Westminster Justice and Peace were once again among Christians of all denominations showing solidarity for the people of the Holy Land at the thirteenth national ‘Ceasefire Now!’ rally on Saturday 27th April 2024.
We gathered at St Matthew’s Church, Westminster, for prayers, before heading out to join the national peace rally, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
One organiser said: “This genocide shows no sign of stopping, and, along with the military slaughter we are seeing intentional starvation – the grossest of human rights abuses and a violation of humanitarian law. Now is not the time to stop making our voices heard.”
Armed with posters and banners the group marched into Trafalgar Square, joining thousands of Jewish, Muslim and secular peace groups and individuals heading for Hyde Park.
As they reached the park gates they stopped for a brief prayer before joining the rally to hear the speakers. These included a Holocaust survivor, politicians, artists and human rights campaigners.
Stephen Kapos, an 87-year-old originally from Budapest, who lost most of his family in the Holocaust, said: “We want to stress our solidarity with the Palestinian people” adding that memories of the Holocaust should never be used as cover for Israel’s actions in Gaza. “The right wing has been claiming that there are no-go areas of London for Jews. We want to prove that’s wrong – we are very welcome here.”
Irish MEP Clare Daly gave a powerful speech demanding an arms embargo against Israel. She further called out Joe Biden, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Rishi Sunak for supporting and enabling Israel, as the genocide in Gaza continues.
Northern Ireland’s first minister, Michelle O’Neill told the crowds: “Ireland stands for and with Palestine. From this platform we demand an immediate and unconditional ceasefire We need to see an end to the genocide, an end to the ethnic cleansing and collective punishment of the people of Gaza. What is happening in Gaza in the gravest human rights violation of our time.
“Six months of occupation has seen Israel indiscriminately slaughter 35,000 Gazans including 15,000 children. We in Ireland have deep empathy with the Palestinian people, born of that shared experience of colonialism and occupation. Sinn Fein has demanded that the Irish government do more to hold Israel to account. Friends, Ireland knows conflict. But we equally know the value of hard won peace. No conflict is intractable. Peace is always possible and peace most now be the shared will of the international community now. World leaders, especially the United States face a choice. Stand by International law, human rights and justice or stand by the savagery of Israel…. So today with one voice we say to Israel: stop the slaughter.
CND Vice-President Jeremy Corbyn, and CND Chair Tom Unterrainer also addressed the crowds.
Actress Juliet Stevenson gave a moving reading of ‘If I die’ the last poem by Palestinian writer Refaat Alareer before he was killed by Israel in Gaza in December.
In his address, Gary Younge, Sociology Professor at University of Manchester and former Guardian journalist spoke powerfully of the historical parallels in the present moment of the Gaza genocide, and why we must keep going – because we will accept nothing less than freedom for Palestine. “You can cut down the flowers but you can’t stop the spring,” he siad.
Rose Haddow from Our Lady Help of Christians church in Kentish Town, north London told ICN: “It was important for me to show solidarity with everyone calling again for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine as we all marched through central London on Saturday. As a Catholic, I felt reassured and proud to be walking with fellow Christians behind a banner proclaiming ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ for it is only by embracing a truly peaceful and pragmatic stance that a just solution to this horrific situation in Gaza and beyond can be achieved. As a whole, the people on the march were noisy, vibrant, good natured, kind, friendly and full of desire and determination to make a difference and to call upon governments to reject conflict and the weapons of war and work sincerely to make peace a reality. It is without question, time to bring about a ceasefire and alleviate the terrible death, destruction and suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Christians For Palestine UK is a grassroots movement of Christians from all denominations marching and praying together for peace and justice in Palestine.
To find out more about the Westminster Justice and Peace Commission response to the crisis in the Israel and Palestine join us at Our Lady of Victories Church, Kensington on 9th May:Westminster Holy Land Roundtable 9th May 2024
Father Fadi Diab, Rector of the Anglican Parish in Ramallah, received a warm welcome when he visited the parish of Our Lady Help of Christians in Kentish Town, North London, on Saturday. Fr Fadi is currently on a visit to the UK hosted by Friends of the Holy Land.
Fr Fadi will be joining Westminster Justice and Peace for the Westminster Holy Land Roundtable on Saturday 23rd March, 4-6pm, at Farm Street. More details
Born and educated in the West Bank, Fr Fadi is a founder of the Youth Connection for Peace Programme, a member of the Palestine-Israeli Theologians Forum and the Palestine Advisory Council of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, co-author of Kairos Palestine document and board member on Kairos-Palestine. He has presented workshops at the World Council of Churches on the theological understanding of the Palestine Israeli conflict.
Fr Fadi began by thanking everyone present for their support. “It means a lot to know to know you care, Its means a lot to know we are not abandoned. We are all part of the Body of Christ. People who care.”
The situation in the last few months has been “heartbreaking, devastating” for the people of Gaza and the West Bank, he said. But he pointed out: “This situation didn’t start on October 7. The settler colonial project began more than 75 years ago. “Israel wants to take all the land and get rid of the people of the land…”
“In Gaza it is not a war against Hamas,” he said. “Its a war against all Palestinians.” In the West Bank (which is not run by Hamas) since October around 500 people, including many children have been killed in attacks by settlers and the Israeli army. 50 houses have been demolished.
Gaza at the present time “is another story” he said. “It is beyond imagination! More than 33,000 killed. 13,000 children. 7,000 women. Thousands more are missing under the rubble. Schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, universities, and most homes all destroyed.” The population is now facing starvation.
“We believe human being were created in the image of God – to kill one person is to kill humanity.”
Fr Fadi said there is an urgent need for “awakening” in churches abroad. “They are so often silent, shy or complicit.” He said he is often surprised at how little many Christians know about the Holy Land.
But he was encouraged to see so many demonstrations taking place in the UK. “Its a process” he said. “It is our mission to challenge structures of injustice. God’s plan is for every person to be treated equally. No one should be left out.”
Fr Fadi went on to describe the desperate plight of Christians in the Holy Land. “We are facing an existential crisis – the decline of Christians in Holy Land. The place God chose to send the Messiah… This is the community that traces its roots back to the first Christians. They have been there for two millennium witnessing to the message of Jesus Christ – looking after pilgrims – but now most of them have left.”
