Columban Sister Kate Midgley and Christian Climate Action activist Melanie Nazareth are among these involved with a 24-hour prayer and fasting Vigil outside the Westminster Parliament, which started on Sunday. Running from 6-20 March, the action is being organised by a new group called ‘Beyond Fossil Fuels Together’.
The group aims to pressure the UK government to end dependence on coal, oil and gas. It says: “Our Earth is in peril and millions are already suffering as a result of the climate crisis. As our world heats up, the UK government is pouring £10 billion a year into the fossil fuel industry.
We need to move beyond our addiction to fossil fuels now with an immediate end to new oil exploration and licences, and to fossil fuel subsidies. Will you come together with us and speak up on behalf of our planet?”
Beyond Fossil Fuels Together is hoping to bring different groups and individuals together to vigil and fast alongside each other. It says: “Despite our philosophical, religious, political or ideological differences, we all live together on this ailing planet, and we all have children or care about young people who will suffer through the worst of the climate emergency. We may also have links with people in the Global South where communities are already suffering terribly as a result of the West’s excesses.”
The UK’s Laudato Si Movement animators are supporting this Vigil and anyone can sign up to the Vigil and/or Fast at: https://beyondfossilfuelstogether.info
The war in Ukraine is heavily affecting the entire population of the country, churches included. We gathered an ecumenical cohort of representatives from Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as religious observers to examine how Ukrainian churches are reacting to the Russian military invasion and assisting the population. We will also examine the religious narratives being formulated and how religious organizations abroad can help in this critical moment.
Friday, March 4, 4-5.30pm GMT 18:00-19:30 Kyiv time [17:00-18:30 CET; 11:00am-12.30pm EST]
The Southern Dioceses Environment Network were pleased to welcome Dr David Ko and Richard Busellato to our first online evening event, discussing their recently published book, ‘The Unsustainable Truth’, how investing for the future is destroying the planet.
Arising from over thirty years’ personal experience of the investment industry, Richard and David’s presentation forms a powerful contribution to the debate surrounding the ethics of investment and sustainability.
They demonstrate how, by seeking comfort and security, we end up with an economic system that exhausts our resources. Instead they propose a model of ‘Transformational Ownership’ to safely steward harmful resources to their end of life.
Their book has featured in The Tablet (22 January 2022) with a review by Sr Margaret Atkins and a feature article by Richard and David:
The event was hosted by Westminster Justice and Peace on behalf of the Southern Dioceses Environment Network, which meets monthly on Monday lunchtimes on the second Monday of the month for prayer, input, sharing and discussion, with occasional evening events on specialist topics.
The next meeting is:
Monday, 14th March 2022, 12.45-2.00pm: Nourishment for Lent
Westminster Auxiliary Bishops Nicholas Hudson (with pastoral oversight for Justice and Peace) and Paul McAleenan (with pastoral oversight for Caritas) are among the signatories.
Eight Bishops from England and Wales, representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have written to UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to welcome the government’s “resolute defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty and opposition to Russia’s invasion.”
Stressing how important the Ukrainian Greek Catholic community is to the Church in England and Wales, the Bishops, including Ukrainian Eparch Kenneth Nowakowski, assert the importance of providing humanitarian assistance especially the need to offer “sanctuary to people who are forced to flee their homes.”
The Bishops, all members of the Bishops’ Conference International Affairs department, assure the Foreign Secretary that their prayers are with “those seeking to end this conflict through peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiation, which can be the only way forward.”
“We are deeply aware of the danger that, without a swift and peaceful resolution, violence will only spread further, becoming a threat to the wider continent, and compounding the suffering already being experienced by Ukraine’s people.”
The full letter text follows:
Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Dear Foreign Secretary,
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales joins with the Church across Europe in calling for the international community to act together, and with determination, to put an immediate end to Russia’s war against Ukraine and to do everything possible to protect innocent men, women, and children.
The Ukrainian Catholic community is an important part of the Church in England and Wales. Many have family members and friends in Ukraine, who have suffered from Russia’s illegal military actions since 2014 and now face a catastrophic escalation of violence.
Our country has a clear moral duty to support Ukraine’s people. We welcome the UK Government’s resolute defence of Ukrainian sovereignty and opposition to Russia’s invasion.
As this crisis worsens, it is essential that we also provide humanitarian assistance and offer sanctuary to people who are forced to flee their homes.
