I’m sending the NW NJPN E BULLETIN for August early as there’s lots of current information here, leading with extracts from a challenging keynote talk by The Rt Rev Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, given on Friday evening at this year’s NJPN Conference on the theme ‘Just Politics’. You can find reports of the rest of the Conference on ICN over the next few days: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/  On pages 10-11 Professor Tina Beattie raises the issue of ordination to the diaconate for women in the Catholic Church (Bishop Guli is one of many Anglican clergywomen in the UK) and a survey published by Catholic Women Speak reports on strong support for women to be fully included at all levels of church leadership. 

Another excellent talk was given recently by Jon Kuhrt entitled ‘Grace, Truth and the Common Good: The Future of Christian Social Action’, part of a 2024 series of lectures from Together for the Common Good exploring how Catholic Social Thought helps us stay human and build the common good in these uncertain times. Watch by clicking the links on page 4, listen to the podcast or read the text.

On pages 5-6 Joseph Kelly looks at this week’s disastrous IT meltdown and discusses the moral implications about future threats to the digital world. With the rise of streaming platforms young people are being targeted to buy certain brands, with popular influencers recruited to promote items on TikTok and Instagram. I was shocked to discover the power of this marketing tool, which plays a key part in the rapid success of Chinese firms which now dominate the market. The report of my findings is on pages 7-10. I question whether we really need to buy so much, especially cheap throwaway items produced in shocking working conditions that are harmful to the planet.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in a landmark opinion, has declared that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is against international law. To remind us of the continued military occupation of the Palestinian people, Heather Kiernan has sent a poignant verse by Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha entitled ‘My grandfather was a terrorist’ (page 13). The bulletin closes with plenty of diary items for across the North West(see page 14).

Wishing you all a good summer break.

Best wishes

Anne O’Connor

NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin August 2024