will create an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza, exceeding that which already exists as a result of the 16-year blockade.

We are deeply saddened by the continued violence in the region and urge you work for dialogue and de-escalation. We ask you to support measures for the immediate protection of civilians including a ceasefire, adherence by all parties to international law, and the UN’s call for humanitarian corridors.

Long held concerns about land, peace and security have not been prioritised by the international community. The only way to break the cycle of violence and build a lasting peace is to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza and create conditions of justice, equality and peace for all Israelis and Palestinians.

As people of faith, we stand against the Islamophobia and antisemitism many individuals in this country may face as a result of violence in the Middle East. We will do what we can to de-escalate these tensions.

We ask you to avoid supporting polarised arguments and apportioning blame. We ask you to support measures that do not rely on military security but instead build a lasting peace based on justice and equality for all.

Yours sincerely

Ann Farr, Chair, Pax Christi England and Wales

Sue Claydon, Chair, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship

Rev Dr Barbara Glasson, President Methodist Peace Fellowship

Deacon Angie Allport, Secretary, Methodist Peace Fellowship

John Cooper, Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation

Simon Barrow, Director of Ekklesia

Oliver Robertson, Head of Witness and Worship, Quakers in Britain

Philip Austin, Coordinator, Northern Friends Peace Board

Andrew Fox, British Isles Mission Centre President, Community of Christ

Charlotte Marshall, Director, Sabeel-Kairos UK

Lydia Funck, General Secretary, Church and Peace – Ecumenical peace church network in Europe

Andrew Jackson, Chief Executive, Pax Christi

Rev Ruth Harvey, Leader, The Iona Community

Rhun Dafydd Chair of Cymdeithas y Cymod (Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales) Wales

Martin Tiller, Co-Chair of Christian CND

Jan Benvie Convenor of Creation, Justice, Peace Steering Group, Third Order Society St Francis

Links to other statements from groups connected with NCPO or related faith bodies HERE

Order of the Holy Sepulchre mass for Peace and Justice, 19th October 2023

Our Lady of Victories, Kensington

The knights and dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem will be celebrating a special Mass in honour of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, and All the Holy Land, this Thursday, at the Church of Our Lady of Victories in Kensington.

All are invited to attend this special Mass for peace and justice for all people of the Holy Land on Thursday October 19th at 6.30pm at the Church of Our Lady of Victories, 235a Kensington High Street London W8 6SA.

The Order has a special mandate to support the work of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Christians in his care.

For more information see: www.eohsj.org.uk for more information.

If you are unable to join the Mass in person, you can participate by live-stream: www.churchservices.tv/kensington1

NEXT HOME OFFICE VIGIL: 16TH OCTOBER 2023, 12.30-1.30PM

Monthly Memorial Prayer Vigil for refugees and asylum-seekers On the 3rd Monday of every month Outside the Home Office SW1P 4DF 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Praying for

  • Those who died trying to reach the UK
  • Victims for current wars
  • Those in detention and who are homeless
  • The UK to be a more welcoming nation

Sign up to receive email news & alerts of changes or cancellation at: homeofficevigil@gmail.com

Co-sponsored by Westminster Justice and Peace Commission
London Catholic Worker and
London Churches Refugee Fund

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CAFOD ‘Fix the Food System’ Campaign Letter Handed in to World Bank

CAFOD staff and volunteers deliver ‘Salina’s Letter’ to the World Bank HQ in London

Catholic aid agency CAFOD has handed over a letter to the World Bank calling on it to help fix the broken global food system by upholding the rights of farmers to use their own seeds. The letter was signed by 18 Catholic Bishops and over 70,000 Catholics from 750 parishes across England and Wales.

43 Westminster parishes, plus the curial staff at Vaughan House, were among the contributors signing ‘Salina’s letter’ to the World Bank. This represents around 8,180 signatures from our diocese.

The letter from Salina, a farmer in Bangladesh, calls for the protection of the fundamental rights of small farmers like herself to use their own varieties of seeds – a right that is increasingly under threat as big seed companies have come to dominate the global seed market. Her letter – signed in solidarity by over 70,000 Catholics – was handed over to World Bank staff in London and at the annual World Bank meetings taking place this week in Marrakech, Morocco.

‘Fix the Food System’, CAFOD’s food campaign, is urging the UK government and institutions including the World Bank to protect the right of farmers around the world to save, use, exchange and sell their own seeds. In some countries, new seed laws have been insisted on by the World Bank in exchange for financial support, yet these laws prevent farmers from sharing seeds as they have done for generations and instead force them to buy seeds from big agribusinesses.

CAFOD’s Campaigns and Outreach Manager, Helen Moseley, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who signed Salina’s letter. Her message to the World Bank has been heard loud and clear: unfair rules putting pressure on small farmers to buy commercial seeds aren’t acceptable. They can push farmers and the communities they feed into poverty, food insecurity and reduce their resilience to climate change.”

CAFOD campaigners handing in Salina’s letter on 11th October 2023 were received by senior World Bank staff who agreed to meet and discuss the issue.

