April Update from Seeking Sanctuary
April Update from Seeking Sanctuary
Ben writes: The need for roots
How hard it must be to be separated from our roots – it takes real courage to leave our family, our village, our town, and all that is dear to us.
I have been reflecting on the thoughts of the philosopher Simone Weil who wrote a book on the theme of rootlessness. She wrote: ‘All cultures are rooted throughout humanity. We need these roots. We need a sense of belonging to something that is bigger than us, across space and time, and we underestimate that need at our peril’.
To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognised need of the human soul …. a human being has roots by virtue of his real, active participation in the life of a community which preserves expectations for the future’. and: ‘Whoever within his own soul, and in human relations, escapes the dominion of force is loved but is loved sorrowfully because of the threat of destruction hanging over him.’
In the face of death, remaining moderate is superhuman’ …
What wise words! How true this is when we remember the plight of migrants not just in their home territory but in a lonely hotel in the UK. Those who have to wait months or even years for decisions feel this sense of rootlessness even more acutely.
A thought: What does the instability in Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and South
Sudan have in common? These countries were all ruled by the British in the last 150 years.
‘The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil’ (Hannah Arendt)
THE MONTH IN THE UK
TV, newspaper, and Internet comment predominantly concerns so-called “illegal” migration and provocative statements by politicians. We try here, as an alternative, to indicate a few matters that have largely gone unreported in the mainstream organs during March.
Despite claims of urgency, Parliament broke for its regular recess without resolving the “ping pong” process flipping the Rwanda Bill between the Lords and Commons. Apparently, we will next see debate on the Rwanda Bill on Monday 15 April, despite various opinions that a) it isn’t going to stop people coming, b) Rwanda isn’t ready yet, and c) there seems to be no way of getting people there.
Towards the end of March there were reports that France is engaged in dangerous pull-back tactics to try to turn boats crossing the Channel back to France. France has previously declined to do this (at least partly supported by UK funds) on the basis that it is against international maritime law.
Also in March, the Guardian reported a Home Office response to a Freedom of Information (“FoI”) request for data on deaths in asylum accommodation indicating that there had been five deaths between January and June last year. Another organisation contacted the newspaper to say that it had received a response with a figure of 14 deaths!
Official sources said that the reason for the large discrepancy was officials’ interpretation of the word “in,” so that in one case, deaths occurring after transfer to hospital had been omitted because the FoI question did not ask about deaths where the “last known address” had been asylum accommodation.
The National Audit Office has reported on Home Office plans and progress in increasing the amount of asylum accommodation available. The Home Office anticipates spending £4.7
billion on asylum support in the year to March 2024. £3.1 billion of this is to be spent on hotels, up from a figure of £2.3 billion in 2022-23. Having originally assessed that large sites would be around £94 million cheaper than hotels, it now seems that they will cost £46
million more.
In parallel, Byline Times reports that Britannia Hotels makes tens of millions a year from housing asylum seekers in harmful conditions.
David Neal, sacked as the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in February, has written about concerns over the Home Office’s malfunctioning ‘Atlas’ casework system. Rather than “automating” asylum, citizenship and visa applications, Atlas
has instead caused serious delays and errors with a series of bizarre glitches. For example, some figures have to be entered separately into different parts of the system, an exercise that is a frequent source of needless discrepancies.
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK has joined partners to highlight widespread malnutrition and food insecurity among people seeking asylum in London, calling for action to be taken at local and national levels. A report draws upon accounts of people with experience across the different stages of the asylum process – including hotels, dispersal accommodation, and destitution following refusal.
In all cases, people seriously struggled to meet their nutritional needs and those of their children, with a significant negative impact on both physical and mental health. There is evidence of serious health and safety deficiencies in food provided in hotels, including raw or undercooked meat and failure to accommodate medical dietary requirements, sometimes leading to hospitalisation; a chronic struggle to make ends meet and eat enough whilst living on asylum support; and difficulty managing long-term health problems in a context of destitution, very low income, and lack of agency over what food one eats
IN FRANCE
On Wednesday 6 March, the UN’s International Organization for Migration said that at least 8,565 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2023, making it the deadliest year since records began a decade ago. Figures for deaths in and near the English Channel are among those that have risen.
