Bishop of Salford sends climate message to world leaders: the eyes of the world are watching

Photo: Holly Jones, Diocese of Salford

On Friday 3rd September, the head of the Catholic Church in Manchester was joined by Salford parishioners and members of the Union of Catholic Mothers to unfurl a large green eco banner.

The Bishop of Salford, the Right Reverend John Arnold, walked the large 'Eyes of the World' banner decorated with wide-open eyes into Salford Cathedral, where a special service was streamed live. The 'Eyes of the World' banner was created to send a message to the UK government that there are high expectations for the outcomes of the climate talks (COP26) in Glasgow, in November, to tackle the climate crisis.

Environment spokesperson for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, Bishop John said: "The world leaders at COP26 must be real 'leaders'. They must not stand back from urgent decisions that they might feel will be unpopular. They must make the difficult decisions and be sure to follow with the actions required. They must stand together, making a global response, where every nation and every person is included. There must be no empty rhetoric or claims that this is someone else's problem.

"We have come to a moment of reckoning- climate change is having a more radical and damaging impact sooner than many of the climate scientists had been predicting. While even here in Europe we have seen record temperatures, droughts, floods and wildfires, the impact of climate change is so much greater in the poorest countries of the world."

During the service there was a reflection on Pope Francis's Encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, which states: "…unless citizens control political power - national, regional and municipal - it will not be possible to control damage to the environment..."

Bishop John's clarion call comes as the Catholic Church celebrates the Season of Creation during the month of September - a month dedicated to action and prayer for the protection of creation. The parishioners of Salford are united on the need for real urgency in acting on the climate crisis.

"We all need to be aware of the damage being done to our earth, and the 'Eyes of the World' campaign is promoting that knowledge so that we can all understand what is happening.

"It is so important that we all understand that each and every one of us has a part to play and this is a matter of real urgency," said Bishop John

Kathleen Henderson a member of the Union of Catholic Mothers attended the Live streamed service at the Cathedral.

"World leaders have a duty of care to support those in need across the world, and they need to work together to stop temperatures rising beyond a disastrous 1.5 degrees," she said.

Henderson continued: "The climate is in crisis, and it affects us all. Each of us has a part to play and we all have a responsibility to care and protect our planet and people, and ensure a greener, more resilient future for us all."

CAFOD's representatives for the Manchester region, Simon Holleron concluded: "The parishioners of Salford, Bishop John Arnold and members of The Union for Catholic Mothers inspire us by showing that when we work together, we can raise awareness, get our voices heard and bring about change. With people across the UK taking part in the Eyes of the World campaign, we hope that together our voices are heard which the UK government and world leaders cannot ignore."

Unveiled on the opening day of the G7 summit in Cornwall, in June the stunt began as a giant artwork comprised of thousands of eyes, handcrafted by children from St Mary's primary school in Falmouth.

It has now morphed into a banner, which has already travelled to Blackpool Tower, the Welsh Assembly, Brighton Old Pier, the White Cliffs of Dover, Oxford Radcliffe Camera and the Houses of Parliament. Its destination will be the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow at the UN climate conference, COP26.

Overseas development charity, CAFOD, have coordinated the journey of the banner, and hopes that as COP26 draws closer, thousands more school children, young people and adults will get involved in the Eyes of the World banner campaign.

For more information on the Eyes of the World campaign, visit: Eyes of the world campaign resources for children | CAFOD

Salford Diocese has set up the Guardians of Creation project, to work with local communities in Salford to decarbonise.