The May E-Bulletin from Lancaster Faith and Justice is now available to download
I hope you will be able to take the time to read and share the newsletter.
The newsletter can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/y2f9ja7b
Reports and newsletters mentioned in this issue and previous newsletters are also available at http://www.lancasterfaithandjustice.co.uk/newsletter/
The June edition of the NW NJPN E Bulletin leads with an account of the 2019 NJPN AGM as ‘a thriving lay-led church organisation for justice and Peace’. Pax Christi’s AGM highlighted action for peace and non-violence including plans to expand the current schools outreach programme using a team of volunteers. Forthcoming conferences include Liverpool’s Annual Assembly on the theme of climate change, Sabeel-Kairos on building peace in the Holy Land and NJPN’s which will look at ‘Being Church on the Margins’ in collaboration with Church Action on Poverty.
We mourn the death of Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche community.
Other topics include climate change, the Arms Trade and nuclear weapons, Conscientious Objectors’ Day, violence in Gaza and the 71st anniversary of the Nakba – the forced driving out of Palestinians from their homeland, slow progress for the cause for women deacons in the Catholic Church, plus support for victims of domestic violence and abuse and the launch of a new mental health text support service.
Local reports and a packed diary add up to 18 pages of articles with links to help readers explore in more depth.
Do please read then pass on to others
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin June 2019
Pope Francis has expressed a wish that we move towards a ‘synodal Church’. We may well recognise ‘synod’ as a term used for certain meetings of bishops – for instance, the recent synod on ‘Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment’. What Francis had in mind was an extension or roll-out of the synodal principle in every level of community activity.
Read more here:
NJPN Annual General Meeting and Open Networking Day took place on Saturday 11 May 2019 at Westminster Cathedral RC Primary School, London
Barbara Kentish provided a gripping account of her time as a Westminster Justice and Peace field worker for Westminster diocese, which featured a dynamic working relationship with Parish Priest, Father Joe Ryan. As with most things in life, things did not always run smoothly with varied success to start with and at first things got off to a slow start. However, before long their shared vision of what Justice and Peace embodied and how they could share this with neighbouring dioceses eventually sank roots with the profile of the diocese being raised and existing contacts being reinforced. The real challenge came in the form of an expectation of a few for there to be a necessity of a ‘Seamless witness’ to Catholic Social Teaching, following a conventional wisdom.
Over the years, Westminster J&P’s ‘annual days’ have become a mainstay and more recently, these included a focus on themes varying from climate change, fair trade and migration among others. There is a hope to have an annual day featuring on the eradication of nuclear weapons at some point in the future.
Barbara fondly recounted the Cycle to Paris in the lead up to the COP 21 talks in 2015. The group were most inspiring people to pilgrim with a crescendo being a part of the ceremony at Notre Dame. Ironically, the toughest stretch of this ride was on UK end along the South Downs, whereas the plains of Northern France were a welcome relief in comparison.
Barbara sagely pointed out when discussing the success of the Live Simply campaign that success is just the beginning; the real challenge is keeping up the momentum for an ongoing future success.
Concerning the forthcoming annual day in June, Action for Solidarity, at Paris, Barbara was concerned about the forcefulness of the French Border security with respect to the treatment of migrants; Westminster J&P would like to know how much of these actions are receiving support funding from the UK government.
The afternoon took the form of a facilitated group session: Beginning Justice and Peace Conversations – People, faith and Justice, exploring ways in which groups within parishes or deaneries could initiate conversation with those with whom they do not usually engage.
As I write, three people in my parish have been on hunger strike since March 14th 2019. As Parish Priest of St John Vianney Church, West Green, London N15 my concern is for people who are living within the parish boundaries. The Kurdish community centre is based in the parish. This is why I’ve been concerned about the Turkish/Kurdish conflict for many years.
There’s a Ladybird book out there which shows a picture of the infant Pope John Paul II sitting on his mother’s knee. When I first saw it, years ago, I reflected that she did not know then that her little boy, Karol, would be Pope one day. For myself, I have travelled unexpectedly from tiny baby to director of Pax Christi UK in only, er, 51, years. How did that happen?
Read more here:
Photo: © Mati Warwick
An Easter message from Together for the Common Good.
Dear Friends,
A brief note to wish you well for Holy Week and Easter. We’re contemplating the Notre Dame fire and why it touches so many people so deeply. Its resonance seems to be pointing to a deep truth about our identity as human beings. Perhaps people are unconsciously longing for the unveiling of the sacred nature of human life. Inevitably, this iconic moment will be subjected to multiple appropriations in the struggles of politics and cultural wars. But as we enter Holy Week, we are struck by the goodwill and unity it promises. We sense a longing for belonging and meaning.
The lead Catholic Bishop for International Affairs, Bishop Declan Lang, has welcomed the international decline in executions, and called on the UK to use its diplomatic and economic influence to promote global abolition of the death penalty.
A UK Green New Deal is what post-Brexit Britain needs
A Green New Deal can respond to our politics of exclusion, post-industrial alienation, the housing crisis, and more.
Right now in Papua New Guinea, private companies are stealing land for logging and palm oil plantations – and destroying the livelihoods of indigenous communities in the process.
The impact of these corporate land grabs on the rural communities across Papua New Guinea is devastating. While their homes are exploited for profit, they are forced to work on their own land for poverty wages.
When land rights defenders resist, they are met with intimidation and violence. That’s why we’re calling on our supporters to ramp up the pressure on the PNG government. Will you sign our petition calling on Papua New Guinea to take action on these illegal land grabs?
