January/February 2008

March 6th, 2008

Editorial Peace Sunday, with the Pope’s message of “The Human Family, a Community of Peace” has passed. Hopefully your parish

Editorial Peace Sunday, with the Pope’s message of “The Human Family, a Community of Peace” has passed. Hopefully your parish made some reference to it. In is message the Pope wrote: “The countries of the industrially developed world profit immensely from the sale of arms. While the ruling oligarchies in many poor countries wish to reinforce their stronghold by acquiring ever more sophisticated weaponry. In difficult times like these, it is truly necessary for all persons of good will to come together to reach concrete agreements aimed at an effective demilitarization, especially in the area of nuclear arms. At a time when the process of nuclear non-proliferation is at a standstill, I feel bound to entreat those in authority to resume with greater determination negotiations for a progressive and mutually agreed dismantling of existing nuclear weapons.” We would do well to remind our government of their commitment to those negotiations. In this issue Barbara shares her thoughts at the beginning of a new year, and we have another Letter to the Editor from Gerry Danaher with a cogent argument for considering how the increasing world population is adding to the risks of conflict.

Poverty & Homelessness Action Week. 26 Jan – 3Feb 2008 asks: Are we deaf to the cry of the poor? Are we blind to their tears? Are we dumb when we should speak out on their behalf? A belated but no less sincere prayer that we will all have a happy and peaceful 2008. Chris Dove

Note: the views expresses in this newsletter do not necessarily coincide with those of the Commission

New Year Message from Barbara

At this time in January we have themes from Epiphany of light and stars alongside the darkness of the current outbreaks of violence in different parts of the world. Pakistan struggles to find the path to democracy and Kenya has become engulfed in tribal strife.

As we look forward to 2008 it makes our task even more urgent.

In 2007 we mourned the loss of one of our founder members – Fr. Tony Storey who was an inspiration to us all. In his memory we plan an annual ‘Anthony Storey Memorial lecture’ – the first of which will be held later this year in Hull.

The beginning of a New Year can be a time for change and renewal. I would again like to express our appreciation of the support offered by Bishop John during his time in Middlesbrough and we look forward to establishing a relationship with our new Bishop – Terence Drainey.

Within the Commission, as with many organisations, our challenge is to discover the most effective way to encourage, to raise awareness and to examine current issues which are central to our work. We continue to facilitate meetings which we hope will be of interest and will inspire others to get involved.

This month we welcome Alison Gelder – Chief Executive of Housing Justice to explore the Campaign: ‘Opening Doors, Opening Hearts’ – run jointly with Church Action on Poverty – to highlight the experiences of poverty and homelessness in Britain today. Other meetings during the year will focus on the environment (March) on nuclear issues with Bruce Kent (May); on the contribution to our society made by refugees and those seeking asylum in our communities (Sept); and on issues prioritised by young people in our youth forum (November). Our annual spirituality day in July will be in the form of a prayer walk in the Osmotherley area. The theme of Epiphany is encapsulated in the following – (from Wild Goose publications): ‘In the dark of the night, we have seen a strange sight Of a new star’s bright light – calling us to follow. Moving out each day on the unknown way…. From the old to the new, asking, looking, seeking.’ With all good wishes for 2008 Barbara.

About Homelessness Sunday Homelessness Sunday is an annual event which has been run by the Homelessness Sunday Partnership for over 15 years. It brings together thousands of churches drawing attention to the devastating effects of homelessness. Through prayer and reflection, Homelessness Sunday offers an opportunity to listen to what God has to say about homelessness, and to consider what action we are being called to take. Together, with faith, we can repair the hurt of homelessness and build both homes and lives. It is estimated that up to an extra three million homes will be needed in England in the next 20 years. In 2004, the Barker Review initiated by the Government indicated that house building was at its lowest since 1945 and recommended that between 70K and 120K new homes should be built each year to meet demand and bring down inflation. There are a number of factors contributing to this huge need for more houses: Under delivery of new homes In-migration of southern regions of UK People living longer and remaining in their own homes Growth of single households Second homes Little social housing being built House prices have risen significantly in most regions, making houses much less affordable for many people, especially for young adults and for locals in rural areas. The issues are considerable and affect nearly everyone. Source: Housing Justice