“In 1917 they were 17- 20% of the population. Today Christians are less than 2 per cent. 90% of Christians from Ramallah now live in US. There are less than 50,000 Christians in West Bank. All 900 Christians in Gaza have filed immigration applications.”
80% of Christians in Bethlehem rely on tourism. For two years during the pandemic there were no pilgrims and people faced real difficulties. Now things are much worse. 100,000 Palestinians from the West Bank used to go to Israel to work. But since October they have had their work permits revoked. Now Israel is bringing in people from India and other countries to do their jobs, Fr Fadi said.
“The challenge for Christians is huge. Young people are fed up. They have lost hope… The Church, together with the UN and government provide all the education, health and social social care. To lose that would be really frightening. To think of the Holy Land without Christians is frightening.”
Fr Fadi is Chair of the Holy Land Committee of Friends of the Holy Land, an ecumenical, non-political charity with a mission, together with other Christian charities is to secure a resilient and enduring Christian community in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan – transforming lives through education, scholarships, medical and social care for the young and old, as well as food these days. Since the latest crisis, Fr Fadi said many people are on the “edge of collapse,” suffering from depression and anxiety, and so Friends of the Holy Land has introduced trauma counselling programs.
“We feel this is a Kairos moment – to respond to the situation in every way we can – offering support and promoting peace and justice” Fr Fadi said.
During the Q& A afterwards Fr Fadi was asked what he would like to see UK churches do. He responded by saying that the UK is responsible for what has happened in the Holy Land on many levels, and so we should have a role in restoring justice. “The Church needs to put pressure on the government” he said. “The Church should be crystal clear about that… the. UK should not be providing weapons to Israel” he said.
Churches in the UK need to educate people more, Fr Fadi said. “I’m surprised at how little people know. This should be a central component in UK churches and all over the world.
Fr Fadi said we need to question where we invest our money. “There is no limit to educating people about ethical questions.” And he pointed out the need for constant prayers. Three faiths have lived in the Holy Land for so many centuries, it can accommodate them peacefully, he said.
At the end of the talk, Brendan Metcalfe, director of Friends of the Holy Land reminded everyone that the FHL website has a section for prayers, as well as a news page “so we know what we’re praying for.” See: www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/
He also had a meeting with Bishop Nicholas Hudson.
On Sunday, he preached at the 9am & 11am services at Southwark Anglican Cathedral and had a Q&A with the congregation. Watch the service here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTh7qHWPpJc&t=6s
Dr Raymond Perrier, Director of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, South Africa, gave the following address during the Ecumenical Service to mark the 44th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Oscar Romero at St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Sqhaere, London on Saturday, 16 March 2024.
Prayerful and Prophetic Resilience in the Face of Injustice
We have, in the figures of St Oscar Romero of El Salvador and Denis Hurley of Durban, South Africa, two ‘golden arches’. Two men who used their position as archbishops in the Catholic church to be ‘a voice for the voiceless’. They operated on different sides of the planet; while Hurley was a leading figure in the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, Romero was relatively unknown outside his home country until his death; and while Romero was an archbishop for under three years, Hurley was a bishop for almost 60 years. Yet there are some remarkable similarities between their lives.
Being of similar age, they both studied for the priesthood in Rome in the 1930s. Frustratingly we cannot prove that they ever met, though Hurley in his memoirs assumes that they must have attended the same lectures. What we do know is that they had a shared experience of seeing the rise of fascism in Italy and then the conflicted response of the Church in the face of political intimidation. They both spent part of their lives training future priests – really quite bookish men who were unlikely revolutionaries. The appointment of each of them to high office in the Church was surprising, though for different reasons: Romero was chosen because he was the quiet man who had been a rural bishop and, it was thought, would not rock the boat; Hurley, when he was appointed in 1947, was absurdly young: in fact at 31 he was the youngest bishop in the entire Catholic world.
But once they were in charge of dioceses, both had the experience of being conscientised by their own people and most especially by the poor and marginalised. Romero broke the conventions of the strictly classist Salvadoran society by mixing with peasants and listening to their experiences. There are moving photos on the Romero Trust website of him walking the streets, or sharing a meal with ordinary families, to connect with the lives of his people. Hurley broke the even stricter laws of Apartheid South Africa by reaching out to citizens of all colours and hearing at first hand what injustices and daily humiliations they faced. Hurley also broke the equally strict conventions of his Church at the time by listening to and empowering lay people, women, Christians of other denominations and people of other faiths.
By walking alongside their people, these bishops learnt about the exclusions, oppression and violence that was happening in their countries and that so many other leaders – political and religious – chose to ignore. They thus both became icons in the struggle against injustice having the courage to use the platform they had to speak out in a divided society. And what they said was often not what people wanted to hear. Of course, that deafness is still true today and we just sang Hurley’s own words in the hymn: “We humbly ask your pardon, Lord: the ones who hear are all too few.”
For their stand against injustice, both archbishops faced intimidation and vilification, a cool reception from members of their church, from their fellow bishops and even from Rome, and warnings from their governments of legal actions and death threats. Romero of course did not survive these. He was assassinated while saying Mass almost exactly 44 years ago on 24 March 1980 – the blood of the chalice mixing with his own blood in the supreme image of martyrdom. Hurley was spared such violence and lived to see the transition to a democratic South Africa; he died 20 years ago, in his 90th year.
In both these men we see a prophetic stance but importantly it is a prophetic stance that is rooted in prayer and in Scripture. There is a lovely story told of a group of young revolutionary-minded trainee priests in San Salvador, creeping out of the seminary to campaign on the streets, and passing an old priest who was on his knees praying in the chapel. They mocked him wondering why he could not be more like their great hero the activist Archbishop Romero. And then the old priest stood up and turned around and it was indeed Archbishop Romero.