Since our last update. On 29 February, a number of people fell into the water from a boat, and one was initially rescued but did not live long. Additionally, at least two bodies (reports vary) were seen floating but could not be recovered immediately.
On 3 March, a 7-year-old Iraqi girl, Rola, was drowned in the canalised River Aa in Watten, between Gravelines and St Omer under the eyes of her eight-months pregnant mother, her father (who was taken into custody) and her three brothers during of the sinking of their stolen boat.
The location reflects a trend to attempt to start journeys inland to avoid coastal police patrols. During the previous night, a 27-yr-old Iraqi, Jumaa Al Hasan, disappeared without trace when police used tear gas to try to stop vessels using the canal. His body was recovered on 19 March.
A further tragedy occurred on 1 April, on a road by the Loon-Plage, refugee camp near Dunkirk. A migrant aged 30 to 35 was stabbed to death in the afternoon.
Phil writes: This poem was drawn back to my attention a couple of weeks ago. It deserves to be widely shared.
Refugees
They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way
(now read from bottom to top)
This “reverso poem” was posted in March 2016 by the pseudonymous poet and writer, Brian Bilston. He began publishing short and pithy, often humorous, poems on Twitter, which were then spread widely on social media and has been described as “The Poet Laureate of Twitter” and as “The Banksy of the Poetry World.”
More food for thought:
“These young men risking their lives on the boats, they’ll be anything from 20 to 30. Which means that they are figures of incredible investment. Somebody’s given birth to these kids, brought them up, spent money on them. They are a colossal loss for the place they have left … I never understand why it is not presented for what it is: a story of third world subsidy for advanced economies.” (An ‘Observer’ quote in April, from artist and filmmaker, Sir John Akomfrah, whose family fled Ghana after his father was killed following a failed CIA-backed plot to overthrow Nkrumah in 1966.)
May the Easter Season bring you new resolve and a refreshed outlook.
Ben + Phil.
Follow us on (what was once) Twitter
‘Seeking Sanctuary’ aims to raise awareness about people displaced from their homes and to channel basic humanitarian assistance from Faith Communities and Community Organisations via partnerships with experienced aid workers. Our special concern is for the 2000 or so exiles who are stuck in north-western France, mistakenly expecting a welcome in the UK.
They need food, water, good counsel and clothes, which are accepted, sorted and distributed by several organisations, including two Calais warehouses which also supply needs further afield.
Further information from Ben Bano on 07887 651117 or Phil Kerton on 01474 873802. See our latest
news at www.seekingsanctuary.weebly.com
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin April 2024
The April NW NJPN E Bulletin covers a range of wide range of issues plus dates for your diary.
A recent study into social isolation in Britain by the Belonging Forum think tank reveals that 50% of young women and 40% of people living in rented accommodation struggle with loneliness. This theme is picked up in a personal account of a radical life-style change by Canadian urban worker Karen Reed. She says ‘our lives have become so fragmented and privatized and independent – which has set a course for isolation and alienation – that we have learned to function in our daily life without knowing even one neighbour’s name’ (see pages 8-9 of the bulletin) And as Native American Indian poet Joy Harjo says on page 3 in her poem ‘This morning I pray for my enemies’: ‘An enemy who gets in, risks the danger of becoming a friend’.
The winners of this year’s Columban Media Competition for young people on the subject ‘Biodiversity Matters are announced today – 21 March – the UN’s International Day of Forests. I was delighted to see winning entries in print and artwork categories from the school that my daughters attended, and now my two eldest granddaughters. The winning design in Britain, ‘Love of the World’ (see page 10) was commended by Mary Colwell, author and champion for curlew recovery and nature education. Mary’s conservation work features on pages 11-12 of the bulletin.
As Lent draws to a close I’ve included some reflections on pages 14-15 including a prayer for peace in The Holy Land from the Iona Community.
Wishing all our readers a blessed and holy Easter,
Anne O’Connor
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin April 2024
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The above Flag Map of Gaza is from Wikimedia Commons and the author is DrRandomFactor
“In our pain, anguish, and lament, we have searched for God,
and found Him under the rubble of Gaza”
Rev. Munther Isaac
Dear Friends,
This week we are talking about Gaza. The ongoing war, and the humanitarian disaster that is occurring is right under our noses, and yet nothing seems to be done about it. People have been asking us what they can do to help, and have wanted to understand more about the situation.
