Hundreds attend Cry of the Earth Webinar
Laudato Si’ reflection day in Salford in 2020
Religious and lay associates from across England and Wales and also a number from Ireland joined the first ever webinar put on by the Conference of Religious. Ten months on from our cancelled Laudato Si’ reflection days, it was a chance to draw Religious together and to flag up ways of mobilising around the issue of climate change, and environmental damage, ahead of the UK hosting a major summit, COP26 in November.
Sr Sheila Kinsey
The keynote speakers were Rome based Sr Sheila Kinsey FCJM, the international Co-ordinator of the UISG Campaign: Sowing Hope for the Planet, Bishop John Arnold, the Lead on the environment for CBCEW and the Chair of Trustees of Cafod and Dr Carmody Grey, Assistant Professor of Catholic Theology at Durham University, working mainly in the areas of philosophical theology and theological ethics, with a focus on science, nature and environment.
Sr Maureen Murphy FMSJ of Salford diocese gave the opening prayer, which is reproduced separately on our homepage.
Three very detailed and illuminating presentations followed, with Sr Sheila outlining the international campaign and collaboration that is underway as part of www.sowinghopefortheplanet.org. Sr Sheila’s slides will be uploaded to the members section of this website shortly.
Bishop Arnold outlined the work of the Bishops and dioceses in raising ecology up the Church’s agenda and the extensive and ongoing work in schools around Laudato Si’ as well as the innovative Laudato Si’ Centre that is being developed in Salford diocese. He recalled a visit to a primary school where a very knowledgeable seven year old gave an account “with some authority” of planting and growing - and that teachers remark how interest in this subject has the added benefit of assisting in literacy and numeracy.
Both Bishop Arnold and Dr Carmody Grey also featured in short films which were played during the webinar, Global Healing and Global Caring - available to view at:
Sr Margaret Atkins at Boarbank Hall, Cumbria
A video interview, filmed in the grounds of Boarbank Hall in Cumbria, with Sr Margaret Atkins OSA, was used to illustrate what one congregation is actively doing to ‘live’ Laudato Si.’ It’s available on CoR’s youtube channel (click on the red button in the social media symbols on the CoR homepage).
Building on her observations in the two aforementioned films, Dr Grey gave a profound reflection on the Christian imperative to protect planet earth and all its creatures, arguing theologically that non human life has intrinsic value and also drawing attention to the appalling standards of animal welfare through industrial farming: “70 billion animals are raised and slaughtered in factory farm conditions each year.”
A follow on meeting from this webinar will be announced soon, to assist congregations to develop their thoughts and plans around environmental issues.
After the three presentations, the speakers came together in a panel for a lively question and answer session: below is a flavour of the points raised:
In the light of COP26, what if every Catholic were to contact their MP to ask them to put ecology high on their agenda eg., with the development of renewable energy?
(a response to this point): There is a specific thing we can talk with our MPs about: ask them to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (CEE Bill - https://www.ceebill.uk/ ) - it is a private members bill.
Environmental activists in the secular world have much to teach us.... eg. London Mining Network supports indigenous groups throughout the world in their struggles with mining companies registered on the London stock exchange. Columbans work closely with the London Mining Network.
One of my big concerns is about single use plastic. any suggestions for what we can do for this?
Could Bishop Arnold encourage Bishops and parish priests to do more concerning Laudato Si’ and care of the universe?
To Carmody: How do we see the worship of creation as it happens in some religions, from that of Christian faith on God who incarnates himself in small things as you have said?
For Sr Sheila - you mentioned training for advocacy. Obviously conversion is integral and personal and communal change is important, but we are all embedded in the system, and we have very little time and urgent system change is needed - so what can we do to motivate and organise Religious and others to get involved in advocacy - that is, to take the political action needed? (political in a broad sense, not party political necessarily)
Bishop John, you mentioned the benefit of ecological activities on the curricular performance in primary schools. Could that be brought into secondary level education?
Lock-down and less travel has proved that we can make a big difference to the quality of the air we breath and also to biodiversity. Should we not be placing more emphasis on reducing our carbon footprint?
Thanks, Carmody! Excellent! Very inspiring. It reminds me of 'Dream together'. I wonder if you can give any idea how non Christians can be motivated for example?
Think of how one tiny virus has changed our world in the past year - just a comment.
The Church abandoned Friday fasting from meat just about the time when the rest of the world was starting to embrace veganism! Can we use our liturgical seasons more powerfully by linking them to the way we eat (or don't eat)?
Behaviour change is a lengthy process - and we are restricted with time. What would you say are the practical priority areas for action that we, as a faith community, can immediately engage with?
Carmody,: Is it possible living in this world without eating animals... ?
I was grateful to Carmody for emphasising the incarnational aspect of our faith. I was also impressed by the educational involvement of children in ecological learning. May I ask Bishop John what is being done in the seminaries to form priests in this regard?
Bishop John, if you had the Prime Minister in front of you today, as ecological lead for the bishops of England and Wales, what is the most important ecological ‘ask’ you would make of the UK government?
How could we as Religious support the bishops of England and Wales in creating the ‘political will’ to make this ‘ask’ a reality? Especially in the light of the UK government’s decision to cut the overseas aid budget?
Carmody - would you urge CAFOD to challenge industrial farming and agriculture?
I wonder how the Church felt about the suffragettes? We women wouldn't have had the vote??
London Mining Network is a great organization involved in the atrocities of mining in poor communities throughout the world.
All invited to NJPN's annual conference in July on issues raised today. https://www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/conference/