9: Recharging the batteries of social justice

Episode 9: Lots of voices - from the National Justice & Peace Network annual conference.

Special thanks to all this week's guests sharing how the gospel inspires them to work for justice and peace.

Find out more about the National Justice & Peace Network and recordings from many of the Conference speakers. Conference calls to action were reported by Independent Catholic News

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Find the transcript: https://kindsofcatholic.buzzsprout.com

Music: Greenleaves from Audionautix.com

Transcript

 You're listening to All Kinds of Catholic, with me, Theresa Alessandro. My conversations with different Catholics will give you glimpses into some of the ways, we are living our faith today. Pope Francis has used the image of a caravan. A diverse group of people travelling together, on a sometimes chaotic journey together. That's an image that has helped shape this podcast.

I hope you'll feel encouraged and affirmed and maybe challenged at times. I am too in these conversations. 

Today's episode is different from the ones that have gone before. This time, I was in conversation with lots of different guests. I was at the National Justice and Peace Network annual conference. And by talking to lots of different people and gathering their thoughts, I've made an episode all about the conference. And I hope you'll find it interesting to hear about. Firstly, you will hear Liz, Shirelle, and Garrett explaining why they come to the conference each year. 

What is it that brings you back year after year? 

 I think what I need every year is just to be amongst people who feel the same as me. It's the luxury of being with people who have the same values as me. We can empathize with the same sort of struggles, but we know that we're all interested in social action, and we see that as a fundamental part of our Christian faith. And I always feel that you feel as though you're sort of bathing in that atmosphere while you're here, and you go back feeling really renewed. Often in parishes although we've got Catholic Social Teaching, people don't really know much about it, and they just say well, I go to Mass, and that's the be-all and end-all. But it's good just to be here, get information, share ideas, and also represent the Lancaster Faith and Justice Commission. 

So it gives you some encouragement and also some support with the things you want to do, the things that are important to your faith? 

 Yeah. For me, one of the best things about this is the community and the opportunity to meet new people, and we all sort of want the same thing, but we've all had completely different life experiences. I think that means we can talk to other people and find solutions to problems together using all of our collection experience. Instead of just having that outlook that we've just been in our bubble and got from that. 

 We'll hear from some people who have attended the conference this year for the first time. But actually, there are some people who've been coming since they were much younger. The conference runs a linked children and young people's program. And some of the participants this year have been coming since they were children and young people themselves. 

 But, yes, we've brought him since he was 5, and he's here today, this weekend as well. Wow. So as a young adult, he's here now. Wow. So he came through the children's young people's programs before? Exactly. He came to the children's program and progressed to the young person's program and then joined the adult program. Wow. And is now taking part in the forum tonight with young people. So Great. And a couple of years ago, he actually also gave a presentation here. So, he's been actively involved as well. 

 The conference program is made up of a range of speakers and workshops linked to a theme. This year's theme was Just Politics. All the information is on the website, and you can find that in the episode notes. But speakers this year were the Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani who is an Anglican bishop and sits in the House of Lords, Dr Molly Scott Cato, who's a Professor of Green Economics and speaks for the Green Party of England and Wales, and Steve Whiting, who has a Quaker background and is a lifelong peace activist. And the conference was chaired by sir John Battle, who is a Catholic, a former MP. The whole conference, has its roots in the Catholic church, but is ecumenical. People speaking and people attending and organisations represented came from a range of Christian background. And that's one of the things that people appreciate about the conference, as David An Anglican, explains. 

 A key thing is the range of speakers. Obviously, you're looking for new things. When I've been before there's been some excellent speakers. I just think it's very, very interesting just to hear people, to hear different ideas, to think that I'm not some lone person in the wilderness. You actually see other people who have similar views. You can question things. It actually sort of recharges your batteries. That's a big thing because I think there's often, there can be a lot of pressure from society. 

 One of the workshops which was very popular was provided by Phil Watson from the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle. And the title was, Neoliberalism, How Can We Challenge Fatalism and Build Hope? A number of people found this really interesting, although it sounds technical. Let's see what people had to say.

 I just went to one on neoliberalism, and I wasn't really familiar with it. I didn't really know what it was. But I'm glad I went to it because I actually had it really interesting. And, it was good to talk to a number of the community afterwards as well. Because you know, there's been this whole thing so far about opening a dialogue intergenerationally, and that provided us with the opportunity to do that, which I really enjoyed and I found that really insightful. 

 Okay. Well, that's good to hear. That's good to hear. Because sometimes I think us older people feel like we're not really being relevant for younger people. We're not talking the right language, so it's good that you're finding it useful to talk to different people from different generations. 

 You could've spent a whole morning or a whole day even on it. Just brush the surface. But it was very good. I really enjoyed it, and there was some good discussion. Yeah. I didn't get out of the room for another 15 minutes because I was so busy talking to people including the person who ran it, so that's good. 

 And it seemed very relevant, didn't it? You know?

 Well, it is because it's all around us. 

 And I think I was really struck by how different it is from the values that we think are important. 

 It was amazing to see the huge range of workshops available for people to experience. And here's one more snippet, this time from Sue.

