A monthly Memorial Prayer Vigil for refugees and asylum-seekers takes place 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 of current wars
Those in detention and who are homeless
The UK to be a more welcoming nation
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Co-sponsored by Westminster Justice and Peace Commission London Catholic Worker and London Churches Refugee Fund
One year on from violence described as the worst outbreak of anti-Christian persecution in Pakistan, Church leaders say people are both terrified of more attacks and furious that culprits have not been brought to justice.
Leading clergy in the Diocese of Faisalabad reported that security services warned Christians in Jaranwala against holding outdoor events today (Friday, 16th August) to mark the first anniversary of atrocities.
In a single day, a mob of thousands torched and ransacked more than 25 churches and at least 85 Christian homes in what Pakistan’s bishops called “the worst incident against Christians” in the country’s 77-year history.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Catholic charity for persecuted Christians, Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said: “People are frightened and feeling hopeless because so far justice has not been given to them.
“Some people are angry and want to agitate.
“They demand that we act for justice but what can we do? Justice can only be given by the government. The culprits are mostly out on bail and this is upsetting the community.”
He added: “The extremist groups want to take revenge. They feel that after what happened in Jaranwala they lost their reputation as good citizens. They lost their credibility.”
Father Yaqub Yousif, the parish priest of Jaranwala, said that on today’s anniversary services would be held in churches but that government security services have warned against people gathering outside.
Father Yousif and Father Boniface ‘Bonnie’ Mendes, a senior priest of Faisalabad diocese, echoed Bishop Rehmat’s dismay at the failure to bring to justice those involved in the violence.
Father Yousif said: “People are disturbed by the lack of justice. They feel very insecure. If the institutions responsible for providing justice cannot help what can the people do as weak minorities? They are scared.”
According to latest reports from the National (Catholic) Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), the Church’s human rights organisation, only five of the 305 people arrested following the 16th August 2023 atrocity are still behind bars.
The only person sentenced is Christian man Ehsan Shan who is serving life for blasphemy after being found guilty of sharing on social media an image of the desecrated Qur’an which triggered the violence.
Father Yousif said: “I would like to make it clear that Christians never have any thought of showing disrespect either to the Qur’an or the prophet and would see absolutely no value in acts of desecration.”
As many as 17 of the 25 First Information Reports brought in connection with the Jaranwala atrocity were registered by Christians and Father Yousif said that the faithful had been gradually dropping charges in response to violent threats.
Speaking on a visit to ACN (UK)’s national offices in Sutton, Surrey, Father Mendes said: “Justice has not been served in the last 12 months.
“The right people should have been sentenced but this has not happened.
“The government has been so weak. It is afraid to act. We feel more and more that the government is helpless. It means the Christian community tends to be more and more inward-looking and want to leave the country.”
NCJP executive director Naeem Youssif Gill said: “Justice should be implemented with a spirit of justice, equality and based on the law.
“Steps such as stopping provocation through loudspeakers, banning extremist outfits and seizing the hate-mongering literature must be intensified and evaluated, and their success must be ensured.”
The Pakistan government acted fast to compensate people affected by the attacks but the NCJP reports that only 26 of the 86 houses damaged in the attacks have been renovated.
But Bishop Rehmat said early on he stopped the government-sponsored church repairs, saying contractors were doing a bad job and failing to repair rooves, leaving the buildings unsafe.
Nineteen of the 26 churches targeted have been repaired, with the NCJP reporting that most of the renovation had been carried out by the Christian communities themselves.
Bishop Rehmat went on to praise ACN for providing emergency support for affected families returning home, including providing basic household items for kitchens and bathrooms, furniture, and autorickshaws and other transport for taxi drivers and others needing to restart their businesses.
He said: “On behalf of the Jaranwala community – those who were victims on the day – and the whole diocese, I would like to thank ACN and the generous benefactors who have responded to our needs.
“They share our mission. From the core of my heart, I would like to thank each member of ACN. Through their continued help, may they go on to help more people in need.”
All are welcome to join the Westminster Holy Land Roundtable on an outing to the Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley, 52 High Rd, London, N2 9PJ, to see the London premiere of a ‘Gaza – A Story of Love and War’ on Sunday 8th September at 3.30pm.
There will be an in-person Q&A with director Mike Joseph after the film.
Synopsis
Two journalists meet to share stories online. Mike Joseph is Welsh, of Jewish parents, and unable to get into Gaza. Sami Abu Salem is Palestinian and unable to escape. Mike’s uncle fought in Jewish forces which destroyed Palestinian Burayr in 1948. Sami’s mother escaped from there to refuge in Gaza. Ten years earlier, Mike’s mother was expelled from Germany, to refuge in Wales. As they talk, a very personal history of the Palestinian Nakba is narrated, from 1948 to 2024. We hear remarkable connections in their stories. Their talk leads to a most unexpected question: Is coexistence possible? They dare to explore hope.
