Counting On … – Page 13

Counting on … 167

17th October 2025

CNN described Pope Francis as “the fiercest climate and environment advocate in the church’s history.”

His 2015 encyclical Laudato Si connected the care of the environment with social justice, and was a radical challenge not just to the church world wide but to all humanity, that now is the time to recognise that we share a common home, and that only together, by radically changing the way we live can we hope to secure a safe future for generations to come.

“The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish.”

“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years.”

“We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us.”

“The idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers and experts in technology … is based on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the earth’s goods, and this leads to the planet being squeezed dry at every limit.”

“Yet all is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

Counting on … 166

16th October 2025

Vanessa Nakate also began her journey as a prophet as a solo protestor standing with a placard outside the Ugandan Parliament in Kampala. From here she has inspired a whole youth movement, drawing support from across Africa. Addressing the delegates at the pre-COP26 Youth Summit, she highlighted some uncomfortable truths: “In the past few years, I have seen more and more of how the climate crisis is affecting the African continent. Which is ironic given that Africa is the lowest emitter of carbon dioxide emissions of all continents, except for Antarctica… Many Africans are losing their lives, while countless more are losing their livelihoods.”

In 2022 she addressed Africa’s People’s AGM on EACOP. “It is evident that there is no future in the fossil fuel industry. In regards to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, many people think this is a way of [creating] jobs and economic development. But we know the impacts on our food. We know the impacts on our water. We know the impacts on our livelihood.”

“The International Energy Agency has made it very clear that if we want to [limit global warming] to 1.5 degrees Celsius, then we cannot have any new fossil fuel development. But even at 1.2 degrees, we already seeing the effects of the climate crisis on the African continent … the latest IPCC report projects that 700 million people in Africa will be displaced because of drought.”

Many of Vanessa’s contemporaries have been arrested and imprisoned for taking nonviolent direct action in opposition to the building of the pipeline. (You can read more in this Guardian article – https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jun/12/uganda-oil-eacop-pipeline-protester-stephen-kwikiriza?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)

To be a prophet is not necessarily to be respected or applauded: people do not like hearing uncomfortable messages – especially when they are truthful.

“Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness.” UN secretary general, António Guterres, April 2022

Counting on … 165

15th October 2025

Modern day prophets include people such as Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Antonio Guterres and Pope Francis.

Greta Thunberg began her prophetic journey began with a climate strike. Rather than spending Fridays in school, she sat alone outside the Swedish Parliament with her simple placard – “Skolstrejk for Klimatet” – calling on those in authority to take action.

With her single minded determination, she took this message, in 2019, to the World Economic Forum: “I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire. Because it is.”

And to the United Nations climate summit: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. … People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you?”

Her words and actions drew – and continue to draw – widespread attention to the urgency and scale of the climate crisis. In the six years since her speech about house on fire, we have clearly experienced scorching temperatures, more frequent outbreaks of wild fire, as well as the first signs that whole ecosystems – eg the coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest – are on the brink of collapse.

In November 2014, UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent young climate activists this message: “You have every right to be angry. I am angry too,” the UN chief posted on social media on Thursday following his meeting with youth representatives and young environmental activists. “I am angry because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or political will to address the emergency.”

NB as an update on restrictions around protest and freedom of speech, here is an article from yesterday’s Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/oct/14/human-rights-official-urges-uk-to-review-laws-after-palestine-action-placard-arrests?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … 164

14th October 2025

The original meaning of prophecy was of a message about the future that was revealed to the prophet by divine inspiration and this is reflected in the root Greek word “prophēteia ” meaning the gift of interpreting the will of the gods. (1) Now – perhaps because fewer people place their faith in divine inspiration – prophecy more often means a statement or observation predicting what will happen in the future.

Prophecies don’t necessarily come with absolute certainty. For example Jonah was sent to Ninevah with a prophecy predicting that if the people did not repent of their wrong doing , they would be punished. The warning is taken on board, the people repent and Ninevah – much to Jonah’s anger – is saved. Indeed most of the prophets from the first half of the Bible, have messages that call on the people to repent lest they wish endure significant suffering and destruction – although sometimes they have messages which predict a life of peace and flourishing for those who honour God’s way.

