A series of protests took place in the course of the weekend at several Church of England cathedrals and abbeys, where members of the group, Christian Climate Action, called on the church to take a stronger stance on climate change.
Around 20 participants staged demonstrations at Bath Abbey, Durham Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Winchester Cathedral, and York Minster.
The demonstrations involved draping banners from towers and rooftops, in addition to quietly holding banners contained in the cathedrals and saying prayers within the cloisters.
At Bath Abbey, 4 individuals on a scheduled tower tour made their way as much as the roof shortly after noon and unfurled a banner reading “DON’T CRUCIFY CREATION.”
They declined to go away the roof, and police and fire services were called to the scene.
Four protesters displayed a big banner in front of the altar in Westminster Abbey and before sitting down. Security staff removed two of them, while the others left when asked.
An analogous silent demonstration took place at York Minster, where authorities permitted a banner display to proceed.
At Winchester Cathedral, protesters positioned a banner on the cathedral roof, and at Durham Cathedral, they unfurled one on the lawn.
The actions follow the circulation of a document titled Stop Crucifying Creation, distributed in recent weeks to Church of England clergy.
The document calls on the Church to take a more public position on climate change, reduce its own environmental impact, and address the role of fossil fuel corporations, government, and media.
Participants described their actions as an appeal for the Church to adopt a more outspoken role.
A Christian Climate Action spokesperson said: “We challenge the church (and we include ourselves) to seek out the courage to talk up for those impacted by climate breakdown, to arise to the federal government and the fossil fuel corporations who’re hastening climate and ecological collapse and to hitch and support civil disobedience where crucial. In short, to be as radical as Jesus was when faced with an unjust system.
“Of course we must also put our own house so as – installing solar panels, rewilding church land and so forth, but that can’t be the start and end of our responsibility.
“We must speak and act prophetically and unapologetically, refusing to be silenced whatever the implications, as we bear witness to the reality in regards to the destruction of our God-given and exquisite planet.”
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