National Justice and Peace Network has a new Chairperson

Paul Southgate

The new Chairperson of the National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN) is Paul Southgate of the Justice & Peace Co-ordinating Council in Hexham & Newcastle diocese. Committed to ecumenism and Interfaith relations, Paul launched the North East Faiths Network and the County Durham Faiths Network. He also chairs Northumbrian Industrial Mission, an ecumenical organisation sending chaplains into workplaces. He is the third NJPN chair from Hexham & Newcastle, the others being John Marshall and Gerry Martin. Former chair, Anne Peacey, from Hallam Diocese Justice and Peace, was warmly thanked by Paul as a, "tireless ambassador for the NJPN Network".

Last Saturday's AGM of the NJPN was online and involved 45 people from dioceses around the country, including Arundel & Brighton, Birmingham, Brentwood, Clifton, East Anglia, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Hallam, Hexham & Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Portsmouth, and Westminster. Also represented were CAFOD, Caritas Salford, Archbishop Romero Trust, Christian CND, and Green Christian. Religious attending included the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace, Congregation of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit, along with Columban and Mill Hill missionaries.

Anne Peacey will continue as vice-chair. In her report of the past year's work she highlighted attention to poverty in Britain, exacerbated by Covid. She said the last face to face meeting of NJPN was in February 2020 at a meeting in Bristol organised with Clifton J&P Commission. Fr Augusto Zampini, from the Vatican's Dicastery for Integral Human Development, gave ideas for action inspired by Laudato Si'. Post lockdown, a mini online conference in July on the post-pandemic Church was attended by around 300 people. Anne thanked the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales for providing a desk for NJPN at its headquarters in Eccleston Square for a number of years, and NJPN's working groups such as the Environment group. She noted that there are now more Justice and Peace groups in schools, as well as parishes. NJPN's Annual Conference 2021, in July next year and titled 'Action for Life on Earth', is still under preparation, with the planning group keeping an eye on pandemic developments.

Diocesan reports at the meeting included Birmingham's recent online assembly on Climate Change, which was very successful. Hexham & Newcastle has joined with the SVP to support asylum seekers, also pushing fossil fuel disinvestment and highlighting the disgrace of child poverty. Westminster ran Season of Creation video competition in November. Caritas Salford mentioned the 'Keep the Lifeline' campaign, which is advocating for the temporary additional £20 Child Benefit allowance to remain as a permanent addition after April 2021. From agencies, CARJ fed back that it's recent AGM looked at institutional racism in the Church; Seeking Sanctuary reported that, "things are going from bad to worse" for refugees in Dunkirk and Calais and in detention barracks holding asylum seekers on the south coast.

New resources highlighted included CAFOD's Advent calendar and its campaigns: to send Christmas cards to human rights defenders; to urge the UK government to stop funding fossil fuels and an MP Action on Palestine., See: https://cafod.org.uk/Campaign/Latest-campaigns

The Columban competition for young people 14-18 on Racism is running until February 2021. www.columbancompetition.com/

Events flagged up at the meeting included the 2 December online service at 7pm to mark the 40th anniversary of the murders of four churchwomen in El Salvador in 1980 www.romerotrust.org.uk/news/fortieth-anniversary-four-us-women and

Pax Christi's annual Advent Service is online on 7 December at 7pm -

https://paxchristi.org.uk/event/advent-peace-service-online/?instance_id=925

A talk was given by Rev Ian Rutherford of the Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network. He reported there are still people on the streets and in unsafe temporary accommodation, and there are new homeless - people who have lost their jobs and homes during the pandemic. He spoke about the importance of the 4 Rs:

REDUCTION - Tackling the causes of homelessness and reducing numbers on streets;

RESPITE - Safe places for people off the streets;

RECOVERY - Working towards independence - training, education, employment;

RECONNECTION Enabling individuals to lead meaningful lives in our community.

"Churches are often in the second R but we need to be involved in all four," he said. He deplored rising youth homelessness and reported working closely with Caritas Salford and De Paul. Also, advocacy is needed on behalf of people with No Recourse to Public Funds, particularly asylum seekers. Ian urged NJPN to be involved in practical action but also to campaign for a fairer welfare system, a welcoming immigration policy, increasing basic income, retraction of the 'no recourse to public funds' policy, building more social and affordable housing. He wondered whether more empty church property could be used to shelter the vulnerable.

LINK

NJPN - www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/