Coming soon – a workshop on Free Trade and Fairtrade, available on the evening of Wednesday 8 March, 7.00 pm at Lincoln’s Inn Fields (near Holborn Station), and repeated in the daytime Saturday 11th March, 10.30 am in Hitchin.
For more details, and to register, please go to Eventbrite:
‘What has President Trump’s travel ban achieved? Initially amazement and confusion, now as it is enforced extreme hardship precisely for those to whom we should be offering hope and a chance of a new life. Opposition to this decision goes beyond any political agenda, it is being rejected by those who clearly see that with this ban justice is being violated and hardship wilfully imposed.
‘Those who have the welfare of all humanity, especially refugees, at heart, must continue to let President Trump know that his protectionist policies are not the way forward. These policies do not correspond with the rest of the world’s attempt to alleviate the hardship of those who are long familiar with violence, fear and impoverishment.
‘One of the principles of Catholic social teaching is solidarity and the promotion of peace. Never was there a better time to proclaim it. Those who believe in it will feel obliged to oppose President Trump’s policies, the proposed wall between Mexico and the US, and now the travel ban.’
President Trump issued the executive order entitled, ‘Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States’, on Friday 27 January, International Holocaust Memorial Day.
The executive order suspends the refugee admission programme for 120 days and prioritises refugee claims of religious-based persecution, provided it is a minority religion in the individual’s country of nationality. It halts the admission of Syrian refugees and restricts entry to no more than 50,000 refugees in the fiscal year 2017.
The executive order further imposes a travel ban on nationals from a number of countries of ‘particular concern’ (seven, predominately Muslim, countries have been named) and introduces a vetting system for everybody entering the US.
This statement originally appeared on the Diocese of Westminster website, www.rcdow.org.uk
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued a reply to our Postcards for Palestine Campaign, which is appended in full below.
Reflecting on the FCO’s response, the Israel-Palestine Subcommittee would note that while the Government’s position appears very strong, there is no evidence that their position has had any meaningful effect to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people. It is beyond understanding that human rights can be so blatantly denied, and that nothing further, apparently, can be done in the way of international pressure.
To quote the FCO’s letter:
“We have regular dialogue with the Government of Israel with regard to the implementation of their obligations under international law, and regularly and robustly raise our serious concerns on issues relating to Israeli actions in the [Occupied Palestinian Territories].”
Dialogue is welcome and necessary, but some serious action is needed. The situation is not so complex that a solution is obscure. Put simply, there is an oppressor, and despite many attempts at peace talks, nothing has substantially changed. In fact, as the FCO admits, in spite of rulings from the international community and from Israel’s own court system, Israeli demolitions and wall construction has accelerated. The FCO expresses “concern” over demolitions, but again, it does not advance any action beyond “raising concern” with Israeli authorities.
The FCO also extends support for a two-state solution.We did not propose a two-state solution in our campaign, and while this may well be a way of supporting the rights of Palestinians in the region, our present interest is with the State of Israel’s responsibility to advocate for everyone within their current borders, regardless of their race, culture, or creed. It is very possible, even likely, given the current positions of the Israeli government, that the rights of Arab Christians and Muslims living in Israel would remain tenuous if Israel’s borders were changed. If the principles behind a two-state solution are not carefully assessed, this may also give tacit support to the exclusion walls which have divided Palestinian communities and families, including the Christian community in Cremisan.
We are grateful to the FCO and to Her Majesty’s Government for their support in holding Israel to account, and for their funding of key humanitarian and advocacy groups in the region. But as the horizon of the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Agreement dawns, we must also hold ourselves to account for our own complicity, and our ultimate failure to prevent the rights of Palestinians from being upheld.
Wed 1 Feb, 1pm: Fellowship of St Ethelburga’s: Women’s interfaith council Comfort Fearon will be introducing our conversation this month which will look at inter religious violence and its multiple underlying causes, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where violence is often perpetuated in the name of religion. Comfort and her husband (Josiah Fearon, who is Secretary General of the Anglican Communion) brings deep experience to this issue and to the work of peacebuilding generally. St Ethelburga’s Church,78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG 020 7496 1610
Sun 5th Feb Muslim Welfare House Neighbourhood Open Day as part of the national #Visitmymosque initiative. 12.00-17.00 All welcome:Exhibition, films and tour of the mosque, as well as henna and Arabic calligraphy. Please RSVP Ahmed Khelloufi, ahmed@mwht.org.uk Address: 233 Seven Sisters Road, London, N4 2DA See also Finsbury Park Mosque eighth annual neighbourhood open day and local initiatives, part of the Muslim Council of Britain).