Through all their actions, Romero and Hurley were doing no more – and no less – than Jesus proclaims in his first public sermon as recounted in Luke chapter 4. Jesus enters the synagogue in Nazareth, takes out the scroll and reads from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me.” Hurley chose as his episcopal motto a phrase from 2 Corinthians which we have just heard read: “Where the Spirit is, there is Freedom”. And it is in the power of that anointing by the Spirit that Hurley and Romero find freedom and were able to show others the way to freedom. It is the freedom to preach good news to the poor, to liberate captives, to open the eyes of the blind, to bind up the broken hearted.
Both Hurley and Romero used their pulpits, and used the media available to them, to preach good news to the people of their own countries. Both men also benefited hugely in their ministry from the support of CAFOD and Christian Aid to make sure that the truth of what was happening was heard further afield. As we heard from Romero’s words earlier:
“It is not enough to demand justice. The civilisation of love also demands truth…and truth is what is lacking in our situation…When the truth is spoken it gives offence, and the voices that speak the truth are silenced.”
Romero was silenced by his assassination but, as he had predicted: “they may kill an archbishop, but I will rise again in the Salvadoran people”. Hurley was also fearless in witnessing to the truth, often standing on his own outside Durban City Hall holding a placard and daring the authorities to arrest him. He was also supremely creative in how he could use the power of religious symbols to tell the truth to the world. Let me give one example.
At the height of the state of emergency, in March 1985, a group of anti-Apartheid activists had been detained without charge in the central prison in Durban and Hurley wanted to show solidarity with them. Strictly speaking it was illegal for him even to mention that they were detained, let alone organise any kind of public demonstration. His great lieutenant, a lay man called Paddy Kearney, came to Hurley with an idea. “Is it not, your Grace, an ancient tradition of the church that a bishop should be able to visit his congregants on Good Friday?”. “Is it?” asked Hurley; “well,” Paddy replied, “it is an ancient tradition: who knows?”
So Hurley went to the Chief of Police and explained this ancient tradition to him and the Chief of Police, a loyal member of the Dutch Reformed Church, felt he could not refuse. But then Hurley explained that, since not all the detainees were Catholic, the Anglican bishop and the Methodist and the rest should also be allowed to visit the prison. And so, at dawn on Good Friday, Hurley led a group of fellow Christian leaders into the jail so that they could pray with the detainees; meanwhile a group of other Christians who had by coincidence turned up at the same time stood in a circle around the prison and sang hymns so the prisoners would know they were not forgotten. And then they all walked away in complete silence, so they did not break the rules on public protests.
This was not a protest but a prayer service – a prayerful and prophetic witness – that comforted the afflicted inside the prison and afflicted the comfortable forces of the Apartheid regime. That tradition of a silent ecumenical walk of witness at dawn on Good Friday continues to this day and we will be marking it in central Durban in two weeks’ time.
The ecumenical nature of that event is worth noting in this wonderful ecumenical service. We should remember that Romero was honoured by Westminster Abbey many years before he was canonised by Rome. Long before it was encouraged, or even allowed, for Catholics to mix with ‘our separated brothers and sisters’, Hurley was reaching out to Christians of other denominations and indeed to people of other faiths since Durban has sizeable Muslim and Hindu communities. One of his great collaborators was Ela Gandhi, grand-daughter of the Mahatma. I am proud to say that the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban is located between the Catholic Cathedral, the largest mosque and the site of Mahatma Gandhi’s law office. We are, as far we know, the only building in the world named after a Catholic archbishop which houses a halal kitchen so we can work together with all faiths to feed the poor.
If Isaiah calls us to bind up the broken-hearted, then every act of ecumenical or interfaith collaboration is an opportunity to bind up the broken heart of the one God who created us all.
Romero did not live to see liberation in El Salvador – it came after his death. But he also did not live to see how that liberation would later be squandered by politicians who once fought for the poor and now ignore their plight and feather their own nests. Hurley did live to see liberation with South Africa’s first democratic elections 30 years ago in 1994 – that was a moment celebrated especially here in Trafalgar Square where for so many years there had been a valiant protest outside South Africa House next door to us. But Hurley died before the pot of gold in the rainbow nation was found to be empty – stolen by members of a party that claimed to be the liberators or sold by businesses and political leaders to the highest bidder.
Romero and Hurley might have hoped that their successors as religious leaders in El Salvador or South Africa (or even here in Britain) would have continued the fight against injustice with the same vigour. And some of them do; but by no means all. Can we put our hands on our hearts and say that we have – to use Hurley’s words from 1960 – ‘a true social apostolate, a systematic effort to concentrate the energies of divine light and life on the failings of human conduct’?
Because, of course, the anointing that Jesus mentions in Luke 4 is and not for just for him or for Romero and Hurley. Each one of us by our baptism has been anointed; the Spirit of the Lord is on each one of us and the manifesto of Isaiah should be the manifesto of all our lives. So what does this mean for us sitting here today?
We heard Hurley’s words from 64 years ago reminding the Church that in a bitterly divided community, its mission is one of salvation. And that while we can hope to draw on the strength of God, we have to constantly be aware of – and challenge – the weakness of humans, starting with our own frailty.
In El Salvador and in South Africa today the work of bringing good news to the poor is far from over. I would suggest that the same is true of the bitterly divided nation which looks to this square as the epicentre for celebration and for protest. The over-riding need for that good news is something I see every day in central Durban at the Denis Hurley Centre. It is a place where people of all faiths come together to serve the homeless, refugees, drug users, the unemployed – the captives of our economic system who are looking to be liberated. So many wonderful parallels to the work of St Martin in the Fields. Occasionally, especially when there is an election coming up, government with its massive resources does remember that these are the poor and marginalised whom Hurley and others fought valiantly to liberate from Apartheid. But more often than not, the poor are forgotten by the South African government because (to use Hurley’s words) of “the slowness or the failure or the refusal of humans to respond to the call of God.”
In the face of increasing injustice and indifference – in El Salvador, in South Africa or here in Britain – one temptation for people of faith is to retreat. But as Romero put it: “To pray and wait for God to do something is not holiness, it is laziness.” We are all anointed and called to constantly find ways, small and large, to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted and to open the eyes of the blind – starting with opening our own eyes and then encouraging others to see what they would rather ignore.