We are deeply aware of the danger that, without a swift and peaceful resolution, violence will only spread further, becoming a threat to the wider continent, and compounding the suffering already being experienced by Ukraine’s people.
His Beatitude, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, reminds us that: “the world cannot develop and find answers for the challenges of today by resorting to might and violence, by showing disdain for shared human values and the truth of the Gospel.”
Please be assured that our prayers are with you, your colleagues, and all those seeking to end this conflict through peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiation, which can be the only way forward.
Yours sincerely,
Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski Eparchial Bishop Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the UK
Bishop Declan Lang Chair Department for International Affairs
Bishop Nicholas Hudson Lead Bishop for Europe
Bishop William Kenney CP Lead Bishop for Conflict and Peacebuilding
Bishop Paul McAleenan Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees
Bishop Tom Neylon Department for International Affairs
Bishop John Arnold Department for International Affairs
Bishop Paul Swarbrick Department for International Affairs
After the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022, the Executive Committee of Justice and Peace Europe has condemned the Russian aggression as “a serious violation to international law and as a threat to peace in Europe.”
In a statement, Justice and Peace Europe made the following points:
We express our support and solidarity with Ukraine and its suffering people, we request all European governments to support the neighbouring countries of Ukraine in their efforts to welcome and accommodate refugees.
We ask the European Union, its member states and all European governments to stay united and to put in place an even harsher sanctions regime against the Russian authorities.
We admire the courage of Russian citizens who despite all sorts of repressions bravely take to the streets to protest against their government in the name of peace.
We implore His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and all Orthodox authorities in Russia to intervene with the political leadership in order to obtain an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Russian troops from the Ukraine territory.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has called for an immediate cessation of the Russian attacks in Ukraine and for the protection of innocent civilians.
In a message following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces on 24 February, he writes: ‘I appeal for all to pray for the people of Ukraine, who are suffering the brunt of this conflict. I pray for their strength and perseverance under this onslaught.
‘The international community must unite in seeking an end to this conflict through peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiation, as the only way forward. It is their responsibility to ensure that international law and territorial sovereignty are respected. We must also keep in mind the plight of those who will become refugees as a result of this attack and the humanitarian crisis that will inevitably follow.
‘In this precarious moment for the people of Ukraine and further across Europe, I pray for the victims of this conflict and their families. I will be celebrating Mass in Westminster Cathedral at 10am on Sunday for these intentions.’
Come and pray for #peace in #Ukraine. Join us for a Holy Hour tonight (24th February) from 6.30pm in Westminster Cathedral with prayers and Adoration, concluding with Benediction. All are welcome.
By Santana Luis, Westminster Justice & Peace Contact for St Mary’s Parish, Hampstead, London
This Monday marked the start of Fairtrade Fortnight (21st February – 6th March.) This year, the focus of Fairtrade Fortnight is climate change, and the growing problems this poses to farmers and workers within the Fairtrade community.
Sunday 27th February, 11:30am-12.30pm– Hampstead Parish Church will be holding a Big Brew, with a Traidcraft stall, cakes, games and a raffle. http://www.stmaryshampstead.com/
Friday 4th March, 12pm-2pm – Fairtrade Afternoon Tea at Chef’s Restaurant, Croydon College, CR9 1DX. Book here!
Friday 4th March, 6pm – Zaytoun are taking part in an evening of inspiration and insight about Fairtrade and sustainability at P21 Gallery near Kings Cross. Book here.
How is climate change affecting the farmers that grow our food? What does that mean for all of us and how we can all help?
The threat to the future of many supply chains is very real and our planet’s farmers and agricultural workers are on the frontline of this global climate crisis. We must do everything to ensure they are not left behind and that they are indeed a part of the solution.
Dramatic weather patterns spurred by climate change will likely deliver severe blows to agricultural production in key regions around the world, from Latin America to the Asia-Pacific. Banana producers in the Caribbean and in Central America, for instance, are expected to face less rainfall and more extreme temperatures, while those in Southeast Asia and Oceania will see an increased risk of tropical cyclones. For their part, coffee producers in Brazil, Central America and South India could soon encounter temperature spikes combined with drought, directly impacting Fairtrade coffee production. Meanwhile, in the Dominican Republic and Peru, as well as in parts of West Africa, cocoa farmers are likely to encounter more hot and dry weather periods, while their counterparts in eastern Ghana and northern Côte d’Ivoire may face heavier rains.
