Category: News

Church Leaders United Appeal to the PM for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza

Source: Independent Catholic News

CAFOD, Christian Aid and other humanitarian agencies and Christian church leaders from around the world have signed a joint letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP appealing for peace in Gaza. They say: “enough is enough” as Palestinian families in Gaza are being “wiped out.”

They also condemn the vitriolic “crimes of hate” against Jews and Muslims which are “straining community cohesion and interreligious efforts”.

The church leaders say: “We write as religious leaders to say enough is enough. We cannot remain silent as generations of families in Gaza are wiped out in an instant. World leaders cannot sit by while Palestinian civilians in Gaza experience such catastrophic destruction and trauma.

“The relentless and unrestrained bombing campaign with horrific indiscriminate effects and the ground invasion by Israel must end. We weep with broken hearts as we hear of hospitals, mosques, churches, and schools damaged and destroyed by this war. In Gaza, there is no safe place. There is no refuge. There is no escape.”

Since 7 October, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. 1,200 Israelis have also been killed. During the seven-day pause last week more than 100 Israeli hostages were exchanged for 240 Palestinian detainees and some humanitarian aid delivered.

Along with church leaders and other relief agencies, CAFOD is calling on all world leaders to press for a full and permanent ceasefire to come into effect immediately. The charity says this is the only serious option to stop further loss of civilian life and deepening the humanitarian catastrophe.

See the full letter and signatories below:

Rt Hon Rishi Sunak

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

No 10 Downing Street, London, SW1P 2AB

November 29, 2023

“My eyes fail from weeping,

I am in torment within;

my heart is poured out on the ground

because my people are destroyed,

because children and infants faint

in the streets of the city.”

Lamentations 2:11

Dear Prime Minister,

We have watched in horror and sadness at the devastation unfolding in Palestine and Israel since October 7th. As leaders of Christian communities throughout the world, we join in grief for the Israelis and Palestinians who are mourning loved ones who have died.

Our faith compels us to speak out. To make clear that we oppose violence, whether directed toward Israelis or Palestinians. Even the loss of one more life is one too many. International humanitarian law must be respected and adhered to by all sides.

We welcome the recent announcement about the release of dozens of hostages and a parallel prisoner exchange, in addition to the desperately needed few days of a cessation of violence. Now is the time to redouble our efforts to insist that a long-standing bilateral ceasefire comes to fruition.

We acknowledge the profound and existential grief experienced as a result of the actions of Hamas on October 7 as a tragedy for Jewish people in Israel and around the world. We weep with those who have loved ones held hostage, and we pray for their immediate release.

Like the author of Lamentations, our broken hearts weep as we hear of Palestinian babies in Gaza dying and of the thousands of children who have lost their lives. More than eleven thousand Palestinians have been killed, tens of thousands have been wounded, and 1.6 million have been displaced from their homes and communities.

It is unacceptable that millions of people are in desperate need of clean water, adequate food, fuel for electricity, and urgently needed medical supplies. Without safe drinking water and proper medical supplies, poor hygiene conditions have already led to more preventable deaths, especially among children.

We weep with broken hearts as we hear of hospitals, mosques, churches, and schools damaged and destroyed by this war. In Gaza, there is no safe place. There is no refuge. There is no escape.

The escalation of war cannot be adequately understood without acknowledging the conflict’s broader backdrop – ongoing Israeli occupation and the disenfranchisement of Palestinians for more than 70 years. Three-quarters of Palestinian residents of Gaza are refugees dating back to 1948. Before 7 October 2023 had already been on track to be the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the Second Intifada in 2000.

Under the current Israeli government, there has been a significant expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, emboldening Israeli settlers to act with impunity as they attack Palestinians and force them from their homes.

Settler violence has brutally intensified since 7th October, while there has been an increase in abuse, harassment, and discrimination of Palestinian Israeli citizens in Israel. A future where all human dignity in the region is respected looks distant if these realities are not acknowledged.