Effective prophecy in these situations is prophecy that leads people to reshape the way they live.

There is very much a need for effective prophecy today; prophetic words – and actions – that can motivate people to turn away from lifestyles that are destroying lives and ecosystems, and instead to adopt ways of living that are caring and kind and respectful of the Earth’s planetary boundaries.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/prophecy

Counting on … 163

13th October 2025

Legal Restrictions on the Right to Protest

Legal restrictions on the right to protest have increased significantly in the last few years as a result of two new pieces of legislation: the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (“Policing”) Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023.

The Policing Act further restricts what forms of protest are permissible. Police may restrict or ban protests that cause more than ‘minor disruption’, that are noisy, that are within the vicinity of the Houses of Parliament, and/ or obstruct the highway. The police are also now given powers to restrict static protests and one-person protests.

The Public Order Act gives the police even more powers to restrict protests. . It expands police powers to stop and search. It gives them powers to ban people from participating in protests and limiting who they may associate with. It also creates new criminal offences for actions that might form part of a protest such as as locking-on, tunnelling, obstructing major transport works and/ or interfering with key national infrastructure.

For a more detailed analysis of these two Acts look at Liberty’s website. (1)

In the courts there has been an erosion of the legal defences that protestors may use to justify their action. The Campaign Against Climate Change gives this summary:

In 2021, the Court of Appeal, although it overturned the convictions for the ‘Stansted 15’, upheld the original judge’s ruling that the defence of ‘necessity’ did not apply to protesters.
In 2022, the Court of Appeal decided, after intervention from the then Attorney General, Suella Braverman, that protesters accused of ‘significant’ criminal damage cannot use as a defence their right to protest under the European Convention of Human Rights.
In 2024, after intervention from another Attorney General, Victoria Prentis, the Court of Appeal said the “beliefs and motivation” of a defendant do not constitute lawful excuse for causing damage to a property
The principle of ‘Hoffmann’s bargain‘ following a case in 2006, held that motives of conscience and intention to avert a greater harm would be taken into account and lead to more lenient sentencing. From the case of the Stansted 15 onwards, this principle has been lost.” (2)

Counting on … 162

10th October 2025

Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA)

Amnesty defines nonviolent direct action as actions that do not make use of physical force against an individual, do not cause others to fear the immediate use of violence, nor advocate violence of discrimination. NVDA is an umbrella term that includes civil disobedience as well as activities… [such as] letter writing and collecting petition signatures, to rallies, demonstrations and media stunts, and extending to higher risk activities such as banner drops [&] sit-ins…” (1)

People typically turn to NVDA when they feel that they are not being listened to, that the response being taken is too slow, or to raise awareness about an issue. This is particularly true of the climate crisis where activists feel that the actions being taken by businesses, organisations and governments are not sufficient in response to the scale of the threat. In the past NVDA has been used by the suffragettes and the suffragists, by civil rights groups, by anti nuclear protesters and by the anti apartheid movement, to name but a few.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ACT1074712024ENGLISH.pdf

Counting on … 161

9th October 2025

What does ‘woke’ mean and how does it impact free speech?

“Woke is an adjective derived from African-American English used since the 1930s or earlier to refer to awareness of racial prejudice and discrimination, often in the construction stay woke. The term acquired political connotations by the 1970s and gained further popularity in the 2010s with the hashtag #staywoke. Over time, woke came to be used to refer to a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexism and denial of LGBTQ rights.”(1)

‘Woke’ is also used as a synonym for political correctness. It is often used as a term of abuse by someone who rejects or doesn’t want to accept new ways of understanding or new ways of doing things. As it often comes with a refusal to engage in discussion, it can be used to curtail free speech.

The following extract from an article from the Conversation, urges us to challenge anti-woke ideas and the careless use of language where it perpetuates social inequalities and prejudice.

“Real effort is required to learn to see injustices that are embedded in our ordinary language and everyday practices. Social psychological work on implicit biases suggests that good intentions and heartfelt commitments are not enough. It takes integrity and courage to critically examine our own behaviour and engage in honest conversations with people who claim we have hurt them. However, once we recognise what’s at stake, to dismiss something as woke is a refusal to even consider the possibility that the targeted practice might be offensive, premised on false or inaccurate claims or discriminatory or harmful.” (2)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woke

(2) https://theconversation.com/heres-what-woke-means-and-how-to-respond-to-it-219588

Counting on … 160

8th October 2025

Freedom of speech and the right to protest are key parts of maintaining a democracy. The following is from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.