Another temptation is to be committed to act but then to wait for the perfect moment. In Luke 4 we are told of the year of the Lord’s favour – that sounds like a great time to act and until then we should just wait, shouldn’t we? Clearly, Romero did not live to see the year of the Lord’s favour: but he did what he could when he could and entrusted the rest to God: accepting that he was a worker not the master builder. In South Africa with the elections 30 years ago it looked as if we had reached that Kairos moment – the year of the Lord’s favour. But of course 1994 was just the start of another mountain and at the Denis Hurley Centre we are very aware that we still have a long way to climb. The example of the lives of Romero and Hurley remind of what Jesus tells us in Luke 4: there is no excuse for waiting: for now is the acceptable time, now is the day of the Lord’s salvation.
In response to the request to feed into parishes and deaneries for the next stage of the synodal process, some fifteen or so justice and peace activists from across the Westminster diocese gathered virtually on Zoom to discuss MISSION and FORMATION on Tuesday 28th February, 7.30-9.00pm.
Opening Prayer
We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name. With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it. We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right. All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen
After the Synodal Prayer
Those present tried to listen to what the Holy Spirit was saying to us individually and together as a group.
1. The first half of our meeting explored the theme – OUR MISSION
How do we witness as a parish and proclaim our faith to those who have never heard of Christ; to those who have ceased walking with Him; and with those who come to church? And how should we organise ourselves as parishes to do this more effectively?
The mission of the Church as People of God is described in the catechism as being “the salt of the earth and the light of the world; this People is the most sure seed of unity hope and salvation for the whole human race” to what extent are we achieving this or failing to do so? One person quoted Paul VI “modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than teachers and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses”. Or, according to James (2.18): “I will show thee my faith by my works”. Accordingly, practically living out our commitment to justice and peace are central to witnessing to our faith and we have a responsibility to get across the message that we are all called to be witnesses. Sometimes something as simple as wearing a cross and chain can be active witness.
Many of those present cited ways in which their parishes are currently witnessing to their faith and proclaiming that faith to others in the community – whether active in the parish, or ‘lapsed’, or those who were never part of the community. For those parishes who have one, the parish hall can prove a fantastic resource which becomes a central community hub – for believers and unbelievers alike – drawing in local people who see it as ‘theirs’ as they partake in shared events. In this way, some have even on occasion signed up for RCIA. Many talked of the wider community events engaged in by their parishes – local Foodbanks, inter-faith outreach, carol concerts, parish picnics – all aimed at building up a sense of community and welcome. Others talked of the importance of welcoming ‘newcomers’ or ‘returners’ or ‘visitors’ to church – some parishes have ‘welcomers’ (especially young people) to ensure that people feel welcomed and ‘reached out to’. In one parish they actively contacted former parishioners who were no longer attending since lockdown, to see how they were, check on any access issues and informed them of events happening. Yet others talked of the importance of communication including social media – Facebook, parish newsletters, Twitter/X etc etc – as a way of getting their message out beyond ‘Sunday Mass’ – to the housebound, to people passing by the church building on the high street etc.
One contributor noted that we witness to our faith by just being there: alongside the marginalised and dispossessed and sick, just as Jesus was. However, sometimes this may be seen as too ‘political’ – which raised questions for the later ‘formation’ segment. Another agreed that witnessing to our faith is in part about WHAT gets done, but also HOW it is done – as people of faith, we offer something more than the community resource that others may provide – by according dignity and respect to all with whom we engage, the quality of our welcome and inclusiveness can convey Christ’s love in a unique way.
Another welcomed any efforts to proclaim “we are here” – make the church building itself attractive with doors open and providing a visible presence of living faith in the area. Another point made was showing our inclusiveness when people can see others like themselves visible in the church and participating in church activities e.g. the presence of female servers on the altar.
Yet someone else referred to the importance of making more visible justice and peace issues in the life of the parish – and the importance of education. Again an issue for the later formation discussion – how do we tackle root causes of injustice? How do we move with the times? How do we help people address issues such as Artificial Intelligence (the topic of the Pope’s Peace Sunday message this year), the arms trade, and how our taxes are being spent?
Several people spoke of the vibrancy of their own parishes in reaching out beyond Sunday Mass participants – as well as the challenges of diversity, language barriers etc. – in forging a strong sense of community. And some spoke of the need to “go out into the world” – participation in inter-church events like the Walk of Witness on Good Friday; or bread and soup lunches and social activities which bring people in. In areas where there are many people wanting to go to Mass, but unable to get there unaided, some volunteers offer car-rides or just assistance with wheelchairs – an offer, whether taken up or not, is greatly appreciated as a message of outreach and love to those otherwise largely housebound. The question is surely “how do we bring Christ to people”? It was also emphasised that covid had led to many ‘old’ systems breaking down – Readers/Eucharistic Ministers etc. not returning to their previous roles …..has enough been done to reach out to them and encourage them to realise how needed they are?
A lot of concern was expressed about the need to engage our children and young people – are we doing enough to appeal to young people? Some distribute prayer cards; others organise coffee mornings at which young people are encouraged to play an active role; some find that music (of all kinds) can offer a transcendent experience – for parishioners of all ages. If Christ is at the centre of our mission, how do we make our prayer and our liturgies ever more powerful. One parish offers a ‘Landings’ programme which creates a culture of welcome and allows people to tell their stories about why they have been away from the Church. Nothing can beat the ‘human touch’ – having people welcome visitors, have the clergy available after Mass, have Parish Council members visible and available, and alerting the parish to the outreach work being done ‘in their name’ with homeless or whatever, so as to draw them actively into this work.
2. The second half of the meeting explored OUR FORMATION
What formation do we need to witness our faith ever more effectively? What structures may need to change and what organisation is needed to promote opportunities for formation?
Some of this debate had already been flagged earlier – why is justice and peace work sometimes seen as ‘political’ and therefore controversial? What can be done to counter this? In practical terms, how do we learn to tackle the root causes of injustice, and not be satisfied with offering ‘band-aid’ relief?