We stand up ardently against the vitriolic hatred that is being expressed around the world toward Jews, Muslims, and others because of firmly held convictions about the war. We condemn crimes of hate and uphold that all people should be able to live without fear, with security, and with equally protected human rights. We lament how this conflict is straining community cohesion and interreligious efforts.

We write as religious leaders to say enough is enough. We cannot remain silent as generations of families in Gaza are wiped out in an instant. World leaders cannot sit by while Palestinian civilians in Gaza experience such catastrophic destruction and trauma. The relentless and unrestrained bombing campaign with horrific indiscriminate effects and the ground invasion by Israel must end.

We are deeply grieved by the complicity of the United States and several other Western countries in the continued violence through efforts to actively oppose a ceasefire, including by vetoing multiple United Nations Resolutions.

Instead, we call on governments worldwide to do everything possible to secure a bilateral ceasefire, one that will stop all violence from Hamas and Israel, allow for the safe release of civilian hostages held in Gaza, and give immediate and adequate access to desperately needed humanitarian aid to be delivered, including through crossings to Israel.

Without an agreed upon end to violence from all parties – there is no path forward. We call on all governments to show support for the protection of all human life, advocating for a just and durable resolution to this crisis in which all Israelis and Palestinians might realize a vision of a just peace, illuminating human dignity, advancing security and self-determination for all.

Yours sincerely,

Christine Allen
Director, CAFOD

Dr Nicola Brady
General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

The Rt Rev Christopher Chessun
The Lord Bishop of Southwark, Church of England

Rt Rev Michael Doe
Assistant Bishop and Preacher to Gray’s Inn (London)

Anglican Diocese of Southwark Trustee
The Balfour Project

Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton
Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland

Rev Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson
Moderator of the General Assembly, United Reformed Church

John Hill
Interim General Secretary, The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society

The Most Rev Dr Michael Jackson
Archbishop of Dublin, Church of Ireland

Rt Rev Dr Michael Langrish
Former Bishop of Exeter

Tim Livesey
Chief Executive, Embrace the Middle East

Very Rev Andrew RC McLellan, CBE
Former Moderator, General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

Rev Gill Newton
President, Conference of the Methodist Church in Britain

Paul Parker
Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain

Father Timothy Radcliffe, OP
Former Master of the Order of Preachers

Rev Chris Rose
Director, Amos Trust

Patrick Watts
Director, Christian Aid

The R. Rev Dr Jo Bailey Wells
Deputy Secretary General, Anglican Communion, London

Joyce Ajlouny
General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
Ecumenical Director and Diocesan Legate Diocese, Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

Rev David E Bennett
President, Moravian Church Provincial Elders’ Conference

Rev Bronwen Boswell
Acting Stated Clerk, General Assembly Presbyterian Church (USA)

Bishop Susan J Briner
Southwestern Texas Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev LaMarco Antonio Cable
Co-Executive, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ (UCC)

Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar
Oregon Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev Dr Mae Elise Cannon
Executive Director, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)

The Rt. Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler
Episcopal Bishop of Wyoming, Founding President of CARAVAN

Stassi Cramm
President, Community of Christ

Rev Dr Rob Dalrymple
Leadership Board, Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East (NEME)

Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe
Diocese of Central New York, The Episcopal Church

The Rev Elizabeth A Eaton
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Pastor Ps L Elliott
General Secretary, Rhema Family Churches

Bishop Paul D Erickson
Greater Milwaukee Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
General Secretary Emeritus, Reformed Church in America (RCA)

Susan Gunn
Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Andrew S Hamilton
District Executive, Southeastern District Church of the Brethren

Lisa Sharon Harper
President and Founder, Freedom Road

The Rev Deborah Hutterer
Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod, Evangelical Church in America (ELCA)

Bishop Richard Jaech
Southwestern Washington Synod, Evangelical Church in America (ELCA)

Rev Kevin T Jones
Bishop of Northeastern Iowa Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev Nicolas Kazarian
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Dr Peter Makari
Co-Executive, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ (UCC)

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba
Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Rev Felix Malpica
Bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