With help from Pat Devlin, who spent some time as an Ecumenical
Accompanier, and from our friends at Pax Christi, we have put together a few articles which we hope will explain more about what is going on, and where it all stemmed from – and may even make you want to do more.
Regards and blessings to you all,
Sharon
Action of the Week
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An open Letter to our Christian Faith leaders.
The unthinkable violence in the Holy Land has shaken us. The horrific brutality of the Hamas assault on 7 October has been met with months of unrelenting bombardment causing unthinkable death, injury, and destruction. With the denial of the essentials of life
– water, food, shelter, medicine – and a litany of dehumanising and incendiary rhetoric, we’ve watched the worst impulses of revenge and rage take hold.
As we approach Holy Week, Pax Christi International, an organisation dedicated to nonviolence as the only path to a sustainable peace, implores you to speak out forcefully
and often calling for an end to this carnage. Not one more life should be sacrificed. In sermons and parish messages, in pastoral letters and statements you have the unique power to awaken the hearts and minds of the faithful.
We beg you to use it. Call for an immediate bi-lateral ceasefire, the release of all hostages and those held in Israeli detention and the restoration of critical UNRWA funding.
Our resolve and courage to stand with the powerless is being tested. We look to you, our spiritual leaders, for a prophetic voice to denounce the evil of war and the killing of so many innocent men, women, and children…some barely in this world for hours.
Do we speak out on behalf of the most vulnerable…those caught in the crosshair of bullets and bombs?
Does our collective Christian voice echo the teachings of Jesus or has it, in its tepid silence, become another weapon?
We shudder to think that the cries of the living stones of Palestine have fallen on deaf ears.
When will our sisters and brothers in Gaza know that the Church has not abandoned them?
Or, like Jesus, will they be left to suffer alone in a garden of rubble?
Have we too fallen asleep?
The time to speak is now. There is not a minute to waste.
The above, from Pax Christi International, is meant for Christian Faith Leaders. Please pass it onto any Christian Faith Leader that you know of – let’s spread the word.
Thank you.
Event – From ‘Projects in Palestine’ , on Facebook
Our next event is on Sunday 24th March, 3pm-5pm
at Commongroundcoventry,
FarGo Village, Far Gosford Street, Coventry.
Facts on the Ground.
Working as a Human Rights Observer in the West Bank.
They write: – Ann Farr has worked alongside Palestine Partners for 25 years and as well as frequent personal visits has led groups on tours. She has served as an Ecumenical Accompanier, a Human Rights Observer, living in the West Bank alongside those threatened with extreme violence from those in
surrounding Israeli settlements.
Ann is a member of Pax Christi International’s Working Group on Palestine/Israel,which works to raise awareness and advocates locally, nationally and internationally, within church and political arenas for justice and freedom for the Palestinian people and adherence to international law and human rights.
Ann will be talking about her experiences, what she has witnessed and no doubt, talking about the current situation in Gaza and The West Bank.
The event will be held in Commonground, at Fargo Village, which is an event space with a café. The café will be open all day. We will begin the talk around 3.15pm, but please feel free to arrive before and have some food and grab your place.
Ann will also have the Zaytoun products with her for sale on the day.
This is a free event, but as always, we as a charity rely on donations.
We will also have our stall there too.
Recruiting Human Rights Monitors for 2025 (with a deadline of 14th April 2024)
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Quakers in Britain write: – The human rights monitors we send are called
Ecumenical Accompaniers. We call them EAs for short.
EAs spend 3 months in Palestine and Israel monitoring human rights violations and standing in solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli peace activists.
When they come home they give talks in their local communities and advocate for an end to the military occupation of Palestine.
EAs need to be flexible, hard-working, physically and emotionally robust, open to hearing from different perspectives, and able to represent the programme in a professional manner.
No previous monitoring experience is required. Your expenses will be paid and a living allowance provided.
We recruit a year in advance and provide in-depth training and resources to help you to prepare.
Recruitment for EAs for 2025 is now open and you can apply via our job pages.
Please see the 2024-25 role description (PDF) for an idea of what the work involves,
and check the essential information (PDF) before you apply.
