Occupy Faith Pilgrimage to Canterbury
For centuries Christians have been walking the 62 mile-long pilgrimage from London to Canterbury – to the Cathedral where St Thomas a Becket was murdered by the King’s men in 1170 for criticising his policies.
Today a group of faith leaders met in St Paul’s Cathedral - with the blessing of the Cathedral authorities - to announce a pilgrimage to Canterbury next month in protest at unjust economic systems in the 21st century which have left millions living below the poverty line, while a very small elite are immensely rich.
Representatives of Catholic, Anglican, United Reformed, Quaker and Methodist churches will be walking alongside members of the Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist faiths on the Occupy Faith Pilgrimage which starts at St Paul’s Cathedral on 7 June and ends on 20 June with a conference at Canterbury Cathedral.
Rev Paul Nicholson, chair of the Zacchaus 2000 Trust, an ecumenical charity campaigning against poverty said: “Any Columbian drug baron can put laundered money into London property while Londoners are squeezed out of their homes into uncertainty, debt and who knows where. We want that to stop.
He pointed out that the government's cuts and capping are hitting the poorest people most while the rich are profiting from higher rents and unlimited foreign in vestment in London property.
Rev Kevin Snyman from the United Reformed Church in Wales said he felt there was a strong spiritual dimension in the pilgrimage. “We are at a very exciting stage in history. I believe we are in a spiritual battle at the moment and there are some very strong forces out there.
Politicians come to power with good intentions but they cave in. What we are doing here is shining the light of prayer on the injustices taking place in the world. Prayer is a vital part of this work. We don’t want to fight the system. We simply want to die to its influence in the way we live our lives.“
Rev Paul Nicholson, chair of the Zacchaus 2000 Trust, an ecumenical charity campaigning against poverty said: “Any Columbian drug baron can put laundered money into London property while Londoners are squeezed out of their homes into uncertainty, debt and who knows where. We want that to stop.
He pointed out that the government's cuts and capping are hitting the poorest people most while the rich are profiting from higher rents and unlimited foreign in vestment in London property.
Rev Kevin Snyman from the United Reformed Church in Wales said he felt there was also a strong spiritual dimension in the pilgrimage. “We are at a very exciting stage in history. I believe we are in a spiritual battle at the moment and there are some very strong forces out there.
Politicians come to power with good intentions but they cave in. What we are doing here is shining the light of prayer on the injustices taking place in the world. Prayer is a vital part of this work. We don’t want to fight the system. We simply want to die to its influence in the way we live our lives.“
The journey will be in "fairly manageable" stretches of six to nine miles a day. While some are planning to walk the entire journey, others may join in on one or more days. Pilgrims will stay in churches or camp on open land on the journey, Tanya Paton from Occupy Faith said.
For more information on Occupy Faith see: http://occupyfaith.org.uk/?page_id=29
To find out more about the Zacchaeus Trust see: www.z2k.org