The Rev Lee M Miller II
Bishop of the Upstate NY Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Professor Leepo Modise
University of South Africa

Bridget Moix
General Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)

Bishop Joy Mortensen-Wiebe
South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev Dr Lungile Mpetsheni
General Secretary, The Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa

Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana
General Secretary, South African Council of Churches

Scott Murphy
President, Community of Christ

Rev Siphiwe Ndebele
Evangelical Alliance of South Africa

Rev. David M. Neuhaus, SJ
Superior of Holy Land Jesuits

Rev. Amy J Odgren
Northeastern Minnesota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens
General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada

Rev Dr Tyrone S. Pitts
General Secretary Emeritus/Ecumenical Office , Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc.

The Rt Rev Bavi Rivera
Bishop of Eastern Oregon, The Episcopal Church

Richard L. Santos
President and CEO, Church World Service (CWS)

Bishop GS Seane
Central Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Africa (ELCSA)

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka
Catholic Bishop of Umtata, South Africa

Andrea Smith
Founding Board Member, Evangelicals4Justice

Rev Jason Smith
Executive Director, BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz

Bishop Kevin L. Strickland
outhwestern Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Bishop Pedro M Suarez
Florida-Bahamas Synod. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev Adam Taylor
President, Sojourners

Rev Dr Karen Georgia Thompson
General Minister and President. United Church of Christ (UCC)

Rev N Tyokolwana
Moravian Church, South Africa

Nikki Toyama-Szeto
Executive Director. Christians for Social Action (CSA)

Rev Sandra María Van Opstal
Founder, Chasing Justice

Father Thomas Zain
Vicar General, Antiochian Orthodox Church

Global Call to Action for COP28, 9 December 2023, 11.50am at St James Square

This Saturday, 9 December 2023, sees the Global Call to Action. Westminster Justice and Peace are joining CAFOD and many other civic groups to march and call for leaders at COP28 to commit to urgent action on the climate crisis.

We’re going to meet at 11:50am at St James’s Square, SW1Y 4LE. This is next to the office of BP, one of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies.

A large march calling for a ceasefire in the war in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is now going to be taking place in London on the same day as we gather to call for leaders at COP28 to act on the climate crisis.

As a result, the route for the COP28 march is going to be shorter than originally planned:

  • Once we meet at St James’s Square at 11:50am, we’ll hold a moment to gather with people from different faith and belief groups to pray or reflect on the need for leaders to act at COP28.
  • There will then be a rally taking place outside BP to call for governments to stop supporting fossil fuels.
  • Following the rally, there will be a short march that will end just before 2:00pm at Trafalgar Square, with many people taking part in the climate march going on to join the Palestine march.

Along with Christian Aid and Tearfund, CAFOD have written a set of prayers that we will say when we meet outside BP. And, of course, if you’re unable to join us in person to call for leaders to act at COP28, you can say these prayers with us from wherever you are in the world.

We will be there with the Westminster Justice and Peace banner from 11.45am.

You can also join in at Farm Street Church for the Jesuit Missions prayer event from 10am

You are welcome to let us know if you would like to join us or just show up on the day.

And spread the word!

Email: justiceandpeace@rcdow.org.uk Colette Joyce Mobile: 07953 434905

Register your interest with CAFOD

CAFOD Prayers for COP28

Learning Sign Language in the Diocese of Westminster

The group at Kilburn with their BSL course certificates

Source: Independent Catholic News

A group of Westminster parishioners recently completed a Taster Course in British Sign Language, (BSL) given by Shell Roca, Caritas Deaf Service, at Sacred Heart Church, Kilburn. Shell was an inspiring teacher – she taught us some basic greetings, questions, Mass parts and prayers but more importantly – gave us some understanding of what Deaf people experience in their parishes. It’s estimated that one in six parishioners is Deaf or hard or hearing – they have so much to offer the Church community – whether it is learning about our faith or other skills – but we really need to make our communities more accessible to them.

