Eight local churches and URC Synod of Yorkshire join Easter Declaration for Fossil Free Churches

All Hallows Leeds - photo Deirdre Duff

Operation Noah has announced today that eight local churches and the United Reformed Church Synod of Yorkshire have made divestment commitments as part of the Easter Declaration for Fossil Free Churches.

The Easter Declaration highlights 'the urgency of the need to shift from fossil fuels to clean alternatives and ensure a brighter, cleaner future for all' and the desire of the churches 'for our investments to be a sign of hope, contributing to the flourishing of God's creation, both now and for generations to come'.

These churches join a global divestment movement of more than 1,000 institutions with $8.7 trillion (£6.7 trillion) of assets under management, including the World Council of Churches, the Church of Sweden, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and the Church of Ireland.

The churches making divestment commitments as part of the Easter Declaration are All Hallows' Church, Hyde Park, Leeds (Church of England); St Hilda's Church, Ashford, Middlesex (Church of England); St John the Evangelist, Upper St Leonards (Church of England); St Peter's Church, Maney, Sutton Coldfield (Church of England); St Stephen with St Julian, St Albans (Church of England); Bush Hill Park URC, Enfield (United Reformed Church); Tavistock URC (United Reformed Church); The Vines Church, Rochester (United Reformed Church); and the United Reformed Church Synod of Yorkshire.

The URC Synod of Yorkshire has become the second of 13 United Reformed Church Synods to divest from fossil fuels, after the URC Synod of Scotland made a divestment commitment in 2015. It decided to make the move as the United Reformed Church prepares to debate divestment from fossil fuels at a national level in May.

The decision of All Hallows' Church in Leeds to divest was prompted by children, who brought prayers to a standstill as they urged the church to stop investing in fossil fuels. The children, who were supported by the church's environmental group, burst into the church building as a Palm Sunday service was underway, took over the church's sound system and proceeded to educate the congregation about the fossil fuel industry's role in driving the climate change crisis. Prayers were prevented from being resumed until a vote was forced on the issue, after which the congregation voted overwhelmingly in favour of ending investment in gas, oil and coal companies.

While most UK Churches have made commitments to divest from coal and tar sands, many continue to invest millions of pounds in oil and gas companies. The Church of England currently invests more than £120 million in major oil companies including BP, Shell and ExxonMobil.

The Church of England is coming under increasing pressure to divest from ExxonMobil, after the company blocked a resolution on climate change sponsored by the Church Commissioners from being considered at its 2019 AGM.

Last month, the Guardian reported that the five largest publicly listed oil and gas companies are spending nearly $200 million (£153 million) a year lobbying to delay, control or block policies to tackle climate change.

The next joint announcement, which Churches of all denominations are invited to join, will be a global divestment announcement for faith institutions in September 2019.

Rev Kevin Watson, Moderator of Yorkshire Synod for the United Reformed Church, said: "We have decided to divest from fossil fuels in response to the growing climate crisis. We are very concerned that fossil fuel companies are exploring for new reserves when we need to do all we can to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future. The time to act is now."

The vicar of All Hallows' Church in Leeds, Rev Heston Groenewald, said: "Fossil fuel companies are driving the climate crisis. As Christians we can't stand by and let this happen. It's time to say no. It's time to go fossil free. I am therefore delighted to announce that All Hallows' is ending all investment in gas, oil and coal companies.'

Paul Magnall, church warden at All Hallows' Church in Leeds, said: 'Children have led us in identifying the fossil fuel industry as the chief villain in the climate crisis. Young people everywhere are standing up against fossil fuel companies. I am delighted that our church is standing with them. The fossil fuel industry has obstructed climate action for decades with its lobbying and arm bending of politicians."

The rector of St John the Evangelist in Upper St Leonards, Rev David Hill, said: "At St John's we are trying to save the world in both senses."

James Buchanan, who works for Christian climate charity Operation Noah on the Bright Now divestment campaign, said: "We would like to thank all of the churches involved for taking this prophetic step, and we hope many other churches across the UK will join them. It is time for investors concerned about climate change to get out of the problem and into the solution by divesting from fossil fuels and increasing investments in renewable energy and clean technologies."

The full text of the Easter Declaration for Fossil Free Churches follows:

As we celebrate the joy of the risen Christ this Easter, we the undersigned wish for our investments to be a sign of hope, contributing to the flourishing of God's creation, both now and for generations to come.

We support the campaign for fossil free Churches and, conscious of the impact of climate change on our sisters and brothers around the world - especially those living in poverty - we recognise the urgency of the need to shift from fossil fuels to clean alternatives and ensure a brighter, cleaner future for all.

Our church/Christian organisation therefore commits to divest any existing fossil fuel investments within the next five years (for churches with existing fossil fuel investments) and pledges not to invest in fossil fuels in the future.

While no Catholic diocese in England, Wales or Scotland hassigned up to the Easter Declaration yet, many other Catholic initiatives are underway. 20 out of 22 Catholic dioceses have switched to green energy and several religious orders, including the Passionists and Columbans have divested or are in the process of divesting from fossil fuels. In February this year, 65 representatives from more than 20 Catholic religious communities attended a conference hosted by Mount Street Jesuit Centre in London entitled: 'Fossil fuel divestment for a zero-carbon future: A conference for religious'. See a report James Buchanan and videos of speeches by Fr Martin Poulson SDB, Dr Lorna Gold, and Sister Shelia Kinsey FCjM here: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/36605

Last week Bishop John Arnold announced the launch of the Laudato Si environmental centre in his diocese of Salford. See: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/36941

For more information on Operation Noah see: http://operationnoah.org/

Read about CAFOD's energy switch campaign here: https://cafod.org.uk/News/UK-news/Diocesan-energy-switch