THE BOMBING OF LONDON.
IF ONLY
ON THE RECEIVING END
GYPSIES, TRAVELLERS AND THE CHURCHES

THE BOMBING OF LONDON
BISHOP PATRICK
When the havoc caused by those July Day bombs was at its scariest, Bishop Patrick spoke wisely not just to our diocese but to the whole nation. This is just part of what he said:
“At this tragic time, I appeal for vigilance against any backlash on so-called ‘foreigners’; this a time for coming together, not creating divisions in our society. I have lived and worked in London. London is a great multi-cultural city, so vibrant and so full of challenges. May it always remain so”.

THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
(CARJ) announced two initiatives:

• Bringing the events of July 7th before us on Racial Justice Sunday.
• Learning from the experience of people in key areas such as Leeds, Bradford, Burnley, Oldham, Birmingham and East London and offer them support.

LANCASTER DIOCESAN FAITH & JUSTICE COMMISSION

Our own diocesan Faith & Justice commission has written to this paper and asked us to put a proposed Racial Justice Charter before our readers for their views and comments. Members of the commission have been developing this charter for some time and now readers have an opportunity to comment. Any comments you send to this paper will be made available to Commission members. The final document will be presented to the Diocesan Trustees in the New Year.

DRAFT RACIAL JUSTICE CHARTER
We believe:

• Every single person is created in the image and likeness of God. If any one person suffers, all people suffer in some way.
• All people are equal in the eyes of God. We are living examples of the of richness and diversity God’s world.
• Catholics should promote racial justice. We should work for a better quality of life for all people no matter who they are.
• Racial Justice is at the heart of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

• Christ commanded us to love our neighbour: all people are our neighbours. .
• Racism denies people their dignity as children of God.
• Racism is contrary to God’s plan for the world.
• Racism destroys lives and divides communities

• To pray and work for an end to racial injustice in our Church, our communities and our world
• To study the Gospels and Catholic social teaching, so that we can learn how to fight racial injustice.
• To identify the skills and experience of all people in our parish, so that we work together to build a Church in which we all feel valued
• To encourage all parishes to participate fully in Racial Justice Sunday
• To support victims of racism in whatever way we can.
• To work to ensure that all young people from all backgrounds are equally valued in our schools.
• To take up Pope Paul VI’s challenge: “If you want peace, work for justice”.
• To foster relationships with international organisations of all faiths that are committed to working for racial justice.

IF ONLY
Moira Lenartowicz - Kendal

In 2005 we have been remembering the dropping of the first atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki sixty years ago, and the horrendous suffering caused to thousands of innocent people.

In 1905 Albert Einstein revealed the tremendous energy locked up within the atom. At that time many, including scientists, were thrilled with the prospects they saw opened up if only that energy could be released by splitting the atom.

According to French psychologist Gustave Le Bon, “The scholar who discovers the way to liberate economically the forces which matter contains will almost instantaneously change the face of the world. If an unlimited supply of energy were gratuitously placed at the disposal of man, he would no longer have to procure it at the cost of arduous labour. The poor would then be on a level with the rich, and there would be an end of social questions.”

In the words of the then future Nobel prize winner, scientist Frederick Soddy, with atomic energy mankind “would have little need to earn its bread by the sweat of its brow,” but would “transform a desert continent, thaw the frozen poles, and make the whole world one smiling Garden of Eden.” If only!

ON THE RECEIVING END
At the request of our Diocesan Faith & Justice Commission we are withholding the author’s identity, but we vouch for the authenticity of this article - ED

I have been on the receiving end of discrimination, intimidation and harassment. The unfair treatment led me to move house. I did not take it personally. I am sure the person who did this to me had a mental health problem but what disturbed me more was that the whole street ignored the problem. There was no solidarity between people, no courage to speak out and say it was wrong. So many people are unwilling to stand up and be counted and will do anything for a quiet life. It was an exceptional experience that was strange but it has not prejudiced me against him or those who wouldn’t speak up.

Most of my experiences are not so dramatic and are about people just presuming that because I am a different colour I must be different from them. They see my colour but they don’t always see me. They assume that I couldn’t possibly have or share the same experiences as them. If they did know me they would soon appreciate that I am someone who bridges two cultures and two continents…Europe and Africa. Two heritages are both equally part of me.

