‘Artificial Intelligence, the Military and Weapons Zoom Webinar 7.00pm Wednesday 17th January 2024
In his message for the World Day of Peace, Pope Francis warned that research on emerging technologies and the weaponisation of artificial intelligence is a cause for ‘grave ethical concern’. ‘The ability to conduct military operations through remote control systems’he said ‘has lessened the perception of the devastation caused by those weapons systems and the burden of responsibility for their use, resulting in an even more cold and detached approach to the immense tragedy of war’
On Wednesday 17th January, Pax Christi are hosting a post Peace Sunday webinar reflecting on these issues with guest speaker Chris Cole, Director of Drone Wars UK. Chris will provide updates on developments in military applications of AI, particularly in the UK and how we can campaign for artificial intelligence to be used for peace and not violence.
We’d love you to join us and you can register to join the webinar here tinyurl.com/3kc3f2hc
Peace Sunday 2024 14th January ‘Artificial Intelligence and Peace’
It is less than a week now until Peace Sunday 2024 but there is still time to download resources from the Peace Sunday page on the Pax Christi website paxchristi.org.uk/peace-sunday/
You will find a liturgy booklet with bidding prayers and a sample homily, an alternative homily, a prayer card on the theme of the development of Artificial intelligence and resources for children and young people.
Please let Pax Christi know if Peace Sunday is being marked in your church or parish or if you would like any further information info@paxchristi.org.uk
Peace Sunday – 14th January 2024 ‘Artificial Intelligence and Peace’
“Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Housing Justice CEO Kathy Mohan OBE holding the Charter.
On 7 December 2023 the Mayor attended St John’s Church in Waterloo, to sign the charter alongside more than 40 organisations including homelessness charities, local authorities and business representatives.
The Charter is backed by the ‘Life Off the Streets’ programme, a coalition of organisations working together to end rough sleeping in London.
The Charter started with a small group of organisations and city government officials – the Connection at St Martin’s, Groundswell, Housing Justice, The Passage, YMCA St. Paul’s, Bloomberg Associates, the Greater London Authority and London Councils — who wanted to engage better with the community and build a bigger movement around the goal to end rough sleeping.
More than 100 charities, faith groups, businesses and people with lived experience have helped to design and develop the Charter, creating a shared purpose and vision for tackling the challenge of rough sleeping in the capital.
The London Charter to End Rough Sleeping follows six guiding principles:
People sleeping rough may have problems but they aren’t problem people.
Help needs to be in place to prevent people from sleeping rough in the first place; addressing the underlying causes of street homelessness not symptoms.
Everyone who sleeps rough is unique and there should be meaningful options for all, regardless of immigration status.
People who have experienced sleeping rough must be involved in the development and delivery of solutions.
Support, community links and accommodation needs to be in place so that people can thrive.
People sleeping rough must be safe from violence, abuse, theft and discrimination and have the full protection of the law.
Photo: Holy Family Church in Gaza (Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk)
Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination have issued a statement after two Christian women were killed in a sniper attack on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza on 16th December 2023.
Holy Land Coordination Statement
The Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination were profoundly shocked and distressed at the killing by snipers on 16th December of two Christian women sheltering in the compound of the Holy Family church, Gaza. Messages were sent immediately to the Patriarch, His Eminence Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and to the Parish Priest, Fr Gabriel Romanelli.
The Holy Land Coordination has been warmly welcomed by priests and parishioners on numerous occasions. We have witnessed firsthand the faith and commitment of the few parishioners who remain; and the dedicated care by the Missionaries of Charity of some fifty profoundly disabled people who live in the convent alongside the church.
The desecration of this compound and the destruction of the Sisters’ convent, ‘signalled’, according to the Patriarch, ‘as a place of worship since before the beginning of the war’, is profoundly disturbing. The shooting in cold blood of Nahida Anton and Samar Antoun, a mother and daughter seeking to enter the convent is unfathomable.
The Holy Land Coordination bishops represent a broad sweep of countries, each bishop committed to a just peace for all and to holding the plight of Christians of the Holy Land at the forefront of their governments’ concerns. We visit the Holy Land regularly to reassure these Christians that they are not forgotten. We seek also to understand better, and at first hand, the realities experienced by the people of three Abrahamic faiths sharing this Land; to fathom the possibility of hope in a two-state solution.
The atrocities perpetrated against Israeli Jews on 7th October and the subsequent killing by the Israeli Defence Force of nearly 20,000 Gazans, of whom 70% were women and children, would appear profoundly to jeopardise the prospects of any such resolution of this deep-seated conflict. Yet, the approaching celebration of Our Saviour’s birth two thousand years ago in the heart of the West Bank should serve as an incentive to people of faith, across the globe, to call down the Holy Spirit ever more fervently to move the hearts of all who can bring influence to bear on these lands and to find a way to cease the hostilities from all sides.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson (Chair of the Holy Land Coordination) Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster England and Wales
Bishop Nicolo Anselmi Bishop of Rimini Italy
Archbishop Udo Bentz Archbishop-elect of Paderborn Germany
Bishop Pierre Burcher Bishop Emeritus of Reykjavik Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden
Bishop Christopher Chessun Anglican Bishop of Southwark Church of England
Bishop Michel Dubost Bishop Emeritus of Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes France
Archbishop Richard Gagnon Archbishop of Winnipeg Canada
Bishop William Kenney Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Birmingham England and Wales
Bishop Declan Lang Bishop of Clifton England and Wales
Bishop Donal McKeown Bishop of Derry Ireland
Archbishop William Nolan Archbishop of Glasgow Scotland
Archbishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicilia Bishop of Urgell and Co-Prince of Andorra Spain
Bishop Sithembele Sipuka Bishop of Mthatha South Africa
Bishop Paul Terrio Bishop Emeritus of St Paul Canada
Since 1998, the Bishops’ Conference’s Department for International Affairs has organised the annual meeting of the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church of the Holy Land.
