All posts by Ruth Hemmingfield

Refugees from Syria – Write to your MP

NJPN has produced a sample letter to send to your MP urgently requesting that the Syrian refugee programme in the UK be properly supported and funded, and expressing concern that funding is to be taken from the Overseas Aid Budget.

‘Dear MP

It is good to hear that Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) has increased the number of Syrian refugees invited to the UK.

It concerns me greatly whether UK has allocated sufficient and appropriate, housing, funds and integration services.

We are told that the refugees invited to the UK will be the most vulnerable, the most needy.
We know that these will include those with disabilities, serious injuries, and mental health problems, and the most elderly.

I believe that we should provide not just the barest minimum, but the facilities necessary and sufficient to rebuild their lives with dignity, and with the health care, and social & mental health services we expect as citizens.

Yet we are hearing that the HMG plans to pay for only the first year of accommodation, and then hand the responsibility and cost over to Local Authorities. The least that HMG should do is guarantee housing funding for 5 years. Furthermore, some if not a considerable proportion of our refugees will have special housing needs, and require specialist support for some, if not all of those 5 years and beyond. Support services are themselves under severe financial constraint in because of Government and Local Authority cut-backs.

Is it true that HMG proposed that the ‘faith communities’ should bear the living costs (not housing) of these 20,000 refugees? Is this a humble recognition that ‘faith-based’ workers may have the best rapport and willingness to attend to refugees’ day-to-day needs. It may be flattering, even true, but smacks of opportunism and a poor regard, if not abandonment of the Government’s responsibility.

What is the estimated cost of the refugees’ living expenses? Has there been any feasibility study as to whether the faiths can raise, and distribute the funds in a fair way, not dependent on postcode. Will funds be pooled, and then redistributed?

Is HMG not aware that most faith-based organisations are also experiencing severe financial constraint?

Finally, HMG has said it will use the Overseas Aid budget to pay for their contribution to funding the housing costs of our refugees. How is this better that taking it from the Emergency Aid budget already being spent on these Syrian refugees?

Overseas aid budget should be spent overseas, working to prevent bad governance overseas, one of the major causes of refugees in the first place.

I fear that HMG is doing too little too late, without a clearly formulated plan so that our guests may be treated as no better than second-class citizens.

I am also concerned that several weeks after the announcement was made very little seems to have happened to put this programme into place and would be grateful for any information you could obtain as to what progress is being made. As winter approaches it is essential that vulnerable refugees not be left in the camps any longer than is necessary.

Please can you pass on my concerns to the appropriate minister, and can you assure me that you will fight for proper provision of housing and care to those who have already suffered so much.

Name and Address inc Postcode.’

Campaigns, Refugee Crisis

REFUGEE CRISIS: THE CHURCH PREPARES TO RESPOND.

REFUGEE CRISIS: THE CHURCH PREPARES TO RESPOND.

On 9 September, the Archbishops of Westminster and Southwark pointed out that we need to be prepared to respond to this widespread crisis over a long period, recognising our shared common humanity. All can contribute and play a part to help support the most vulnerable by prayer, financial support, offers of time and skills and of shelter and accommodation: a warm welcome can be the most simple and yet effective of gifts.

Responses are being coordinated in each diocese, in most of which a coordinator has been nominated. The list of their names indicates a strong reliance upon individuals well known in networks for Justice and Peace, Caritas Social Action and the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

Their vision is that of the Conference of European J&P Commissions. This lists three key themes for building welcoming societies: addressing fears as well as giving hope; moral leadership; and a long- term vision for society. We need to offer concrete facts and broader perspectives, responding to fears and addressing arguments against being welcoming; to promote a welcoming society, first asking vulnerable or at-risk people what they need; and finally to support and encourage politicians and opinion makers in making statements and advancing policies which support development of welcoming societies. On practical UK matters, John Battle and the Jesuit Refugee Service provide valuable advice.