I was born in England. Both my parents are from Uganda, a small but beautiful country in the heart of Africa. I grew up in England till I was 12 years old and then went to Africa for the first time in my life. I went to secondary school and university in Uganda and returned to England when I was 25 years old to complete a degree.

Coming from both cultures, having an appreciation of both worlds does allow me to be a bridge between people, but being a bridge can get lonely. You understand both sides, but nether side has an appreciation of my unique situation. Most people can only relate to one half of me or the other. Being unique can be a burden to bear if you have a double identity. People find it hard to relate to two people in one!

If you have been raised in England, part of you is English. Being English is part of me and just won’t go away when I want to be African with my African friends and family especially when I visit them in Uganda. There, I am different too. My family, relatives and people from my village and clan know that I do not think 100% like a Ugandan. This brings its own problems.

Uganda is a very conservative and not a very open society. Your private life and family life must remain within the walls of your home and not be shared with people who are not your direct family. For me, that is very difficult. I did not have in common with my peers the same experiences of growing up with them. I have had to learn from scratch what it is to be a Ugandan. My education is still not complete! The irony is that my African heritage also makes similar assumptions about me as people do in England. They too see a difference in me, not of colour but of cultural difference. As a result, some people in Uganda don’t know how to talk to me. They are unsure if I will fully appreciate what they are saying. On the other hand, my experiences of the Catholic Church in Uganda is that it is modern and vigorous and is part of our everyday life. The Church in my village is just part of the fabric of life. People of all ages are involved.

In England, I am also attracted to the church because it is a thinking and intellectual church that stimulates me. My local Catholic church is mainly older people, with a smattering of younger people (students). The congregation’s average age is at least 55 years old. There are not many in the middle 30 – 40. At church some people may be unsure how to talk to me and because of that stay away from me. At times, if I have already been feeling a bit down, it can feel a bit lonely. At a simple Sunday level, it would be nice just to be able to join in a conversation after mass without having to work hard at it….people want to be friendly but could be afraid of accidentally offending me. Perhaps they think that I have no understanding or experience of the things they are interested in. If only they knew!

Let’s celebrate difference, embrace it and enjoy the riches that diversity brings to people, culture and church.

GYPSIES, TRAVELLERS AND THE CHURCHES
By Richard Solly editor of Church and Race, Churches Commission for Racial Justice (CCRJ)

Travellers from the Dale Farm site in Essex, led by the children and their mothers, marched in protest to Basildon District Council’s offices on Saturday 14th May, calling for eviction plans to be abandoned. Dale Farm residents own the land on which they live but lack planning permission. But there is nowhere else for them to go, and eviction would mean life on the roadside again, continually being moved on. The children want to remain in local schools. Sr Catherine Reilly provides a Catholic presence on the site and many of the residents attend the Catholic church in Wickford. Parish priest Fr John Glynn and a number of parishioners offer pastoral and practical support, visiting the site and helping the children at school. Rt Rev Thomas McMahon, Catholic Bishop of Brentwood, has visited the site and with other area church leaders has written to local MP John Barron urging no evictions take place until decent sites are found for residents to move to.
The tragic deaths of community leaders Kathleen and John McCarthy in a devastating fire at the site on 18th May, leaving three orphaned children, has led to increased support for the Dale Farm residents and the Council has put its eviction plans on hold for the time being. A memorial service was held on the site on Sunday afternoon, 22nd May, attended by several hundred mourners.
CCRJ extends its deepest sympathy to the bereaved and its solidarity to all residents in their struggle for decent, secure sites to live on.

Meanwhile in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, church intervention has helped reduce tensions between Travellers and settled residents. Local rector, Revd Michael Hore was instrumental in getting Travellers and other residents to talk to one another to increase mutual understanding. The Bishop of Ely, Rt Revd Anthony Russell and the Catholic Bishop of East Anglia Rt Revd Mischael Evans, have visited the community twice, and on 16th April held a special service in the parish church, embracing both communities.

The Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition and the Commission for Racial Equality are now working with the Churches to establish a network of clergy who are sympathetic to Travelling People and who could help defuse tensions at local level by initiating respectful dialogue between Travellers and settled residents.

If you would like to help the people of Dale Farm or join the national clergy network contact me, Richard Solly, at CCRJ tel: 0207654 7244
Back up