At Legislators' Meeting in UK, Kenya-based Jesuit Calls for Urgent Action in Addressing Climate Change, Debt Crisis

“Those who contributed least to this crisis are suffering the most,” the Zambian-born member of the Society of Jesus (SJ/Jesuits) lamented.

Recounting a campaign on “Make Poverty History” that the UK spearheaded in 2005, Fr. Chilufya lauded the initiative, which he said resulted in “millions of African children returning to school. Life-saving medicines reached hospitals again. Families received food. Futures were rebuilt.”

“That was not just economic policy. That was moral leadership. That was the UK at its best – a force for good in the world,” he said, and added, “I’ve come to say this to the people and leaders of this country: you can do it again.”

Fr. Chilufya acknowledged with appreciation UK’s “privileged platform in global finance, diplomacy and climate negotiations” and added, “Africa looks to you. The Global South looks to you. Indeed, humanity looks to you.”

In his speech, JENA Director said that the climate crisis cannot be solved if developing countries are drowning in debt.

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“How can nations invest in adaptation, in clean energy, in resilience, if every dollar goes to servicing old loans?” he posed, adding, “Climate justice and debt justice are two sides of the same coin.”

Fr. Chilufya continued, “As a Jesuit Priest, I speak from the wellspring of faith. And every faith tradition present today tells us the same truth: we were not made for greed or indifference. We were made for love, for justice, for stewardship.”

“The command to love our neighbour is not abstract. Today, our neighbour is the mother walking five miles for water in Malawi; the nurse suffering from heatstroke in a London hospital; the farmer in Ghana watching his crops die in the sun,” Fr. Chilufya said.

Another example of “our neighbour”, he went on to say, is “the child who wonders if she will inherit a world worth living in.”

“We are not here because we have lost hope. We are here because we dare to hope. To every person gathered here - young and old, of every creed and conviction - know this: you are not simply protesting, you are prophesying,” JENA Director has been quoted as saying.

He lauded the UK climate movement for being “the moral wind behind the political will and the light in a time of confusion,” and added, “You are igniting a movement rooted in love, guided by justice, and sustained by solidarity.”

“Let us rise, with one voice and one resolve: The time is now. The responsibility is ours.
 And the future is listening,” Fr. Chilufya said.