One contributor emphasised the importance of all formation being sustainable and of the whole parish having a clarity of mission, and the role of each individual in delivering on that mission. Leadership formation is vital – to help create and sustain a sense of community and so that everyone knows they have a role to play. Leadership training is vital for the clergy but also for leaders of the various parish groups – Readers, Catechists etc – leadership needs to be ‘owned’ by many many people. We must not forget the contribution of other Catholic groups working in our parish e.g. SVP, Legion of Mary, CAFOD, Caritas to our delivering our mission. We need formation in communicating our message – do we know enough about, and do we share what we know, about Catholic Social Teaching and the scriptural basis for all our efforts. Another participant agreed that we need formation for everyone, and it needs to be ongoing. We should be taking every opportunity to help people see the problems of the visible world, but also to know that we are reaching beyond that world to the invisible world, and that we are all on that journey of faith together. Schools cannot do it all, nor can parishes, so individuals much be asked WHAT do they believe and WHY. Have we thought through our answers to the world’s questions – questions such as “if you say God is a loving God, how is there such evil in the world?” or “People can behave virtuously without a belief in God, so why do you ‘need’ God?”. People needs succinct and non-abstract (or overly theological) answers to these questions. Maybe we should all be mentioning our faith much more, and explaining why it is our faith that motivates us engage in trying to make this a better world? We certainly need to use every tool available to us to ‘form’ ourselves and others – homilies, parish newsletters, catechist and other formal courses….
One participant noted that the Established (Anglican) church treats every single person living within their parish boundaries as a ‘parishioner’ – whereas Catholics tend to think of parishioners as those who regularly attend church. Maybe we need a change in mindset? One good news item is that Catholic Social Teaching is now being routinely taught to children and young people in schools – so it may be that we need to work out ways in which older adults can ‘catch up’!
As several people had spoken of the concern that we were losing (or failing to adequately involve) young people – many of the comments alluded in particular to this ‘missing’ constituency. How do we pass on the Faith to the next generation – particularly if they don’t go to a Catholic school. So young people seek both relevance and authenticity – in which case, the best way to ‘form’ them is to involve them in active service to others. Confirmation candidates helping out at the local Foodbank; as ‘welcomers’ to the parish; taking part in some of the ‘routine’ roles (cleaning, reading, etc) so that they are a visible part of the church community etc. They after all should be trained to be “Ambassadors for Christ”. One parish noted that their young people were very proud to be seen helping out at Mass, and social events, and look forward to playing an active role. Another parish reported the very positive experience of having a youth worker in the parish – resulting in very visible results in terms of the engagement of younger parishioners. Can parishes share some of this kind of resource? Sometimes we rely on the Catholic school system to pass on the faith – but many children cannot attend Catholic schools, and if we don’t accompany all our young people, we will lose them.
Several mentioned the importance of an online presence too – for young people as well as others. We need to show that we are Christians by our love – maybe some of us need to engage in ‘Catholic Twitter’? There are also a range of opportunities – such as FLAME (next due in 2025); youth pilgrimages; Million Minutes, World Youth Day – which can be used to form the next generations – to bring them to the ‘mountain top’ and gain positive experiences of working for social justice and witnessing to their faith. In a reiteration of the earlier point about young people looking for “relevance” and “authenticity”, someone said young people are looking for opportunities to DO and to BE – to grow through action. Accordingly, the challenge is not so much on young people, but what the whole parish is doing to really reach out to them, and engage them fully in the life of the community?
Others talked of the value of developing a consensus on formation and training within the parish so that everyone can feel involved and so that their diverse talents can be put to best use. Engaging people through volunteering is often a good way in to helping them nurture their relationship with God. We also need to be creative about the diversity of the parish community: for example, homilies consistently addressed at families, or married couples, can make single people feel like outsiders. Formation would also help in developing inter-faith outreach. Small “At Your Word Lord” and other house groups have proved very powerful in some parishes in building up strong ties and helping people explore their faith together in a ‘safe space’. This also led one contributor to talk of the value of having our views challenged – some Catholics think they absolutely KNOW what God want us to do – and it is good to expand and develop our faith. After all ‘faith’ and ‘religion’ can be different and it is useful to tease out such differences and expand and deepen our understanding in so doing. As Catholics we often tend, like the Gospel story, to bury our talents in the sand, when we should be ‘spending’ our talents generously and sharing them with excitement.
Another participant said that leadership formation is needed by the clergy but is currently under-resourced; and there is also a need for more formation in the synodal process itself – how do we encourage each other to listen more? How do we help mentor each other and promote an ongoing formation, involving both clergy and laity? One participant noted that the clergy needs a real support network if they are to provide leadership in their communities and parish clergy also need support from the hierarchy. We should be using the many opportunities that already exist (eg preparation for the Sacraments) to reach out not only to the young people themselves, but to whole families. Once people are already drawn in for something specific, they are more likely to listen to further opportunities for formation.
Next Steps – Deans Meeting on 6th March 2024
As a next step for the Diocese of Westminster, the Deans have been asked to gather the fruit of all the parish reflections in the Diocese for presentation at the Council of Deans meeting on 6th March. This extended meeting will include two lay or religious representatives for every Deanery.
A meeting for the whole Diocese is envisaged after Easter.
Westminster Cathedral through a London Plane Tree. Photo C Joyce
Source: Ellen Teague
A call for action on systemic change to tackle the Climate Crisis was made at the online quarterly meeting of the National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN) on Saturday. Around 40 representatives of diocesan commissions in England and Wales heard four speakers address the theme: ‘Live or Let Die – A call to care for the poor and for the Earth’.
Michael Chambers of Brentwood Diocese highlighted the results of a survey of young people’s views on climate: “We want systemic change – not just individual action” was a key point; and: “we’re doing other things less important – we need funds for protecting biodiversity and climate.”
Young people warned against becoming desensitised to the full impacts of climate change and urged that Christians advocate for urgent action and stay hopeful, especially for the sake of future generations. It is important to maintain hope despite the waves of dire warnings about planetary systems being pushed into dangerous instability.
In a presentation on ‘Environmental Justice’, Ellen Teague of the Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology Team showed images from the 10-day 24 hour ‘No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ Vigil at parliament which ended as the NJPN was meeting. She quoted from ‘Laudate Deum’ where Pope Francis said, “groups negatively portrayed as ‘radicalised’… are filling a space left empty by society as a whole,” (LD 58). The key advocacy points of the vigil were: the UK to move away from the use of oil and gas, reparation payments for damage caused by climate change in the Global South, and investment in green policies. Campaigners are not often the decision makers but they are very often the decision shapers, according to UN Head Antonio Gutterez.