Action
Palestine Solidarity Campaign are holding pretty much weekly actions against what is going on in Gaza. On Friday, they wrote: – Hunger is killing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Last week, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 21Palestinians, including 17 children, had died of malnutrition and hydration caused
by Israel’s genocidal campaign.
The government’s smears against our principled movement for justice are an attempt to distract from Israel’s ongoing genocide, and the UK’s active complicity in it.
We must not let them change our focus.
Obviously, it is too late for the actions they had around the country this weekend, but please sign up to their web page for details of any future events.
Palestine and Israel – What’s to be done?
Pat Devlin writes: – When we see our TV screens filled with images of deadly violence once more in Palestine and Israel – the Holy Land for Christians Jews and Muslims alike, we can feel helpless.
But, Palestinian Christians have been calling on us, the Universal Church and the International Community, through their Kairos Document issued at the end of 2009 to respond in some very specific ways. They don’t want hand wringing and empty words of sympathy – they want our action – now more urgently than ever.
They have called on us to: pray; to inform ourselves about the history and the current reality of the situation; to urge our politicians to take economic action as the most effective non violent way of achieving an immediate ceasefire leading to rebuilding life in Gaza, an end to the Occupation of the West Bank, and an end to the discriminatory laws in Israel, thus opening the way to a Just Peace, and when the violence subsides to come and see, meeting with their communities during any visit to the Holy Land
I have outlined below some very practical ways that we can respond to the longstanding call of Palestinian Christians. No-one can do all these things but everyone can pray and do at least one other action
Prayer
- Organise monthly prayer in parishes
Resources could be supplied for last Saturday of the month:
email patdev48@btinternet.com
Stay informed and Hear other Voices from the heart of the conflict
- Get regular updates on the situation in the West Bank
- Personal Stories and visions of a different future from:
- · Reports & Statistics from Israeli information centre for Human Rights
Take Action
Show solidarity:
- Organise silent vigils outside your Church, at your MPs office or in any other prominent local place
- Join major rallies in Newcastle or London info at https://www.facebook.com/newcastlepsc/ Although organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign , you will find small numbers of Jewish people at these rallies and the there is a strict ban on anti-Semitic content or activity
Lobby
Email your MP asking them to support
- An immediate ceasefire as a prelude to inclusive negotiations leading to a just peace
- An arms embargo on Israel (because of its systematic violations of international law, including the disproportionate use of force against civilians)
- A ban on importing goods from illegal Israeli Settlements
Boycott : Particularly important given the current army supported surge in Israeli Settler violence in the West Bank
- Companies who manufacture goods in or support Illegal Israeli Settlement eg Motorola; Keter (plastic garden stores),
Companies profiting from the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories· eg Hewlett Packard (supply security systems for checkpoints, prisons) For further info: email patdev48@btinternet.com
Donate to:
Medical Aid for Palestine whose aid is particularly invaluable in Gaza https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donate
Hebron International Resource Network https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/7827#/DonationDetails
Helping communities stay on their land, education+livelihoods.
Currently responding in the West Bank to massive increase in demolitions, loss of livelihood and inability to pay higher education fees, and the plight of Gazan workers expelled from Israel but unable to return to Gaza
Come & See
This will be so important when the violence subsides
Pilgrimages: Let’s ensure all our diocesan pilgrimages include encounters with Palestinian Christians – the Living Stones Through Sabeel Palestinian centre for Liberation theology https://sabeel.org Or Kairos Palestine https://www.kairospalestine.ps/ or Pax Christi(see below)
Encounter & awareness visits:
SAVE THE DATE…On Thursday 27th June, we will be holding our next Evening Open Meeting, where we will be discussing the war in Gaza, and Pat Devlin will speaking. More details to follow nearer the time.
The Last Word…
On 4th March 2024, Sabeel wrote: – Last month, members of U.S. Congress received more than 500 olivewood hearts made and blessed in Bethlehem from the United Church of Christ. Each wooden heart represents one beating heart of the nearly 12,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza since October 7th.
The hearts were accompanied with a letter urging Congress to “raise your voice
for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land. True peace can only be achieved
through the pursuit of justice for all parties involved.”