“It was a very cordial meeting and we explained how much support our campaign has received across the country from ordinary parishioners,” said Father Rob Esdaile, who handed over the letter to World Bank staff and whose own parish, St Dunstan’s in Woking, was one of the 750 parishes who supported the campaign.

Bishop Tom Neylon from Liverpool Archdiocese said: “I support CAFOD’s Fix the Food System campaign because it’s highlighting the situation that small-scale farmers around the world are increasingly finding themselves in. Caught in a huge power imbalance with large agribusiness, even their rights to their own seeds passed down from generation to generation are being threatened.”

Support CAFOD’s ‘Fix the Food System’ Campaign: https://cafod.org.uk/campaign/fix-the-food-system

Pax Christi Appeal for Prayer for Palestine and Israel

Many of us will have been shocked and deeply saddened by the news over the weekend of the terrible loss of life, injury and destruction in Israel and Gaza – suffering which is continuing and, without a ceasefire, will only increase.

On Saturday, His Eminence the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, called for prayer and sent a message to all priests of the Latin Patriarchate asking them and all believers to ‘offer Sunday Mass for the intention of ceasefire and an end to the ongoing war in the Holy Land, asking the Lord to prevent further bloodshed, shattering of lives and burial of hopes.’

Speaking after the Angelus prayer in Rome yesterday, Pope Francis pleaded for an end to the attacks and repeated what he has said before, ‘War is always a defeat!. Every war is a defeat!’. He reminded us all that ‘terrorism and war do not lead to any solution, but only to the death and suffering of so many innocent people.”

Preaching in London, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said ‘Violence is never a solution. Retribution is never a contribution to peace ‘and urged our prayers for all who have lost their lives and for the immediate release of those taken hostage.’

As we watch the situation develop, please respond with us to these calls for prayer. Please pray for peace and an end to the violence. As the Latin Patriarch urged, pray with Pope Francis:

“Lord, come to our aid!
Grant us peace, teach us peace;
guide our steps in the way of peace.
Open our eyes and our hearts and give us the courage to say:
“Never again war!”

Homelessness Sunday Service, 8 October 2023

Source: Housing Justice

With the number of people experiencing homelessness rising sharply around the UK since the pandemic, this year’s Homelessness Sunday is an important way to raise awareness of the plight of so many who have become marginalised in our society, and to reflect on what we as Churches and communities can do to help alleviate this very serious problem on our doorstep.

We organise Homelessness Sunday on the Sunday before World Homeless Day each year, and this year’s Homelessness Sunday falls on 8th October. The theme is ‘Love and Justice’ as this is a key part of our mission to alleviate homelessness and the housing shortage in the UK.

Below you will find a range of resources to use if you are planning your own Homelessness Sunday Service either on 8th October or on another date of your choosing. These resources will be added to over the coming weeks and include pre-recorded prayers, hymns, homilies, Junior Church resources and much more.

If you would like to attend the Homelessness Sunday Service at St Mary’s Church, Upper Street, Islington, London N1 2TX at 3pm on 8th October, please RSVP to j.whitney@housingjustice.org.uk 

Housing Justice Resources for Homeless Sunday

Love the Stranger – Principles and Intercessions Videos

The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales has produced a series of short prayer videos to mark the World Day for Refugees and Migrants, 24 September 2023.

Each video quotes one of the twenty-four principles from the recently published document ‘Love the Stranger’ and is accompanied by a prayer.

Love the Stranger places the human being at the heart of our pastoral outreach and urges us to see each and every person as a unique individual with a name, a face and a story.

Contributors to the videos come from the Holy See, COMECE, CAFOD, CSAN and Caritas Social Action Network members. Contributors from the Diocese of Westminster include Bishop Paul McAleenan (Principle 6) and Colette Joyce, Westminster Justice and Peace Co-ordinator (Principle 15).

Love the Stranger – Videos and Text

Principle 6

We affirm the responsibility of the Church and civil society to help people in their homelands, including through the work of organisations such as CAFOD, Missio, Pax Christi, and Aid to the Church in Need

Intercessory Prayer

We pray for all dedicated to the task of improving the quality of life
in countries afflicted by poverty, war and persecution
for the agencies and charities, for fieldworkers and members of the church
who accompany and lift up the poor
May their work bear fruit, providing relief and building justice for the good of society
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Principle 15

We urge the fulfilment of obligations under international frameworks protecting migrants and refugees, such as the Refugee Convention, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Global Compact on Refugees, and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Intercessory Prayer

We pray for international cooperation to be upheld and strengthened wherever possible
so that people on the move will always receive the protection of the law and justice
may we always hold before our eyes your love o Lord for each and every traveller
and receive with compassion those who seek protection in this country
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Download ‘Love the Stranger’

Next Home Office Vigil Monday 18th September 2023, 12.30-1.00pm

Monthly Memorial Prayer Vigil for refugees and asylum-seekers On the 3rd of Monday of every month Outside the Home Office SW1P 4DF 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Praying for

  • Those who died trying to reach the UK
  • Victims for current wars
  • Those in detention and who are homeless
  • The UK to be a more welcoming nation

Sign up to receive email news & alerts of changes or cancellation at: homeofficevigil@gmail.com

Co-sponsored by Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, London Catholic Worker and
London Churches Refugee Fund

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Season of Creation: Pilgrimages for the Planet along the Thames

Source: ICN, Sr Kate Midgley and Cecilia Bullock

Inspired both by Christian Climate Action and the Laudato Si Movement, on Saturday 9 September we had a ‘Pilgrimage for the Planet’ along the Thames Path. Over 50 people came. Some of us started at Kate’s parish in Bow where there was a prayer and blessing from parish priest Fr Howard James.

