On Easter Sunday Pope Francis urged us to marvel at the immovable stone rolled away from Jesus’ empty tomb, revealing a new path – ‘the path of life in the midst of death, the path of peace in the midst of war, the path of reconciliation in the midst of hatred, the path of fraternity in the midst of hostility.’ (Urbi et Orbi).
The damage of war, experienced overwhelmingly by the vulnerable, is heartbreaking. Pope Francis consistently observes that ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ belong together. It is time to recognise the damage of war visited upon the earth is heartbreaking too. Everything is connected.
Pax Christi UK, member of the international Catholic movement for peace, notes
Total core military spending for 2021 to 2025 is planned to be £201.6bn
Total spending on reducing the UK’s carbon emissions over the same period is planned to be £27.7bn.
For every £1 spent on the Net Zero Strategy, we will spend £7.30 on the military.
An immovable stone?
This April a year-long effort is being launched to encourage individuals and faith organisations to use their financial resources for Life on Earth: Below is a suggested item for church newsletters, taken from the Just Money movement website. https://justmoney.org.uk
The Big Bank Switch: putting faith into greener banking
‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’
Switching to a green bank is one of the most impactful climate actions you can take. Banks wield a huge amount of power and shape the world around us.
If you are with HSBC, Barclays, Santander, NatWest, Chase, Lloyds or another big high street bank, it’s likely that your bank is providing support, through loans and investments, to companies involved in fossil fuel extraction and expansion; the driving cause of climate breakdown.
Since 2015, big banks have put over £4.4 trillion of financial support into the fossil fuel industry.
The good news is that greener, more ethical banks do exist, and it’s easy to make a switch.
This year The Big Bank Switch aims to equip thousands of Christians around the UK to care for God’s creation and align their money with their values by switching to green banks. By switching together, we signal support for a finance sector that puts people and planet first.
The Big Bank Switch is a partnership between three Christian organisations – JustLove, JustMoney and Operation Noah – working in partnership with Switch It Green, an innovative online platform which supports individuals to switch to greener financial providers.
Join in by taking The Big Bank Switch pledge and getting your church and community involved. Our first collective switching moment starts on Switch It Sunday (21 April 2024).
Find out more, make your pledge and get ready to switch: https://justmoney.org.uk/the-big-bank-switch/
Down to Earth:
An article on connection and hope by a Catholic priest from Kampala – ‘Caretaking, Community and Land in Uganda’. https://greenchristian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GC97-Caretaking-Community-and-Land-in-Uganda.pdf
As part of our Live Simply effort, and looking to protect our own patch of common home, St. Vincent’s parish Sheffield have signed up to Nature Recovery Sheffield. This is an initiative of Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trusts which supports people caring for growing spaces – whether a window box or a field. Many churches and schools are signed up. See https://www.wildsheffield.com/nr-toolkit/ for inspiration.
Advance notice:
Remember the No Mow May campaign and sit back and watch the grass grow, feeling virtuous rather than lazy. https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/
Laudato Si week 22-29th May – resources will become available soon on https://laudatosiweek.org/