She called for the UK government to honour its climate commitments, promising to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. And for the COP process to speed up international action to stop rising too far beyond the 1.5 degrees threshold which has already been breached.
NJPN members were urged to lobby the nine Catholic dioceses still investing in fossil fuels to disinvest, which, according to Operation Noah, includes promising never to invest in them in the future. There was a reminder that FaithInvest offers courses for investment managers and that the NJPN Environment Group keeps the network up to date with campaigns, events and resources. Also, a reminder that in many countries environmental defenders, especially indigenous people, risk their lives when they try to protect vulnerable communities, water and biodiversity from destructive activities.
Andrew Jackson, Chief Executive of Pax Christi England and Wales, spoke on ‘Environmental issues as a cause of conflict’. Climate change causes conflict because it intensifies competition over land and water, affects food production, and forces migration. Paragraph 57 of ‘Laudato Si’ says, “It is foreseeable that once certain resources have been depleted, the scene will be set for new wars.”
And wars contribute to climate change. The example was given of the burning of oil fields by the retreating Iraqi army in Kuwait during the first Gulf War in 1991 where Kuwait’s occupied oil fields were turned into a desert inferno. “Environment is the silent victim of conflicts,” said Andrew. Wars can destroy landscapes as well as communities. He provided information about the scale of military greenhouse gas emissions. Military emissions are around 5.5% of total global emissions.
Colette Joyce of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission and Coordinator of the Southern Dioceses Environmental Network started her presentation with a photo of Westminster Cathedral taken through the branches of a London Plane tree in the piazza. How many have barely noticed the London Plane trees outside the cathedral? There is a need for greater appreciation of and engagement with the natural world around us and for personal carbon reduction. But she stressed her belief in collective action and systemic change. Colette is working with Westminster Diocese for carbon neutrality by 2030. She supported the Christian Climate Action Vigil outside parliament and is preparing for the ‘Laudato Si’ anniversary on 24 May, the next Season of Creation in the Autumn and COP29 in Baku during November.
The Northern Area Environment Group is due to meet on 28 February; the Southern area on 11 March. Ideas to be developed at those meetings include a strategy for building up to the Season of Creation and pushing for all Catholic Dioceses to shun fossil fuels. The Scarborough parishes of Middlesbrough Diocese are considering putting environmental reflections in their weekly bulletins. Some dioceses are working with universities – Lancaster with Lancaster University and Leeds with Leeds Trinity – to monitor carbon emission from church buildings. Bishops will be asked to urge parishes and schools in their dioceses to sign up to the LiveSimply programme. At a macro level, all agreed to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Anne Peacey, the Chair of the NJPN, said speakers and workshops for July’s NJPN Conference will be announced soon. The theme of the 19-21 July conference in Derbyshire is ‘Just Politics’.
Westminster Justice and Peace were represented at the launch of a 10-Day Vigil of Prayer, taking place outside the Houses of Parliament from 14th-24th February 2024.
We were surprised by the cameras from GB News and an interview by Jacob Rees-Mogg with Christian Climate Activist, Melanie Nazareth.
l-r: Hilda McCafferty, Colette Joyce and Father Richard Nesbitt in West London Parish, Our Lady of Fatima, White City
ByMaggie Beirne
Sixteen people from 12 parishes in West London met online on 27 January to feedback on their local outreach work. Parishes included White City, Ealing Abbey, Hanwell, Feltham and Pinner. Participants included Colette Joyce, the Westminster Justice and Peace Coordinator, and Sr Silvana Dallangra of Caritas Westminster.
The West London Justice and Peace Network held its first meeting of 2024 on a very appropriate weekend. All parishes were expected to mark both Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January) and Racial Justice Sunday (28 January).
The participants shared information about the efforts undertaken to mark both of these events at parish level – with Bidding Prayers, items in parish newsletters, and more active efforts to improve the diversity of the imagery in their churches and so on. Concern was however expressed at the lack of advance planning so that resources for Racial Justice Sunday arrived too late for parishes to be very active in using them.
Opposition to racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia is our duty as Catholics but how do we best do this? We can examine our own consciences, and we can pray, but in the current tragic circumstances of the Holy Land, what action should we be taking to make their witness more effective?
Some parishes have raised money; others have introduced special prayer events; and the network talked of additional measures to be pursued. We could, for example, be protesting the UK’s involvement in arms sales, drawing attention to the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice, and building stronger alliances with other Christians, Jews and Muslims in calling for peace throughout the region. It was pointed out that there has been a Christian presence at each ‘Ceasefore Now’ London protest march since last October.
And, if we cannot do everything, let’s at least start to do something. The great quote from St Oscar Romero comes to mind when motivating ourselves to act when everything looks bleak: “We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities”.
As ever, the network meeting had lots to report about parish activities relating to poverty in our own communities; promoting environmental justice; and the importance of addressing long term development. Thus, the network heard from parishes from across west London that are building community at local level – with their work with night shelters, foodbanks, and warm hubs; their activism around the Big Garden Birdwatch, Laudato Si events, climate justice campaigns; and their sustained work on international development (thanks to CAFOD). Following up the synodal process at parish level is also a priority and will take up some of their efforts in coming weeks and months.
At all of these gatherings, the network explores how to make justice and peace an activity for the whole parish (rather than a few campaigners) – how do we build it into our liturgy (with Holy Hours, prayer cards distribution etc) and use parish newsletters more effectively to communicate J&P news. How do we communicate most effectively with all our parishioners and engage them in the work and how do we involve our young people more consistently in promoting the ‘best hidden secret’ of Catholic Social Teaching.
Last Sunday, around 1,000 people attended a multifaith peace walk in Central London, ‘Peace in every step’. Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and others participated. One Christian walker was Sr Elizabeth O’Donohoe, a Sister of the Holy Crossand former member of the Westminster Justice and Peace Commission.