There are currently 87,124 homeless households trapped in temporary accommodation in England alone. This includes 125,429 children. Temporary accommodation has increased 108 per cent since 1997. In England, 526,000 households are overcrowded and 905,000 children live in overcrowded households. Almost one child in every 10 lives in overcrowded housing. In London, almost one child in three living in social housing lives in overcrowded conditions. Over 260,000 children in London live in overcrowded households. Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups are more than six times more likely than white households to be overcrowded. BME households account for nearly a third (32%) of overcrowded households.

Living in bad housing can ruin your health, education and future chances in life. Shelter’s own research has shown that children in unfit or overcrowded housing are almost a third more likely to suffer from respiratory problems, such as asthma and bronchitis, than other children.Children in unfit housing are more likely to attend Accident and Emergency than other children – one in four children living in unfit housing go to A&E in a year. Almost 310,000 children in bad housing in Britain are suffering long-term illness or disability. People who live in bad housing are almost twice as likely to suffer from poor health than people who don’t. Mothers living in bad housing are almost three times more likely to be clinically depressed – equivalent to more than 60,000 mothers in Britain.

In England, children in bad housing are twice as likely to leave school with no GCSEs. More than 40,000 young people aged 16-18 years living in bad housing in England have no GCSEs. Each year, more than 57,000 children living in bad housing in Britain are excluded from school. Children in bad housing are twice as likely to have been excluded from school. and twice as likely to be persistently bullied. During 10 years of Blair, less than half the number of social homes were built than during 10 years of Thatcher. The chronic lack of social housing across the country is at the root of the housing crisis. Not only have we not been building enough, but also the Right to Buy has removed millions of units that simply haven’t been replaced. There are 1,634,301 households on council house waiting lists – 60 per cent more than in 1997. Shelter predicts that council house waiting lists could soar to two million within three years. Source: Shelter

Letter to the Editor: With reference to the November/December 2007 newsletter item Cost of War, I think we have to keep it in mind that of the three conflicts causing over one million deaths since 1950, two – Cambodia and Rwanda – involved mainly knives, machetes, and other simple weapons, only the Iraq attack on Iran involved heavier weaponry. All three of these countries had rocketing populations – two of them, Iraq and Rwanda – still have. Providing effective family planning would be a much more certain way of preventing conflict than banning arm sales. Same goes for Afghanistan. “Population problems are of extreme importance…they have a vital bearing on world peace.” So wrote the future Pope Paul VI in 1953 in a letter to the Twenty-Sixth Italian Catholic Social Week. Most of the world agreed with this. Europe, Japan, China, most other countries in the Far East, and belatedly, most countries in Latin America have all acted to control their population growth. Slowly but surely prosperity and peace are spreading. In one region of the world population problems remain and world peace is threatened. This region is Africa and the Middle East to Pakistan. In 1950, according to the United Nations, the population of Africa plus the Middle East to Pakistan, leaving out Turkey, was 306 million. By 2000 the population was 1151 million. And by 2050, it is expected to be 2330 million. This unprecedented increase of 1000 million since 1950, with an estimated further 1000 million before 2050, inevitably causes widespread poverty and conflict, and world peace is threatened, as Mgr Montini predicted.

Unfortunately for this region and the world, this extremely important problem is virtually never discussed. The reasons for this semi-taboo can be found at my website www.gerrydanaher.com under The Consensus on Population. Cardinal Trujillo, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family writing in The Tablet of 8 April 2006 called upon us “to pay closer attention to the objective data given by the UN World Population Prospect.” Anyone concerned to bring prosperity and peace to Africa and the Middle East will become much more effective if they look up this data. It can be found at http://esa.un.org/unpp Dr Gerry Danaher Please …. If you find this newsletter of some use to you or your church perhaps you would consider sending a donation to the Treasurer: Nan Saeki 55 Moorgate York YO24 4HP. It would be very much appreciated.