Ten days later comes Hamas’ bloody invasion. Israel responds laying siege to Gaza and killing tens of thousands.
So an exchange of impossible hopes is lost in the ashes of war and genocide.
The host and moderator of the Q+A will be Tim Llewellyn, of the Balfour Project. Tim was formerly the BBC Middle East Correspondent, amongst others covering the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
FROM THE GUARDIAN REVIEW
“Made on an infinitesimal budget but with compassion, empathy and consideration, this documentary is the product of an encounter between two journalists…The conversation they did manage to record before all hell broke out is moving and thought-provoking. The two men emphasise how much they have in common as children of trauma, rather than what might divide them.” The Guardian
Parishioners from Ss Alban and Stephen Church held a joint service with the St Albans’ Abbey community, and representatives of other churches and of Pax Christi, in Sumpter Yard at St Albans Abbey (Cathedral) on Sunday 4 August 2024.
This is an annual event which takes place on the Sunday closest to 6 August, when the first atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. 6 August is also the Feast of the Transfiguration.
This year the Pillar was relocated to a new site at the Abbey and to mark this change, the service started with a blessing of the Pillar in it’s new site.
Pupils from Loreto College produced Origami Peace Cranes which were distributed at all Masses in Ss Alban and Stephen Church at the weekend and were also distributed to those attending the service.
The vigil is always conducted at the Peace Pillar which is a gift from the people of Japan to the Cathedral.
It was given in 1982 to commemorate the decision of Dean Cuthbert Thicknesse to refuse to allow the Abbey bells to be rung to celebrate the end of the War in the East. At the time the Guardian reported the Dean’s decision, as explained at a council meeting on 14th August 1945, as follows:
“After the dean, who is the mayor’s chaplain, had opened the council meeting with prayer, he made a statement to the council. “Let it not be supposed,” he said, “that any of us withhold our due sense of gratitude for the mighty deliverance. The events of the last ten days had given cause for deep searchings of heart to many people. “The decision to use the atomic bomb was made by the leaders of the democratic nations. We are all, therefore, though without our consent, implicated in that act. I do not hold a service of thanksgiving in St. Albans because I cannot honestly give thanks to God for an event brought about by a wrong use of force, by an act of wholesale, indiscriminate massacre which is different in kind from all the acts of open warfare hitherto, however brutal and hideous.”
Textile artist Jacqui Parkinson spent three years stitching twelve HUGE (almost three metre high) panels to make this spectacular art exhibition. ‘Threads through Creation’ is showing at Southwark Cathedral from now until 26th August.
You’ll see the black and white pages of the creation story in Genesis transformed into astonishing colours and designs. It’s beautiful, breath-taking, uplifting and inspiring for all ages.
Threads through Creation is at Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, London, SE1 9DA, from Mondays to Saturdays 9-6 and on Sundays 8.30-5.
This beautiful exhibition has already been shown at Sheffield, Blackburn and Lichfield Cathedrals and Leominster Priory. After Southwark Cathedral it is going to Sherbourne Abbey and Hexham Abbey.
Many months have now passed since the beginning of this terrible war. The suffering caused by this conflict and the dismay at what is happening are not only unabated, but seem to be fuelled again and again by hatred, resentment and contempt, which only intensify the violence and push away the possibility of finding solutions.
Indeed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to envision a conclusion to this conflict, whose impact on the lives of our people is greater and more painful than ever before. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find people and institutions with whom a dialogue about the future and peaceful relations is possible. We all seem to be crushed by this present, which is characterized by so much violence and, admittedly, anger.
However, these days seem to be important to be able to turn the tide of the conflict, and among them especially August 15, which for us is the day of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven.
On this day, before or after the celebration of the Eucharist or at another suitable time, I invite everyone to a moment of intercession for peace to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I hope that the parishes, the contemplative and apostolic religious communities and even the few pilgrims who are among us will unite in the common desire for peace that we entrust to the Blessed Virgin.
After having spent so many words and after having done what we can to help and be close to everyone, especially those who are most affected, all that remains is for us to pray. In view of the many words of hatred that are all too often spoken, we would like to offer our prayer, which consists of words of reconciliation and peace.
Enclosed you will find a prayer to Our Lady of the Assumption that you can say on the day of this Solemnity.
Let us pray that in this long night that we are living through, the intercession of the most holy Mary will open a glimpse of light for all of us and for the whole world.
Wishing you all the best in Christ,
+Pierbattista Card Pizzaballa Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins
Prayer for Peace from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem for the Feast of the Assumption 15 August 2024
Supplication for peace to Our Lady assumed into Heaven
O most glorious Mother of God, raised above the choirs of angels, pray for us with Saint Michael the Archangel and with all the angelic powers of heaven and with all the saints, to your most holy and beloved Son, our Lord and master.
