Hospitality on the Road

 "Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place." (Henri Nouwen) 

We continue our pilgrimage through many villages, towns, communities, schools, cultural centres, forests, highways, country roads and mountains. The past two weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions and challenges. I find it hard to express in words what we have faced as a group from the heartbreaking moment of losing Alan, our fellow pilgrim, to moments of hope and comfort as we are surrounded by so much support; our bonds of friendship and community deepen. This week we crossed into the Czech Republic from Slovakia. Since I last posted we have also walked across parts of Slovenia and Austria. The temperature has dropped dramatically and the lack of daylight is becoming more of a challenge. There is so much to say but for now I want to simply write about hospitality.

In each place that we stop we are hosted usually by a local faith community in either a parish centre, the local priest's house, schools or with host families. Occasionally we also avail of the wonderful community of couch surfing. In these spaces we have been treated so warmly, our every

need met. We experience the best of food and refreshments, warm comfortable places to sleep, hot  showers at the end of a 25-30km walk, somewhere to rest to recharge our bodies and our phones. There are two parts to each day of this pilgrimage, the walking and the resting. While resting we are also working as we often say that while the physical destination of this pilgrimage is Katowich and COP24, the true destination is the minds and hearts of the people we meet. In our resting we engage often on a deep level with those we encounter whether it be at a presentation or event or around the table of our host community. The conversations are not always easy, climate justice brings its complications and as it is a topic which ultimately will effect the lifestyles of people all across the world, it can be difficult. For those who find this topic baffling and unsettling they still listen attentively to our stories and our purpose. There is a space created that oozes a generosity of food and other necessities but also of listening and a desire to understand why on earth we would walk such a distance.



I'd like to share a few memorable experiences of hospitality so far:
In the village of Kuty in Slovakia we arrived after a day's walking to a wonderful welcome in the local church where young people dressed in traditional costumes and parishioners came out on a coldSunday afternoon to sing for us and pray with us. Earlier that day Fr. Francis, the parish priest, and a group of young people came to meet us while we were 11km out from the village and walked with us. It was a lovely gesture of solidarity and welcome. We were then treated to a total feast of food, drinks, laughter and song. It was our last night in Slovakia and the parish of Kuty made sure we had a good send off. On this journey our hosts remind us that we walk for everyone, for those who perhaps would love this opportunity and who want their voices heard yet cannot join us.



In Vienna, Austrian President Alexandre Van der Bellen welcomed us to the presidential palace. He walked with us in the People's Park as we experienced the first snowfall of the Winter. President Vanderbellen showed us around his very impressive office, spent time with us for photographs and wished us well for our journey to Katowich. It was a fantastic gesture of solidarity at State level. All the Climate Pilgrims were given a packed lunch for our ongoing journey which contained the most delicious bar of chocolate I have ever had. I should probably have a different highlight from that presidential audience than the chocolate, but it was seriously good. Joking aside, it was an honour for this pilgrimage to be acknowledged in such a way.



President Vanderbellen is one of 15 heads of state who this week put their names to a joint declaration ahead of COP24. I'm proud to say our own President Michael D Higgins has also signed his name to the declaration which states: "We appeal to the International Community and to all Parties to the Paris Agreement: Let us act jointly, decisively and swiftly to stop the global climate crisis. We call for a successful outcome at COP 24 in Katowice that will bring the Paris Agreement to life through the adoption of detailed operational rules and guidelines on all elements in the Paris Agreement Work Programme." You can read the 15 point declaration here. We were very happy to be hosted by President Vanderbellen, so far the only head of state who was available to meet with us.

Another memorable host this week was in the town of Vyskov in the Czech Republic when we stayed in a local Christian organisation's gym. The care taker was a lovely man called Jaromir who didn't speak English but his kindness spoke more to us than anything. Before we left he gave us each a special candle and a bottle of something to keep us warm, for medicinal purposes of course.

These are only some examples of the generous hospitality we experience each evening. Each meal we eat feels like a very special communion, especially when someone opens their home to complete strangers on the road. I have experienced such kindness and openness on this journey. Without these hosts, our pilgrimage would not be possible. We rely on the generosity of strangers and it is a lesson in letting go. We joke that this has become the food pilgrimage as we sample delicious local cuisine from the four countries we have travelled through. Welcoming strangers is a wonderful gift to give. It encourages me to be grateful every day for all that we receive and in a strange way has helped to melt away insecurities and worries that I might carry on the road. Each morning as we walk I am moved to a space of gratitude for what we have received from our hosts.In return I hope I will always be able to open my home to those who need space to rest.

"Anytime we practice hospitality we follow in the footsteps of our lavishly hospitable God."

(from The Simplest Way to Change the World)

"Then they told what had happened on the road, and how Jesus had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread." (Luke 24:35)

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Step by Step for Climate Justice

"An interdependent world not only makes us more conscious of the negative effects of certain lifestyles and models of production and consumption which affect us all; more importantly it motivates us to ensure that solutions are proposed from a global perspective, and not simply to defend the interests of a few countries. Interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan." (Laudato Si, 164).

