A group of Christians from the protest group Christian Climate Action (CCA) have begun a four-day walking pilgrimage from Newquay to Carbis Bay today (8 June 2021), ahead of the G7 summit taking place this weekend. They aim to draw attention to the vital need for more urgent action from the developed nations on climate change to protect creation.
CCA, a cross-denominational Christian organisation made up of laypeople and clergy, welcomes anyone of any faith or none to join them on their walk. The pilgrims are particularly inviting people to join them on their final stretch on Friday from Phillack Church to St Unys in Lelant. The meeting point is Phillack Church at 11:30am on Friday.
They will also hold an environmental Eucharistic service on Sunday morning near Carbis Bay, where prayers will be said for the Earth and for the world leaders who have such an important role to play in all our futures.
Those walking will be praying that world leaders are inspired to engage in action rather than words and broken promises. This is to mirror the theme of “Drowning in Promises” which is being used by Extinction Rebellion protestors during the G7.
Stephen Jarvis, one of the pilgrims, said: “The UK is very good at claiming to be world leaders in the fight against climate change whilst tinkering round the edges but not actually implementing any of the serious actions needed to protect our fragile Earth.”
Rev. Helen Burnett said: “Unlike a traditional pilgrimage our progress will be halted, not because we arrive at a holy place, but by a police cordon; however our walk will be waymarked by prayers for the world. Our purpose is to focus our hearts and minds on the deep injustices of the world. The climate and economic injustice we see all around us is a result of the policies of the wealthiest represented this weekend by the G7. Decisions made by the minority affect the majority, whose voices will not be represented in Carbis Bay.
“As part of that silenced majority, we will walk as a witness to the need to imagine a better world, a world imagined by Jesus Christ whose greatest commandment was ‘to love your neighbour as yourself”.
Further information
- Contact Caroline Harmon at christianclimateaction@gmail.com
- Christian Climate Action is a community of Christians supporting each other to take meaningful action in the face of imminent and catastrophic anthropogenic climate breakdown. They are inspired by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. Following the example of social justice movements of the past, they carry out acts of public witness, non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to urge those in power to make the changes needed. Since November 2018, they have worked closely with Extinction Rebellion and have become known as the Christians in XR.
- Blogs about the pilgrimage will be posted on www.christianclimateaction.org