● Prince of Peace, it has been over 150 days with no ceasefire. We come before
you bewildered that the Western world has not exercised their power to stop the loss
of so many lives, loss which will damage generations to come.
Lord, bring an immediate ceasefire and give us courage and wisdom to pursue
a just peace in our land.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer
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Welcome to March’s In The Loop!
Whilst Spring is still on its way, we’re here with lots of exciting events news to tide you over until the warmer weather! We’ve got our AGM coming up in April where members can stand and vote in General Council elections, plus we’re super stoked to announce our National Gathering Theology Day in June! Plans for that are shaping up, so stay tuned for more info… Our Bonhoeffer trip is also back this summer, but it’s now the Bonhoeffer European Pilgrimage! Join us to take in the wonders of Cologne, Berlin, Brussels, and Coventry and explore reconciliation work across Europe.
Lent is also well under way, and we’ve been exploring what it means to meet Jesus again for the first time. Through blogs, prayers, and reflections, we’re inviting you to take part in a lenten journey of rediscovery with us. Check out our blogs section this month for our first three Lent blogs, including an intro to the series from William, and stories of meeting Jesus through queering the BIble, and psychoanalysis, from our members!
As ever, read on to find out what we’ve been up to and what’s coming up in the world of SCM!
From all of us,
Grace and peace. |
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AGM – save the date!
Our 2024 AGM will be held on Teams on 22nd April at 7pm. Members will have the chance to shape the future of the movement by voting on any proposals to the AGM and by electing our General Council (GC), SCM’s student-led decision making body. More details about standing for GC will be released soon, but you can book onto the meeting now if you’re a member, or eligible for membership!
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National Gathering Theology Day
Our first National Gathering Theology Day will be happening on Saturday June 22nd at St Pancras Church in London! We’ll be gathering to explore inner peace and outer pacifism, and what this means in light of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. We are approaching lots of exciting speakers and plans are well underway, and we’d love it if you could join us. More details will be released soon, so watch this space!
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Berlin Trip 2024
Our Bonhoeffer trip is back and this time, it’s a pilgrimage. Not content to simply explore Bonhoeffer’s links in Berlin, the pilgrimage will start in Coventry and stop over in Cologne before reaching Berlin. There will also be a night in Brussels on the way back. Bookings are only open for a few of weeks, so secure your place now!
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March 14th: Uni Mental Health Day
We want students in our Universities to thrive, to be empowered to grow in themselves, and to live life to the full. A few years ago, we teamed up with Space to Breathe to create a practical mental health guide for students to help them do just that! Download your free copy today.
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Not Equal Yet Conference
Join the Not Equal Yet Conference this April, where they will address the urgent need to end discrimination against women in the CofE You can expect thought-provoking discussions and practical strategies, exploring ways to create a more loving community of belonging for all, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation.
This live event is sponsored by WATCH (Women And The Church) who believe that God’s love knows no boundaries, and discrimination has no place in our faith. Don’t miss out on this important event as we work together towards building a more inclusive future! Even better, Not Equal Yet is free to all students!
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The Gathering in Oxford is a space provided by New Road Baptist Church for Students and others to explore big questions of faith in an inclusive environment. So if that’s not a massive cross over with SCM, we don’t know what is! Our very own Revd Naomi Nixon was lucky enough to be invited to go there to speak last Sunday and the welcome was wonderful. Students from three different SCM groups showed up and they reconnected with tales of last year’s Berlin trip and the hopes for this year’s National Gathering. Naomi talked about Revelation, the new heaven and the new earth and the discussions afterwards were lively and warm, as was the delicious food which older people from the congregation had prepared. Naomi came home buzzing from the joy of being with members old and new and God being in the midst of us.