Sr Elizabeth writes: Since October 7th there have been many ways of demonstrating the desire to find a path to Peace for the Middle East: last Sunday we did it in silence.
Hot foot from morning Mass, we arrived in Trafalgar Square to find that Prayers from the Faiths represented were already being offered. In this Vigil, beautifully organised by the Buddhists of Ticht nacht han’s Plum Village and the Quakers, the Walk was preceded by short prayer contributions by each Faith, after which there was a respectful pause and the gong of the Prayer bowl.
Other than religious dress, we had all been asked not to bring any flags or slogans, but instead to wear a white flower – many had made their own or bought fresh ones.
Led by the Faith representatives, we set off in silence down Whitehall. Traffic police cleared the way for us and vehicles were very patient. There really was nothing to disturb our contemplative walk: past Downing Street, round the Cenotaph and back to the Square.
Personally, I found a mantra coming to me – in fact from the music we had sung at Mass earlier: ‘Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy, Lord. Have mercy, have mercy have mercy, Lord.’ It seemed just right for this occasion.
Nearly an hour later, we were back in the Square.
A short thank you from Rabena Harilall and Judith Baker who had worked so hard to make this all-faiths vigil become a reality, and an invitation, in a gesture of common endeavour, to share our white flower with someone nearby. As can happen on such occasions, I gave mine to someone who recognised me from 30 years ago!
This weekend, campaigners will be holding local demonstrations in more than 50 locations around the country. For details click here or visit the ICN Listings page.
Presentation by Neil Thorns, CAFOD Director of Advocacy – ‘Feedback from COP28‘
Neil Thorns, the Director of Advocacy for CAFOD, was the guest speaker at the Southern Dioceses Environment Network on Monday 15th January, 12.45-2.00pm, to give feedback to participants on the UN Climate Conference (COP28) held from 1-12 December 2023 .
Neil was present at COP28 in Dubai and has attended a number of previous COPs as a member of the Vatican delegation
For his presentation, Neil identified four headline outcomes from COP28:
Agreement on a Loss and Damage Fund
The UAE Consensus: Transition away from fossil fuels
Dubai – Baku – Belem Roadmap
Recognition of Food
He reported on each issue in more detail, explaining the significance of each and what it means for Catholics in the UK going forward.
Agreement on a Loss and Damage Fund
‘Loss and Damage’ is when poor communities overseas can no longer adapt to the effects of climate change but need to be able to respond when disasters occur. How do they get the resources they need?Developed countries who have done the most to cause the climate crisis have a responsibility towards these communities. ‘Loss and Damage’ has been kicking around for a long time in climate circles and in climate negotiations and a fund was finally agreed in principle Sharm El-Sheikh last year at COP27.
Operating the Fund was agreed on the first day of COP28 and money was put into it. Not enough money was put in, but what was important was that all the major countries contributed. For example, the US paid around $27 million which is just peanuts! The UK, in comparison has paid $45 million and the UAE $100 million. How that money is spent is going to be really important. It is also significant that ‘Loss and Damage’ will now be included for the first time in the Global Stock Take Process.
The Vatican is very interested in ‘Loss and Damage’ and especially non-economic ‘Loss and Damage’ – e.g. spiritual, cultural sites, language etc. The Vatican strongly supports ‘Integral Human Development’ so will continue to take a major interest in this aspect.
Neil said that people often ask, ‘Why do COPs have to happen annually? There have been 28 of them, are they achieving anything?’ His answer is ‘Yes!’ The pace may be slow, but the important thing is that we keep moving forward each year. The Global Stock Take Process is an important part of this. It is important to get things into the negotiations because then they get monitored and countries are accountable going forward. This was one of the biggest things to come out of COP28 and a big win for the first day.
2. UAE Consensus
Host countries like to get agreements named after themselves and so now we have the UAE Consensus arising as an outcome. COP28 was focused on the Global Stock Take that was agreed in Paris at COP21 in 2015 and came into force in 2020 whereby countries have to submit reports on how far they are doing to meet the principles of the Paris Agreement to keep global warming temperatures below 1.5C by 2050. All eyes were on COP28 to see if an end to Fossil Fuels would be included in the next Global Stock Take. Making a ‘transition away from fossil fuels’ was eventually included in the final agreement. It may not have been expressed in the strongest language – and was not what the Pope called for – but it was the first mention of an end to fossil fuels in a COP agreement. It is true there were a lot of caveats! For example, it didn’t call for taking away subsidies from fossil fuels, but we can start chipping away from this base.
3. Dubai – Baku – Belem Roadmap
COP29 will be in BAKU, Azerbaijan, in 2024 which is another oil state and will feature another COP president with oil company links.
COP30 will be in BELEM, Brazil in 2025 – a city in the Amazon rainforest.
These next two COPs are expected to be about finance. As Neil said, ‘Money makes the world go round!’ and at these next COPs progress of the Climate Fund will be closely scrutinised. A Climate Fund to enable developing countries to make adaptations was agreed in 2009 and set at $100bn per year. This target was meant to be reached by 2020 but is still only partially met. A ‘New Collective Quantified Goal’ has to be agreed this year in Baku to ensure that money gets to those countries for adaptation and loss and damage. Currently we using existing money to meet these commitments. For example, the UK is using part of the Overseas Aid Budget. This is essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul so we need innovative ideas on finance, such as a tax on international shipping. Levels of debt will be have to be addressed and debt cancellation considered as international finance architecture currently makes it difficult for developing countries to get loans, creating debt cycles that prevent spending on climate adaptation. The UK currently borrows money at 1 or 2%, while for Bangladesh it is 7 or 8%. There will also be questions about who pays? Should it be the historic big emitters? Or more recent emitters like Saudi Arabia, who don’t currently have any obligations to pay. A France-Kenya initiative to explore these options will report back to COP30 in Brazil.
4. Recognition of Food
A third of greenhouse gas emissions comes from our food and food systems. Food now needs to be considered in national plans. We can now include it in the whole aspect of deforestation. 150 countries are now pledged to include Food in their climate plans.
What Next?
The Vatican played an important role by talking about ending fossil fuels and talking about food and is in a position to ask for an ambitious Global Stock Take in these areas. The BBC reported on the Pope’s talk, read by Cardinal Parolin as the Pope himself was unable to attend due to illness. Media reports – especially the BBC which has a global reach – have an impact in COP spaces.