I always imagined that Deaf people were able to communicate through lip-reading – but in fact it is estimated that only 30-40 percent of speech sounds can be lip-read – even under the best conditions! More than 150,000 people use BSL. It was considered a true language in 2003, but officially recognised as a language with legal status in the UK last year. (Read more about BSL here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Sign_Language )

Shell showed us that BSL isn’t simply English with hand signs. It is a different language with its own grammar and sentence construction, using graceful combination of hand gestures, facial expressions and body language. They might take us quite a long time to time to learn – but at least we’ve made a start!

Shell also explained that there are lots of other sign languages around the world – even the Irish use a different one. (Fr Terry Murray, Parish Priest at Kilburn uses that one) – but that’s another story.

At the end of the course Shell gave us information about where we can take more courses in BSL. Several of us are planning to do that.

During the recent Synodal discussions the main response from Deaf people in Westminster Diocese, was the need for more interpreters, so that Mass and the life of the Church is more accessible to them. Deaf Catholics want to practice their faith, contribute to their parish and be fully part of Catholic Church.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sunday 10 December 4pm
London: Signed Mass at St Mary & St Michael, 
2 Lukin Street, Commercial Road E1 0AA

Sunday 17 December 11.30am
Signed Mass At Our Lady Queen of Apostles, 
141 Woodhall Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 3TP

Christmas Eve 
Online signed Mass 
YouTube channel www.youtube.com/channel/UCrWCl2cbndpSogtD-iK0SvQ or visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/wddservice 
Previous online Bible study sessions are still available to watch.

Sunday 7 January 4.30pm
London: Signed Mass Westminster Cathedral Hall, 
Ambrosden Avenue, Victoria SW1P 1QH – Entrance to the hall via choir school car park. Mass starts at 4.30pm and there will be the opportunity for confession before Mass starts.Mass is in BSL and in spoken English. Entrance to the hall is via the choir school car park (the Hall is also wheelchair accessible).

LINKS

Deaf Awareness Week:  www.caritaswestminster.org.uk/deaf_awareness_week_2022.php

Caritas Westminster Deaf Service: https://www.caritaswestminster.org.uk/deaf-service.php

Pope Francis Message to COP28: ‘Choose life, choose the future!’

Cardinal Parolin at COP28. Image: Vatican News

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin delivered Pope Francis’ hard-hitting speech to delegates at the UN Climate Change Summit in Dubai today, urging world leaders not to postpone action any longer but to deliver concrete and cohesive responses for the well-being of our common home and future generations. The full text of the Pope’s address follows:

Mr President,

Mr Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Distinguished Heads of State and Government,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sadly, I am unable to be present with you, as I had greatly desired. Even so, I am with you, because time is short. I am with you because now more than ever, the future of us all depends on the present that we now choose. I am with you because the destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural, one that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations. I am with you because climate change is “a global social issue and one intimately related to the dignity of human life” (Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum, 3). I am with you to raise the question which we must answer now: Are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death? To all of you I make this heartfelt appeal: Let us choose life! Let us choose the future! May we be attentive to the cry of the earth, may we hear the plea of the poor, may we be sensitive to the hopes of the young and the dreams of children! We have a grave responsibility: to ensure that they not be denied their future.

It has now become clear that the climate change presently taking place stems from the overheating of the planet, caused chiefly by the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activity, which in recent decades has proved unsustainable for the ecosystem. The drive to produce and possess has become an obsession, resulting in an inordinate greed that has made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation. The climate, run amok, is crying out to us to halt this illusion of omnipotence. Let us once more recognize our limits, with humility and courage, as the sole path to a life of authentic fulfilment.

What stands in the way of this? The divisions that presently exist among us. Yet a world completely connected, like ours today, should not be un-connected by those who govern it, with international negotiations that “cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place their national interests above the global common good” (Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, 169). We find ourselves facing firm and even inflexible positions calculated to protect income and business interests, at times justifying this on the basis of what was done in the past, and periodically shifting the responsibility to others. Yet the task to which we are called today is not about yesterday, but about tomorrow: a tomorrow that, whether we like it or not, will belong to everyone or else to no one.