Tuesday 6th Feb 7-9pm Science, Justice, Faith and Care for the Earth: An interdisciplinary discussion on Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si’ A panel of eminent speakers including Prof Clare Grey, Richard Solly of London Mining Network, Dr Martin Poulsom of Heythrop College. Prof Anne Power of LSE will chair. Explore the science, faith, and action required to deal with climate change! Venue: Cruciform Building, UCL at 7 pm, for this free event.. Event is organised by the Newman House Chaplaincy and Westminster Justice and Peace. Register at http://laudatosiucl.eventbrite.com
Tues 7th Feb Tales of Refuge 7:00 PM – A screening of “Welcome to Canada”, a new film from the Global Oneness Project – will be followed by conversation with writer and traveller along the migrant trail, Bruna Kadletz, and Executive director of the Global Oneness Project Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee.
St Ethelburga’s Church,78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG 020 7496 1610
Wed 8th Feb After the Jungle, 7:00pm – 9:00pm Caritas Westminster and Capital Mass are hosting an event for those interested in finding out more about the situation in Calais after the destruction of the refugee camp. Come along to hear about the work of Brother Johannes at the Maria Skobtsova House, see two short films made by refugees living in the camp, and discuss the next steps for helping refugees. RSVP to caritaswestminster@rcdow.org.uk or follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/after-the-jungle-what-next-tickets-30072945991 At: Christ Church Spitalfields, Commercial St, London E1 6LY, UK.
Tues 14th Feb Show the Love Green Hearts Campaign. See Climate Coalition website for ideas of how to show that you want to survive climate change. www.climatechange.org
Saturday 18 February 2017 10.30 – 4.00 NJPN Open Networking Day Oxford Place Centre, Oxford Place, Leeds LS1 3AX ‘Towards a Listening Church’ A joint day with Leeds Justice & Peace Commission Book at:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/towards-a-listening-church-tickets-30291019254
Sat 25 Feb, 11am: People of the Earth – sowing seeds of human connection Hosted and organised by participants of our People of the Earth programme, this will be a day of connection and creativivity for refugees, asylum seekers, Londoners, and relevant organisations. Music, food, traditional story telling, exhibitions, and conversation will be on offer. St Ethelburga’s Church,78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG 020 7496 1610
MARCH
Wed 1st Mar London Ash Wednesday Witness against nuclear weapons
Horseguards Avenue 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Tues 7th Mar, 14th Mar, 21st Mar and 28th Mar from 7pm to 8.30pm Westminster Diocese Lent Talks 2017 Season of “Faith Matters” talks, organised by the Agency for Evangelisation.. . Building on the Holy Year of Mercy and the Holy Father’s recent letter at the close of the Year inviting us to go on opening new doors of mercy, we have chosen “Faces of Mercy” as the theme of our four talks. Speakers include Fr Geoffrey Wheaton SJ, Sarah Teather, Peter Scott and Mgr. Roger Reader. Main conference room at Vaughan House, Francis Street SW1P 1QN
President Donald J. Trump issued today an Executive Order addressing the U.S. refugee admissions program and migration to the United States, generally. The executive order virtually shuts down the refugee admissions program for 120 days, reduces the number of refugees to be admitted to the United States this year from 110,000 to 50,000 individuals, and indefinitely suspends the resettlement of Syrian refugees. In addition, it prioritizes religious minorities suffering from religious persecution, thereby deprioritizing all other persons fleeing persecution; calls for a temporary bar on admission to the United States from a number of countries of particular concern (all Muslim majority); and imposes a yet-to-be determined new vetting process for all persons seeking entry to the United States.
Regarding the Executive Order’s halt and reduction of admissions, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the Committee on Migration, stated:
“We strongly disagree with the Executive Order’s halting refugee admissions. We believe that now more than ever, welcoming newcomers and refugees is an act of love and hope. We will continue to engage the new administration, as we have all administrations for the duration of the current refugee program, now almost forty years. We will work vigorously to ensure that refugees are humanely welcomed in collaboration with Catholic Charities without sacrificing our security or our core values as Americans, and to ensure that families may be reunified with their loved ones.”
Regarding the Executive Order’s ban on Syrian refugees, the prioritization of religious minorities suffering from religious persecution, Bishop Vásquez added:
“The United States has long provided leadership in resettling refugees. We believe in assisting all those who are vulnerable and fleeing persecution, regardless of their religion. This includes Christians, as well as Yazidis and Shia Muslims from Syria, Rohingyas from Burma, and other religious minorities. However, we need to protect all our brothers and sisters of all faiths, including Muslims, who have lost family, home, and country. They are children of God and are entitled to be treated with human dignity. We believe that by helping to resettle the most vulnerable, we are living out our Christian faith as Jesus has challenged us to do.”
