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Pope Francis died a few days before I had to write this. Tributes have poured in from across the world, and one theme keeps emerging – how he championed the rights of the marginalised, poor and oppressed.
He spoke out about the evils of war and the treatment of refugees. He visited South Sudan as part of an ecumenical pilgrimage that included delegates from the Church of Scotland, and he called the church in Gaza every night to check in with them.
Speaking truth to power is hard. It’s even harder when you are part of an establishment that holds power. Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero, is often seen as one of the leading figures of liberation theology as he called for the protection of human rights and the end to violence. He paid for this stance with his life, largely because he had been appointed to toe the line and instead became increasingly critical of the Government.
Powerful earthquakes in Myanmar have caused catastrophic devastation. Survivors urgently need critical support. Please donate now.
Jesus was crucified by the Roman occupiers of ancient Palestine because he refused to remain silent while people suffered.
Jesus reserved his harshed rebuke for those who abused power, ignored the plight of fellow humans or were hypocritical. Most of them were part of the established order.
Today most of us are complicit in an established order that benefits the few at the expense of the many. It is almost impossible to untangle ourselves from investments, bank accounts or pension pots that are investing in war, exploitation and climate change. It’s hard not to live in a disposable, profit driven world and just accept that as normal.
In Guatemala, the focus of this year’s Christian Aid Week stories, our partners are supporting communities to raise their voices and to be resilient in the face of pressure to sell their land to big companies for a token amount. For people never far away from poverty, these are hard choices - keep their land, which is suffering from the harsh realties of a changing climate, or sell for a one-time pay off. But what is the alternative? The land and their livelihoods are bound together, but the pressure to sell is enormous and it is a hard choice for poor families. A small amount of money in exchange for land that can provide, doesn’t lift people out of poverty in a sustainable way.
For decades, hope has united us in the fight against poverty and injustice. See how you can get involved with events, campaigns and actions as we mark our 80th anniversary in Scotland.
Our partners are supporting the community to learn agroecology in order to make the most of their resource and to diversify crops. Agroecology, put simply, is farming in a sustainable way that works with, not against, nature. Part of the project is to advocate for a fair share of water and land so that the big and the powerful can’t monopolise resources. As partners and communities play their part in working for justice, we need to support them by refusing to accept as normal that which diminishes or impoverishes others.
That’s why we ask people to give, act and pray with us. Giving to ensure we have the vital funds needed to support communities across the world, acting to raise our voices to elected representatives and those in power to call for just laws and processes that protect the poor rather then exploit them. And to pray, because when we pray we bind ourselves to our sisters and brothers around the world and we hold onto the faith that goodness and love are planted more deeply than all that is wrong.
Thank you for your support this Christian Aid Week, we really appreciate everything that is done to enable our work. If you can be in Edinburgh on Saturday 17 May at 7pm, please do come to St Giles for a service to mark 80 years of Christian Aid. The First Minister, John Swinney is the keynote speaker, and there will be music from Siskin Green and the Wild Goose Resource Group. No RSVP is necessary, all are welcome.
Val Brown