Within the UK the implications of David Cameron’s comment that we would take the most vulnerable remain unclear. Should we prepare to welcome families or individuals; the fit or the handicapped; the elderly or the young? The National J&P Network highlights the possibility of offering shelter to people with no recourse to public funds or emergency housing. It also offers a sample letter to MPs expressing concern that the Syrian refugee programme must be properly resourced and funding not diverted from other important budgets, such as overseas aid.

Likewise, the SVP is developing advice nationally, pointing out that there are already many immigrants living among us, many regularly attending Mass: they are equally deserving of welcome and inclusion. Not to mention those who are detained in various Centres, obvious candidates for the ministry of visiting and listening.

Work around the country is at various stages of advance varying locally. For example, Arundel and Brighton has taken care to understand what actions are planned by other denominations in order to join them where appropriate and avoid needless duplication. Bishop Richard Moth’s pastoral letter suggesting ways to give practical help has met with an enthusiastic response. A “Ways You Can Help Database Form” has been widely distributed to get reponses from parishes and individuals. The Hallam diocese lists a number of groups already working together across of Sheffield, where the J&P Commission has links and supports campaigns and events.

In Lancaster a series of articles appeared in ‘Faith & Justice News’ to present our bishops’ national proposals, alongside an account of a visit to the USA/Mexico border. Similarly, an edition of the e-bulletin for J&P in the Lancaster, Liverpool, Salford, Shrewsbury and Wrexham dioceses features articles to encourage reflection. One tells a story from Vietnam, another outlines Italy’s reception of Albanians in 1991 and a third comments upon the likely effects of climate change in forcing migration. They note that the Crowded House song “Help is Coming” is re-released to raise funds for Syrian refugees, accompanied by a moving video. This has an introduction from Benedict Cumberbatch, who quotes a poem by Somalian Warsan Shire: “No-one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark … No-one puts their child in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.”

In Southwark, Archbishop Peter Smith joined a rally of solidarity in Calais together with the Anglican Bishop of Dover and the Bishop of Arras, whose diocese includes Calais. They signed a statement repeating calls for people to respond to the growing crisis by showing generosity to those who are exiled. They say that, “These vulnerable men, women and children share in our common humanity and everyone can help them to live in dignity and contribute to civil society”. They agree that we can pray and gather information to support pleas for better treatment in our nations and across the European Union, pointing out that “We wish to counter the myths that lead to prejudice and fear and urge politicians to envisage new policies that go beyond merely closing frontiers and employing increased numbers of security staff”.

The Westminster diocese Caritas is developing plans to provide refugees with accommodation and services, co-ordinating a response to the call to offer long-term support, and ensuring that people are met with a warm welcome as they arrive. Volunteers are being sought in parishes who can offer their time, skills and dedication to work towards these aims. Examples include: ESOL (English as a Second Language) teaching; Legal advice; Medical services; Befriending; Basic necessities. The J&P Commission supports this process, asking people to go further than just providing cash, blankets and clothes, and sign a statement calling for a better government approach. The J&P worker has visited Calais and reported back on the dire situation there.

Quite a few parish meetings have been held in Liverpool. The crucial question seems to be whether or not we limit our response to the “government approved group” or recognise the greater need of very many immigrants who are now our neighbours.
Other questions include those that affect parishes across the whole country:
• How can we organise in preparation?
• Where is there suitable property to offer accommodation?
• Is anyone able to offer accommodation to a family?
• Is anyone able to offer accommodation to an individual?
• Who has time to offer in support of new arrivals?
• Who can offer food and basic necessities?
• Who can interpret the language of new arrivals?
• Which other local groups are preparing in a similar way?
• What is the link with the local council?
• Does the parish need a team to coordinate responses?
• How do we acknowledge and deal with worries and fears?

The diocesan website has links to background information to to help those coming fresh to this area of mission, and a mapping exercise is under way to identify resources that can be offered. The clear intention is to work with other faith communities and the local authorities to coordinate a response and maintain conversations with several organisations in the region that have extensive experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees.

From the above snippets of information provided through the National Justice & Peace Network (NJPN), it is clear that generous responses are emerging, with offers of presbyteries, access to social housing, translation skills, legal advice, clothing, food, money, friendship. The challenge is to coordinate these responses and maintain the enthusiasm of the early reactions.