Particularly striking in this regard are the attempts made to shift the blame onto the poor and high birth rates. These are falsities that must be firmly dispelled. It is not the fault of the poor, since the almost half of our world that is more needy is responsible for scarcely 10% of toxic emissions, while the gap between the opulent few and the masses of the poor has never been so abysmal. The poor are the real victims of what is happening: we need think only of the plight of indigenous peoples, deforestation, the tragedies of hunger, water and food insecurity, and forced migration. Births are not a problem, but a resource: they are not opposed to life, but for life, whereas certain ideological and utilitarian models now being imposed with a velvet glove on families and peoples constitute real forms of colonization. The development of many countries, already burdened by grave economic debt, should not be penalized; instead, we should consider the footprint of a few nations responsible for a deeply troubling “ecological debt” towards many others (cf. ibid., 51-52). It would only be fair to find suitable means of remitting the financial debts that burden different peoples, not least in light of the ecological debt that they are owed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to speak to you, as brothers and sisters, in the name of the common home in which we live, and to ask this question: What is the way out of this? It is the one that you are pursuing in these days: the way of togetherness, multilateralism. Indeed, “our world has become so multipolar and at the same time so complex that a different framework for effective cooperation is required. It is not enough to think only of balances of power… It is a matter of establishing global and effective rules (Laudate Deum, 42). In this regard, it is disturbing that global warming has been accompanied by a general cooling of multilateralism, a growing lack of trust within the international community, and a loss of the “shared awareness of being… a family of nations” (SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Address to the United Nations Organization for the Fiftieth Anniversary of its Establishment, New York, 5 October 1995, 14). It is essential to rebuild trust, which is the foundation of multilateralism.

This is true in the case of care for creation, but also that of peace. These are the most urgent issues and they are closely linked. How much energy is humanity wasting on the numerous wars presently in course, such as those in Israel and Palestine, in Ukraine and in many parts of the world: conflicts that will not solve problems but only increase them! How many resources are being squandered on weaponry that destroys lives and devastates our common home! Once more I present this proposal: “With the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, let us establish a global fund that can finally put an end to hunger” (Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, 262; cf. SAINT PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 51) and carry out works for the sustainable development of the poorer countries and for combating climate change.

It is up to this generation to heed the cry of peoples, the young and children, and to lay the foundations of a new multilateralism. Why not begin precisely from our common home? Climate change signals the need for political change. Let us emerge from the narrowness of self-interest and nationalism; these are approaches belonging to the past. Let us join in embracing an alternative vision: this will help to bring about an ecological conversion, for “there are no lasting changes without cultural changes” (Laudate Deum, 70). In this regard, I would assure you of the commitment and support of the Catholic Church, which is deeply engaged in the work of education and of encouraging participation by all, as well as in promoting sound lifestyles, since all are responsible and the contribution of each is fundamental.

Brothers and sisters, it is essential that there be a breakthrough that is not a partial change of course, but rather a new way of making progress together. The fight against climate change began in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and the 2015 Paris Agreement represented “a new beginning” (ibid., 47). Now there is a need to set out anew. May this COP prove to be a turning point, demonstrating a clear and tangible political will that can lead to a decisive acceleration of ecological transition through means that meet three requirements: they must be “efficient, obligatory and readily monitored” (ibid., 59). And achieved in four sectors: energy efficiency; renewable sources; the elimination of fossil fuels; and education in lifestyles that are less dependent on the latter.

Please, let us move forward and not turn back. It is well-known that various agreements and commitments “have been poorly implemented, due to the lack of suitable mechanisms for oversight, periodic review and penalties in cases of non-compliance” (Laudato Si’, 167). Now is the time no longer to postpone, but to ensure, and not merely to talk about the welfare of your children, your citizens, your countries and our world. You are responsible for crafting policies that can provide concrete and cohesive responses, and in this way demonstrate the nobility of your role and the dignity of the service that you carry out. In the end, the purpose of power is to serve. It is useless to cling to an authority that will one day be remembered for its inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so (cf. ibid., 57). History will be grateful to you. As will the societies in which you live, which are sadly divided into “fan bases”, between prophets of doom and indifferent bystanders, radical environmentalists and climate change deniers… It is useless to join the fray; in this case, as in the case of peace, it does not help to remedy the situation. The remedy is good politics: if an example of concreteness and cohesiveness comes from the top, this will benefit the base, where many people, especially the young, are already dedicated to caring for our common home.

