Southwark Cathedral: Prayer Vigil for COP26

John Kerry, former US secretary of State and current climate envoy to the UN, has called the 26th Convention of Parties (COP) "the last best chance the world has to come together in order to do the things we need to do to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis." The importance of this meeting was not lost on the three hundred and sixty pilgrims of all faiths who gathered at Southwark Cathedral to pray for the climate last Saturday.

This event followed a month of interfaith declarations and appeals, including one which was signed by the heads of the three largest Christian denominations: Catholic, Anglian and Orthodox cooperating on a document for the first time in history. It is clear that, as a People of Faith we are called to act, bear witness and pray for a level of care for creation unprecedented in the modern age. In answer to this call for action and prayer Southbank Churches Together and the Anglican Diocese of Southwark came together to invite all people of good will to become pilgrims, to walk or use public transport to travel to Southwark Cathedral for a service of prayer and action.

This call to pilgrimage was answered in spectacular style with people walking from all over London. Bishop Jonathan Clark and Archdeacon Rosemarie Mallett walked with a group of pilgrims from Croydon Minster, picking up more pilgrims from churches they passed on their way. From north of the river representatives of the Westminster Justice and Peace commission walked from Westminster Cathedral, and an interfaith group sang as they walked from the church of St John the Evangelist Waterloo. Other Churches on the edge of London who could not be reasonably expected to cover the many miles to the cathedral hoped to host smaller prayer vigils in their own churches, with St John's Redhill inviting all their neighbouring religious communities to join them in prayer.

Once these doughty pilgrims had reached the Cathedral, one group having covered nearly twenty miles, they were greeted with a series of workshops. These included a CAFOD prayer station connecting people with case studies and videos of those around the globe currently living through climate collapse. There was a very popular station for crafting and prayer from St Mary's Eco Church, based at Lambeth palace. People were encouraged to engage creatively and prayerfully by crafting bits of nature, leaves, herbs, shells, twigs etc into pieces of art inspired by Scripture readings which highlight God's closeness and love of creation. A Rocha and Christian Aid were also represented, with A Rocha encouraging churches to sign up for the Eco Church or Live Simply schemes to take practical steps to decarbonisation. Christian Aids Letters for Creation Scheme, which everyone was encouraged to engage with, was very popular with families and children present, and the resulting letters will be sent to negotiators at COP. Lastly there was an opportunity to spend time in the Cathedral Yard home to over a dozen species of trees, where Mike Mullins from St John's Waterloo encouraged us to relate to our trees, witnesses to decades and centuries of Southwark life, and a reminder of the longevity of God's Creation.

Finally, around three o'clock the pilgrims gathered for a liturgy, led by the Rev Vanessa Elston and the Rev Giles Goddard of Southwark Diocese who had helped organise the day. Ably assisted by the hauntingly beautiful singing of Samantha Lindo and bidding prayers from congregants of St Leonards Eco Church, the gathered pilgrims entered a time of reflection and prayer on creation and the upcoming negotiations.

The event was planned to be livestreamed, but a power cut effected a large section of Borough. A recording of the liturgy will soon be available on the Southwark Diocese Website, or from St John's Waterloo.

Jack Edwards is Diocesan Environmental Officer for the Diocese of Southwark.