Collated by Phil Kerton

Refugee Crisis

Joy and Hope at the NJPN Open Networking Day

Laudato Si’ and Green Christian’s ‘Joy in Enough’ project have roots in the spirituality of St Francis, Paul Bodenham, Chair of Green Christian, told the September gathering of National Justice and Peace Network in Coventry last Saturday. ‘New’ or ‘green’ economics challenge the prevailing orthodoxy of the need for growth as the basis of prosperity, as this is unsustainable for the planet and tends towards greater inequalities of wealth. He put this in the context of the principles of Franciscan spirituality – fraternity (we are all sisters and brothers), equality, penance (as a joyful rediscovery of our humanity), incarnation and ‘bonum’ – the good (the value of everything that is). He felt these were picked up in Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on the environment, which itself contains a critique of the economic system and the need to link concern for the environment with action to tackle poverty and inequality.

The meeting brought together around 40 people from dioceses, agencies, religious orders and local justice and peace activists.

The current refugee crisis was of course high on the list of concerns for those present, with information being shared on how dioceses are responding to government plans, and how to channel the goodwill of those offering help. (See www.catholicchurch.org.uk to find your diocesan contact). Alison Gelder of Housing Justice pointed out that there are existing organisations which co-ordinate offers of hospitality for those who are destitute, whether refugees or indigenous homeless people, and urged anyone who could offer accommodation to do so. (In London: Housing Justice www.housingjustice.org.uk; Outside London: No Accommodation Network www.naccom.org.uk). As members of the Strategic Alliance on Migrant Destitution they will be holding events to bring refugee/migrant and homelessness organisations together and various cities between November and March – email a.gelder@housingjustice.org.uk to find out more.

There was concern that government funding may not be adequate for cash strapped local authorities to deal with the refugees being resettled under the government programme, and the decision to take money from the overseas aid budget was also criticised. NJPN has drafted a letter to send to MPs to raise these concerns (contact admin@justice-and-peace.org.uk for a copy). The slowness and inadequacy of the government’s response to taking in refugees was contrasted with the welcome given the week before to representatives of repressive regimes to the Arms Fair in London, encouraging the sale of arms which fuel the conflicts and repression from which many of the refugees are fleeing.

The meeting heard from the NJPN Environment Working Party of plans to call on all dioceses to draw up environmental policies. There were also opportunities for representatives of dioceses and agencies to share in campaigns and upcoming events.

Meetings

Message of the Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions

“Ask people what they need.”

This is the first step in building a welcoming society; a society which grows when we respect the dignity of all human beings. Representatives of Justice and Peace Commissions from Europe learned this through their contact with different social action movements at their annual meeting held in Copenhagen and Malmö.

We, the Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions, held our General Assembly and International Workshops in Copenhagen and Malmö from September 25 – 28, 2015. During the International Workshops “European models of living together – experiences in Copenhagen and Malmö” commissions from twenty European countries explored issues involved with migrants, asylum seekers and integration of new comers. This focus is especially pertinent in the light of life threatening political crises, which have caused millions of Syrian, Iraqi and Eritrean peoples to flee to Europe from their homelands.

In Copenhagen, we visited a representative of the Danish Parliament, the Danish Institute of Human Rights, and Politikenshus, a media concern. Additionally, we attended a Panel Discussion “Danish national church and foreigners” where members of different Christian denominations and an Imam participated. In Malmö we visited the Islamic Center in Rosengård, Ögårdsskolan, a Muslim primary school, Sancta Maria Catholic Open College, Swedish Lutheran Church in Rosengård, Dialogforum, a project of the Malmö city antidiscrimination program, and Yalla Trappan, a work integration social enterprise, where we met people from many cultures and religious traditions.

Interestingly, our experience of the Danish and Swedish situations parallelled our local experiences as national commissions from other European countries. In this way the Danish and Swedish situations reflect a European experience of response to questions of migrants, asylum seekers and the integration of new comers including refugees. During our encounters and discussions with people of Copenhagen and Malmö, three themes became apparent: addressing fears as well as giving hope, moral leadership, a long term-vision for society.

