Join CAFOD, Westminster Justice & Peace, the Southern Dioceses Environment Network and other Catholic groups in the Faith Bloc for this Global Day of Action rally in Central London on the middle Saturday of COP27, the UN Climate Conference, on 12th November 2022.
Starting Location: Shell Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 7NA
Date: Saturday, 12th November 2022, 11.00am
Register with CAFOD to let us know you will be joining us on the day
By Iryna Terlecky, Fundraiser, Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB)
Today (20th October 2022) we reached a significant milestone in our Help Ukraine Emergency Appeal … we have now delivered a full £1million to each of our three partner organisations, AICM Ukraine, Caritas Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, who are all working to relieve the suffering of people in Ukraine!
Thousands of kind hearts have come together to help provide food, warmth and shelter, to evacuate the wounded and sick, to rescue those trapped in the rubble of their bombed homes, to provide medical aid where it is needed, and to care for children traumatised by war.
With the generosity of all our donors, both on and offline, we have now been able to donate a total of £3million overall. We are humbled by your support to the people of Ukraine. There aren’t words to express our gratitude, but we hope this short video will help show our heartfelt thanks for every donation, large and small. You have made a real difference!
22 September – 7 November: Walk2COP27 – Virtual walk from Glasgow to Sharm el-Sheikh organised by Sam Baker. Participants include the Laudato Si’ Animators. Download the App and log your steps in solidarity with others around the world! A virtual townhall meeting takes place in each of the 12 countries en route: Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. https://www.walk2cop27.com/
25 October, 7.30-9.30pm: Catholic People’s Weeks Annual Autumn Online Lecture with Dr Carmody Grey – Living in a Time of Crisis: Christianity and Ecological Catastrophe. Dr Grey is Assistant Professor of Catholic Theology at Durham University and a visiting research fellow at Laudato Si Institute, Oxford. https://catholicpeoplesweeks.org/events/annual-autumn-lecture-2022
29 October, 11am-2.30pm: CAFOD Faith in Action – Online event. Includes updates on transforming our food system campaign and finding out more about COP27. Register in advance
6-18 November – COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt https://cop27.eg/
14 November, 12.45-2.00pm. Southern Dioceses Environment Network. Prayer and reflection for COP27 On Zoom. Book with Eventbrite
5-17 December: COP15 Part 2 (In person) – Montreal, Canada – UN Convention of Biological Diversity COP15 https://www.cbd.int/cop/
12 December, 12.45-2.00pm. Southern Dioceses Environment Network. Feedback on COP27, Advent and Planning for 2023. On Zoom. Book with Eventbrite
10-18 June 2023 – Great Big Green Week
Our first speaker was Paul Chitnis, Director of Jesuit Missions
Paul’s presentation was complemented by a presentation from Bishop John Arnold, Bishop of Salford
Small Group Discussions…
We considered the question:
Sam Baker’s Walk2COP27 has started. It is a journey to gather people for a common cause. What would you talk about with a stranger to bring people together?
The Letter: Laudato Si’ Film Released 4th October 2022
We watched the trailer together on YouTube:
The full movie can be watched for free online: https://theletterfilm.org/watch/
Read
‘Call of Creation’ (October 2022 Update) from the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/the-call-of-creation
World Wildlife Fund Expectations for COP27:
https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/climate_and_energy_practice/cop27/
Watch
‘The Letter’ Movie: https://theletterfilm.org/watch/
Campaign
Bishop John Arnold calls for rethink on reversing fracking ban: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-63062304
Organise
https://journeyto2030.org/let-us-dream/ Order ‘Let Us Dream’ activity packs from Journey to 2030 to use with your church group / parish.
Monday 14th November, 12.45-2.00pm, Prayer and Reflection for COP-27
Monday 12th December, 12.45-2.00pm, Feedback on COP-27, Advent, 2023
Website & Recordings from Previous Meetings
Southern Dioceses Environment Network
By Maggie Beirne, Independent Catholic News
The West London Justice and Peace Network meets three times a year, bringing J&P activists together from a dozen or more parishes across West London. On Saturday 8 October, it was delighted to hear Nigel Parker – Director of the Catholic Union of Great Britain – talk about its work.
Established in 1870, only a few decades after Catholic Emancipation, when anti-Catholic discrimination was high, the Catholic Union was a voluntary organisation aimed at influencing public policies of interest to Catholics. At the outset, it probably consisted only of the ‘great and the good’ but it now has 1,300 members and it is open to all lay Catholics.
