Catholics and COP26: Artists, activists and academics on climate justice, integrity of creation

There is a saying among the first peoples of the Americas that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. That future-focused wisdom is what is required to concentrate minds and crystallise commitments during the United Nations COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, UK which taking place 31 October to 12 November 2021. This make-or-break time is truly a kairos moment for the earth and its peoples, and it cries out for a concerted and committed response.

A sense of the variety and vibrancy of the global Catholic response to the climate emergency can be seen in a programme of free online zoom events and vodcasts organised by Julie Clague at the University of Glasgow and Marian Pallister, chair of Pax Christi Scotland, which will be broadcast throughout the two-week climate conference. Catholics and COP26: artists, activists and academics on climate justice and the integrity of creation features contributors from Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe.

On Monday 1 November, Fr Gerald H Maguiness, General Secretary of the Scottish Catholic Bishops' Conference and chair of its Care for Creation Office will formally open the programme.

The opening speakers are two women of faith who have dedicated their lives to writing about and reflecting on the care of creation: Multi-award winning nature writer, broadcaster and conservationist, Mary Colwell, author of Beak, Tooth and Claw: Living With Predators in Britain (2001); Curlew Moon (2018); and John Muir: The Scotsman Who Saved America's Wild Places (2014) celebrates the prophetic voices and lasting influence of St Francis of Assisi, John Muir and Pope Francis. Franciscan Sister Dawn Nothwehr, The Erica and Harry John Family Professor of Catholic Theological Ethics at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and author of Franciscan Writings: Hope Amid Ecological Sin and Climate Emergency. (Forthcoming Bloomsbury-London, 2022); Ecological Footprints: An Essential Franciscan Guide for Faith and Sustainable Living (2012); A Franciscan View of the Human Person: Some Central Elements (2005); Struggles for Environmental Justice and Health in Chicago: An African American Perspective (2004); and Franciscan Theology of the Environment: An Introductory Reader (ed. 2002) offers a close reading of the Canticle of the Creatures and finds within the poetry on the page an enduring wisdom that echoes down the centuries, speaking truth to our present age. The event will close with an authentic musical rendition of the Canticle in Umbrian.

Climate injustice foments conflict and violence. On Friday 5 November, Uruguayan lawyer and human rights activist Carmen Moreno explores the way that climate tensions have been heightened during the covid-19 public health emergency, while University of Glasgow academic Anna Blackman looks to the possibilities of grassroots acts of creative non-violence in a world of escalating conflict and militarism. Dr Carlos Zepeda, of the Laudato Si' Research Institute at Campion Hall, Oxford University identifies the importance of local faith actors in the climate response and how collaborative networks of grassroots civil society organisations such as the Ecclesial Networks Alliance can raise the visibility of marginalized communities and magnify their campaigning voice.

In Laudato Si', Pope Francis links the cry of the earth with the cry of the poor. On Saturday 6 November, Zimbabwe-born Dr Nontando Hadebe interrogates the greening agenda and discusses the disproportionate impact of climate change on the lives of poor people, most of whom are women and girls. The way that we understand the world is shaped by the language we use to describe and to valorize it.

Words matter. Belgian moral theologian, Dr Jan Jans discusses the language we use to refer to the earth and environment, arguing that we need to distinguish between the theological term 'creation' and the loaded descriptor 'nature'. Celebrated Belgian artist Sr Francoise Bosteels, who has dedicated her life to serving poor communities in India, uses doll-making to narrate the lives of her local villagers, highlight the devastation wreaked by man-made disasters such as Bhopal, and celebrate awareness-raising activists such as the Chipko 'tree-hugging' women and campaigners such as Greta Thunberg.

We are intimately connected to Our Earth body and any violation of it hampers the creative spirit in each of us. 'Restoring Our Earth through Play - Now or Never' is a creative art response to COP26 in order to celebrate our sacred belonging and relationship with Earth through song, story, movement and shared silence. The performance piece is created by InterPlayers Prashant Olalekar SJ (India) Hazel Lobo (India) and Trish Watts (Australia), who are part of an international network of spiritually inspired and environmentally concerned artists-activists. The pre-recorded performance will be available from 7pm UK (GMT) time on Sunday 7 November via the Pax Christi Scotland and University of Glasgow Theology and Religious Studies Youtube channels.

Climate change is hitting Africa hard, exacerbating existing problems and heightening long-standing injustices.
On Monday 8 November, three Africans discuss the problems faced by their communities and the practical responses that are emerging. Fr Robert Sowa considers the damaging effects of climate change in his native Sierra Leone, a country where the majority of people live in poverty, and he asks whether Churches are doing enough to stand in solidarity with the affected. Fr Charles Chilufya SJ, Director of the Justice and Ecology Office of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar and coordinator of the Africa Task Force of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission, looks at the perfect storm created by the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on poor communities already under strain because of the effects of climate change, and how it is girls who suffer the most. The final speaker showcases the creative ingenuity of indigenous African responses to environmental degradation. Kenyan environmental activist and CEO of Green Economy Foundation, Benard Ndaka discusses the work of his Foundation, which promotes the planting of trees by everyday folk, especially to mark major life events and significant milestones.

On Thursday 11 November, the focus turns to the individuals and communities who are most vulnerable to climate shocks. As Pope Francis observes in Laudato Si', where there is environmental and social degradation, the vulnerable are hardest hit. Teresian Sister Veronica Nyoni, headteacher at St Columba's Community Secondary school Lusaka, Zambia will discuss how drought, failure of hydro power and other climate effects are taking a heavy toll on the women and girls in her community. Indian theologian Dr Kochurani Abraham, author of Persisting Patriarchy: Intersectionalities, Negotiations, Subversions (2019), also adopts a gender lens applying it not only to the climate emergency but to the concept and practices of ecological conversion. Finally, Mary Jo Iozzio, Professor of Moral Theology at Boston College, USA and author of Disability Ethics/Preferential Justice: A Catholic Perspective (forthcoming with Georgetown University Press) considers the challenges that climate change presents to people with disability and identifies strategies of resistance and resilience.

The final date for the diary is Friday 12 November when Julie Clague, Lecturer in Catholic Theology at the University of Glasgow, will look back at COP26 and present highlights from the Catholics and COP 26: Artists, Activists and Academics on Climate Justice and the Integrity of Creation events.

All five live events take place from 5 - 6.30pm UK (GMT) time. To register, visit: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/catholics-and-cop26-tickets-198216860967

Vodcasts of all seven events will be available on TRS Glasgow Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7kfAoDN9v8f90AMgIqHKw

Pax Christi Scotland Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCCcmLpQv27Py_ul14szp95g

For further information contact Julie Clague julie.clague@glasgow.ac.uk

LINK

www.gla.ac.uk/subjects/theology/catholics-and-cop26/