Mass lobby of Parliament ‘for people, for climate, for nature’

More than a hundred organisations and thousands of their supporters are expected to attend a mass lobby of parliament next week

More than a hundred organisations and thousands of their supporters are expected to attend a mass lobby of parliament on Wednesday 9 July, calling for leadership from the UK government to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises. Cafod, Jesuit Missions, Columbans and FCJ Sisters are among the Catholic groups involved. All are part of The Climate Coalition.

Lobbyists will urge MPs to take action on issues around people, climate and nature with meetings planned at two venues in the Westminster area. MPs will be asked about delivering vital funding to communities hit hardest by climate change, tackling the global debt crisis, securing a greener and fairer future for UK citizens and restoring nature. The family-friendly event includes a prayer vigil outside Parliament, stalls from organisations in the Climate Coalition at Westminster’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Cafod-led activities.

Bishop John Arnold, lead bishop for the environment for England and Wales, will be there for the day and is scheduled to celebrate the 5.30pm Mass in Westminster Cathedral. Bishop Peter Brignall of Wrexham and Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton are the latest signatories to the “Cancel Debt, Choose Hope” Cafod debt petition. Parishes organising petition signing over the last two weeks include St Mary in Woolton Village, Liverpool, and St Anne’s in Wrexham with 2025 being a Jubilee year, with Bible-based calls for debt cancellation to restore justice and human dignity.

Kenyan Fr Charlie Chilufya SJ, coordinator of the Jubilee Coalition for debt cancellation in Africa and who works for the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar as director of the Justice and Ecology Office, will be with Cafod at the lobby. He will speak about the devastating impact of debt and climate crisis is having in Kenya and affirm the solidarity that people in the UK are showing.

In a collaborative programme between the Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology Team and the London FCJ Centre for Spirituality and Ecojustice, five schools in Birmingham archdiocese and one in Liverpool archdiocese are sending sixth form delegates to the lobby. They are Bishop Ullathorne and Cardinal Newman in Coventry, Archbishop Illsley and St Thomas Aquinas in Birmingham, St Peters in Solihull and Bellerive in Liverpool.

Links

Register for lobby here. Travel subsidies are available. Email campaigns@cafod.org.uk. Cafod Petition on Debt here.

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