Christians interrupt BBC broadcast of Chichester Cathedral to protest fossil gas funding
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Spokespersons can be found upon request: christianclimateaction@gmail.com
At present, the twenty ninthThursday On November 1, a dozen Christians, together with members of the clergy, disrupted the 4pm Evensong service at Chichester Cathedral, which was broadcast reside on BBC Radio 3.
Christians, principally members of Christian Local weather Motion, stood up on the service and held indicators studying “Chichester Diocese Funds Local weather Chaos”. The group sang a easy penitential hymn. A proclamation was then learn and the group prayed.
Mary Smail was a member of the group who gave a brief assertion. She mentioned: “Eleven days in the past, Chichester Diocesan Synod voted to maintain the diocese's fossil gas investments regardless of the Church of England's nationwide funding authority deciding to promote – as a result of 'engagement has failed'. It’s shocking that Chichester selected this path, which the UN Secretary-Normal has described because the “freeway to local weather hell”. We protest this wanton irresponsibility and name on the diocese to reverse its determination.
Earlier this yr, the Church of England's Nationwide Funding Our bodies pledged to divest from fossil fuels following a vote at Normal Synod. The overwhelming majority of Church of England dioceses both don’t have any fossil gas investments or have voted to divest. At present, solely three Church of England dioceses – Southwell and Nottingham, Chichester and Peterborough – maintain these investments. On the 18Thursday In November 2023, the Diocese of Chichester voted to stay invested in fossil fuels.
The Rev Hilary Bond, an Anglican vicar, was a type of who interrupted the service. She mentioned: “As Christians, we comply with a God who’s primarily involved with justice, particularly for the poor. Lots of the poorer elements of the world are already struggling enormously from the consequences of local weather change led to by the continued use of fossil fuels within the richer elements of the world. By persevering with to put money into fossil fuels, the Diocese of Chichester ignores the cries of the poor after they may so simply make investments extra ethically and be a part of bringing local weather justice to God's entire world. “
Christian Local weather Motion wrote a letter to the Bishop of Chichester. Effort reads: “We really feel obliged to make it clear that the Diocese of Chichester helps the greenwashing of Complete, Shell and BP and is complicit within the struggling of tens of millions of individuals within the World South and the breakdown of the Earth's life assist techniques.”
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Val King, a enterprise guide, was one other Christian within the group. She mentioned: “We reside in a world of report temperatures, floods and wildfires whereas corporations like BP slash local weather targets whereas income greater than double. Why can't they see that they’re now complicit in growing international warming, which is already inflicting struggling and loss of life within the international south. How dare they play cash video games after they can so simply place their cash in optimistic investments. These accountable for investing must be known as out.”
Ruth Jarman, a mom of three, was one other Christian. She mentioned: “The nation is crying out for prophetic, ethical management – a task that must be offered by the Church. It might't try this when it's invested in corporations which are within the enterprise of destroying life.”
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Pictures out there at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oZVPQgpTgIJI2eQ61PrK9dPl9iA27jZe?usp=sharing
Spokespersons can be found upon request: christianclimateaction@gmail.com
COMMENT:
Christian Local weather Motion is a bunch of Christians who conduct prayer local weather protests. Web site: www.christianclimateaction.org