Obtain for this Holy Land, for all His children and for all humanity the gift of reconciliation and peace.
May your prophecy be fulfilled: the proud are scattered in the imaginations of their hearts; the mighty are overthrown from their thrones, and finally, the humble are raised; Let the hungry be filled with good things, the peaceful be recognized as children of God and that the meek may receive the earth as a gift.
May Jesus Christ, your Son, grant us this, He who exalted you today above the choirs of angels, who crowned you with the diadem of the Kingdom, and has placed you on the throne of eternal splendour. To him be honour and glory forever. Amen.
An interfaith congregation gathered at Holy Apostles church, Pimlico, on Friday, 9 August, the 81st anniversary of Bl Franz Jagerstatter’s martyrdom and Nagasaki Day, to give thanks for peacemakers and to pray for peace.
Jagerstatter was executed for refusing to serve in Hitler’s army. The congregation prayed: “Let us be encouraged and inspired as we reflect on his witness. We pray for the strength to be peacemakers in our troubled world.”
Music was led by Ellen and Gerry Teague. As the congregation filed in, they sang Peace Will Come by Tom Paxton, and the Taize chant The Lord is my Light. All those gathered then joined in a prayer saying “We pray to be peacemakers in our troubled world.’ This was followed by a reading of the words of Franz Jagerstatter written in a notebook 1942, in which he stressed the need for Christians to take a stand against injustice.
Andrew Jackson, CEO of Pax Christi then gave a reflection on the life of Bl Franz Jagerstatter. He said: “This wasn’t some blind, simplistic black and white fundamentalism – despite all the accusations that he had become extreme in his Catholicism. No – he saw the principality, the power and he named it and resisted it. What about us ?
We will say, of course, that we are not leaders, that we don’t have the voice or the profile to have any impact. But then neither did Franz. Outside of a very local community in 1943, no one knew who he was or the stand he was taking. He didn’t have a platform or a position that gave him a voice. He was an ordinary person just like us. But as he told us in our reading from his writings – we are just the people the world is looking for… Words teach, but personal example shows their meaning.”
A litany of names and groups was read out (after every one came the response: ‘We remember you’): Franz Jagerstatter; Josef Mayr Nusser; Franz Reinisch; Max Josef Metzger; Otto Schimek; all other conscientious objectors, (COs) from World War One and World War Two; All COs since 1945; members of the Society of Friends; Followers of the Anabaptist tradition; the COs of Israel and Palestine; The COs of Ukraine and Russia; The COs of the wars with Iraq, Afghanistan, and those of other countries in conflict.
The congregation was then invited to name other ‘war resisters’. People recalled: St Oscar Romero, Blessed Julia Rodzinska, Steve Biko, Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi, Edith Cavell, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Bruce Kent and many more
Candles were lit in prayer, ‘a sign of hope against the darkness of war and violence.’
One prayer asked for the intercession of Blessed Franz Jagerstatter: ‘We give thanks for the witness of Franz Jagerstatter who has been beatified and recognised by the Church was a martyrs for peace. We pray that people through out the world will be inspired to followed their conscience . To go against the stream and stand up for peace.”
The final song was ‘Will you come and follow me’ and those present left the church and gathered outside to walk in the interfaith procession, led by Buddhist Rev Gyoro Nagase to the London Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park for the Nagasaki Commemoration Ceremony there.
The 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki was commemorated in London on 9 August 2024, with a procession from Holy Apostles Catholic Church, Pimlico – following the memorial service for Blessed Franz Jagerstatter – to the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park, led by Buddhist monk the Rev Gyoro Nagase with several monks and a nun from the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order.
They were accompanied by representatives from several London churches, Pax Christi, Westminster Justice and Peace, CND and other peace campaigners.
Arriving at the Peace Pagoda they were welcomed by Mr Shigeo Kobayashi from Japan Against Nuclear UK (JAN). After a water sprinkling and blessing by Rev Nagase Shonin, participants chanted chapter 16 from the Lotus Sutra. This was followed by Christian prayers for peace by Catholic Deacon Rev Jon Dal Din, from Southwark Diocese, Unitarian Pastor Rev Fergus O’Connor and Quaker David Stephenson.
All participants then were invited to come forward to offer incense and flowers.
Mr Shigeo Kobayashi then gave a brief address, reflecting on the horrors of war in an atomic age, and calling for prayers for peace and harmony between all peoples and nations. He said that more than 74,000 people had died in Nagasaki, in 1945 but people there now still suffer the consequences of the bombing. He noted that for the first time the ambassadors of the UK and other countries had declined to attend the memorial service in Nagasaki, because the ambassador of Israel had not been invited. ( The Mayor of Nagasaki Shiro Suzuki, said that the reason for not inviting Israel was not political. Commentators suggested it was rather for security reasons.)