Trident – a Theological approach A reflection by Dr Kenneth Greet, President Methodist Peace Fellowship Basic Facts: The British Trident Defence System consists of four nuclear submarines, each armed with 116 missiles. Each missile has between three and eight warheads. Each warhead has at least ten times the destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb that killed 100,000 people in 1945. One submarine is on station at all times ready for action. The system needs replacing between 2025 and 2030 but decisions need to be taken now because of the complex technicalities involved. The cost is presently estimated at between £25bn and £30 bn – enough to provide 120,000 newly qualified nurses every year for ten years. To replace or not is both a political and a moral question, but for the Christian it is also a theological question. Theology is essentially thinking about God and his purpose for the world. Church statements: The government called for an open debate and church leaders urged Christians to get involved in that debate. In his message for the Celebrations of World Peace Day [1 January 2006] Pope Benedict XVI described the policy of reliance on nuclear weapons as ‘not only baneful but completely fallacious,’ and called for ‘a progressive and concerted nuclear disarmament.’ In May 2006 the Church of Scotland and the Catholic and Episcopal Churches in Scotland signed a joint resolution:

“We urge the government of the United Kingdom not to invest in a replacement for the Trident system and to begin now the process of decommissioning these weapons with the intention of diverting the sums spent on nuclear weaponry to programmes of aid and development.”

In July 2006 a number of Anglican bishops wrote that ‘nuclear weapons challenge the very core of our faith.’ The historic peace churches – Brethren, Mennonites and Quakers – believe there is no ethical, practical or theological justification for nuclear weapons. Pacifist Christians in the other denominations take the same view. A number of church assemblies, including the Methodist Conference have registered their opposition to the replacement of Trident.

Legality, Morality and Practicality:

In 1996 the International Court of Justice re-affirmed the disarmament obligations of the nuclear states to undertake good-faith negotiations leading to ‘the cessation of the arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament’

[It is noteworthy that Article 6 obliges signatories to work towards the elimination of nuclear weapons. The US in particular is actively engaged in developing new nuclear weapons and has always blocked any attempt to press Israel to join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Ed.]

The traditional ‘just war’ doctrine has always been one of limitation. Modern methods of mechanized war and the use of weapons of almost unlimited destructive power could never be termed ‘just’ and it is beyond dispute that the traditional teaching of the church rules out the use of nuclear weapons. If it is wrong to do something it is also wrong to threaten to do it.

The deterrent value is fundamentally illogical. A weapon can only deter if it is recognized that it could be used. But if it were ever used it would not have deterred. The existence of nuclear weapons has not prevented wars for the past 50 years, nor has it prevented terrorist attacks – the main threat to our security today. The continued possession of nuclear weapons is an incentive to proliferation and the opposite to an aid to security.

[This is an edited version of Dr Greet’s paper]

Commission contacts

Barbara Hungin Chair 01642 784398

Sr Mary Walmsley CJ Secretary 01904 464919

Nan Saeki Treasurer 01904 783621

Chris Dove Editor 01947 825043

email: dove.whitby@phonecoop.coop

or 22 Blackburns Yard Whitby YO22 4DS

website:www.ayton.info/middlesbroughjp

A New Creed for a New Year

We believe in a community that opens its doors to people who flee war, hunger and poverty in search of a better life.

We believe in the power of love, not the power of violence.

We believe we are all called to share our lives so as to free each other from poverty, racism and oppression of all kinds.

We believe that the resources of the earth are to be shared among all people – not just the few.

We believe in a community that has as a priority a response to those who are denied basic human rights and dignity.

We reject a world where people are denied access to warmth, food, shelter and the right to live in peace.

We want to believe in justice, in goodness and in people.

We believe we are called to a life of freedom, of service, of witness, of hope.

We reject the idea that nothing can be done.

We believe that a time will come when all people will share in the richness of our world, and that all people will be truly loved and respected.

We commit ourselves in the name of God who created the world for all to share, of Christ who leads us to freedom, and of the Spirit who calls us to action.

Today we commit ourselves to work together to make this belief a reality.

Source: CAFOD from Entertaining Angels compiled by Geoffrey Duncan and published by Canterbury Press.