Greetings to you all. I am writing to you as the new chair of the Justice and Peace Commission. I stepped into this role at a curious time in our world: a time of contradictions, and whatever the outcome, a time of change.
Perhaps like me, you find yourselves swinging between feelings that should not necessarily belong together. There are moments when I am struck with real sadness for everyone who is struggling with and working to heal this nasty virus. And then other moments when I feel calmed by being able to live a less hectic lifestyle with more time for prayer and reflection.
Recently I followed some podcasts that pondered, “If we could build society all over again, if we could start from scratch, what would we keep?” At the time I dismissively thought, “But let’s be real, we can’t. This is the world we built so let’s just think about how we can best move forward.”
And look at us now. We have all stopped. Every one of us has paused to think about how we can start up again. Some people can’t wait to get right back to where we left off, but many of us have realised that we can’t carry on with the way we’ve been living.
Our economy has ground a halt. Emerging from that, we see injustices intensifying: those among us who were already struggling are impacted the most. Those on the edge of society have become even more vulnerable.
In our own communities, those most affected by COVID 19 live in areas where air pollution is highest and poverty compromises both housing and health. In the developing world, entire populations are struggling to exist. Climate chaos has destroyed their food security and migration seems the only answer. Yet their contribution to the climate emergency has been minimal compared with that of the global north.
We must take the climate emergency seriously. We all knew it, but many of us have found it difficult to commit to the major changes required to make a real difference. Now perhaps we can use the networks and willpower created to tackle the virus to address the climate emergency.
This past week we’ve been marking the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si encyclical. Many of us across the world have joined together online for a week of events challenging us to reflect, learn and pray about the Care of our Common Home. Five years on, this document has proved to be as prophetic and relevant as ever. We have been challenged to listen to the cry of the earth, and the cry of the poor, and take serious action to take care of God’s creation.
Both the climate crisis and coronavirus pandemic remind us that we live in an interconnected world where we must work together building on the values we share. If ever there was a time to work for change, it’s now. Will you join me during this pause in committing to work together to build a better and more just world?