May the year 2024 mark this breakthrough. I like to think that a good omen can be found in an event that took place in 1224. In that year, Francis of Assisi composed his ‘Canticle of the Creatures’. By then Francis was completely blind, and after a night of physical suffering, his spirits were elevated by a mystical experience. He then turned to praise the Most High for all those creatures that he could no longer see, but knew that they were his brothers and sisters, since they came forth from the same Father and were shared with other men and women. An inspired sense of fraternity thus led him to turn his pain into praise and his weariness into renewed commitment.

Shortly thereafter, Francis added a stanza in which he praised God for those who forgive; he did this in order to settle – successfully – an unbecoming conflict between the civil authorities and the local bishop. I too, who bear the name Francis, with the heartfelt urgency of a prayer, want to leave you with this message: Let us leave behind our divisions and unite our forces! And with God’s help, let us emerge from the dark night of wars and environmental devastation in order to turn our common future into the dawn of a new and radiant day. Thank you.

Westminster Justice and Peace E-Bulletin December 2023

James Holland, Westminster Interfaith Co-ordinator

A warm welcome this month to James Holland as he takes up the post of Westminster Interfaith Co-ordinator. The work of inter-religious dialogue is intimately connected to work for justice and peace so we look forward to working closely together in the months to come.

James writes:

Hello! My name is James, and I have recently taken over from Jon Dal Din as the Coordinator of Westminster Interfaith. I’m delighted to have been appointed and I am very much looking forward to meeting some of you in the coming months.

Before joining Westminster Interfaith, I worked for 3 years as Lay Chaplain at St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College, in North Kensington. My diocesan email is jamesholland@rcdow.org.uk – please do get in touch, even if it is just to say hello!

At time of writing, it is the end of Interfaith Week, and I spent yesterday at a Parliamentary event with the All Faiths Network. Here, the most moving testament to the importance of dialogue was the warmth with which the Muslim representative spoke about the Rabbi, who this year hosted an Iftar in his synagogue.

In a world where we are so often defined in opposition to one another, this subtle embrace was more powerful than any of the other words spoken. As Catholics, we have a role in this conflict, and that is to pray for peace and to promote dialogue. Echoing the words from our fellow Christians at Evensong, we might pray:

Give peace in our time, O Lord,
for there is none other that fights for us, but you, O God. Amen

You can also read the Advent Message from Fr Dominic Robinson SJ

Justice and Peace Westminster E-Bulletin December 2023Download

Fr Dominic’s Advent Message

Advent – a season of renewal, of hope in a new age to come. 

The ever-moving cycle of the Church’s Year starts once more as we hear the message of hope in the light of Christ enveloping our darkened world.

It would seem there is much to dampen that hope in these dark days of mid-winter. Everything has been put into perspective by the singularly appalling violence in the land of Christ’s birth and could lead us to simply despair.  And in our own city and its environs too the mid-winter is looking increasingly bleak.  The growing number of homeless on our streets and those trapped in poverty.  The ever more hostile policy against those looking for welcome from abroad, many of whom now, after only seven days of being granted refugee status, will shamefully spill out onto our streets looking for shelter. 

This new insult to human dignity will surely mean the number of those sleeping rough, at record numbers already, will spike even more, with the shameful lack of inhabitable accommodation to give them a room at the inn.  The fight for the very survival of the planet looms too at this time as we follow Pope Francis in campaigning for environmental justice at COP 28.  So much, indeed, could lead us away from the light and leave us dwelling in the darkness of night.  

