https://www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/Event/christmas-concert-2023
Category: Events
Record Numbers take part in Gaza Peace March
Source: Independent Catholic News
Hundreds of thousands of people – of all faiths and none – took to the streets of London on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The ‘National March for Palestine’ was the latest in a series of rallies in the capital to appeal for peace since Israel launched an air and ground offensive on Gaza following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October. 1,200 people were killed that day and more than 240 people were taken hostage. Israel’s revenge attacks and relentless bombardment have killed more than 11,000 people in 34 days, including over 4,500 children. Water, electricity, food and medical supplies have been stopped. A million people, including hospital patients have been forced to leave north Gaza on foot. Aid agencies warn the death toll will rise as starvation and disease set in.
The head of the World Health Organization told the United Nations Security Council on Friday that Israel’s bombing and siege are already killing one child on average every 10 minutes in Gaza.
Campaigners in Saturday’s march walked peacefully from Hyde Park to the US Embassy across the river Thames in Nine Elms, chanting phrases like “Ceasefire Now”, “In our millions, in our millions we are all Palestinians” and “Free Free Palestine.”
Marching alongside trade unionists, individuals, Buddhist monks, Muslim and Jewish campaigners – often families with children and toddlers in pushchairs – were Catholic, Anglican and Methodist clergy, representatives from Pax Christi, Romero Trust, CAFOD, United Reform Church, Quakers, Methodists, Lutherans and other churches.
One sign read: ‘You can’t build a Holy Land on the mass graves of children’.
Rev Rachel Summers a trainee Anglican priest said: “21 years ago I went to visit Gaza. When I came back I was saying to everyone I met – How are people managing to keep their humanity? These are intolerable conditions. How are people surviving? Peace isn’t an airy fairy idea where people sit around doing nothing. Peace is something that takes strength and courage, and that seems to be what I’m hearing here.”
One Pax Christi placard quoted Pope Francis: “And we ask peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who profit from the good of men and women.”
A Catholic priest told ICN: “Several of my parishioners are here. We all felt it’s the least we can do. A tragedy is unfolding in the Holy Land. What is happening there is nothing less than ethnic cleansing – another Nakba. I hope and pray it can be stopped.”
London authorities estimate that around 300,000 people took part in the march. Organizers said turnout was as high as one million.
The march went ahead despite criticism from Home Secretary Suella Braverman who described the demonstrations as “hate marches” and suggested earlier in the week that the protest should have been banned by London police given that it coincided with Armistice Day.
British Army veteran and march participant Nadia Mitchell wrote for OpenDemocracy: “Personally, I cannot think of a more appropriate day to demand a ceasefire than on the day we remember the mother of all ceasefires, to remember and honour those who sacrificed their lives in pursuit of peace and an end to war.”
Addressing the rally, actress Maxine Peake said: ” This is not a hate march. This is a cry for love, this is a cry for peace, this is a cry for ceasefire”.
The police said no major incidents took place on the peace march – which had been carefully routed to take place more than a mile away from the Cenotaph where the Remembrance Day ceremony was held, and not begin until more than an hour after it had finished. Hundreds of volunteer stewards ensured people didn’t stray from the designated route.
In stark contrast there were major clashes in Whitehall when a small group of rowdy men, led by the far-right figure Tommy Robinson, attacked police by the Cenotaph while the Remembrance service was taking place.
Matt Twist, assistant commissioner at the Met, says 126 people have been arrested so far. He said when they were stopped and searched, weapons including a knife, a baton and knuckleduster and class A drugs were found. “Thanks to the considerable efforts of our officers, who put themselves in harm’s way, nobody was able to reach the Cenotaph, which was protected at all times,” he said.
Twist added that nine police officers had been injured with two requiring hospital treatment. Clashes with the group also took place in other parts of the city, including Chinatown and near the Houses of Parliament.
The march was organised by Stop the War, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and other peace groups.
For more information and resources visit Pax Christi’s Israel and Palestine page:
https://paxchristi.org.uk/campaigns/israel-and-palestine/
See ICN’s Facebook page for more pictures: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064591363750&ref=bookmarks
National March for Palestine, Saturday 11 November, 11.30am, Hyde Park, London
National March for Palestine – Ceasefire Now
Saturday 11 November, 12 noon – 4pm, Hyde Park, London
Pax Christi and other Christians will be joining the national ‘March for Palestine’ in London this Saturday, 11th November, to add our voice to demands for a ceasefire in Gaza and a just peace between Israel and Palestine.
Meeting at 11.30am at the Animals in War Memorial which is at Brook Gate, Hyde Park, Park Lane.
Please note some tube lines are closed for part of Saturday 11th November https://londonist.com/london/tfl-to-close-tube-lines-next-weekend
Given that things may change, please let Pax Christi know if you are planning to attend and want to join them. Check their website, Facebook Page and Twitter/X feed for updates. Pax Christi
Westminster Justice and Peace E-Bulletin November 2023
Colette writes: As Israelis mourn their murdered love ones and await news of captured hostages, the world watches in horror as the death toll rises from retaliatory actions in Gaza and the situation becomes intolerable for people living there in constant fear of bombing and dwindling resources. Where will it end? What can we do?
Below we publish statements from Pope Francis, Cardinal Vincent, Mgr Jim Curry, Pax Christi and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and invite you to read the more detailed texts in full.
Order of the Holy Sepulchre mass for Peace and Justice, 19th October 2023
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
CAFOD ‘Fix the Food System’ Campaign Letter Handed in to World Bank
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
Westminster Justice and Peace E-Bulletin October 2023
Dear Friends of Justice and Peace,
Featured in the October E-Bulletin this month:
Celebrating the Season of Creation
A whole host of activities have taken place around the Diocese this month, including an outdoor ecumenical service for Farm Street Church and Grosvenor Chapel; a litter pick around Our Lady of Fatima parish, White City; weekly themed flower arrangements featuring the ‘river of justice and peace’ at St Peter and Paul, Northfields; an Uxbridge parish trip to Church Gardens, Harefield; and a Justice & Peace outing to the ‘Plants of Qur’an’ exhibition in Kew Gardens.
If you would like to share your events and photos from the Season of Creation, please reply to this email and let me know!
CAFOD ‘Fix the Food System’ Campaign
In addition, some 43 Westminster parishes plus the staff at Vaughan House signed the most recent CAFOD Fix the Food System campaign over the course of the summer – ‘Salina’s letter’ to the World Bank, calling for the rights of farmers to be protected to preserve and trade their own seed. This represents around 8,180 signatures. Thank you to everyone!
Laudate Deum and the Synod
During the month, Pope Francis announced that he has written ‘Laudato Si’ Part 2’, a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical. The Apostolic Exhortation ‘Laudate Deum’ will be launched on 4th October (details below) to close the Season of Creation, significantly placing the care of creation and concern for the poor, themes central to the life of St Francis, at the heart of the Synod in Rome which opens on the same day. We will be reflecting on all these developments over the course of the coming months.
New Commission Members
A very warm welcome to Richard Harries, the new Director of Caritas Westminster, and to Beata Rozycka, recently appointed as CAFOD Westminster Community Participation Co-ordinator, who are joining the Westminster Justice and Peace Commission as representatives of Caritas and CAFOD respectively. We look forward to working closely with Richard and Beata on justice at home and abroad and benefitting from their insights and experience. All best wishes in your new roles!
The newsletter also contains three pages of Diary Dates detailing unmissable events on these and other themes of justice and peace to share with your parishioners, friends and colleagues.
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
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
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 