By John Duffy, Commission memberAt the start of 2021, the J&P Commission became aware, through articles in both the Catholic and national press, that a significant number of Black British Catholics experienceracism in their parish communities: ranging from misunderstandings and stereotyping to distancing and discrimination.We needed to engage with this issue.Our aims were: to hear the […]
Catholic Social Thought
aspects of catholic social thought
The Need for Priorities
There is nothing like the overworked use of the language of catastrophe and apocalypse to induce a desperate sense that nothing can be done except pray for a quick end. The recent dominance of ‘fear politics’ – ranging from Brexit, Covid, conflict in Ukraine, and now a ‘cost-of-living crisis’ – has worked to render a […]
Roe Vs Wade Overturned in USA
By Joe Burns & Matty MaslenLast month, in America, Roe vs Wade was overturned 50 years after it was sworn in, meaning that women no longer have a federal right to abortion. Now, the legality of abortion is a decision for individual states to make.This comes at a time when restrictions to abortion rights have […]
19 Jun – LGBT Inclusion in Catholic Schools: Diverse Educators
By George WhiteAs part of Pride Month, we wanted to celebrate the ways in which the LGBT+ community is, and can be, supported by the Catholic Community. So, we reached out to George White to discuss his contribution to a new educational tool:https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/I am fortunate to have been one selected as one of the contributors […]
Renewing the work of Justice & Peace in the Leeds Diocese
Justice & Peace is the work of everyoneThere is no getting around it: Justice & Peace is the work of everyone in the Diocese of Leeds. It’s as much part of being a Catholic as going to mass, helping the SVP in some way or saying the rosary. The document that came out of the […]
25 Mar – Commemorating the Assassination of St Oscar Romero
The chapel where Romero was assassinatedArchbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated by paramilitaries on 24 March 1980 whilst in the middle of saying mass in the chapel at a hospital for cancer patients.On 25th March, the Commission held a presentation of a film about his assassination and the subsequent journey to him […]
21 Jan – Commission Response to Diocesan Synodal Process
The Commission has responded to the Diocesan Listening Process. However, the question format used for parish meetings and individual online responses did not align with the key points that we wanted to make. We trust that the synodal listening team can incorporate these points into the overall results of the process.These were the main points […]
18 Jan – Nationality & Borders Bill
By Matty Maslenhis month, the Nationality and Borders Bill is going through the House of Lords, after passing through the House of Commons at the end 2021.As the CSAN Statement from December summarises, the Bill would: “overhaul our asylum system to make it much more difficult to seek asylum in the UK.”. It is a […]
17 Jan – The Time for Renewal
Pope Francis wrote of the impact of the Covid pandemic in his encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’:”Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing or to refine existing systems and regulations is denying reality”.The Covid pandemic has ravaged families and communities and hollowed out many […]
Young People, Church, Spirituality & becoming Leaders
Dr Mealey is currently Associate Dean (Teaching Enhancement) at Global Banking School This is an extended paper about this topic. Here is a short extract: In my view, to bring young people back into the Church more fully, we need to remember the riches of the spiritual life. Most young people that I […]
In-work Poverty & the SVP (Pt2)
In part two of ‘In Work Poverty’ and, as we face further restrictions due to the new variant of Covid 19, John Battle discusses what we can do to truly help the working poor.Even before the pandemic one in four families receiving Universal Credit had cut food intake or had meal patterns disrupted because of […]
27 Oct Justice & Mercy with Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
On the evening of 20 October we held the second in what we hope will be an occasional series of online meetings exploring the links between Justice & Mercy. It was given by Stephen Cottrell, archbishop of York. As the basis for his talk, he gave a quote from Psalm 85: “Mercy and Truth are […]
10 Oct – Philanthropy & Justice with Paul Vallely
The title of the Paul Vallely’s latest book is ‘Philanthropy from Aristotle to Zuckerberg’.We were delighted to have Paul, well-known British writer on religion, ethics, Africa and development issues, lead a Zoom session about his book on October 6th. It turned out to be a fascinating sweep of the history of philanthropy and generated a […]
07 May – Commission writes to Home Secretary over ‘New Plan for immigration’
John Battle, on behalf of the Commission has written the following letter to the Home Secretary regarding recent proposals from Government about immigration:-Dear Home Secretary,The Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Leeds is alarmed by the proposals for asylum seekers as outlined in the Government’s New Plan for Immigration, which we consider […]
17 Apr ‘A Politics Rooted in the People’ Conference Report
By Joe Burns, Commission MemberThis online international conference, on 15 April, was organised principally by the Centre for Theology and Community, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Katholische Hochschule für Sozialwesen in Germany. However, there was a strong presence and input from people with a community organising background (so, people active in Citizens […]
06 Apr – Addressing Britain’s ‘5 Wounds’
Following our Stations of the Cross liturgy in Holy Week, this Eastertide the Leeds Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission is announcing its new programme to address Britain’s “Five wounds”:The reduction in our International AidThe increase in poverty and inequality at workThe hostile policy towards refugees and asylum seekersThe investment in nuclear weaponsThe lack of urgent […]