The last speaker was Ms Carol Turner, chair of London CND. In her address she warned that we are living in a very dangerous time, particularly with events in the Middle East, bringing us closer to nuclear war than we have ever been since 1945.
As an orange sunset began filled the London sky, the colourful lanterns on the steps of the pagoda, represented souls of the 74,000 people who perished in the bombing in 1945, started to glow.
Singer Brigette Bennett gave a beautiful acapella performance of ‘Song for Peace’ as the crowd slowly dispersed into the night.
Next year will be the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and Westminster Justice & Peace aim to mark the occasion with some special events to inspire future peace-makers. Mark 6th and 9th August 2025 in your diaries now!
In the aftermath of the scenes of violent disorder across the UK, the Caritas Social Action Network’s CEO, Raymond Friel, has issued a statement expressing shock at these disturbing events, stating that CSAN stands in solidarity with all victims of violence.
CSAN Statement
At Caritas Social Action Network, we have been shocked and disturbed at the violent scenes of public disorder in many parts of the UK in recent days and the levels of racism, Islamophobia and hatred against those seeking sanctuary in our country.
We grieve with the families of the three young girls tragically killed in Southport whose lives were so brutally cut short and we remember their families in our prayers at this unimaginably difficult time.
We have often seen good coming out of the most horrific circumstances, as people find in themselves their best instincts to repair and build community and stand against the forces of division and hatred. We hope that these tragic events mark a decisive turning away from the politics of hatred and division towards a spirit of solidarity and service.
In the CSAN network, many of our members work in the most disadvantaged communities, seeking to restore human dignity and help to bring agency and hope to people on the margins of society.
In recent years, many of our members have supported people housed in hotels who are seeking asylum or awaiting more suitable accommodation. These people are often very isolated and vulnerable, many of them having fled violence and persecution in their home countries.
We stand in solidarity with all victims of violence, especially with our brothers and sisters seeking asylum, our Muslim brothers and sisters, and indeed with anyone feeling threatened because of who they are or where they are from. May they feel the love and support of their communities, and of those who hear Christ’s call to love the stranger.
Bishop Paul McAleenan, the Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has commented, “Today, and always, we need to continue to pray, work and stand together for peace in our country. The actions of the few involved in violence stands in stark contrast to the work of charities, church groups and volunteers who tirelessly extend the hand of welcome to migrants in acts of solidarity. We hope and pray that they will re-double their efforts so that we can rebuild communities after the terrible events of the last few days.”
Raymond Friel OBE CEO, Caritas Social Action Network
More than 100,000 people took part in last Saturday’s National March for Palestine in London.
The Christian Bloc gathered in Mount Street Gardens next to Farm Street Church for ecumenical prayers, Taize chants and intercessions written by Palestinian Christians, before setting out to Park Lane to join the march through London to Parliament.
The group included Catholic, Anglican and Methodist clergy and religious, members of the London Catholic Worker, Pax Christi, Christian CND and Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace.
Weaving their way through the heart of London towards parliament, the Christians marched alongside the Muslim and Jewish bloc, calling for: Ceasefire now; End to the occupation; End to the Apartheid; End to arms sales to Israel; Boycott, divestment and sanctions and Support the ICJ rulings.
A small counter-protest known as ‘Enough is Enough’ took place at Piccadilly Circus, with protesters waving Israeli flags and holding placards of Israeli hostages.
A group of Holocaust survivors sat at the side of the protest with placards in support of the Palestinian protesters reading: “Holocaust survivor descendants against Gaza genocide.”
At the end of the march, various speakers, including former Labour and now Independent MP Apsana Begum and the chair of Young Labour, Jess Barnard, addressed the crowds from a stage outside Parliament.
Ms Begum said: “For ourselves, for each other, for our diverse communities across the UK and for the men, women and children of Gaza and all those facing oppression all around the world, solidarity.”
Ms Barnard said: “Starmer we don’t want excuses, we don’t want delay, we don’t want you to say you’re different from the Tories, we want you to smash the Tory legacy of complicity in Israeli war crimes. We want action. No more delay, no more excuses.”
Four arrests were made during the march. The Metropolitan Police said one arrest was made for directing a Nazi salute towards a counter-protester. A second was made for a placard suspected of supporting a proscribed organisation. Two further arrests were made for having an offensive placard.
John Sloboda, from Christians for Palestine told ICN: “It was really noticeable how peaceful the march and rally was, with lots of song and comradeship. The ‘confrontation’ with a small group of Israeli flag-wavers was marked simply by people singing even louder.
“It was also noticeable how low-key the policing was, and how the marchers were enabled to mingle with tourists and passers by. The police know that these marches are exactly what they claim to be: demonstrations of peaceful solidarity with the Palestinian people, attended by people representing the full diversity of our society in age, ethnicity, and religion.”
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 