NJPN Annual Conference to focus on sustainability

The National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN) has announced that its annual conference will take the theme: 'Sustainability? Survival or Shutdown'. Scheduled for 21-23 July in Derbyshire it will address issues crucial to the common good and the well-being of all creation, with a particular focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Echoing the words of Pope Francis in Laudato Si' that all issues are interconnected, as well as environment and especially the impact of climate change, we must consider the need for just and peaceful conflict resolution, economic justice, and stability.

The Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, CAFOD, Christians Aware and the Columban team for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation are on the organising group. Children and young people are welcome and have their own parallel programmes.

Last Saturday's online meeting of the NJPN looked at 'Cost of Living Crisis - Living or Existing'. Cardiff Diocese was among the dioceses responding locally with a fuel poverty campaign. Other dioceses represented included Arundel and Brighton, Birmingham, Brentwood, Cardiff, Clifton, Nottingham, Southwark and Westminster. Other groups present included Mill Hill Missionaries, Christians Aware, Catholic Association for Racial Justice and Pax Christi, who introduced their new Executive Director Andrew Jackson.

Detailed reports were heard from Hexham and Newcastle. Fr Chris Hughes, a priest of Hexham and Newcastle Diocese and active with Tyne and Wear Citizens, talked of the "current crisis", particularly the issue of in-work poverty. "We need to be attentive to the realities of people's lives," he said. The North-East has the highest levels of poverty in the country and around two-thirds of working-age adults in poverty live in a household where at least one adult is in work. He felt that paying the Living Wage is vital and called for every diocese and Catholic institution to do this, including payment to contractors.

He said: "out of 22 dioceses of England and Wales, only five are accredited Living Wage employers - Westminster, Brentwood, Birmingham, Hexham & Newcastle and Salford - and we want more accredited Living Wage employers in our dioceses."

He noted that most dioceses now have policies on the environment, but not on social justice and urged that a policy be developed and priority given to the Living Wage initiative.

Sara Bryson, Senior Community Organiser of Tyne and Wear Citizens, also deplored "wages being stagnant for a decade." She felt, "social mobility is non-existent; it's very hard to work your way out of poverty." She highlighted that 47% of under-fives live in poverty and felt a response "should be more than setting up warm hubs." She said: "let's focus more on Justice rather than Charity and let's get back to fighting the injustice rather than the charitable responses." Sara described it as "wonderful" to work with Hexham and Newcastle Diocese on various campaigns. The 'JUST CHANGE' campaign, for example, has helped pupils receiving Free School Meals to access unspent money, which can now be rolled over. The United Reformed Church is looking into whether churches could provide interest-free credit which might address the huge problem of families heavily in debt.

NJPN Chair Paul Southgate asked: "can we find champions of the Living Wage in our dioceses?" and "can we lobby our dioceses to have a policy on social justice?" NJPN supports the Living Wage Campaign.

Another speaker was Nalini Nathan of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice and General Secretary of the Conference of Religious, who gave a presentation, 'Ethnic minorities struggling to survive'. She highlighted that: "for ethnic minorites, the cost of living crisis might be considered as an equal added burden, in addition to unequal burdens." She reported that, 35.7% of ethnic minorities are likely to live in poverty compared with 17.2% of white people. Families from ethnic minorities are more likely to be homeless. She asked: What have you seen or heard in recent years about the UK government helping to reduce the poverty gap for ethnic minorities? What can you do to help change things?

LINKS

Booking for NJPN Conference 21-23 July 2023: www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/conference/

J&P resources for Lent, produced by Anne O'Connor: www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/resources/resources-for-lent-2023/