NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005

November 1st, 2005

The Diocesan Study Day at Ampleforth on 22nd October went well and some 85 people attended, coming from 30 parishes. We saw people who have never been to Commission events and hope it may lead them to want more from us. Especially encouraging was the attendance of

EDITORIAL The Diocesan Study Day at Ampleforth on 22nd October went well and some 85 people attended, coming from 30 parishes. We saw people who have never been to Commission events and hope it may lead them to want more from us. Especially encouraging was the attendance of many young people. In this issue we cover several issues. The problems of climate change have been debated for some time. In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Stan we can see the horrific scale of the losses and damage that have been caused. It is hard to see how there can be any doubt that we are dangerously close to leaving our grandchildren a seriously damaged planet. Operation Noah and EBICo show us what we can all do to make a difference. The Diocesan Ethical Investment Policy gives concern for the environment a high priority, and it is good to report that there is more movement towards the implementation of the Policy. Torture is a nasty business. It never serves justice. We need to be vigilant when it seems that this country is involved. Amnesty International invites our compassionate concern for victims of human rights violations and those who defend them through the Greetings Card Campaign. Peace Sunday 2006 is on January 15. The Pope’s message is “In truth there is peace.” It is usual for a collection to be taken for the work of Pax Christi at that Mass. And finally, as this will be the last Newsletter for 2005, may I wish all our readers a Happy Christmas and Peace in the New Year. Chris Dove

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

CLIMATE CHANGE Nightmare or Dream? The world’s climate is changing and the poorest suffer most. The negative effects on poor communities include food and water insecurity, ill health, social and political instability and economic decline.

The nightmare Malaria becomes endemic in the UK as early as 2015. (NHS) Beech woods die out on the South Downs of England by 2030. (Woodland Trust) 150 million environmental refugees by 2050. (Climate Institute, Washington) Over a quarter of all species die out by 2050. (Nature) Total cost of damage from climate change exceeds worldwide Gross Domestic Product by 2065. (CGNU reinsurance company)

The dream Ultimately, climate change is a spiritual crisis. It is being driven by the global economy’s reliance on fossil fuels. This in turn is driven by the same materialism and indifference which insulate people from their need of God, and from the plight of the vulnerable and future generations. Climate change presents the church with an urgent and vital mission. Operation Noah, the Churches’ Climate Change Campaign, urges individuals, parishes and church organisations to sign a Climate Covenant: “World leaders must act to avert dangerous climate change, and give everyone fair access to energy in a world economy. • We ask the government to lead negotiations. • We will take action personally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The UK government must implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution – by 2050, fossil fuel emissions to be cut by 60% or even more, and significant investment in renewable energy. Personal lifestyle actions include things such as: eating more plant-based local food; cutting out unnecessary use of cars and inessential air travel; planting new trees; fitting energy saving light bulbs and turning off unnecessary lights; showering rather than bathing. For Operation Noah leaflets and information call 01949 861516 or see www.christian-ecology.org.uk Source: Vocation for Justice Spring 2005

Global warming If recent indications are correct that not just the ice caps but the permafrost in Siberia is thawing, which would itself then generate further emissions of natural greenhouse gases, we may then be launched on an unstoppable downward spiral. If that were so, large parts of the world would be subject to unpredictable storms, flooding and temperature changes. We have seen what hurricanes Katrina and Rita have done. Source: Guardian Weekly 16-22 Sept.

EQUICLIMATE We have written before of the Equigas and Equipower offers to provide power using the most environmentally sound sources. The company behind both, EBICo, has launched a new service which allows households to offset the greenhouse gas they produce. Carbon dioxide is the principle cause of climate change and, using Equiclimate, householders can counteract the CO2 that comes from their home energy use.

The idea behind Equiclimate is simple, but original. Householders choose how much of their CO2 ‘footprint’ on the environment they want to counteract. EBICo then enters the EU market for CO2 Allowances – set up as part of the Kyoto commitment – and purchases this amount. EBICo holds onto these allowances, so that they are permanently removed from circulation. As a result, the major producers of CO2 in Europe have fewer Allowances and, so, must produce less CO2 – offsetting the emissions from the Equiclimate customer’s home.