Nigel explained that it is non-party political and that its officers are elected to reflect all political parties. The current president is Sir Edward Leigh (a Conservative) who succeeded a Labour peer. Its website reports that it is “a membership organisation dedicated to the defence of Catholic values in parliament and public life, and the promotion of the common good”.
In practical terms, the Catholic Union makes submissions to parliament and government; it comments on current events; it meets with ministers and special advisers etc. It has a broad range of interests ranging from beginning to end of life issues to social justice, human rights, religious freedom issues. The staff team is small and the Union therefore makes a very conscious effort not to duplicate the work of other groups such as CSAN/CAFOD/ACN/PACT/SVP etc. but instead tries to add value to their efforts.
There is a particular emphasis on religious freedom and freedom of conscience, and it works via a mixture of education, public lectures, webinar events. In the fairly recent past, it has addressed issues such as: covid and the closure of churches; the murder of David Amess and the importance of access to last rites even (or especially) at crime scenes; hate speech legislation; Public Space Protection Orders (and protests outside abortion centres); freedom of conscience for pharmacists; the Bill of Rights Bill and other foreign and defence policies. The Catholic Union works alongside many other groups and tries to represent the many issues of concern to the 4.5m Catholics in the country.
Members of the Network were interested in how strategies and priorities are set by the Union; how at the parish level we can effectively lobby our public representatives; and more information about the Union’s work across the gamut of justice and peace issues. Nigel explained that membership gives access to a weekly parliamentary briefing; encourages active engagement via committees and monthly briefings; and includes an invitation to an annual summer gathering. Though they have consultative status with the Bishops’ Conference, and work closely with the bishops, they are a lay organisation and set their priorities according to the concerns of the Catholic laity across Great Britain.
Their website also carries detailed practical advice for those people wanting to lobby their local MP on concerns around refugees, climate justice, poverty, prisoners, racism or other J&P issues. Members of the West London J&P network reported on their efforts to influence local elected politicians on a broad array of social justice and peace issues, and how useful it was to learn how they might best cooperate with the Catholic Union, which is doing the same at the national level.
LINK
Catholic Union: www.catholicunion.org.uk
In March 2022, Westminster Justice & Peace together with Central London Catholic Churches hosted a panel discussion at Farm Street Church entitled ‘Homelessness and the Pandemic: what have we learnt?’
Six months on, we invited our speakers from that panel to record their thoughts on where we are at now, especially with respect to homelessness in London. Listen to the podcast here.
Colette Joyce – Westminster Justice & Peace Co-ordinator (Chair)
Mick Clarke – CEO, The Passage
Fr Dominic Robinson SJ – Parish Priest, Farm Street
Richard & Nick – Central London Catholic Churches Homeless Service
Jon Kuhrt – Specialist Rough Sleeping Adviser at Department for Levelling Up,
Housing & Communities
Source: Archbishops House
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has written to Prime Minister Liz Truss to express his ‘profound concern’ after it was announced that the PM told her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid that she is reviewing the location of the British Embassy in Israel.
The suggestion is that the review will consider moving the embassy from Tel Aviv, where almost all other countries have their embassies, to Jerusalem, a move that the Cardinal says “would be seriously damaging to any possibility of lasting peace in the region and to the international reputation of the United Kingdom.”
The Cardinal also adds his voice to that of Pope Francis and Christian leaders in the Holy Land, saying: “Pope Francis and the leaders of churches in the Holy Land have long called for the international Status Quo on Jerusalem to be upheld, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations. The city must be shared as a common patrimony, never becoming an exclusive monopoly of any party.”
Expressing his view that there is no valid reason to move the embassy, the Cardinal asks the Prime Minister “earnestly to reconsider the intention you have expressed and to focus all efforts on seeking a two-state solution, in which Jerusalem would have a guaranteed special status.”
By Amy Smith, Westminster Justice and Peace Communications Volunteer, who has been learning about the life of St Francis, his connection to the Season of Creation and the inspiration he provided for Pope Francis.
Giovanni di Petro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi, was born in Assisi in 1181. He founded the Franciscan order of monks, the Poor Clares (female), and a lay community. He died in 1226 and was later canonised after 2 years as the patron saint of animals and ecology. His feast day is celebrated on the 4th October.
