Climate pilgrims walk through the Netherlands: ‘Let’s put into practice what we hear in church on Sunday’
The arrival of the climate pilgrims in the Netherlands. Photo: Green Churches
About thirty pilgrims are currently passing through the Netherlands. They are on their way to Glasgow, where world leaders will talk about the climate in November. “The need is great, you can see what has been happening through the earth lately.”
The climate pilgrims want to make people aware of the ecological climate problem and the dangers that the history of the earth entails while walking. The participants are supported in our country by the organizations Groene Kerken and Vastenactie.
The pilgrimage originated at the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement where countries from around the world plan for the impacts of climate change. The final goal of the tour is the 26th World Climate Conference COP26, in Glasgow in early November.
The goals of cop26 include rapid reductions in coal use, deforestation and protection from the devastating effects of climate change. The climate change governments, among other things, to plan the valid from the earth to 1.5 degrees.
Wave goodbye
The climate pilgrims left Poland in mid-August. In 77 stages they run through Germany, the Netherlands and England to Scotland. They arrived at Enschede Netherlands on Thursday. On Saturday they walked from Goor to Colmschate, where representatives of the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches started.
The pilgrims stayed overnight in the Titus Brandsmahuis in Colmschate, where Catholic pastoral worker Lonneke Gunnink-van den Berg received them. Reverend Henk Schuurman of the Ichtuskerk gave a short encouragement on their way to Twello on Sunday, where they were received in the protestant church.
floods
Jan Vroonland, active in the ‘green’ Protestant Congregation Colmschate-Schalkhaar: ,,With this pilgrimage, the churches draw attention to climate change and our role has been developed. The need is great, you see what is happening lately because of the meaning of the earth.”
He is already committed to the environment. In 2009, he completed the role of environmental slide. He has been an ambassador for Green Churches since 2010 and about three hundred faith communities have started to join: ,,You see extreme weather more and more. We have all seen the images of the floods in Germany, Belgium and South Limburg. Forest fires are starting everywhere, at the North Pole it will be almost thirty degrees and the ice sheet in Greenland is melting at a rapid pace.”
Andrea Oomes of the Lebuinusparochie: ,,This tour is not only about outside the churches, but also outside it. That is why we hope that we will follow part of the route and start a conversation.”
Laudato Si’
Oomes points to the encyclical
Laudato Si’
from Pope Francis, who in 2015 as he calls for cooperation in the care of ‘our common home’, he the earth. The pause implementation of climate concern to combat globally. He sees the Western way of life as ‘theft’ from the poor.
frying fat
What about environmental awareness in both churches? Vroonland: ,,The Ichtus Church is very far. We have a complete recycling center. Community members can collect scrap iron, corks, old tools, mobile phones and now also frying fat. The sermons often pay attention to the climate.”
Oomen: ,,The intercessions regularly discuss the environmental problem. In the village of Lettele, parishioners grow food for the food bank on the grounds of the church. In our monumental buildings, sustainable buildings are sometimes difficult. We cannot put solar panels on it.”
Vroonland: ,,It’s not always about the building. You can do many other things. My advice is rossen: start with small steps. Drink honest coffee, don’t shower every day. Get eggs from the farmer around the corner, then he also gets a fair price for his product. It is not just about farmers in Verweggistan.”
He points out that a lot of nice words were spoken in Paris and at other climate summits, but that it depends on the implementation. “During the credit crisis, we invested many billions in the rescue of our banks. Why should we help poor countries counter the effects of climate change now? If we do nothing, the consequences will only get worse. The Bible teaches that caring for one’s neighbor and for creation are important. Let’s put into practice what we hear in church on Sunday.”
For more information see
www.groenekerken.nl/climatepelgrimstocht