Justice, Peace & Environment

Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Parish Priest at Farm Street Church and Chair of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission gave the following reflection at today's Home Office Vigil: 5,000! These last few weeks of Winter here in London I've been more aware than ever of the 5,000 people rough sleeping in the city usually with the minimum of covering and shelter from the elements of cruel winter and of how ... Read More

A vigil was held at the Home Office today, Monday 20 January, to commemorate the thousands of refugees who have died trying to reach a place of safety in Europe. A monthly event, this now enters its fourth year, during which the numbers and routes have fluctuated. For instance, a greater number of West Africans seem now to be taking the more dangerous route from Senegal to the Canaries, rather t... Read More

2024 was a year of climate extremes. From deadly floods in China and Brazil to devastating droughts in Zambia and record-breaking hurricanes in the Americas, the impacts of climate change have been impossible. The ten most financially costly events all had an impact of more than $4 billion. Most of these estimates are based only on insured losses, meaning the true financial costs are likely to be ... Read More

An estimated 100,000 people took part in the 24th national demonstration for Palestine on Saturday. The police banned the organisers from having a march - but instead they were allowed to hold a 'static rally' in Whitehall. Christians For Palestine gathered for prayers in Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, before walking to the rally. A statement from the bloc said: "It's been over a year since we... Read More

A Rocha UK is supporting the Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill as it progresses through Parliament and nears a crucial stage, its second reading, on Friday 24 January 2025. The ecumenical Christian environmental charity says this will be "a huge day in Parliament, where the CAN Bill will be debated and voted on for the very first time." "As Christians, God calls us to care for creation, and sometimes ... Read More

An introduction to the Spring 2025 newsletter of the Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology Team as 'Vocation for Justice' enters its 39th year! The 2025 Jubilee is the third that I have prepared for. My first was in 1986 when I worked for CAFOD, and it was celebrating its 25th anniversary. How many remember CAFOD taking over the Royal Festival Hall for a day and the diminutive Dom Heider Camara from... Read More

The Chaplain to the Archbishop of York, spoke on 'Dreaming a different world' at the Christians Aware annual conference last weekend. Originally from South Africa, Jenny Wright, shared the African word, 'Ubuntu' meaning 'humanity to others,' and explained how her hope is rooted in liberation theology. She suggested that the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop ... Read More

The monthly Prayer Vigil for Migrants and Refugees opposite the Home Office, will take place on Monday, 20 January from 12.30 - 1.30pm. Join us to pray for those who have died trying to reach the UK; the many victims of current wars asylum seekers in detention centres and those who are homeless; Those who struggle to inject welcome and humanity into our legislation. Organised by the Diocese of Wes... Read More

Jesuit Missions is urging MPs to support the Climate and Nature Bill, which will enable the UK to fully address the scale of the global environmental crisis. The Bill, which is set for a crucial Second Reading in Parliament on Friday, 24 January, will establish clear goals to help the country tackle climate change and damage to the natural world. It includes a commitment to helping keep global tem... Read More

The sixteenth annual Genocide Memorial Day will take place on Sunday, 19 January, with a conference in London. Fifteen months after it started, Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza ploughs forward relentlessly. Despite the Internationasl Court of Justice (ICJ) finding a plausible case of genocide against Israel and despite multiple accusations of genocide by human rights groups and legal expe... Read More

Christians For Palestine will be meeting for prayers on Saturday, 18 January, at 12noon, in Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, WC2H 8EP, before joining the National March at the north end of Whitehall / Trafalgar Square. The organisers write: Dear friends and supporters, It's been over a year since we started marching together as a Christian bloc at the national ceasefire marches. In that year, w... Read More

With just six days to go until until Peace Sunday 2025, Pax Christi is launching their Peace Sunday 2025 Fundraising Appeal. They say: We live in a world riven by war and violence. As Pope Francis has said on a number of occasions, it is as if there is a third world war - 'one that is being fought piecemeal.' Our vision is of a world where everyone can live in peace, without fear of violence in a... Read More

Peace Sunday on 19 January is being marked in Liverpool with a special Mass followed by a lecture Mass and Lecture at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. Archbishop Malcolm McMahon will celebrate Mass at 11am. Refreshments will be available after the Mass. At 1.15pm, Dr Gee Walker will give a talk about the murder of her son Anthony, forgiveness, reconciliation, and justice. This is a partnership ... Read More

The world's richest one per cent have burned through their share of the annual global carbon budget -the amount of CO2 that can be added to the atmosphere without pushing the world beyond 1.5°C of warming- within the first 10 days of 2025, new Oxfam analysis reveals. This alarming milestone, dubbed 'Pollutocrat Day' by Oxfam, underscores how climate breakdown is disproportionately driven by the s... Read More