Pax Christi day of fasting & prayer for peace in Middle East & North Africa

This Friday, 2 October, International Day of Nonviolence, Pax Christi, the international Catholic movement for peace will be holding an 8-hour vigil of prayer and fasting at Downing Street, London calling on the British government to stop its involvement in the global arms trade as a concrete way of supporting the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa.

Pax Christi undertook a similar action last year, inviting members and supporters around the country to take a twenty-four hour period for prayer and fasting during the week 28 September - 3 October. Pax Christi hope that this simple gesture will be a small act of solidarity with those who are refugees as a result of war. Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi said, unless we make clear the link between our involvement in the global arms trade and the displacement of people through war and conflict we fail to get to the root of the problem. Only last month London hosted the largest arms fair in the world at a time when we were seeing thousands fleeing violence and Syria and beyond. Pope Francis too is clear on this. Speaking to the US Congress last week he said clearly: Stop the arms trade"

Pax Christ have been writing to the Government for some years now about the situation in Syria and Palestine & Israel, looking for diplomatic sustained solutions to the years of injustice faced by people in these regions. In preparation for their fast on 2nd October they have written again to Mr David Cameron to review the UK Government's arms exports to the Middle East and North Africa.

Those who wish to join the vigil for any length of time will find Pax Christi on Whitehall, near Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street from 10am to 5pm. A number of members and parishes have pledged support through prayer and fasting on the same day.

Pax Christi have produced prayer resource materials for local use. See: http://paxchristi.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Prayer-Fasting-Middle-EAst-and-North-Africa-pdf.pdf