 So I went on the workshop, for Laudato Si' and Sustainable Development Goals to assist me in my job in case there's anything new, which I found out different things. And I've learned such a lot myself, and that's sort of the beauty of coming here, really, because you don't get that misinformation, which is really important. 

 You'll hear from one of the National Justice and Peace Network exec members later explaining how the conference is planned, But part of the planning involves making sure there's new information for people to hear about, as my guests have been discussing, but also practical ideas that can lead to action for people, as part of the conference and later when they return to their parishes. And here's Tom sharing some of his experience of engaging his local MP. 

You get people from different places. And, the one we were at this morning were was CAFOD and SVP. And it's amazing how many people they say, write to my MP, you get no reply. Now with my MP, I introduced the MP to the parish priest. He's not a Catholic, but I think he knows of Catholic Social Teaching. They work together. So we had a good relationship. 

 Young adults at the conference presented a fantastic session on the Saturday evening entitled Just Politics: Perspectives from Emerging Leaders. They shared their insights with us and demonstrated an amazing level of skill and thoughtfulness. I spoke to Hannah, one of those young adults earlier in the day and put her on the spot a little bit. 

 It's been in the news a lot recently about protests and particularly with protesters being imprisoned now. I wonder whether you've been involved in some protests with the Columbans. 

 Yeah. So we've joined with a few different groups of Christian and non-Christian organisations. I joined an event with the Columbans a few months back that was jointly with Christian Climate Action who are a brilliant group that are focused on Direct Action in light of the climate crisis and that was, yeah, really incredible to join and to get to be a part of the work that they do.

 And I hope you don't mind me putting you on the spot a bit, Hannah, but what are your thoughts about what kind of protest is appropriate in order to raise awareness of what's clearly a serious issue? 

 I think one of the important things is making it accessible for people and the important messages aren't getting lost in the kind of dramatics of it and that if your everyday person is able to understand the reasons for why we're protesting and able to join us as well. 

 And not feeling intimidated, I suppose. 

Yeah. Yeah. And that's what I've found with the Columbans. 

 We've heard from younger people who fairly recently were part of the children's and young people's programme here at the National Justice and Peace Network Conference. But some people have been involved in the work of justice and peace for much, much longer. Here's Tom explaining how it all began for him. 

 I went on a course when I was 17 in Scotland to a Jesuit retreat house. And the Jesuit was drafted up there, Charles Bridger. He was a sociologist, and that kind of got me interested in Catholic Social. He was referring to Rerum Novarum. Now they're on Laudato Si and Fratelli Tutti.

 So the papal encyclicals have spoken to you from those earliest times then, from when you were 17? 

 It was really encouraging to meet lots of people who are working in justice and peace on behalf of the church and on behalf of us, the people of God. And so let's hear from some of them now. And first, we'll hear from Grace. 

 I am a member of the National Commission for Justice and Peace. Also, I'm a member of the Archdiocesan Commission in Glasgow, and I'm actually what they call the European representative for justice and peace. So that just means that I attend, the Conference of Justice and Peace Commissions in Europe. 

 What are these strands of justice and peace that you're particularly interested in yourself? 

 I think, personally, probably migration and also poverty. Those are the two big issues which we tend to come across quite a bit. 

 How does this conference work for you? How does it support you in your work or affirm you in your work? 

 So 2 major strands. One is it gives me access to a lot of new discussions. I mean, today's speakers, for example, were great. So you get to hear speakers, which we're a small conference commission in Scotland. We couldn't afford to have the big conferences like this. So this is a way of accessing a conference on issues which were of interest. It also gives you a chance to meet and talk to people who are like minded to who are interested in what we're interested in and to build up networks and, perhaps work together on things.

I'm here with the Columbans, so I'm their current Faith in Action volunteer. So I've spent the past academic year with them working on matters around justice and peace work as well as their work around inter-religious dialogue. 

 Okay. So where have you been based doing that?

 So I'm based in Birmingham. 

 I'm from Lancaster Diocese. I'm the faith and justice worker there. 

 And so what does your working day look like? 

 My working day is going around parishes and schools, talking or doing workshops on Catholic Social Teaching. In particular at the moment, it's been Laudato Si and Fratelli Tutti. 

Of course. And how do you find the young people? Are they interested in it? 

Well, young people are very interested in climate change, and I've been going around doing something that isn't mine. It's from the Ecological Conversion Group. The Journey to 2030. And they are looking at their fantasy Eco School.

 Those are the sounds of the busy Just Fair marketplace. This is a space at the conference where lots of organisations have a stall, and they can talk to people who are attending about the work that they're doing, share some resources, and help people find ways to get involved.

 And do the Columbans have a stall in the marketplace? 

Yes. We do. Yeah. We set that up yesterday.

 Okay. And what  kind of things will people find on the stall? 

 There's a variety of different theological materials and some of our Vocation for Justice magazines which have got articles from members of the Congress as well. And our most recent one has been aptly on the theme of the general election and how Catholic Social Teaching interacts with the voting of our community and how we can use that to influence how we interact with politics today. 

 And I suppose the stall gives you an opportunity to interact with people and chat and share what it is the Columbans do and what the Columbans' charism is.