Moving forward after the announcement, Bishop Vásquez concluded:
“Today, more than 65 million people around the world are forcibly displaced from their homes. Given this extraordinary level of suffering, the U.S. Catholic Bishops will redouble their support for, and efforts to protect, all who flee persecution and violence, as just one part of the perennial and global work of the Church in this area of concern.”
We still have tickets left for this event at the Cruciform Building, UCL on 6 February at 7 pm.
The event is free and open to the public, but please r.s.v.p. on Eventbrite.
We’re joining the Newman House University Chaplaincies for an evening panel discussion on the ramifications of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical on climate change.
Open discussion and reception will follow.
Speakers will be as follows:
Materials Chemist, Lithium Air Battery project leader
http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/person/cpg27
Creation Theologian
http://www.heythrop.ac.uk/staff/dr-martin-poulsom-sdb
Climate Change and Social Policy
http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/Experts/profile.aspx?KeyValue=anne.power@lse.ac.uk
See also www.twitter.com/LSEhousing
Head of an advocacy group for London Miners
NEW RESOURCE: For all the events below and more in an ICalendar/Google Calendar format, please view our Calendar of Events here. There you can visualise our events over the course of the month, add events to your personal or office calendar with a single click, and e-mail selected events to your family and friends.
Thurs 12th Jan Gulwali Passarlay: An Afghan refugee’s journey of escape to a new life in Britain. 6:30 PM A fascinating and inspiring evening of conversation with Gulwali Passarlay, author, youth leader and undergraduate of Manchester University. Book a place at https://www.stethelburgas.org/civicrm/event/register
Sat 14th Jan New Approaches to Foreign Policy: SOAS CND meeting. SOAS CND, in association with London Region CND, invites you to this conference to discuss the recent vote at the UN to start negotiations on a global nuclear ban. Speakers include Larry Sanders (Green Party speaker, brother of Bernie), Keith Bennett (former editor Asian Times), Prof Steven Rose, Chris Cole (Drone Wars UK) Dave Webb (Chair CND UK), Ellie Kinney (Youth & Student CND) and Nobu Ono (SOAS CND). Please note that London Region CND’s AGM will take place before the start of the conference. Registration from 9.30am. david.lrcnd@cnduk.org / 020 7607 2302.
Sun 15 Jan Peace Sunday. The theme for Peace Sunday 2017 is – Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace. Please see Pax Christi UK website for resources and let them know what your church is planning
Also Martin Luther King Day – a fitting day to celebrate nonviolence.
Tues 17th Jan London Catholic Worker Vigil 12:30pm, outside the Home Office, Marsham Street: Prayer for refugees and call for our government to ensure safe passage for refugees.
WED 18th JAN JUSTICE AND PEACE OPEN EVENING AND SHARING SOCIAL WITH MASS AT 6.30PM FOLLOWED BY A SOCIAL AND SHARING EVENT. ALL WELCOME! A CHANCE TO FIND OUT WHAT JUSTICE AND PEACE GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS ARE DOING ACROSS THE DIOCESE.
Fri 20thJan The Future Of Catholic Theological Ethics Conference with international speakers: Heythrop College, See http://www.heythrop.ac.uk/events/future-catholic-theological-ethics for details
Wed 25th Jan An Afghan Night 6.45pm Giuseppe Conlon House 49 Mattison Road, London N4 1BG Sharing Afghan food and stories from our recent trips to Kabul. Henrietta Cullinan, Ellis Brooks & Maya Evans give eyewitness accounts, plus projected photos by Guy Smallman
Friday 27 Jan Holocaust Memorial Day
Sat 28th Jan Nurturing Creation – (Re)discovering a radical creation-centred way of being
A one-day workshop open to all who are interested in Green Christian’s Way of Life at St Aloysius Church, 20 Phoenix Road, London NW1 1TA. (near Euston station) Saturday 28 January, 2017. 11am to 4.30pm. Cost free – but donations on the day welcome. Booking is essential as space is limited. Deadline for receiving bookings is 21 January 2017. To book a place e-mail georgedow@greenchristian.org.uk
February
Sun 5th Feb Muslim Welfare House Neighbourhood Open Day as part of the national #Visitmymosque initiative. 12.00-17.00 All welcome:Exhibition, films and tour of the mosque, as well as henna and Arabic calligraphy. Please RSVP Ahmed Khelloufi, ahmed@mwht.org.uk Address: 233 Seven Sisters Road, London, N4 2DA See also Finsbury Park Mosque eighth annual neighbourhood open day and local initiatives, part of the Muslim Council of Britain).