“A healthy society contains a diversity of views, lifestyles, and beliefs. Individuals need to be able to freely discuss political issues, criticise their government, and express dissenting views – including assembling to challenge the government of the day – without censorship or reprisal. Both of these rights are enshrined in the Human Rights Act, which gives statutory force to the European Convention on Human Rights.” (1)

Yet these important rights are being eroded. Whilst in terms of policing this erosion comes through increasing amounts of legislation, the political will that sees such legislation being introduced comes from changes in our society – and these are changes we as Christians should counter, bringing to the fore the Gospel message that there is a better way of living together.

Again from the JRRT:-

“In the UK, as in other democracies, freedom of expression is under threat in new and complex ways, caught up in the battleground between different conceptions of offence and harm, debates around cancel culture, no platforming, ‘safe space’, online harms and academic freedom. Suppressing free speech is a core part of the authoritarian playbook, while at the same time invoked by populists in order to tap into resentment against elites, ‘wokeness’, and vulnerable communities such as migrants.” (1)

https://www.jrrt.org.uk/what-we-do/our-priorities/freedom-of-expression-protest-rights/

And also this article article I rewrote earlier in the year about protest – https://www.jcfj.ie/article/the-importance-of-a-healthy-ecology-of-protest/

Counting on … 159

7th October 2025

Do we have a right to protest? Is protest an extension of the right to our freedom of expression?

The charity Liberty puts it thus:

“Everyone has the right to protest and to organise protests. This right is protected by the European Convention on Human Rights (the ECHR).

Your right to freedom of expression is protected under Article 10 of the ECHR. Your right to freedom of assembly is protected under Article 11.

These Articles have been brought into UK law by the Human Rights Act 1998. It

Requires public authorities, like the police, to act in a way that is compatible with your rights. The police also have the legal obligation to help protests take place. A legal obligation is something that the law requires you to do. It’s not optional.
Allows you to bring a claim in UK courts when your rights are not respected.” (1)

Liberty goes on to explain that the right to protest is not without some limitations, principally that the police can curtail or limit the right to protest if there are other legal laws to be considered (eg the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022) or to prevent crime and disorder, to protect public health or to protect the rights of others. Nevertheless these limits must be proportionate. What police may do – rather than banning a protest – is impose restrictions on that protest.

So for example when I am part of CCA’s regular vigil outside Parliament, the police many ask what are plans are, how many people we expect and how long we intend staying. Or for example a march such as the Palestinian Solidarity March, will be required to follow a specific route and start and finish at specified times. (Protests that involve moving as opposed to stationary protests typically need to be pre-arranged with the police).

Liberty’s webpage has more information about rights and legal restrictions around protest.

https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/advice_information/right-to-protest/

Counting on … 158

6th October 2025

A phrase much used at the moment is ‘freedom of speech’. But what does it mean? And does it guarantee that what we here is the truth?

“Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognised as a human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and international human rights law.…” However this is not an absolute right and a clause includes that these rights carries “”special duties and responsibilities” and may “therefore be subject to certain restrictions” when necessary “[f]or respect of the rights or reputation of others” or “[f]or the protection of national security or public order or of public health or morals“….Common limitations or boundaries to freedom of speech relate to libel, slander, obscenity, pornography, sedition, incitement, fighting words, hate speech, classified information, copyright violation, trade secrets, food labeling, …” (1)

Freedom of speech certainly,y ensures we do hear what other people are thinking and what they believe to be true. However of itself, freedom of speech doesn’t guarantee that what is said is truthful (even if it is a genuinely held belief). I don’t think you can have truth without freedom of speech, but truth requires more – researching the facts and in particular researching the facts you don’t know. And that itself will depend upon knowing which questions to ask. It could be that listening to a variety of views will help clarify what questions should be asked – and hearing that diversity of views does bring us back to freedom of speech.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech