COP26 Blog 13: 'The Church must sing a song of hope at this time'

Coat of Hopes

When COP26 President Alok Sharma, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and UN Secretary General António Guterres stood for the two-minute silence at 11am on Armistice Day this morning, TV viewers had two minutes to contemplate the beautiful Earth Globe hanging above them.

I thought not only of the young soldiers who have died in war, but the millions of civilian lives and the environment destroyed by war. Did you know that eight million horses, donkeys and mules died in World War I? And I thought of climate change challenges that have no military solution. How can the military tackle problems facing people in the highlands of Papua New Guinea experiencing hotter temperatures and changing rainfall patterns who are increasingly prone to diseases spread by mosquitoes?

War, inequality, and climate change were issues picked up by a piece of drama today outside the front gates of the conference. Christian Climate Action displayed a large banner reading, 'Stop Climate Chaos Deaths' and below it was a line-up of seven 'dead' bodies covered with white sheets and labelled 'War', 'Famine', 'Pollution', 'Skin Cancer', 'Drought', 'Suicide', 'Floods'. The drama was to highlight that the climate crisis and associated issues are already having a profound impact on communities and ecosystems around the world.

The same group also took part in the Camino to COP and organised - particularly artist Barbara Keal - the wonderful 'Coat of Hopes' being worn the whole 500 miles from London to Glasgow. The patchwork garment was walked through Saturday's 'Global Day of Action' and conference delegates have been invited to put on the coat to feel the weight of responsibility of the hopes, fears and prayers of ordinary people across the UK and the world for the environment and vulnerable communities.

Sewn into the coat are more than 300 patches produced by local groups such as Columban lay missionaries in Birmingham and the Milton Keynes Mission partnership. In them you find grief for the loss of species, remembrances of landscapes irreversibly changed, prayers that hearts can expand to welcome those displaced by climate breakdown, and dreams of carefree joy in nature. The patch gallery on the Coat of Hopes website shows bees on flowers, birds feeding their young, and phrases like 'Protect our home', 'Waste is a design fault' and 'Save our children's future'.

The connection between issues and the importance of faiths demonstrating hope were highlighted last night during a webinar chaired by Bishop John Arnold, lead bishop on the environment for England and Wales. We heard theologian Dr Carmody Grey say that, "the Church must sing a song of hope at this time." She felt stories of Christians who have lived lives of radical hope, for example in the Amazon, should be remembered. These would inspire the Church to embark on a new moral journey, learning about ecological sin and ecological conversion. She felt that taking care of the future means action on justice, the environment and peace. She also called for creation to feature more centrally in Catholic liturgies and for better strategic and coordinated Church action which would challenge poor political leadership on ecological and social issues.

Asked to comment on where COP26 is at in its final few days, Dr Lorna Gold of the Laudato Si Movement felt, "we have been here before with promises that are not implemented" but she felt that faith activity outside the - "the People's Summit - has filled me with hope." One example she gave was the alignment of faith values to growing divestment from fossil fuels by faith groups.

Pope Francis wrote to the Catholics of Scotland several days ago, saying, "time is running out and this occasion must not be wasted." He underlined the responsibility to future generations. And young Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate told summit delegates this afternoon that "humanity will not be saved by promises, but by action" and "God help us all if you fail." Prayers and vigils continue in Glasgow tonight and further afield as COP26 enters its final day tomorrow.

LINKS

Coat of Hopes - www.coatofhopes.uk/

Catholics at COP26 - www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ95GYLF1aU

Vanessa Nakate speech at COP26 - www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuuOts3jL3I