Advance Notice – book early:
Tuesday 6th Feb 7-9pm Science, Justice, Faith and Care for the Earth: An interdisciplinary discussion on Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si’ A panel of eminent speakers including Prof Clare Grey, Richard Solly of London Mining Network, Dr Martin Poulsom of Heythrop College. Prof Anne Power of LSE will chair. Explore the science, faith, and action required to deal with climate change! Venue: Cruciform Building, UCL at 7 pm, for this free event.. Event is organised by the Newman House Chaplaincy and Westminster Justice and Peace. Please register at http://laudatosiucl.eventbrite.com
Wed 8th Feb After the Jungle , 7:00pm – 9:00pm Caritas Westminster and Capital Mass are hosting an event for those interested in finding out more about the situation in Calais after the destruction of the refugee camp. Come along to hear about the work of Brother Johannes at the Maria Skobtsova House, see two short films made by refugees living in the camp, and discuss the next steps for helping refugees. RSVP to caritaswestminster@rcdow.org.uk or follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/after-the-jungle-what-next-tickets-30072945991
Creation quotes for newsletters from the Laudato Si encyclical of Pope Francis
We suggest that parishes use these quotes throughout the year. We will send them in ‘batches’ rather than the whole year all at once, so they don’t get forgotten with the New Year resolution! (LS plus number = the source paragraph of Laudato Si).
For a collection of all the quotes for the liturgical year, please see the Resources Page.
Period 2 Theme: Peace and Justice
(including Peace and Homelessness Sundays, New Year to Ash Wednesday)
Week beginning Sunday 1st January 2017 (perhaps a sentence to remind people, e.g. ‘Pope Francis says:’)
Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes millions of premature deaths. (But) the climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. At the global level, it is a complex system linked to many of the essential conditions for human life. (LS 20, LS 23)
Week beginning Sunday 8th January
Very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it.(LS 23)
Week beginning Sunday 15th January
A number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides …) released mainly as a result of human activity… The problem is aggravated by a model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the worldwide energy system. (LS 23)
Week beginning Sunday 22nd January
Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry. They have no other financial activities or resources which can enable them to adapt to climate change or to face natural disasters, and their access to social services and protection is very limited. (LS 25)
Week beginning Sunday 29th January
There has been a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation. They are not recognized by international conventions as refugees; they bear the loss of the lives they have left behind, without enjoying any legal protection whatsoever. Sadly, there is widespread indifference to such suffering, which is even now taking place throughout our world.(LS 25)
Week beginning Sunday February 5th
Many professional(s) live far from the poor … This lack of physical contact and encounter, … can lead to a numbing of conscience … Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. (LS 49)
Week beginning Sunday February 12th
To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues. It is an attempt to legitimize the present model of distribution, where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalized, since the planet could not even contain the waste products of such consumption. (LS 50)
Week beginning Sunday February 19th
People may well have a growing ecological sensitivity but it has not succeeded in changing their harmful habits of consumption which, rather than decreasing, appear to be growing all the more. A simple example is the increasing use and power of air-conditioning. (LS 55)
Week beginning Sunday February 26th
If we are truly concerned to develop an ecology capable of remedying the damage we have done, no branch of the sciences and no form of wisdom can be left out, and that includes religion and the language particular to it. The Catholic Church is open to dialogue with philosophical thought; this has enabled her to produce various syntheses between faith and reason. The development of the Church’s social teaching represents such a synthesis with regard to social issues; this teaching is called to be enriched by taking up new challenges. (LS 63)
We’ve received around 150 responses to the campaign so far. Thanks to all of you who have been willing to commit signatures, stamps, and support!
On 6 February, we’re joining the Newman House University Chaplaincies for an evening panel discussion on the ramifications of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical on climate change.
Open discussion and reception will follow.
The event is free and open to the public, but it is essential to r.s.v.p. on Eventbrite.
Speakers will be as follows:
Materials Chemist, Lithium Air Battery project leader
http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/person/cpg27
Creation Theologian
http://www.heythrop.ac.uk/staff/dr-martin-poulsom-sdb
Climate Change and Social Policy
http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/Experts/profile.aspx?KeyValue=anne.power@lse.ac.uk
See also www.twitter.com/LSEhousing
Head of an advocacy group for London Miners
See www.twitter.com/LondonMining
Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission 