NJPN AGM: A "vigorous, living and breathing" network

Paul Southgate

The National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN) was described as a "vigorous, living and breathing" network at its AGM on Saturday by its Chair, Paul Southgate. A Member of the J&P Co-ordinating Council in Hexham & Newcastle diocese, he reported on positive dialogue with the Bishops of England and Wales on environmental justice, the focus on "ecological conversion" for July's annual conference, and he underlined that J&P people are never indifferent to injustice and violence. (Text below).

Around 40 people in the zoom meeting included representatives from the dioceses of Westminster, Arundel and Brighton, Birmingham, Clifton, East Anglia, Hallam, Hexham and Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Nottingham and Southwark. Organisations included CAFOD, Christian CND, Christians Aware, Green Christian, London Mining Network, Pax Christi, Romero Trust, Seeking Sanctuary and ACTA. In discussion, there was a call to look into increasing diversity within NJPN, to research ways to better include people with disabilities such as deafness, and to reach more young people.

Laudato Si' week (16-25 May) and the launch of Vatican action platform on 24 May was highlighted by John Woodhouse, who is in a network of Laudato Si' Animators. Part of this is pressure to disinvest from fossil fuels and for "eco-conversion". Ann Farr, Chair of Pax Christi, urged a push for dioceses to divest from the weaponry of war as well as from fossil fuels. Pax Christi reminded about its Pilgrimage for Peace 15-21 May. There was a call for NJPN to write to the hierarchy to express concern about the "horrendous violence" in Jerusalem at the moment, particularly the mosque being invaded by Israel police at the end of Ramadan last Friday and over 200 people being injured.

At the Noticeboard session, Christian CND reported alerting churches about the routes of nuclear convoys and also work on Ethical Jobs. CAFOD highlighted its 'Reclaim our Common Home' petition and its call for banks to cancel the debt of poor countries. Events in the leadup to COP26 in Glasgow are on CAFOD's website, including an Interfaith event in Truro Cathedral on 10 June, ahead of the G7 meeting in Cornwall, and a Climate Sunday Catholic Mass template for 5 September.

Westminster reported becoming a Fairtrade diocese, convening weekly Care of Creation meetings for five dioceses and a Tree walk for London Climate week in June. Southwark reported on ethical investment discussions with the financial staff of the diocese and pride in the recent annual Migrants Mass which more than 500 people attended online. Birmingham reported a meeting next week to discuss the Birmingham Archdiocese Environmental Policy and "how we can implement it in our lives".

In the afternoon there was a talk on 'Closing the Gap? Post-Lockdown ramifications for pupils in schools'. Professor Anthony Towey and Matthew Dell - both of St Mary's University - provided early indicators of the post-lockdown pupil experience as well as considering the implications for educational attainment. Dell encouraged everyone to read 'Let us Dream - the path to a better future' by Pope Francis and Austen Ivereigh. He felt that post-covid we need to, "rethink the system, being more open to variety and seeing education as a vehicle for social justice." Towey urged volunteering as school governors, influencing policy and helping to put social justice at the heart of education; also as volunteers for school enrichment, offering mentoring or help with music and reading

The NJPN Chair, Paul Southgate, gave the following report at the AGM:

This month I began in earnest to work in the allotment. I remember that there is no such thing as permanently perfect soil. All things change. You can only aim at having a vigorous, living, breathing soil by feeding it and nourishing it. It's like Justice and Peace, for as Pope Francis says in Fratelli Tutti - "Goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realised each day".

Justice and Peace have to be realised each day, because all things change. So, I want to report on the five months since our last AGM. You are the judge of whether NJPN is vigorous, living and breathing like the soil in my allotment; or whether it needs more feeding and nourishment.

In November, Ian Rutherford spoke to us about homelessness. It was an entreaty to adopt a strategy which he called the four 'R's - reduction, respite, recovery and reconnection. Churches are good at providing respite but need to work on reduction, recovery and reconnection. We can't do the whole package on our own; no sector can. We need to build networks and partnerships to bring about systemic change, long term solutions.

Speaking of being homeless, with major changes going on at Eccleston Square, NJPN feared being shown the door for lack of space. However, thanks to Greg Pope and his team, we've been welcomed back home, and we wish to express our immense gratitude to all at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales for their valuable support, especially Liam Allmark who has the international affairs brief. Following Brexit, the NJPN Executive was keen to re-establish links with Europe. I approached Liam to ask about the European Conference of J&P Commissions and he arranged a meeting with their President, Bishop Treanor, and the Secretary General Mr Stefan Lunte. As a result, we were invited to the European meetings and I've attended two so far this year with Liam. So, the relationship is good and fruitful.

In February, we invited Harriet Crabtree and Jon Dal Din to address us on Inter-Faith relations. Why? Because in our Network we are involved with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, human trafficking and human rights, the Palestinian situation, global issues like climate change and so on. It is estimated that 85% of people on Earth identify with a Faith community. And the Church is everywhere, speaking in every tongue in every culture, so we have a gift and responsibility to build relationships with other Faiths.

The NJPN Environment Group has been very active. The Group held its 61st meeting in April. In November, the NJPN sent a letter to every bishop in England and Wales advising them of our strong environmental concerns and inviting them to discuss with us the possibility of a national Catholic Synod on the Environment. We put to them three 'Asks': Divest from fossil fuels (I believe that three dioceses have done so already. Keep lobbying.); Decide, like the Church of England, to aim for net zero carbon emissions by 2030; Educate and lobby for the UK to aim for zero carbon emissions by 2030. Bishop John Arnold, the bishops' environmental lead, subsequently met with some of our members in December.

There is a now a 14-strong network of diocesan environmental leads and Bishop Arnold would ideally like one in every diocese. We stressed that we thought these should include activists and not just diocesan functionaries, and we asked our members (although some didn't wait to be asked) to take up the matter with their own bishops. Bishop Arnold has established an Environment Advisory Group which you can read about on the Bishops' Conference website. I hope our NJPN members will work with them. And, of course, we look forward to welcoming Bishop Arnold to our annual Conference.

The theme of the Conference 23-25 July is '2021: Action for Life on Earth: moment of truth' to reflect our belief that ecological conversion is crucial to building a viable future as we battle climate change, the biodiversity crisis and the pandemic. This year presents a unique opportunity for all of us, including our leaders and policy makers at Glasgow's COP26 climate summit in November, to make the difference. At the Conference we'll take inspiration from Laudato Si, Fratelli Tutti and secular thinking on integral ecology. We'll seize this moment of grace for the changes and choices now facing us.

Anne O'Connor quoted Seamus Heaney's 'The Cure at Troy' in this week's excellent NW E-Bulletin. "History says, don't hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime

the longed for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme."

This is our once in a lifetime moment of grace, maybe.

It's been a year like no other. In many ways, hostile. Everything knocked up against each other because it's all interconnected: pandemic, climate change, environmental terrorism, poverty and inequalities, violence, displacement of people.

Jesus talked about coping with hostility: "Remember I am sending you out as sheep among wolves, so be as cunning as serpents and yet harmless as doves" (Mt 10:16). I've been meditating on this and I'm still not sure what it means! I'd hate that to be on my tombstone "He was harmless"! Sheep among wolves. Now, for a sheep that's hostile territory. Serpents and doves? Not sure about them. But I think it does have something to do with J&P. Justice needs us to "be cunning", do the research, be strategic, shrewd, on the alert, wise. Peace needs us to have simplicity and honesty, integrity and straightforwardness. So, strategic and peace-seeking. Yes, maybe that's it.

Thanks to all our friends and partners who have also generously funded and supported us to do our work: Mill Hill Missionaries, Columbans, Passionists, Sister of St Joseph of Peace, Sisters of the Holy Cross, Assumption Sisters, Salford Diocese, and also those dioceses who will be funding young people to join the annual Conference. Thanks, all of you, for standing by us.

Let me finish with words from the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Elie Wiesel:

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. The opposite of life is not death, it's indifference."

Thank you all, and to those who have gone before us, for your total lack of indifference!

LINK

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