Andy Drozdziak
The Government has been given a climate wake-up call by CAFOD after a slew of prayers from CAFOD supporters was dispatched to 10 Downing Street.
The ‘Prayers for Tomorrow’, written by Catholics across England and Wales, were delivered to 10 Downing Street to call for action to tackle the climate crisis.
The prayers are a direct response to the call by Pope Francis to reflect on humanity’s treatment of ‘our Common Home’, and how actions today will impact the lives of people in the world tomorrow.
Organised by CAFOD, Sister Karen Marguerite d’Artois, a Dominican Sister of Newcastle, led the hand-in of the book of prayers at No 10 on 16th June.
Sister Karen said: “It’s amazing and inspiring to see how many people of all ages have been praying for our common home, and for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers who are suffering from a climate crisis they did not cause. We have to take responsibility for our actions and change our ways.
“Prayer is a powerful instrument. Not only do we acknowledge our failure to care for Creation, but we ask God for guidance to bring about change – starting with our own behaviours, small steps. Our prayer brings communities together to create change.
The prayers were submitted online by people of all ages, including children praying for the future, as well as grandparents praying for their families.
A prayer by Jasmine in Saint Martin’s Catholic School in Nuneaton states: “Lord, we ask for your forgiveness… as we make changes to our daily lives to help protect and preserve the earth for our children, grandchildren and further generations”.
Some prayers seek a change in human hearts, so that the earth is protected for future generations. Others thank God for giving us the world, and call for future generations to learn from the mistakes that have been made in dealing with nature.
CAFOD Campaigns Manager Liam Finn praised CAFOD supporters for their commitment.
“Reading the Prayers for Tomorrow people have been sharing with us, it’s clear how committed Catholics in England and Wales are to responding to Pope Francis’s call to care for our common home,” Mr Finn said.
“We want to thank the hundreds of CAFOD supporters who’ve given the time to share their prayers with us and inspire us to keep calling for action to tackle the climate crisis today for the sake of our global family tomorrow.”
CAFOD supported the ‘Prayers for Tomorrow’ initiative as part of the Great Big Green Week, a community action to tackle the climate crisis and protect nature. Prayers can still be submitted via the CAFOD website: https://cafod.org.uk/campaign/campaign-with-us/prayers-for-tomorrow
Photo credit: Joe Newman