Yet for the Christian disciple we have a certain hope that God’s Kingdom of justice and peace will one day prevail. 

That must be our heartfelt prayer this Advent. 

For the Christian all action for justice and peace starts with hope in his coming Kingdom, and in heartfelt prayer for this. 

Then comes action, so necessary at this time of crisis and so much in evidence on our streets and in our communities.  This is expressed in finding ways to help concretely and to advocate for the poor, the weak and the voiceless. 

We see it in the food banks and pantries, night shelters, refugee vigils, climate vigils and marches, and in the attempt to deliver aid to Gaza and to campaigning for a just and peaceful resolution to this terrible conflict.  Such action we see around our communities, be they in schools, parishes, chaplaincies and other organisations. 

Action for justice and peace is always most effectively rooted in Christian love, which does not take sides in the conflicts but which seeks true reconciliation through dialogue, a lasting peace through which the dignity of every human person of whatever faith and nation is respected. 

The Justice and Peace network can lead the way at this time of crisis as we are schooled through the treasure of Catholic Social Teaching in the search for a lasting peace which is never achieved without justice. 

The voice of so many advocating for this peace is a vital prophetic voice which, like the great Advent voice of John the Baptist, proclaims the dawning of a new horizon of hope. 

My prayer is that this Christmas we spread something of that hope in the Kingdom to come to those around us and so proclaim the prophetic vision of true and lasting peace. 

Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, 1st December 2023
Chair, Westminster Justice and Peace

Preparations for Christmas 2023

2023 Christmas Decoration PNG Clip Art Image​ | Gallery ...

Here is a selection of some of the events happening around the Diocese this December 2023

1 December, 3-8pm: London Churches Refugee Funds Carol Singing – Highbury & Islington Station. Please, if possible, let us know when you plan to come and whether you can bring a nice loud instrument: m@maggiehindley.org. We need non-singers to collect the money too! LCRF

2 December, 2-4pm: Pax Christi Advent Service – Holy Apostles, Pimlico. Followed by Alternative Christmas Market with Fairtrade and Palestinian goods, crafts and gifts. Pax Christi

5 December, 7pm: PACT Carol Service.  Our Lady of Victories Church, Kensington. Catholic Bishop Richard Moth and Anglican Bishop Rachel Treweek co-presiding. PACT

9 December: CAFOD’s Nativity Fun Run is back!  Clapham Common. Walk, run, roll or stroll our 5km route with a difference. Come along to for lots of fun activities, dance warm-ups and a Christmas Choir. Sign up here with CAFOD

11 December, 12.45-2.00pm: Southern Dioceses Environment Network – Advent Prayer and Christmas Party. Monthly online meeting for prayer, sharing and networking on the Care of Creation. Attend as a one-off or participate regularly. Southern Dioceses Environment Network

13 December, 7 – 8pm: Aid to the Church in Need Christmas Carol Service. The Oratory, Brompton Road, London, SW7 2RP. Celebrate Christ’s coming with uplifting traditional music by The Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School, conducted by Charles Cole with organ and brass ensemble. Free. Collection taken for ACN’s work with persecuted Christians. Book here

14 December, 7.30pm: Friends of the Holy Land Christmas Concert. Our Lady of Victories Church, 235a Kensington High Street, London, W8 6SA. With the London Male Voice Welsh Choir. Tickets £30 https://www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/Event/christmas-concert-2023

15 December, 7pm: Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Advent Service. Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, 114 Mount St, London, W1K 3AH. JRS Website  Also livestreamed: https://www.farmstreet.org.uk/livestream 

Hitchin Parish Chosen for Launch of National Project against Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery – 30 November, 7-9pm

Source: Santa Marta Group

A nationwide project to encourage local action against human trafficking and modern slavery in partnership with police and statutory agencies is being launched at a Catholic parish in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, on Thursday, 30 November. The project aims to mobilise local communities across the United Kingdom to recognise and report the signs of human trafficking to the police and call on all government agencies to ensure their neighbourhoods become slave-free.

