Scotland: Catholic Church appoints new Social Justice Officer

Source: Bishops' Conference of Scotland

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland has announced the appointment of Anne Marie Clements as the new Catholic Social Teaching Engagement Officer for the National Justice and Peace Commission. Her remit will include: raising the profile of Justice & Peace in schools, parishes and dioceses/ She took up her post at the beginning of May 2023.

Commenting on her appointment Archbishop William Nolan, President of the Justice and Peace Commission said:

"I welcome Anne Marie Clements as our new Catholic Social Teaching Engagement Officer. Her enthusiasm and passion for Justice and Peace is infectious and I look forward to the good work she will do raising awareness of Catholic Social Teaching and encouraging involvement in Justice and Peace in our schools, in our parishes and in our Dioceses."

Reacting to her appointment, Anne Marie Clements said:

"I couldn't be happier about my new role at Justice & Peace Scotland. I was drawn to the post of Catholic Social Teaching Engagement Officer as it will give me the opportunity to highlight the connections between the human rights and social justice issues of today and our Catholic faith. This is something that I place great value on personally, inspired by Jesus' Gospel message of love."

Anne Marie is from the Diocese of Motherwell and is a member of the Executive Committee at Pax Christi Scotland. In 2021 she completed a 'Peace Advocacy Fellowship Programme' with The Balfour Project, a UK based charity advocating for equal rights for both Palestinians and Israelis in The Holy Land. In 2022 she graduated from the University of Glasgow with an MSc (Distinction) in Human Rights and International Politics. She has spent a number of years working in the charity & voluntary sector, including at a climate change project which included coordinating and delivering events in Glasgow during COP26 and with an organisation supporting and advocating for families impacted by imprisonment.

Link: www.justiceandpeacescotland.org.uk/