They then joined the rest of the group at the Cutty Sark and we all began our pilgrimage to the Thames Barrier.

We were pilgrims from various local parishes: a big contingent from the Chinese Catholic Community, nine religious Sisters from different Congregations (Columban Sisters, Little Company of Mary Sisters, Missionary Sister of Our Lady of Africa, Sister of the Holy Cross, Carmelite Sister), Fr Richard Nesbitt and parishioners from White City, including a visiting seminarian from Nigeria, Laudato Si animators and members of Christian Climate Action.

We hadn’t asked God for an extreme weather event, but we were given one anyway! It was the hottest day of the year and the sixth day in a row when it was over 30C in London in September!

We began our pilgrimage at the Cutty Sark with a prayer and an invitation to walk the pilgrimage with our five senses wide open to what God may want to show us. And as we walked we paused to reflect on Creation’s Song, Creation’s Cry and Creation’s Call and the message of Pope Francis for the Season of Creation.

We also paused at significant places such as:

-Crowley’s Wharf – where ironworks made ankle-irons, manacles and collars used in the enslavement of African people
-Greenwich Power Station
-The tidal terraces/reed beds – an innovation in flood defence providing a habitat for plants and animals
-‘Tribe and Tribulation/Totemic Sculpture’ by Serge Attukwei Clottey on the meridian line, with its sound recordings from three former slave forts on the Gold Coast. At this point we reflected on Creation’s Cry and also listened to a moving recording of Rev Jon Swales prayer for COP 27
-The beautiful Ecology Park which mimics the original marshland of Greenwich Peninsula.

At this point we reflected on Creation’s Call at this critical time in human history, and also invited all to enter into an imaginative dialogue with an other than human member of creation.

We passed the wharfs where boats arrive daily with sand and gravel aggregates found on the sea bed.

We finally reached the Thames Barrier, where we had the great joy of being joined by another pilgrimage group, coordinated by Barbara Wilson, a parishioner of Corpus Christi, Brixton, and member of Christian Climate Action. This group had walked 17km from the Shell HQ on the Southbank.

It included several Medical Mission Sisters and five Buddhists who found the pilgrimage experience very moving. The group had been reflecting on Pope Francis words: “How can we contribute to the mighty river of justice and peace in this Season of Creation? … We must do this by resolving to transform our hearts, our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies.” These words inspired reflections at their stopping points.

It was wonderful for both groups to join together to share reflections and pray for people of all continents, especially those most impacted by climate change in the global south. We then listened to a powerful recording of Ben Okri reading ‘Broken’ from his book ‘Tiger Work’. Our final song was ‘Let Justice and Peace flow like a Mighty River.’

Sr Kate Midgley is a Missionary Sister of St Columban. Cecilia Bullock is a Laudato Si Animator, a member of Christian Climate Action, and a parishioner of St Paul’s, Harefield

Pax Christi Daily Prayer During the DSEI Arms Fair

Pax Christi has sent the following message: Following our online prayer event on Wednesday and the ‘No Faith in War Day’ protests at the entrance to the ExCeL Centre in London yesterday, we are committing ourselves to praying this prayer daily until Saturday 16th September when the Fair has closed and all those exhibiting will be packing up. We’d love you to join us.

Disarm our hearts, God of Peace;
Help us to renounce the fear that takes the form of weapons.
Help us to choose the fierce love that moves your human family to dialogue, not destruction.

Disarm our hearts, God of Peace
Our children are fragile, as is our Earth.
Give us the wisdom to cherish these gifts
By voicing our support for a world free of weapons.

Disarm our hearts God of Peace;
Help us to embrace your wisdom and your will
Challenge us to choose life, solidarity and hope.

Disarm our hearts, God of Peace
Give us a voice that is heard for those who have no voice and are not heard
For those who know there is no tomorrow in war
For those who know that the violence of weapons destroys the beauty of creation and the joy of life.

God of Peace
We pray for authentic and lasting peace
We pray for the will to bring this about so we may be called peacemakers, the children of God.
In your name we pray for an end to arms fairs, the arms trade and the weapons of war

Amen

“It’s our responsibility to help eradicate hatred & violence from human hearts. Let’s encourage arms to be set aside, that there be a reduction in military spending so that humanitarian needs can be provided for & so that instruments of death be turned into instruments of life.”

Pope Francis, World Humanitarian Day 2023

Pax Christi joins No Faith in War Day protests at UK’s largest Arms Fair