Displaying items by tag: CAFOD

On 11 August Christian Climate Action (CCA) held a prayer vigil outside the headquarters of the Catholic development agency CAFOD. They prayed for and with the charity to consider their banking arrangements. The core plea of the prayers was for CAFOD to close their bank account with Barclays, the biggest funder of fossil fuels in Europe. They held up signs such as ‘Praying for CAFOD to stop banking with Barclays, who fund climate chaos’ and ‘Barclays, the ecocide bank’. Some members of CAFOD came out and joined the vigil and other CAFOD volunteers stopped to talk. This followed a similar vigil outside Christian Aid recently, which led to that charity closing its Barclays account. There will be a series of vigils in the coming months at charities which bank with Barclays, including World Vision, BMS World Mission, Tearfund, and Leprosy Mission. CCA also spread their message at the Greenbelt Festival.

Pope Francis has called on leaders to show compassion for refugees fleeing war, persecution, or poverty. Instead of ensuring they reach safety, the UK government has introduced a new 'Illegal Migration Bill' which would shut the door on people needing protection and enable the government to deport them to countries such as Rwanda - a policy the Court of Appeal has ruled unlawful. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) wants people to ask their MPs to oppose the bill so that we can welcome those who need protection. This landmark intervention on domestic policy refers to the Pope's call for the need to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant and ‘build bridges not walls’ as well as ‘expanded channels for a safe and regular migration.’ But CAFOD said that instead of showing respect and dignity, the UK government is trying to make the situation for people seeking safety even worse.

Catholic charity CAFOD is asking communities not to become divided after al-Shabaab attacked the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi on 15 January. CAFOD's Catherine Ogolla described the attacks as ‘horrifying and worrying’. She explained, ‘What terrorists of any type want to do is to divide communities and sow violence. Therefore, all people must stand together for peace and unity in this time of trouble, sending the message out that any form of violent terror will not succeed; will not divide the Kenyan nation’. President Kenyatta said 700+ people were evacuated during the security operation, all terrorists were eliminated, and the country is safe. He urged Kenyans to ‘go back to work without fear’. Sixteen Kenyans, a Briton, and an American (a survivor of 9/11) are among the 21 dead, and 28 are in hospital. See also