Hitchin was chosen as the launchpad for this nationwide project as it has had a long association in the struggle against slavery. It was one of the first towns to set up its own anti-slavery society in 1825, following leading abolitionist Thomas Clarkson setting up the first national society. A monument to Clarkson was erected in nearby Wadesmill, Hertfordshire in recognition of the place where he famously devoted his life to anti-slavery in 1785 while resting at Wadesmill on his way to London from Cambridgeshire. Freed slave and leading abolitionist Henry Garnett also visited Hitchin in 1850 in recognition of the town’s place in the movement to abolish slavery.

The Hitchin event is organised by the Santa Marta Group and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, which also covers Hertfordshire. The Santa Marta Group was set up in 2014 when Pope Francis instructed Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster to lead the work to end human trafficking and modern slavery as an important mission for the Catholic Church across the world. SMG now has partners in over 40 countries, working with leaders in police, the justice system, diplomats, business as well as local communities.

The United Nations currently estimates there are 50 million people trafficked across the world, making over $150bn in profits for criminal gangs. In the UK alone last year 17,000 victims of trafficking were identified, with around 40% being children and 25% of victims being UK nationals. The scale of this crime against humanity led to all United Nations members making the eradication of human trafficking and modern slavery one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8.7 – which calls for immediate action by all UN members to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and eliminate the worst forms of child labour by 2030).

Cardinal Nichols, president of the Santa Marta Group, said: “This crime against humanity damages individuals and communities everywhere, for these victims of human trafficking are not remote; they are in our midst, in our local communities here in the UK.

“We are all part of this endeavour. Individuals and local communities can change events through what we do and what we demand is done by the police, government agencies and businesses in our neighbourhoods. I appeal to all of you to take up this challenge. These resources, prepared by the Santa Marta Group, will inform you about human trafficking and show what you can do to bring about the changes that will end this evil trade and help to restore freedom and dignity to so many of our brothers and sisters.”

The aim of the Hitchin event is to start a process that will enhance awareness and understanding of human trafficking and modern slavery around Catholic parishes and other local community groups. At the end of these sessions, these groups will have received awareness and guidance on how to use their individual and collective voices to increase actions in countering this horrific crime in their localities and improve services for victims.

SMG’s new ‘Guidance and Awareness Handbook’ for parishes will be distributed for the first time. It will provide ideas and suggestions on increasing prevention, protection, support to victims, and accountability led by communities but delivered by statutory agencies.

By initiating the conversation and equipping local communities with knowledge on how to spot and combat human trafficking and modern slavery within their own communities, the UK will be brought one step closer to eradicating this crime and fulfilling the aims of SDG 8.7.

This event has been organised through the collaboration of Bishop Paul McAleenan from the Westminster Diocese with the Santa Marta Group. The presentation and subsequent discussion will be led by SMG’s Global Strategy Director, Kevin Hyland, formerly the UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. This event is the start of a series of events in the Hertfordshire area and across the UK that will continue over the coming year.

‘Awareness and Guidance for Communities’ will take place at Our Lady Immaculate & St Andrew Parish Hall, 16 Nightingale Road, Hitchin, SG5 1QS, November 30, 2023, 7pm – 9pm

Santa Marta Group

1st December, 6pm, World Aids Day Mass at Farm Street Jesuit Church

World Aids Day Mass will take place in London on Friday 1 December, 6pm, at Farm Street Jesuit Church, Mayfair, in the presence of the City of Westminster Deputy Lord Mayor, the Hon Alderman Cllr Guthrie McKie.

The chief celebrant and preacher will be Fr Kieran Fitzsimmons OFM.

(For those joining the Music Group for this Mass, there will be a practice at 5.30 prompt.)

A display on HIV/AIDS pastoral support has been mounted in a side chapel – available to visit from now until 4 December.

LINKS

Catholics for AIDS Prevention & Support (CAPS): www.positivefaith.org.uk

Read, also, a moving WAD reflection by Michael Carter: www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/23741/world-aids-day-a-road-less-travelled