And you can add your voice now! Visit https://anglicanalliance.org/pages/8505 for more information and to sign the online petition.
In the picture on the right, Rt. Revd. Samuel S. Mankhin, Bishop of Kushtia Diocese in the Church of Bangladesh, is adding his voice to the call by signing up online.
The Church of Bangladesh will be taking the petition in to their communities and asking those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change to add their voice to the call. The press release and petition have been translated into Bangla, and a plan is in place to maximise participation and make sure every voice has the opportunity to be heard. Bangladesh is also experiencing the devastating impact of climate change.
Bishop Samuel has launched the drive in Bangladesh by adding his voice to the call online. He commented on the effort as a significant initiative, and said:
“Churches should have their voice heard in global policy and help to bring the system in to order for the safeguarding of humankind and the nature that has been given to us by the kindness of God.”
In the Pacific Tagolyn Kabekabe, Anglican Alliance Regional Facilitator, is encouraging schools and communities to sign up offline. And Elizabeth Marahora, one of the women leaders in education who took part in the Alliance’s Commonwealth Professional Fellowship Scheme this year, is making the most of the printed paper petition and asking teachers and pupils in the Solomon Islands to add their support.
Churches across Australia are calling for more signatures after their recent General Synod passed two motions on climate change.
Some Australian Dioceses are encouraging people to adopt an Oceans of Justice email signature, such as the one pictured above. Local Anglican newspapers are also highlighting the campaign and calling on Christians nationwide to sign and add their support.
And Melanie Thorne, a Reader in the parish of Kingskerswell with Coffinswell, in the Diocese of Exeter, UK, has been collecting signatures from her church and has published the Oceans of Justice petition in the church magazine. Her recent sermon highlighted the global effects of climate change and said, “The whole Anglican Communion is very keen that we do all we can to persuade the Australian Government to put this problem on the agenda of the G20. It is asking all concerned folk to sign the petition.”
Anglicans in Australia will present the final petition with a letter to the Australian Government at the beginning of the G20 Summit in November this year.
The G20 will bring together the leaders of the top 20 richest nations in the world to discuss the actions that need to be taken for sustainable economic growth. The more signatures there are on the petition the more these world leaders will support the call and put climate change on their agenda.
For more information on the campaign please visit the Oceans of Justice page on our website. You can sign the petition at https://anglicanalliance.org/Advocacy/oceans-of-justice.
