Lent prayer vigil for climate justice
NWCT backs the No Faith in Fossil Fuels campaign organised by a coalition of Christian charities
Christians are holding a 10-day climate justice prayer vigil outside the Houses of Parliament. Starting on Ash Wednesday, people from across the country are meeting up at Westminster – while others hold vigils in their homes and churches.
The event – which will run around-the-clock from February 14-24 – has been organised by a coalition of charities including A Rocha UK, Christian Aid, CAFOD, Christian Climate Action, Green Christian, Operation Noah, the Salvation Army and Tearfund.
The initiative has been given support from church and charity leaders around the country. General Secretary of Churches Together in England Bishop Mike Royal and Ruth Valerio, Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund, spoke at the opening service at St John’s Church, Waterloo.
Bishop Mike said: “Climate change impacts us all but it impacts the poorest countries the most. Climate justice is racial justice and that’s why we’ll be supporting the Lent Vigil.”
Christine Allen, Director of the Catholic aid agency CAFOD, said:
“We know that the continued burning of fossil fuels, and increased climate disasters, are endangering our common home, impacting the lives of our brothers and sisters in communities around the world.
“We know we can’t go on endorsing or burning fossil fuels, and so today at the start of Lent, a period of fasting, we stand in prayer together. Our prayer is that the hearts of our leaders would be turned towards our global community- those who suffer the most in this climate crisis. We pray our call will be heard in the halls of Parliament.”
Christian Aid Campaigns and Organising Officer, Jessica Hall, explained: “As the climate crisis wreaks havoc in our world, we are gathering in vigil, to pray for our global neighbours, for the planet and for bold climate action from the UK Government. We hope people will join us, whether in London or elsewhere and call on the Government to make the UK’s biggest polluters pay for climate action; deliver and build on the UK’s international climate finance pledges as well as pay into the UN’s Loss & Damage Fund; and ban new UK-based fossil fuel projects.”???
The vigil will end on Saturday 24 February with an ecumenical service opposite Downing Street at 2pm.
Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for NWCT says: “As Christians we should get involved in matters of social and environmental justice because we are called to live like Jesus, who emphasised caring for each other and the environment. Having a strong sense of spirituality is what can keep us inspired, even after the good intentions behind our commitments may start to fade.
“I recall Pope Francis in Laudato Si, saying: ‘As believers, we do not look at the world from without but from within, conscious of the bonds with which the Father has linked us to all beings. By developing our individual, God-given capacities, an ecological conversion can inspire us to greater creativity and enthusiasm in resolving the world's problems and in offering ourselves to God 'as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable' (202).”
Living in parts of Norfolk it is not always possible to get into town. If you are not able to join the vigil in London, Christian Aid has prepared resources to help you ‘vigil at home’.
Find out more about the No Faith in Fossil Fuels vigil.
Photo credits: copyright Amit Rudro/CAFOD