COP28 rally in central London, 9 December 2023 Image: Colette Joyce
Westminster Justice and Peace joined many other groups at the Global Day of Action march in central London for COP28 on 9 December 2023
Coinciding with the final days of the climate summit in Dubai, the London gathering brought together Christian groups including CAFOD, Jesuit Missions, Christian Aid, Tearfund, Christian Climate Action, Operation Noah, Green Christian, Laudato Si’ Movement, Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology, and the Quakers.
We also joined up with other activists from Faiths for the Climate and The Climate Coalition, marking the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice on the final Saturday of COP28 by taking part in COP28 marches and rallies throughout the UK.
We were united in calling for action at COP28 before time runs out.
The UN climate conference has now concluded and its impact is being assessed. While the negotiations have still fallen short of what is needed, in some ways the conference has exceeded expectations.
Reporting on the outcomes of COP28, Neil Thorns, Director of Advocacy at CAFOD, said:
“COP28 has confirmed what we need to do with an explicit reference to a world without fossil fuels and support to the most vulnerable communities through the agreement of a loss and damage fund.”
Neil recognises there is still a risk of delivering only the appearance of concern, rather than substantive change, but in his positive assessment, “We now have the basis to create greater ambition at our national levels. That is the way we will keep to a 1.5 degree pathway.
“It’s encouraging to see increasing government support to link the climate and food agendas, which should be reflected in future national plans and an urgent plan to transform our food system to provide greater support smallholder farmers.”
Safe in Faith, a Caritas Westminster project, providing faith-based support to victims of domestic abuse, was recognised in the London Faith & Belief Community Awards recently. The project was presented with the award in the Health & Wellbeing category, which recognises projects that create specialised services for the health and wellbeing of Londoners.
Accepting the award were Nikki Dhillon Keane, Head of Safe in Faith, and Esther Sweetman, Partnership Manager at Restored, a partner organisation that provides faith-based counselling.
Safe in Faith supports survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation in ways that understand how their faith impacts their experiences. Although it is a Catholic organisation, it provides support and counselling to anyone who would benefit from a faith informed approach.
Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster and Lead Bishop for Life Issues at the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said: “This is a significant recognition of the importance of a faith formed support for victims/survivors of domestic abuse and gender-based violence (GBV).
“Congratulations to Nikki Dhillon Keane of Caritas Westminster whose dedication and persistence have led to the development of this programme. Nikki has contributed to the Domestic Abuse Working Group of the Bishops’ Conference in the past and now develops this work in coordination with CSAN (Catholic Social Action Network).”
Safe in Faith provides training for clergy, religious sisters and pastoral workers to understand domestic abuse in the context of religious faith; how faith can be a support but also at times a barrier to safety. The training equips faith leaders to provide trauma-informed and knowledgeable support and signposting to help victims/survivors access the support they need.
Safe in Faith also has an interfaith network of counsellors and psychotherapists working at the intersection of domestic abuse, gender-based violence and faith. The project provides free and low-cost training for practitioners in working with abuse and trauma in the context of faith and spirituality.
Sleeping rough on the streets of London (or any major city for that matter) is a hazardous pastime.
David Fussell, a homeless film director, had glass bottles smashed in his face seeking shelter on London’s park benches and in shop doorways. That is, until David was handed a pop-up tent by street workers concerned for his safety.
David, with London band Ooberfuse, have joined forces with rap royalty’s Snoop Dogg to challenge hidden prejudices around homelessness.
These prejudices recently erupted in UK when former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman promised to crackdown on tents and said that rough sleeping in a tent is a ‘life-style choice’.
London rough-sleeper David says: “I lived in a tent for four out of the 10 years that I lived on the streets. I started using a tent after someone threw a glass bottle that smashed in my face and I was lucky only to have a small cut on my forehead. A tent will keep you out of the wind and rain/snow and greatly increases your chances of survival on winter nights.”
Hal St John of London band Ooberfuse, adds: “Suella Braverman’s recent comments highlight the disconnect between the comfortable corridors of power in Whitehall and what’s happening on our city streets. Rough sleeping in a tent is not a lifestyle choice, it’s a mirror reflecting back to us the failings of government housing provision. No one should be punished for being homeless.”
Eradicating homeless is something that is close to Snoop Dogg’s heart. “When you get it, make sure you give it back, that’s how you keep getting it!” says Snoop Dogg. He has said that he lives his life by this belief.
Cherrie Anderson from Ooberfuse says: “Having Snoop Dogg as a feature in this track is amazing. Technology today means that we were able to record our parts in Abbey Road whilst Snoop Dogg, our producer and musicians recorded their parts in the US! Our song Hard Times is about weathering tough times and shining a light on actual lived experiences of homelessness”.
Any proceeds will be going to relieve the urgent needs of homeless people this winter through Central London Catholic Churches, a consortium of volunteer groups from different Catholic churches in Central London, based at Farm Street Church in London.
Fr Dominic Robinson, SJ, Parish Priest and Chair of Justice & Peace in the Diocese of Westminster, commented: “it’s been wonderful to work together with Cherrie, Hal and our friend David. David is a wonderful talented person whose progress represents a really good news story from our services amid the growing tragedy on our streets with the largest numbers of rough sleepers ever recorded – 12% up on last year. Now with new punishing policy on those just granted asylum to find accommodation within seven days. It’s hoped that this song not just raises awareness of the situation but spurs us to much needed action. Please do donate to CLCC if you can”.
LINKS Central London Catholic Churches – Join us in making a difference in the lives of those in need. www.clcc.uk
Hard Times featuring Snoop Dogg is released on 1st December 2023.
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 