Fear was a common theme in our visits and discussions. This fear took at least three different forms: fear of losing culture and identity, fear that the welfare state will collapse when large numbers of foreigners overwhelm the system and fear that foreigners will take job opportunities of the local people. We also encountered hope. This hope took the form of projects empowering women, training the jobless, providing encounter opportunities and other opportunities for dialogue between diverse peoples.

In our discussions we also addressed a second theme: politicians and other opinion makers, citizens as well as faith based and non-governmental organisations can be vital voices of moral authority and credibility. We were reminded during our workshops that opinion makers and social actors are critical contributors to building welcoming or inhospitable societies.

Building welcoming societies is the responsibility of all democratic and human rights oriented organisations and movements whose ethical foundations are all based upon a core
understanding of all humans as being of equal value. We, members of Justice and Peace Europe, understand ourselves to be responsible for the promotion of welcoming societies. In his address to the US Congress on September 24, 2015 Pope Francis defined a good society as one, which, “… endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk.”

Taking responsibility for fulfilling society‘s vocation means we, members of Justice and Peace Europe, seek to:
 offer concrete facts and broader perspectives as response to fears and as a means to address arguments against welcoming societies;
 promote a welcoming society, by asking first those who are vulnerable or at risk what they need and serving these needs;
 support and encourage politicians and opinion makers with credibility to make unambiguous statements and advance policies, which support the development of welcoming societies in Europe.

The Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions (Justice and Peace Europe) is the alliance of 31 Justice and Peace Commissions in Europe, working for the promotion of justice, peace and respect for human dignity. Justice and Peace Europe contributes to raising awareness of the Catholic social doctrine in the European societies and the European institutions. Its General Secretariat is based in Brussels.
Contact: secretary@jupax-europa.org
www.jupax-europa.org

J&P Europe

NJPN Conference 2015 – Called to be Prophets of HOPE

On his journey to Calvary, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. Destruction is coming to the Temple: Israel has failed to recognise ‘The things that make for Peace’ (Luke 19:42) ; to see the kingdom of God becoming present in Jesus’ way of truth, justice, freedom and love. At the NJPN Conference over 300 people met to pray and reflect on the things that make for peace today, and how we might join more fully in Jesus’ way of truth, justice, freedom and love.

From 1945 with the dropping of the atom bomb and subsequent arms race we held the capacity for our own destruction. Professor Paul Rogers* with A Century on the Edge: from Cold War to Hot War 1945-2045 took this as his starting point. By 2045 we have to find the wisdom to avoid our own destruction through climate change. We will need to practise HOPE and there are solid reasons for doing so.

For example, 30 years ago there were about 65,000 nuclear weapons and tens of thousands of tons of chemical weapons deployed. 85% of the World’s military spending was by NATO and the Warsaw Pact. 2% of that spending could have fed the entire population of the world – an astonishing waste of resources. However by the time the Cold War (mostly) came to an end, weapons had decreased to between 6 and 7,000. Moreover as one prominent Conservative pointed out ‘CND have won, because nuclear weapons are now seen as a bad thing’. Campaigning works.

Change also happens in response to particular events: the ‘canary in the coal mine’ effect. With the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer it only took 4 years from the Montreal convention to phase out CFC’s. 30 years later the ozone layer is starting to repair itself. Change is possible. The great smog of London in 1952 killed 4,000 Londoners- and speeded up the Clean Air Act by a decade. Severe weather events like Typhoon Haiyan must be our canary for climate disruption.

Professor Rogers identified LIDISM and neo-liberal economics as great challenges to our urgent task of living peacefully within the bounty of the planet. Lidism is a failure by governments to address problems at core, to maintain control (often by military means) rather than make fundamental changes to the way societies work (cf the ‘war on terror’, the response to the refugee crisis). Neo-liberal economics have failed to deliver global justice. Huge differences in wealth and poverty are now a transnational phenomenon (eg SE Asia and Brazil) with roughly a 20% / 80% divide, with disparity which has increased during the past 30 years. This leads to anger, resentment and frustrated expectations as education grows and more people recognise their marginalised position. An interesting example of this is Tunisia. Of the ‘Arab Spring’ countries it the one that has made the most democratic progress, but the 30% graduate unemployment and subsequent bitterness is probably one reason that it has more young people going to join IS than other state in the Middle East.