The rate of action is accelerating as we head towards 2025. The UK is heading into an election year and we can use this to promote improvements to our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). We need to let our elected representatives know what we want in terms of climate ambition.
Q & A with Neil
Q. How useful is a focus new tech e.g. solar panels? There are always side things happening alongside COP. More renewable energy deals were done at COP28 than ever before, which is a good thing. People at COP were talking about ‘carbon capture and storage’ but experts say it has very little impact so we can’t rely on it. Solar energy is making a huge difference. Especially in the US Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Bill has had a huge impact in creating green jobs. Tech linked to jobs makes for social change.
Q. What about the Vatican follow-up? Loss and Damage is a priority as I said earlier and talking about ending fossil fuels. The Catholic Church celebrates a Jubilee Year in 2025 and the Vatican is looking into how this can be linked to Brazil 2025 and COP30. Pope Francis said during the Covid pandemic that we don’t come out of a crisis the same. We come out either better or worse. Can we ensure that we come out better, with a better economics and better outcomes for the poorest?
Q. Can we push the CAFOD Fix the Food System even more? The Pope said in Laudato Si’ that ‘everything is connected.’ We have to link food with everything else and seeds is a big part in that. As CAFOD we can make some progress making sure that seeds find a place in the food plans for individual countries.
We then split into small breakout groups to discuss the questions: 1) What is your response to the outcomes of COP28? 2)What will you be focusing on for the environment in 2024?
Members of the Network were encouraged by the positive messaging from Neil. Participants asked how they might encourage people to be hopeful but at the same time make things like taking multiple flights socially unacceptable and wanted to be more confident in speaking up for the climate with family and friends. Members are focused on taking local actions, with several planning to taking part in the Christian Climate Action 10-Day Vigil in Lent. Some are involved with Greenpeace.
Participants also agreed that, while we are glad to hear that progress is being made, we need to make it known that progress needs to be faster, especially in this election year. CAFOD and SVP are working together on election material that will encourage Catholics to push for climate action this year.
Colette Joyce, Westminster Justice and Peace Co-ordinator, who convenes the Network said: “We are really grateful to Neil for representing us at COP28 and for his comprehensive reporting and analysis. Knowing that we can have an impact on the international processes helps motivate us to keep going with climate action on a local and parish basis.”
TheSouthern Dioceses Environment Networkis a network for all Catholics and our friends who careabout creation and meets monthly online on the second Monday of the month. It also organises other events online and in-person when this is possible. Some events take place jointly with the Northern Dioceses Environment Group, as we all work together to animate the Catholiccommunity in the long-term task of stabilising our climate and protecting our common home.We are inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, especially as set out by Pope Francis in the encyclical Laudato Si’, and the teachings on caring for the earth and one another found in Scripture.
Participants include CAFOD and Diocesan staff and volunteers, Laudato Si’ Animators, Journey to 2030, parishioners, clergy, religious and activists. You are welcome to attend as a one-off or to participate regularly.The Southern Dioceses are: Arundel & Brighton, Brentwood, Clifton, East Anglia, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southwark and Westminster.
Up to half a million campaigners of all faiths and beliefs, marched through London on Saturday, from the Bank along Fleet Street towards Trafalgar Square down Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament, appealing for peace in Gaza and the West Bank.
Westminster Justice and Peace joined the Christian bloc, co-ordinated by Christians For Palestine, which included banners from Pax Christi, the Church of England, Quakers, the Columbans, London Catholic Worker, Passionists, Holy Land Trust, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, Sisters of St, Joseph of Peace and many more. We walked next to the Jewish bloc, which included hundreds of individuals and members of Na’Amod, International Anti-Zionist Network, Jews for Palestine, Torah Jews, JVL and other Jewish peace groups.
Columban Sisters Kate Midgley and Young Mi helped carry one of the Christian banners. Sr Mi said: “The reason I joined the demo is only a little gesture to show my solidarity towards suffering Palestinians. Because what is going on in Gaza and what Palestinians have to go through at this time is a total distortion of humanity.”
Little Amal – the 3.5 metre tall puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian refugee girl, who made the 8,000 km journey from the Syrian border to Manchester, in 2021, to highlight the plight of child refugees, led the front of the march, accompanied by a group of Palestinian children.
Speaking in Parliament Square, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, accused the British government of “complicity” with Israel. He said: “I stand before you with a broken heart but not a broken spirit.” He congratulated South Africa for bringing a genocide case against Israel at the UN’s international court of justice.
Sinn Féin’s president, Mary Lou McDonald, told the crowd that Palestinian freedom is possible. She said: “When I say this, standing in London, in common cause with you, having walked our own journey out of conflict, building peace for 25 years, this can happen. “This must happen and we will ensure that it does.”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn thanked South Africa for their bravery bring their case to the ICJ. He pointed out that the weapons used in the onslaught on Gaza are provided by the United States and the UK. Corbyn thanked everyone around the world and especially those campaigners in Israel who are speaking up for peace, justice and hope.
This was the seventh National March for Palestine in London organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign since October.
Protests took place in 120 cities around the world on Saturday, including Dublin, Edinburgh, Washington DC, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Rome and Milan.
On Peace Sunday, 14th January 2024, Pope Francis made a heartfelt appeal for an end to armed conflicts and a firm condemnation of war as “a crime against humanity.”
“War itself is a crime against humanity. People need peace. The world needs peace,” said the Pope at the Sunday Angelus prayer.
He also mentioned a program he had seen on an Italian TV channel just minutes before, in which the Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land had spoken. Fr Ibrahim Faltas said: “we need to learn from John the Baptist how to cry out and show the path to follow.” Jesus, he added, is “the way. He is forgiveness, justice, love, and peace.”
“If we follow Jesus, we will truly have peace and there will be no war,” said Fr Faltas.
He noted that there are over 60 ongoing wars in the world, calling the global situation “utter confusion.” “We want to live in peace,” concluded Fr Faltas. “We want to follow Jesus, so we will have peace throughout the world.”
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 