’Climate change is a devastating reality’ – Canon Michael Parker
A large number of people attended an ecumenical service of prayer and reflection for climate justice held in St Anne’s Cathedral on November 29 before a rally on climate change.
The service and rally in Writer’s Square, opposite the Cathedral, was held on the eve of UN climate change talks in Paris.
The service was organised by Christian Aid and Trócaire in partnership with St Anne’s. The speaker was the Revd Canon Michael Parker, rector of Carnalea.
In a talk which was commended by many who attended both the service and rally, Canon Parker posed the question: ‘What do we do knowing what we know?’
“We are witnesses today. We gather to worship and to witness for our brothers and sisters around the world. Trocaire and Christian Aid, we give a voice to those clinging to the edges,” Canon Parker said. “We give a voice to those whose lives have been shattered by climate change. Maybe we think we don’t see it yet in our society but climate change is a constant reality. A devastating reality for the poorest of our world.”
He said climate change affected the poorest of the poor first, but it would one day come to everyone.
“We worship today inside this historic St Anne’s Cathedral. But this whole area used to be the docks. We are close to the sea in this city. We are close to the sea and the sea level is rising. Contingency planning for flooding in this city must be our new reality. We might look to our politicians, to ‘the folks on the hill’ for solutions. The ‘folks on the hill’ need to act. If they wait until the water reaches them before they pursue environmentally responsible policies Belfast will be sunk.
The full text of Canon Parker’s address may be found here.
Representatives of several churches took part in the service including the Dean of Belfast the Very Revd John Mann; Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Dromore the Rt Revd Harold Miller; Father Colin Grant from the Roman Catholic Church; the Revd Richard Kerr, Presbyterian Church, the Revd Brian Anderson of the Methodist Church, Ms Beate Hahn of the Lutheran Church and Dr Clare Amos, World Council of Churches.
The rally after the service attracted around 300 people of all ages. It featured music from Beyond Skin and speakers from a range different interest groups and backgrounds, who all have a reason to be concerned about the impact of climate change. They included Friends of the Earth, Eco Congregation Ireland, Butterfly Conservation NI, Oxfam, surfer Dan Lavery and farmer Frank Ellison. Canon Parker read a poem on the impact of climate change.
Each speaker brought an item for a suitcase to be delivered to Northern Ireland’s environment minster Mark H Durkan MLA, who is attending the UN talks which got underway in Paris on Monday November 30.
Pictured L–R: The Dean of Belfast, the Very Revd John Mann;
Ms Beate Hahn, Lutheran Church; Dr Clare Amos, World Council of Churches; the Revd Janice Elsdon, Belfast Cathedral; the Rt Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore; Father Colin Grant, Roman Catholic Church; the Revd Brian Anderson, President of the Methodist Church; Canon Michael Parker, Church of Ireland (speaker) and the Revd Richard Kerr, Convenor, Global Concerns Committee, the Presbyterian Church.