Cheltenham was lovely and
autumnal this weekend for the start of their literature festival. Mary Robinson
was an unassuming but impressive figure at the event to mark the publication of her book,
Everybody Matters: A Memoir (Hodder & Stoughton, 2012). She mentioned very early in the interview
that she has been inspired by her Christian faith and how she has stood out
against convention and expectation numerous times in her already long and full life.
As the blurb described it, “Mary
Robinson has spent her life in pursuit of a fairer world. Here, the former UN
High commissioner joins us to discuss her life and her memoir, Everybody
Matters. In a fascinating interview she reveals what lies behind the vision,
strength and determination that has helped her to achieve so much for human
rights around the globe, and what it is like to be a member of The Elders - the
smallest club in the world.” www.theelders.org
Her Cheltenham talk was hosted
by an organisation which is very relevant to Wychwood Circle, the Cambridge
Inter-Faith Programme, also known as simply “Coexist”(www.interfaith.cam.ac.uk/en/news/cheltenham12).
David Ford - who is speaking at Christ Church Cathedral’s Sunday evening After
Eight series in Oxford - introduced the session and described the aim of the
Programme as, amongst other things, trying to increase "religious
literacy". I perked up when I heard
this, and was also struck by Coexist's
tag, which reverberates well into West Oxfordshire: "Making sense of
religion today" - worth following up.
CLIMATE JUSTICE
Since leaving her post at
the United Nations, Mary Robinson has moved on to campaign for what she calls
Climate Justice. This is also worth pursuing:
www.mrfcj.org. The Mary
Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice (MRFCJ) describes itself as "a centre for thought
leadership, education and advocacy on the struggle to secure global justice for
those people vulnerable to the impacts of climate change who are usually
forgotten - the poor, the disempowered and the marginalised across the world."
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD - AFTER EIGHT SERIES
I hope to get to at least one of Christ Church’s October After Eight series entitled “Across the Faiths”.
David Ford starts it off this very evening.
In November the theme will be “Taking a Stand” and is subtitled: Four Christian activists on issues that
matter. www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral/whats-on/aftereight
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