Photo credit Jan

Christian Climate Action took action on Saturday at cathedrals and abbeys in Bath, Durham, Westminster, Winchester, York, Southwark and Canterbury. The actions included hanging giant banners from Bath Abbey tower and from a roof at Winchester Cathedral, silently displaying banners in York Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, unfurling a banner at ‘Preaching Truth to Power’, an event at Southwark Cathedral, and stepping onto the cloister lawn at Durham Cathedral in order to display a banner and pray.

Four Christian Climate Action supporters on a regular tour of the Bath Abbey tower climbed onto the roof, dropped a banner reading ‘DON’T CRUCIFY CREATION’. They stated that they wished to speak to the Bishop. Police were called and the four were arrested later in the day. In Westminster four supporters stood in front of the altar and unfurled a large banner for visitors to see before sitting down to pray. When security arrived their protest was rapidly hidden behind a screen. When asked to leave, two remained praying inside and were carried out by security staff. At York Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral similar silent protests with banners were allowed to continue. 

Photo credit Jamie Bellinger

Then on Sunday we held a National Day of Climate Prayer. CCA supporters held prayer vigils outside 12 different cathedrals, abbeys and priories across England. We gathered from Exeter to Newcastle, from Rochester to Lancaster, from Chester to Winchester, from York to Liverpool, from Bury St Edmunds to Bath and from St Pauls to Southwark in London! Around 150 people joined us, frequently in challenging weather conditions to sing, pray our liturgy specially written for the day, to pray silently and in their own words. Many later joined worship in the cathedral.

There were conversations, many conversations, some with the public, some with cathedral clergy, some with police and security staff, and some email conversations with Bishops. At Exeter Cathedral and at Winchester Cathedral, where the Dean told the congregation about the rooftop protest and reminded them of the need to take heed of the uncomfortable prophetic element, we were invited to speak from the front during the service. At Canterbury Cathedral the Dean thanked CCA during the service for our “persistent voice”. At Southwark Cathedral we were also welcomed and our prophetic role encouraged. 

Sadly some cathedrals are trying to silence our message that the church needs to step up to meet the existential threat that the climate and nature crisis presents to creation. Not only did this happen at Westminster Abbey, at York Minster the three people from the prayer vigil who wished to join them in worship were initially refused entry and then only permitted to be in a side chapel. At St Paul’s Cathedral security staff were instructed to confiscate the leaflets that members of the public had taken from us before they were allowed to enter the cathedral for the service.

The weekend of action follows the publication of the document ‘Stop Crucifying Creation’ which has been sent to Church of England clergy over the past 2 weeks. The document urges the church to find its courage to speak out more clearly against the forces that are driving us towards deadly climate collapse, including the fossil fuel industry, government and media; to cease doing harm to the planet through its own activities; and to return to its radical roots.

You can read and download Stop Crucifying Creation here.  Please share it with your vicar and your PCC. 

If you want some of the flyers we used, send an email to ccalocalgroups@gmail.com.

The liturgy that Rev Helen Burnett wrote for our prayer vigils can be downloaded. Here is little taster of her words “We choose to build hope with our bare hands – not because we have given up on God, but because we have grasped that our hands are God’s implements”.

Let’s keep building.

Actions like these need funds. Please consider donating so we can continue to act. Donations can be made on our donations page. Everything, small or large is gratefully recieved and put to good use. Regular standing orders are particularly helpful because they enable us to budget ahead.

If you want to view further photos, the link to our press folder is https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NkuwAiAYTEwjQVUwUwgBWk9K-gp90BJI . Please credit as specified if you are using any of the images.