His consecration to poverty and charity drew thousands of followers. As the son of a cloth merchant, he dreamed of becoming a knight but after several visions from God eventually dedicated himself to solitude and prayer. One such vision where he felt God commanding him to ‘repair the church’ lead him to renounce his own troubled family relationships and possessions and commit himself to God and those in poverty.
He began to preach repentance as a layperson and attracted many followers from all walks of life.
His vision was for an order that expressed God’s brotherhood and love to all creation, including the natural world. He encountered God in all things viewing it as an expression of His generous love:
‘Praised be you my Lord, through our sister mother earth, who sustains us and directs us, bringing forth all kinds of fruits and coloured flowers and herbs.’
One famous story tells of Francis preaching to hundreds of birds about being thankful to God for their independence and His care. According to the story the birds remained still and only flew away when Francis allowed them to leave.
Pope Francis comments on his radical approach in Laudato Si’:
‘The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.’
Laudato Si’, 11 (2015)
Hopefully his mark on the world leads us to question our own relationship with nature, to treat it with dignity and respect all of life as uniquely created by God.
Dear Mother Earth,
Who day by day unfolds rich blessing on our way
O Praise God! Alleluia!
The fruits and flowers that verdant grow,
Let them his praise abundant show.
O praise God, O praise God,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
I hope you have enjoyed celebrating nature this month, even as we become ever more aware of the efforts we must make to protect our common home. There is still the Feast of St Francis to come on Tuesday, 4th October, to close the season, as we seek his intercession and inspiration in our care for the environment for rest of the year.
Our E-Bulletin this month contains a report from our most recent Westminster Social Justice and Peace Forum on Saturday, 17th September, when people from around the Diocese joined Bishop Nicholas Hudson and Bishop Paul McAleenan on Zoom. The theme of the Forum was ‘To Accompany Refugees’, and it took place on the weekend preceding the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (25th September). The Forum was chaired by Bishop Nicholas Hudson, who underlined that this was an opportunity to explore what the response in the ecclesial community in Westminster has been… Read the full report on our website
Welcome to New Commission Member
Fr Dominic writes:
A warm welcome to Sr Carolyn Morrison ra, University Chaplain based at Newman House, to the Westminster Justice and Peace Commission. We look forward to benefiting from Sr Carolyn’s skills and experience. We hope to recruit more new members to the Commission in due course.
The current Commission members are: Fr Dominic Robinson SJ (Chair), Colette Joyce (Co-ordinator), Tony Sheen (CAFOD), John Coleby (Caritas), Sr Carolyn Morrison ra
Parish Contacts
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to serve as a Parish Contact for Justice & Peace in 2023. The current list can be found here:
Westminster Justice and Peace Parish Contacts
Finally, in this month which includes Homeless Sunday and Challenge Poverty Week, we continue to consider how best we might help our communities rise to meet the current cost-of-living challenges. There are many links and events in the Diary pages to inform our response, including a one-day Conference with Caritas Westminster on 12th November at All Saints Catholic College, 75 Saint Charles Square, London, W10 6EL, which will bring together a number of different organisations offering assistance, with people from schools, parishes and projects across the Diocese.
12th November, 10.30am-5.00pm: Firm Foundations in a Cost of Living Crisis
Please keep all the organisers of these events in your prayers.
On Saturday, 17th September people from around the Diocese of Westminster joined Bishop Nicholas Hudson and Bishop Paul McAleenan for the Westminster Social Justice and Peace Forum on Zoom.
The theme of the forum was ‘To Accompany Refugees’, and took place on the weekend proceeding World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
The forum was chaired by Bishop Nicholas Hudson who underlined that this was an opportunity to explore what the response in the ecclesial community in Westminster has been.
The session was opened in prayer by Barbara Kentish. Barbara adopted a prayer that she uses at the Justice and Peace Vigils that she organises outside of the Home Office. During the forum there were presentations from the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Compassionate Communities, Newman Catholic College and St Bartholemew’s Church in St Albans.
Megan Knowles, Communications and Development Manager for JRS UK, spoke about the experience of accompanying refugees in an increasingly hostile world. She spoke about the primary work of JRS being accompaniment, and specifically the accompaniment of people experiencing destitution as a result of being given no recourse to public funds. This looks like ‘being with, rather than doing for’. She spoke about how people at this point in the asylum system are in a ‘legal-limbo’, isolated with significantly reduced access to healthcare during a prolonged and anxiety inducing time. JRS supports in a variety of ways, including having a hosting scheme, a pantry and befriending.