 Absolutely. Yeah. I find it really valuable to speak already to so many different people from different organisations who perhaps do or don't know about the work. 

 I managed to catch up with Dickon briefly, who is a member of the Lay Community of Saint Benedict. This community prepares and provides the liturgy for the conference. Dickon was telling me about the time he puts in beforehand preparing a liturgy that's linked to the theme. 

 Father Dominic Robinson was at the conference. He's the Chair of Westminster Justice and Peace, and I caught up with him - honestly, I interrupted his lunch -  to ask him if he had any thoughts that he'd like to share before he was rushing off to be somewhere else. And he was saying that he thinks the conference is unique. It's an opportunity that he really values for listening to Catholics and to people of other faiths up and down the country, people who are passionate about social justice and peace. And he did say that as a parish priest, he thinks it's invaluable, and he wanted to recommend the National Justice and Peace Conference as a way of really listening to and learning from people passionate about proclaiming the Kingdom of God in these ways. Father Dominic also celebrated Mass for us. 

 There's spirituality around the conference. Do you find that helpful in your working on these issues coming from a faith perspective?

 Mhmm. Yep. Obviously, to be able to go to, to the prayer starts every morning is great. When we do the European ones, every morning starts with a service. So it's something I would take for granted that if we're coming to this, there would be a spiritual aspect to it. Mhmm. Something which grounds you. Something that says, you know, how do you decide something on justice and peace issues? You start with the basic premise of everyone being a child of God, everyone being equal? And that's how we decide how we judge from what we should be doing on things. And this just confirms it. 

 That has explained really well how our faith is the foundation of the choices we make and the things we choose to speak up on.

 Over lunch at the end of the conference, I caught up with Paul who provides the audio-visual support each year. People listening who have been involved in providing audio visual support for church events will recognise some of what Paul had to say. He said that it's very rewarding, but it's also very challenging, and there's lots of thinking on your feet and expecting the unexpected and trying to keep your cool when he described people being very demanding. He felt the weight of the responsibility, and it's amazing that he's continuing to offer his skills every year. 

There was such a lot going on at this conference and so many fantastic people to talk to. It's not been possible to capture everything that happened or all the groups that were present and obviously, all the conversations that took place. But I did catch up with Sue, a member of the Exec shortly after the conference when she had a bit more time to tell us a bit more about how it's actually put together. 

Thank you for joining me for these few minutes, Sue. It's just really helpful to get an idea about what things are like behind the scenes for members of the Exec. So I was just thinking listeners might be interested to hear about what it's like planning a conference that's got so many speakers and workshops and a marketplace and times of prayer and catering and all of the engagement that you hope for. How do the Exec go about that? 

 Well, I'm absolutely amazed that we end up with what we end up with. It starts as a very sort of simple idea, and gradually people bring their ideas, their contacts, their skills to the planning process. I'm sure that the Holy Spirit is involved because it just is far more than we as individuals can imagine that we would do. It's wonderful because you've got to make sure that you're doing enough say, on the Saturday for day visitors, for them to feel that it was worth their coming without exhausting everybody else.

 And I noticed that there was in the pack that also needs to be provided for all the delegates and needs to be planned and produced. I noticed there was a flyer about next year's conference as though you've already begun planning. I see you already have some speakers in place, so it's obviously quite a long process. 

 Well, it usually is. Yes. And our administrator, Sharon, is doing a wonderful job. She really works hugely, manages to pull all sorts of things out of the hat. 

 For listeners, they might be interested to hear, for listeners who aren't members, what else the National Justice and Peace Network does. I think the conference is obviously a really big focus every year, but what happens during the year between conferences then? 

 We have open networking meetings to which anyone can come along, with a variety of subjects. So the next one is in September, and we're provisionally planning to be up in Leeds because we try to get out around the country. Over the winter, we tend to have Zoom meetings. Again, everybody's welcome. A good way of keeping in contact is to sign up for our fortnightly, newsletters, which give details of all our meetings and useful contacts, useful campaigns that are going on, letters to write, all those sorts of things, actions that you can take. And, also, because we're a network, we respond to requests for signatories to letters supporting other campaigns. Letters concerning, for instance, Gaza and the problems that are carrying on there that are signed by many different, organizations, faith leaders. So so we're putting pressure on national, issues too. 

 And that really came across over the weekend that people are part of something bigger than themselves and can join voices together with others. I will put some links to the National Justice and Peace Network website and all of that in the episode notes. 

 So listeners, this has been a different kind of episode. I hope there's been something valuable here for you. There are lots of conferences and events and groups that Catholic people participate in. I've given you a flavour today of the National Justice and Peace Network Conference. I'd like to finish with something one of the young adults said at the session they led on the Saturday night. They said they hope to see a politics which has a vision of the common good at its heart, and which is a listening politics.

 Next week, we'll see a return to our usual format, where I'm in conversation with a guest to talk about how they're living their faith.

Thanks so much for joining me on All Kinds of Catholic this time. I hope today's conversation has resonated with you. A new episode is released each Wednesday. Follow All Kinds of Catholic on the usual podcast platforms to be sure of not missing an episode.

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