Climate change is asymmetric (affecting countries least able to cope most severely,) and accelerating. This is a threat to global security that governments are tempted to treat by ‘lidism’, and that neo-liberal systems with their emphasis on ‘small government’ have no mechanisms to address. We must resist any claim that there is ‘no alternative’ to lidism or neo-liberalism. Indeed positive alternatives are already coming into being. For example 950 million people worldwide members of co-operatives. Off grid photovoltaics are growing in sub Saharan Africa. New viable models of the economy are being designed: the New Economics Foundation ‘Great Transition Project’ feeds in low carbon and greater equality. The Oxford Research group works on sustainable security as an alternative to militarism. Pope Francis’ Laudato Si and critical statements on neo liberalism are hugely significant. We need to speed up change, but it IS happening and we can support it.

Our prophetic role is to hold onto the HOPE that change for a peaceful, sustainable, stable and just world is possible, and to model that in the way that we think and speak and act.

The other Conference participants were exactly such inspirational prophets.

Fr Edu Gariguez from the Philippines described his priestly mission as service of the poor, and himself as an ‘accidental environmentalist’. In 2012 he was a recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work in protecting the rights of indigenous peoples against the interests of mining companies.

Lorraine Dinnegan, a London mother whose 14 year old son was a victim of knife crime, has worked to set up the Safe Havens scheme to improve communities and protect other young people.

Fiona Mwashita is a Progressio regional manager in Zimbabwe, empowering women through human rights education and establishing sustainable livelihoods.

Sr.Maire Hayes, a sister of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, is involved with faith groups working together in Luton to build and maintain social harmony in the community.

Throughout the Conference Martin Poulsom, a Salesian of Don Bosco contributed rich theological commentary and feedback. We met in small groups for a morning and evening session. One participant noted:

“I appreciated the scripture sharing in the morning session. It felt very grounding, whilst the evening session helped capture the thoughts and feelings I had experienced during the day – a sort of examen.

What I valued from the prayer/ reflection process was the opportunity for some quiet reflective space with opportunity to hear and be heard by people I hadn’t chosen to chat to. In our group there was a huge variety of contexts and experience represented – all part of the story God is telling.”

I do hope you will be able to join us next year
Mary Conway

*Professor Paul Rogers, Peace Studies Department, University of Bradford, has worked in the field of international security, arms control and political violence for over 30 years. He lectures at universities and defence colleges in several countries and has written or edited 26 books, including Global Security and the War on Terror: Elite Power and the Illusion of Control (Routledge, 2008) and Why We’re Losing the War on Terror (Polity, 2008). Since October 2001 he has written ORG monthly Briefing Papers on international security and the “war on terror”. He is also a regular commentator on global security issues in both the national and international media, and is openDemocracy’s International Security Editor.
And if you want to know how Huddersfield vineyards, the battle of Towton and an encounter with the SAS featured, please borrow the audio recording of the Conference!

Conference Reports

Speaking Personally – Mike Hornsby-Smith

Where do you think your commitment to justice and peace comes from?
I can still recall Fr. McEwan at the Salesian College, Battersea, teaching us about Rerum Novarum in the Fourth Form. An early interest in politics came from my aunt who was a government minister. When canvassing in Attercliffe when I was a student at Sheffield I was enormously impressed by the extraordinary politeness of people who seemed to be deprived. In my first job at Battersea College of Technology I was ‘invited’ to become Branch Secretary of the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutions and remained so long after we moved to Guildford as the University of Surrey. There a postgraduate student, Fr. Bob Bogan, invited me to become a member of the A&B diocesan Justice and Peace Commission. To my great surprise the then Bishop Cormac invited me to chair the commission and I did so for six years. I was invited to join the Committee of the Catholic Institute for International Relations (now Progressio) for six years and I went on a three-week CAFOD exposure trip to the Philippines in 1984. Fr. Michael McGlade returning from Chile brought a healthy breath of liberation theology to our parish for a few years. Over the years I went on major demonstrations such as the protest against war in Iraq, the ‘Make Poverty History’ demonstration in Edinburgh, and the climate change demonstration before Copenhagen. I was briefly a member of a Pax Christi working party. I was pleases to become a patron of Housetop which campaigns for women priests. In sum, my call was not a Damascus experience so much as a gradual learning experience. The Second Vatican Council was a major inspiration as were the many friends I made in the justice and peace movement.