Other Fairtrade products are at risk too. Sugarcane producers in Southeast Asia may face increasing drought and heat stress. Similar conditions could soon afflict tea production in Asia and Africa as well, with producers across Asia and in Malawi and Tanzania predicted to be most severely impacted.
The Fairtrade and Climate ChangeReport, October 2021, produced by researchers from The Vrije University Amsterdam and Bern University of Applied Sciences, ahead of the UN Climate Conference COP26, points to the need for the international community to financially support farmers in adapting to climate change through context-specific approaches, ranging from agroforestry and improved shade tree management to mulching and crop diversification.
There are millions of people around the world who are working hard to grow the world’s food, earn a living, and protect the planet. But too often, unfair trade denies whole communities the chance to earn enough for essentials like medical care and decent food. So they can’t afford to adapt to the extreme weather climate change is already bringing.
That’s why it’s time to choose something better – it’s time to choose the world we want. This Fairtrade Fortnight, let’s celebrate the great work of farmers taking on the climate crisis.
And let’s take this chance stand with them by choosing Fairtrade, and speaking up about the chance we all have to build a fairer future. E.g Supporting Traidcraft
A few months ago, we were demanding a Fair Climate Promise at COP26. Over 33,000 campaigners joined 1.8m Fairtrade farmers and workers in backing the ‘Be Fair With Your Climate Promise’ challenge to world leaders at the UN COP26 summit.
And although the COP26 agreement should have gone much further, it did include vitalpromises to deliver important funding for farmers on the front-line of the climate crisis. Four months on from those promises, and as we prepare for Fairtrade Fortnight, it’s time for action.
The 1.7 million Fairtrade farmers only make up a fraction of the planet’s 500 million smallholder farmers, so we need to make sure that adequate funding for climate adaptation and best practices in fair trade are available to all.
The expertise of small-scale farmers is such a valuable tool in the fight against the climate crisis.
So let’s ask our MPs to do the right thing. Tell your representative to make sure that promised funding ends up in the hands of the real world leaders in taking on the climate crisis – the farmers and workers living with climate change every day.
Last week it was revealed that nearly 100,000 households in England are homeless and living in temporary accommodation. This includes more than 120,000 children.
Temporary accommodation is extremely insecure, often cramped, and poor quality. It’s also far from ‘temporary’ – with some families living in it for over a decade. And its very expensive – with most rents being paid to private landlords.
Hannah Rich, Senior Research Officer with Shelter writes: “Instead of spending billions on such poor-quality accommodation, which can be incredibly damaging to children, it’s clear what we should be doing. We should be investing in genuinely affordable, decent, permanent and well-regulated social housing.
This would help to truly level up the life chances for families right across the country. Not least as the growing cost of living crisis adds fuel to our housing emergency.
Temporary accommodation is the name given to the accommodation that is offered to people who seek help from their council because they are homeless. Councils have a legal duty to accommodate most homeless families until a suitable settled home is offered.
More than a quarter (27%) of these households are accommodated outside the local authority area they previously lived in because councils can’t find suitable accommodation locally. This can lead to long, tiring journeys to school and work and families becoming isolated from support networks. The number of households living in temporary accommodation is now approaching levels last seen in the mid-2000s. In the last 10 years alone it has increased by 96%.
As well as being insecure and unsuitable, temporary accommodation is also hugely costly. New figures show that councils in England spent £1.45 billion on the provision of temporary accommodation between April 2020 and March 2021.2 This cost is covered in part by housing benefit and people having to top up their rent.
The cost of providing temporary accommodation has increased by 18% in the last year alone and more than doubled (increased by 157%) in the last 10 years. This means that the cost of temporary accommodation has increased at a greater rate than the number of people living in temporary accommodation.
Of course, housing costs are likely to increase over time. However, this disproportionate increase in the cost of temporary accommodation can be explained, at least in part, by the lucrative market that has emerged in the last few years.
Our recent Cashing In report showed that councils procure most of their temporary accommodation from for-profit private providers, who are often unregulated. This hasn’t changed.
The majority of the £1.45 billion goes to private providers of temporary accommodation. At least £1.16 billion (80%) was spent on accommodation leased by councils and social landlords from private letting agents, landlords or companies. And this doesn’t even include temporary accommodation provided directly by private landlords.
More than a third (38%) of this money was spent on emergency homeless B&Bs – considered some of the least suitable places for families and children to live. Councils in England spent £444 million on this type of accommodation between April 2020 and March 2021.