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Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time
“For many of us, our understanding of who Jesus was and is for us today develops and changes throughout our lives. And for those of us who call ourselves Christian, there is often a moment to which we can point where we rediscover Jesus for ourselves.” Read: Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by William Gibson |
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The Gospels are Queer
“Reading the story of Jesus through a queer lens and exploring the possibility of seeing me and my experience reflected back in millennia-old sacred text is what has returned my faith back to me.” Read: The Gospels are Queer |
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Meeting Jesus in Psychoanalysis
“I didn’t expect to meet with Jesus here. Indeed, I was very anxious that it was a profoundly un-Christian thing to do.” Read: Meeting Jesus in Psychoalanysis |
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We love hearing what you’re up to as part of the movement. Please feel free to drop us a message using any of the links below to let us know what’s happening in the movement where you are! #StoriesFromTheMovement |
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NW NJPN E BULLETIN MARCH 2024
The NW NJPN E BULLETIN MARCH 2024 has a range of topical issues plus resources for Lent and a packed diary of events throughout the region and nationwide. The recent NJPN Zoom meeting on climate change leads this month’s bulletin with two articles from those present. You can read another report from Marian Thompson who edits MouthPeace for the NW (link on page 14). There’s a short drama on the story of the Good Samaritan which can be used for school or youth groups – feel free to adapt if you wish (thanks to Sister Philomena Grimley SHCJ from Blackpool for providing this). I was especially moved by the story of the Birds of Gaza (page 3) from Dr Philip Crispin which I first read on Independent Catholic News and also the heartfelt BAFTA Fellowship acceptance speech from actor Samantha Morton (page 10) as she speaks from her personal experience of growing up in care.
Please read and pass on.
Best wishes
Anne O’Connor
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin March 2024
In this copy there is a report on the NJPN open meeting on the theme ‘Live or let die’ . There are reports from Pax Christi and also several articles and events about environmental issues, plus reports from Lancashire Churches Together and Citizens UK about Voter Registration in preparation for the election.
Thank you
Marian
URGENT PETITION TO MICHAEL GOVE
NJPN supporter James Buchanan has asked if we can support this appeal.
“Michael Gove: Keep your pledge on Inter Faith Network Funding!”
Sign and share petition until 29 February – Petition hand-in: Monday 26 February
In recent weeks, Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Communities) announced his decision to withdraw £155,000 of funding to Inter Faith Network (IFN) already offered in July 2023, following the appointment of an IFN Trustee who is a former Assistant Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
John Woodhouse (interfaith supporter and Catholic campaigner) has set up a change.org petition calling on Michael Gove to reverse his decision and continue funding IFN, which has already been signed by 2,100+ people.
Please sign and share the petition to help us reach 3,000+ signatures by Monday:
https://www.change.org/p/urge-michael-gove-to-maintain-funding-for-the-interfaith-network-for-the-uk
In the House of Commons, MPs criticised Mr Gove’s decision as “extraordinarily stupid,” emphasising that interfaith dialogue is “more important than ever” at this time of increased antisemitism and Islamophobia. As a result of Mr Gove’s decision, Inter Faith Network is unfortunately set to close.
Last November, the Archbishop of Canterbury hosted an Inter Faith Week event (an initiative of IFN) at Lambeth Palace, which was attended by King Charles III, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and 30 other faith leaders.
NJPN welcomes this opportunity to support this appeal. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales is a member of IFN and the RC Bishop of Nottingham has expressed his concerns. Please sign and share the petition now.
Anne Peacey, NJPN Chair
NW NJPN E BULLETIN for February
A packed NW NJPN E BULLETIN for February with articles and resources for Lent inside the bulletin and also attached below. Please feel free to make use of these and pass on to others.
Thanks to Bernadette Bailey in Macclesfield for an excellent Live Simply Lent Calendar (attached in online and print format)
Wishing you all the blessings of the season.
Anne O’Connor
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin February 2024
Stations of the Cross
Livesimply Lent Calendar_2024_on line version
Livesimply Lent Calendar_2024_print version
Pope Francis endorses Earth4All
Chris Myers, Environment lead in the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Justice and Peace Co-ordinating Council and member of the Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Environmental Group has put together this briefing based on the Earth for All project, which is endorsed by Pope Francis.
Click here to read – Pope Francis endorses Earth4All Project
NJPN Online Open Networking Meeting – “Live or Let Die” – Saturday 24th February 2024
Our next meeting:
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Our next meeting will take place online, on Zoom, from 10:00 am – 2:45 pm, Saturday 24th February 2024,
The meeting title is “Live or Let Die – A Call to Care for the earth (from Pope Francis’ Laudate Deum)”
For more details, and to receive the link for the Zoom meeting, please contact NJPN’s Administrator Sharon Chambers on admin@justice-and-peace.org.uk
Click below to download the meeting poster;
Meeting Flier