What for you are the most important areas of concern today?
Three issues strike me as particularly relevant at this time. The world is changing and we need to recognise the reality of globalisation and its implications for the changing labour market. We also need to reinterpret the nature of security threats in the world today. So firstly, the steady increase in inequality since the 1980s must be tackled if social cohesion is to be retained. The recent books by the French economist, Thomas Piketty, and by Anthony Atkinson, point to the need for comprehensive responses. Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium has some pointed suggestions to follow. Secondly, the issue of global warming is one which will determine our response to intergenerational injustices and we need to respond as individuals, campaigning groups, nations and international organisations. Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ puts the issue into the context of respect for God’s creation. Thirdly, I believe we need to reappraise the place of the UK in the 21st century. Our foreign and defence policies must reflect the current and projected dangers and we need to recognise that we must work collaboratively with other nations, particularly those in the EU. We need to work collaboratively to reform major international institutions such as the UN, IMF and World Bank. Nuclear disarmament and a reduction of arms production must be actively promoted.

What sustains you in your commitment?
The commitment of activists is enormously inspiring and supportive. I recall meeting Bruce Kent, Pat Gaffney and members of Pax Christi on the anti Iraq War demonstration, Kevin Burr in Edinburgh for the ‘Make Poverty History’ demonstration, and Fr. Owen Hardwicke before the Copenhagen meeting on climate change. In the past colleagues on the diocesan justice and peace commission and CIIR (Progressio) committee, such as Mildred Nevile and Ian Linden, were inspirational and encouraging. For nearly forty years I have been a member of my parish Justice and Peace group. It has usually been a ‘hard slog’ but, in spite of much indifference and occasional hostility in the parish, the perseverance of our handful of members has been inspirational. We have a routine of welcoming the parish diversity on Racial Justice Sunday, organising a 10% collection of Christmas spending for chosen charities and a ‘write for rights’ campaign around Christmas, then in the New Year Peace Sunday and Poverty and Homelessness Sundays. This year we are focussing on environmental issues and Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. Of course, absolutely fundamental has been the teaching of Vatican II, especially Gaudium et Spes and Lumen Gentium and Catholic Social Teaching since.

What are your hopes for a Church like ours for the 21st century?
Primarily that it will be a ‘People of God’ Church and won’t regress to a pre-Vatican Church and that clericalism will be replaced by collaborative ministries. I also hope that there will be a growing concern to teach parishioners some of the key characteristics of Catholic social teaching in the weekly homilies. Issues such as the intrinsic dignity of each human being, the importance of the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the preferential options for the poor and for non-violence are rarely taught. Yet recent teaching of the popes since Vatican II are rich with the implications of bringing closer God’s kingdom on earth as in heaven. Pope Francis has been inspirational but how many know he said ‘no to an economy of exclusion; no to the new idolatry of money; no to a financial system which rules rather than serves; and no to the inequality which spawns violence’? Somehow we need to enthuse young Catholics with a new social vision of being a follower of Jesus. Finally, I hope there will be a growing awareness that we need to address gender and generational injustices.

Personal Note: Michael P. Hornsby-Smith is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Surrey and the author of An Introduction to Catholic Social Thought (Cambridge University Press, 2006) and a simplified version in Following Jesus as Pilgrims, Servants and Prophets: Letters to my Grandchildren (Fastprint Publishing, 2014).

7 August 2015.

Speaking Personally

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