It is simple to see how much it would cost you to join this scheme – just follow the links on their website: www.ebico.co.uk

Ethical Investment group: Report for 2005 A Diocesan Ethical Policy (The Policy) was agreed in December 2000. This listed two categories of investments; those which the diocese should not hold and those in which the diocese should invest. The bulk of the diocesan holdings were in investment trusts which allowed no discretion to the diocese, so there was a problem. An ethical audit of diocesan holdings in April 2003 showed that many (most) did not comply with The Policy. In December 2004 the Trustees accepted that it would be necessary to move from Trust funds and into individual stocks. At that meeting we asked for a report to show what progress has been made since 2000 to bring investments into line with the Policy and at the latest meeting, in October 2005, it was reported that 33% of managed funds have now been sold out of holdings, as at 2000, of £800,000. So it is pleasing to report that, over a period of about five years, nearly a third of the equities portfolio has been reinvested to comply with The Policy. But that still leaves 66% invested in funds that do not comply. Hopefully by next year there will be more progress to report. Chris Dove

Commission contacts Barbara Hungin Chair 01642 784398 Sr Mary Walmsley CJ Secretary 01904 464917 Nan Saeki Treasurer 01904 783621 Chris Dove Editor 01947 825043 email: dove.whitby@ukgateway.net or 22 Blackburns Yard Whitby YO22 4DS website:www.ayton.info/middlesbroughjp

“Give to God what is God’s.” “What is God’s? What belongs to God that we give back to God? Not church buildings like this, beautiful as it is. We give back to God our living worship. We gather here in this building so we can give God our praise, our love, our joy. We give back to God what is God’s and all of creation is God. All of creation belongs to God. So we are stewards of that creation. We should be giving back to God a planet that is made as beautiful as possible instead of being exploited and destroyed in so many ways. But most of all what is God’s is every human person. Every human person belongs to God and what God wants from us is that we give back to God human persons in the fullness of their personhood. Being full human persons. We live in a world where the vast majority of people on this planet cannot become full human persons because they are in absolute poverty. They don’t have what it takes to become a full human person: food, water, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education. They’re in absolute poverty. Because some of us have way more than we have a right to, they are deprived. They’re not able to be the full human persons that God calls them to be. In 1986 the Catholic bishops of the United States published a pastoral letter on the U.S. economy. It caught a lot of attention because it was sort of radical. You might not believe that it is possible for bishops to be radical but this time they were. In that letter -when we were examining the U.S. economy and the effect it was having, and who it was benefitting and who it wasn’t, and where the money was going and that sort of thing – the bishops suggested that every time we make a decision within the church, in a parish, in a diocese, or for the whole Church, we should ask ourselves three questions:

• What will this do to the poor? • What will this do for the poor? • And, how do the poor participate?”

Part of the homily of Thomas Gumbleton, Auxiliary Bishop, Detroit, for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Source: NCROnline

Where would you draw the line? “We operate within the law and we send people to countries where they say they’re not going to torture the people.” President George W Bush.

The US intelligence have a term “extraordinary rendition” – the apprehension of a suspect who is not placed on trial, or flown to Guantanamo, but taken to a country where torture is common. These suspects are denied legal representation and their detention is concealed from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The most common destination is Egypt, but there is evidence of detainees also being flown to Jordan, Morocco, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Syria.

The CIA’s renditions programme uses UK airports, according to information available from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Aircraft involved in the operations have flown into the UK many times since 9/11. They have used 19 British airports and RAF bases, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Luton, Bournemouth and Belfast, but the favourite destination is Prestwick, used 75 times. A number of European countries have barred the CIA from making unauthorised flights. The Foreign Office have denied any knowledge of the use of UK airports during renditions. Source: Guardian Weekly 16-22 Sept.