Almost a fifth (18%) of the total spent on private providers was spent on nightly paid, privately managed accommodation. The amount spent on this type of temporary accommodation has increased by 64% in the last year alone.
This increase reflects a shift from longer-term leasing of private sector accommodation to the charging of expensive nightly rates. The use of this type of accommodation now accounts for a quarter of all temporary accommodation.”
Fr Dominic Robinson, Chair of Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace and Parish Priest at Farm Street Church which offers food and support to homeless people with Central London Catholic Churches (CLCC) commented: “At our service at Farm Street we are seeing more and more guests living in substandard temporary accommodation. This is not a solution to the growing homelessness problem. Our experience tells us we need to come together and develop a holistic approach ….. learning the lessons of the pandemic and building on the good work that has been done already.”
The Prince of Wales’ recent visit to the ‘Metamorphosis’ Icon Exhibition at Farm Street Church was a particularly memorable occasion for those involved with the community homeless service based there. After seeing the exhibition and meeting artist Dr Irina Bradley, with her family, priests and parishioners, he particularly requested to meet them.
Formed at the beginning of the first Covid lockdown in March 2020, Central London Catholic Churches (CLCC) is a group of volunteers from several London churches responding to a need to serve and provide for the homeless. They began operating as a hub in Trafalgar Square, but are now based in Arrupe Hall next to the church – providing a cooked lunch for the homeless on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Yasko Kurahachi, president of Farm Street’s St Vincent de Paul Society, (who has earned Mayfair Times award for her work with the homeless) was one of the people who met the Prince. She told ICN: “He was charming. Very approachable. I told him about our soup run on Monday night. He wanted to know where we start and finish – many details. He was really concerned about what we do.”
Volunteer Ade said: “He was really interested in our work. I told him we provide a warm safe environment for people . Prince Charles wanted to know how many guests we have. There are up to 50 each time. I explained that we’re here Wednesdays and Saturdays. At 11.30 we serve tea and coffee. Between 12-2 there’s a hot meal. We also have a Christmas dinner.”
The meals served in Arrupe are provided by neighbouring Mayfair restaurants – and guests say, are of very good quality.
Nick who is a guest and helps organise the project said: “We had a general chat to begin with. I told him I was ex Navy reserve and that we had actually met before at the Centenary parade of the Royal Navy Reserve. He was taking the salute and we met afterwards. Prince Charles said he wanted to thank us all for our service to the country.
Nick said: “He’s very friendly, interested and easy to talk with. He really cares about the welfare of people who have served in the armed forces. I told him about another of our guests here who is actually a former Army medic. When you leave the armed forces it can very difficult. There are so many barriers to getting help. So much bureaucracy. If you lose your home it can be very difficult to get back on course.”
Next month, a panel discussion entitled: Homelessness and the Pandemic: What have we learnt? – hosted by Diocese Of Westminster Justice & Peace and Caritas, will take place at Farm Street Church. Speakers will be CLCC guests, Mick Clarke, CEO at The Passage; Jon Kuhrt, from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Parish priest Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, from CLCC and Liz Wills from Caritas Westminster.
Light refreshments will be served. There is need to book. Donations to homeless services welcome.
The event takes place on Monday, 28 March, from 6.45-8.15pm, at Farm Street Church, 114 Mount St, London W1K 3AH. It will also be livestreamed at: www.farmstreet.org.uk
The St. Vincent de Paul Society states that the government’s long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper represents a missed opportunity to address the ingrained social and economic disparity across the UK.
The SVP believes that high streets and deprived areas can only thrive if the people living there have access to good quality jobs, fit for purpose education and affordable housing. So far, the majority of levelling up funding has been spent on physical infrastructure rather than social which is seen as a vital component in binding communities together. The SVP has first hand experience of the challenges facing those addressed by the Levelling Up agenda and so believes the insight it can offer as invaluable.
The SVP operates nine St Vincent’s community support centres across England and Wales, each providing a tailored response to the need in their community. Requests for support from their national office have increased since the start of the pandemic which indicates a worrying trend in the most deprived areas of the country, all of which are in urgent need of levelling up funding.
We welcome the government’s proposal that “by 2030, pay, employment and productivity will have risen in every area of the UK, with each containing a globally competitive city, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.”
However, the success of this agenda will be determined by the detail, and the White Paper fails to lay out a clear plan for reaching this ambitious goal. There is little mention of quality employment or secure employment. Without these embedded in the levelling up strategy, it will be hard to reach this goal. The white paper lacks crucial details of how funding will be allocated.
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 