Pattie Gercke is the Development Worker for Compassionate Communities, which is the social action arm of the Diocese of London. Pattie presented from the ecumenical perspective and how churches in the Diocese of London are engaged in the welcome of people seeking sanctuary. Ecumenism was a strong theme of the forum. Pattie shared that church response looked like practical support such as access to work, ESOL provision, hosting, education, healthcare, digital access, provision of food, clothing as well as legal and rights-based support. The value, however, of non-material forms of support was highlighted; for instance the importance of relationship, sitting, sharing space, listening and providing spaces of welcome. Further, it was highlighted that churches are repositories of social capital and that this social capital can be used to support integration. The importance of enabling a wider audience to hear the stories and theologies of people in the asylum system was discussed.
The forum then heard from Danny Coyle who presented the school experience, specifically the transformation of Newman Catholic College in Brent when they became a school of sanctuary. There had been an immediate positive effect of welcoming and integration sanctuary seeking pupils and their parents in the school. They developed a unique and bespoke curriculum to meet the needs of those coming from overseas from conflict zones. There was a particular focus on language which enables pupils to unlock other parts of the curriculum, which pupils were keen to embrace. The academic needs of pupils are placed alongside their emotional needs, and pupils are entered onto different pathways. The school has a Refugee Coordinator. Support of Caritas Westminster for the school’s annual Syria Summer Camp, where pupils take part in varied and enriching activities. These camps have gone from strength to strength with volunteers from a sanctuary seeking background being involved. The key takeaway was that if correct structures are put in place, refugee students and their families can flourish.
The final presentation came from Teresa Clarke who is a parishioner at St Bartholemew’s Parish in St Albans who is directly involved in refugee accompaniment through the Church’s conversation group. Teresa shared how ecumenical work, as well as responsiveness to the needs of the asylum seekers that they are supporting has transformed the project. The group provides emotional and practical support to asylum seeking men at a local hotel and works with 10% of residents. The value of engagement with local MPs was underlined, with the group having strong connections with Daisy Cooper MP. The group is part of a network with other churches in the area providing support. The group hold forums to hold the hotel to account with regards to need for good food and appropriate clothing for the guests. Alongside this the group held a refugees Information Exchange where asylum seekers shared experiences and information, offering help and support. There is a significant challenge of transport, where the location of Noake hotel is a barrier to asylum seekers making connections in the city. This lead to an initiative whereby spare bikes were donated, and so far, the project has received 55 bikes which are fully serviced by a bike mechanic. Herts County Council are offering Bike Ability training while the conversation group support as they gain confidence in these sessions.
After the presentations, attendees went into breakout rooms with each of the speakers to discuss questions relating to the topics that had been presented. These were:
What are the most effective ways to assist refugee and migrant groups, what are the challenges and what else can we do?
It was an opportunity for discussion before joining back with the main group to share experiences, observations and questions.
Plenary Feedback
The Forum was summed up by Bishop Paul McAleenan, lead bishop for Migrant Issues, saying ‘Refugees are not statistics, but heart and flesh, human beings who must be helped.’
Rosa Lewis, the Caritas Westminster Lead for Refugees and Migrants, convenes a quarterly meeting for everyone in the Diocese of Westminster concerned about refugees and migrants. To be added to her mailing list please email rosalewis@rcdow.org.uk
You are warmly invited to join Barbara Kentish (Westminster Justice & Peace), Br Johannes Maertens (London Catholic Worker) and others to participate at the vigils outside the Home Office or to pray along at home on the third Monday of every month, 12.30-1.30pm.
Next Vigil: Monday 17th October 2022, 12.30-1.30pm
Venue: Home Office, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
Contact: Barbarakentish@talktalk.net or johanmaertens@hotmail.com
At the vigils we remember:
Also reported on Independent Catholic News –
https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/45517
Together With Refugees – Fill the Skies with Hope campaign, 23rd September – 9th November 2022. Coalition action across the UK to end the Rwanda Deportations plan.
https://togetherwithrefugees.org.uk/fill-the-skies-with-hope/
Bishop John Sherrington’s reflections on this year’s visit to Syria Summer Camp, hosted by Newman Catholic College
https://rcdow.org.uk/news/summer-camp-helps-refugee-children-find-a-safe-home/
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 