On the verge of humanity “Torture has been widely construed as medieval; however, it never went away, and is now increasingly being recognised as a problem of our time. In some circles it has gained a certain respectability, on the notion of the “ticking bomb”; in other words, when an immense crime is imminent, people may legitimately be tortured to find out about it. But this theory rests on the following assumptions (among others): • That it can be reliably known when a dangerous event is imminent: recent history indicates that this is not so. • That torture is a reliable method of gathering information: it is not. • That any information elicited can be acted upon decisively: this is debatable. • That someone innocent of a crime is a legitimate subject for torture: the subject, by definition is innocent, since the crime has not yet been committed. • That people will not seek to avenge torture. • That, under similar circumstances, those who advocate the theory would be happy to be tortured.” Dr Athar Yawar of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture Source: The Supporter (Medical Foundation) October 2005

Send a card for Christmas Once a year, between November 1 and January 31, Amnesty International UK asks supporters to send cards with messages of hope and solidarity to victims of human rights violations and those who defend them. People featured include: prisoners of conscience, those under sentence of death, and human rights defenders under threat because of their work.

Amnesty International’s annual Greetings Card Campaign (GCC) [not Christmas Cards as many prisoners are not Christians] generates enormous concern for people whose rights have been abused. It is easy to join in and parishes have found it a good way to highlight the plight of prisoners of conscience. There are two benefits. Over the several years during which the campaign has been in operation, prisoners and their families have testified to the improvement in their situation. The holding authorities realise that their conduct is public knowledge and that they must be careful. The prisoners and their families realise that they are not on their own and that they are supported by the prayers and concern of thousands of people outside the prison walls. AI will send all the material needed: this will include an introductory leaflet with everything you need to know; details of six cases, what the campaign is about, what to write in the cards, frequently asked questions and updates on many cases featured in GCC 2004. Further information is available at: www.amnesty.org.uk/gcc/2005

Did you know? 10 of the hottest years on record have occurred since 1990. 10 species of wild flower are believed to be disappearing from each county in Britain every year. 97% of our flower-rich lowland grasslands have disappeared since 1930. There has been a 50% fall in the population of birds living in agricultural fields since 1970. 50cms is the average distance between pieces of litter on UK beaches. Levels of rubbish on beaches have increased 82% in a decade. 434 million tons of waste is produced in Britain each year – enough to fill the Albert Hall every two hours. 97 million passengers flew between the UK and the rest of Europe in 2003 – almost double the 51 million in 1993. Source: Leeds Justice & Peace News August 2004

Solidarity Fair trade is different from other kinds of shopping because it is linked directly with the producer – small scale farmer or craft worker – promoting the well-being of marginalised Third World workers. So the relationship is one of partnership and co-operation rather than exploitation.

Fair trade in Britain and on the Continent from the 1960s onwards has originated from two main strands: a) from church groups recognising that the welfare of poor and oppressed people was a matter which concerned them as an expression of their faith. b) from secular groups wanting to identify with and support downtrodden peoples’ struggles for a better life – especially in countries like Nicaragua, Cuba, Mozambique, Tanzania where the political odds were stacked against them. A recent product in this category is Zapatista ground coffee from the rebel area of South Mexico – an area not under the control of the pro-US government but run by consensus through indigenous village councils covering health, education and law-making, as well as the coffee co-operatives.

News Items 50% of people in the UK now recognise the Fairtrade mark and there are over 900 products available in this country. The UK is the largest market in the world for Fairtrade Marked Products. Almost 30% of ground coffee in the UK is now Fairtrade. Copmanthorpe Methodist Church has become the 1000th Fairtrade Church! Source: Fairer World News 84 Gillygate York. [If you are ever in York, a visit to Charlie Bridge’s Fairer World shop will show you an enormous range of Fairtrade goods – well worth the walk. Chris]

Climate change

“The world is charged with the grandeur of God” How often have I read this poem? “Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth” How often have I said this prayer? But now I fall silent, facing cold reality. I was going to plant saplings, one for each of my grandchildren, so that after I am gone they could walk under beautiful trees. But instead I have to leave them a legacy of doom, a planet devastated, unimagined suffering because my heedless generation will not listen, instead rushing headlong to destroy the world we know. Lord, hear our cry. Anthea Dove