Part of this Climate Pilgrimage involves many events and actions. When we are not walking 24-30kms per day, we are speaking in schools, parish centres, meeting with climate activists, Mayors, church leaders or perhaps helping AG paint one of his amazing murals. Last week, in the port city of Trieste, Greenpeace Italy arranged for us to meet with Generali, Italy's third largest insurance company. The meeting took place in their beautiful offices in central Trieste; we walked from the Cathedral in procession with many supporters to the offices of Generali.



Gathered outside the main building Luca Iacoboni (Greenpeace Italy campaigner) handed us postcards to write on. These postcards had images of natural disasters from our home countries which have been attributed to climate change in the past year. The postcards were addressed to the Managing Directors of Generali. Each of us wrote a message pleading with them to be brave, be a climate justice leader, to turn away from fossil fuel investment and to stop insuring coal companies. We entered the  Generali building and were met by the member of staff who oversees corporate responsibility. Our Philippino pilgrims shared with them the suffering which has been inflicted on the Philippines because of the climate crisis and also their harrowing experience of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 15,000 people in 2013.

While these negotiations in big companies can be complicated and drawn out, Greenpeace Italy had laid the groundwork over recent months. Last night, as we were preparing dinner in an old school house in the mountains, we got the message that Generali had reached an agreement with Greenpeace and have commited to stop insuring new coal mines. I was really amazed as we had mixed feelings about how our meeting had gone with Generali. While the stories from the Philippines are terrifying and should be a wake up call to the whole world, I was unsure if we had touched the hearts of those we spoke to.  Something shifted for this announcement to have been made yesterday and for me it shows the power of the narrative that AG, Albert and our whole group carry on this pilgrimage.

Our Philippino brothers are the real faces of the climate crisis, so for me this campaign concerns more than something that is happening to people far away from me, this is now about my friends and their loved ones. Now it's personal. When we speak in schools I now look at the students we speak to and am fearful for them. The transformative power of this pilgrimage becomes more visibile day by day, step by step.

In Ljubljana some days ago we met with a Laudato Si study group, all young women who are university students. At another event later that night we met with a representative from Slovenia's Ministry for the Environment and the person who had translated Laudato Si into Slovenian. Climate scientists gave their data on the impacts of climate change so far in Slovenia and theologians unpacked the richness of Laudato Si for those present. We are all working together for a common cause. One young person from the audience asked if she could set up her own Laudato Si working group in Ljubljana and a Jesuit priest who was present committed to work with her on this. So while the climate crisis seems huge and impossible, I am witnessing a conversion of hearts, one person, one village, one company at a time.



The Generali announcement is huge and is down to the hard work by Greenpeace Italy but we all feel that we were part of the last push over the line. Whether it is meeting with insurance companies or encouraging groups of students to start reading Laudato Si, I am convinced that by walking we are contributing something very positive to climate justice. Statistics and figures will not change people's minds about climate change, we have to speak to their hearts. Whenever I hear of the effects of
climate change from now on, I will see the faces of AG and Albert. That is key, to  really SEE the other person. Love of neighbour in this context involves action and it has no time for indifference.

You can read the Greenpeace press release concerning Generali here: Generali

Outside Velenje Coal Mining Plant, Slovenia

"We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels, especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas - needs to be progressively replaced without delay...Although the post-industrial period may well be remembered as one of the most irresponsible in history, nonetheless there is reason to hope that humanity at the dawn of the 21st century will be remembered for having generously shouldered its grave responsibilities." (Laudato Si, 165).

 You can WALK WITH US by taking action in your own country. Before COP24 begins in December it is so important that our governments are committed to immediate climate action:
http://climatepilgrimage.com/take-action/

The Climate Pilgrimage experience so far

I have been on the Climate Pilgrimage now for almost ten days, joining the group in

A mural painted by AG Sano in Trieste

Udine in northern Italy during the severe storms which wrecked havoc on that region over the past few weeks. Heavy rains and flooding have killed 15 people in Italy; in Venice the marathon runners ran through ankle deep water and the next day tourists were up to their knees in it as they tried to navigate around the city. You can read about the floodinghere. It was ironic that I could not visit the city on the first day I arrived there due to the floods. A beautiful city at real risk from sea level rise.

Our group is made up of climate activists from the USA, England, France, Germany and the Philippines. We have an amazing support team organized by a coalition of NGOs such as FOCSIV in Italy, Greenpeace and the Global Catholic Climate Movement. In Italy we were led by our coordinators Claudia and Pepe and since arriving in Slovenia our fearless leaders are Patricia and Louise. We could not complete this pilgrimage without these people. They plan our route for each day, liaise with local NGOs and parishes on the events we speak at each evening and keep us well fed and watered. Logistically they make our journey possible and we only got lost in the forest in Slovenia on a couple of occasions so far! As a pilgrim all you need is the stamina to complete an average of 24kms on most days and the motivation to be here. Some days are easier than others. The rain has been relentless these weeks but you get used to it. The temperatures remain mild for this time of year and locals in northern Italian towns told us that it is ten degrees higher than normal at present.

We are greeted along the way by school children, faith communities, Mayors, Bishops, faith leaders, all who support this pilgrimage and who tell us that we are walking for everyone. In each village, town

and city that we stay in we experience the most generous hospitality. Sometimes we stay with families who may be associated with our support network, or a parish community hosts us; occasionally we are on the gym floor in a local school, regardless I am blown away by the welcome we receive in each place. Since I arrived I've experienced many events where at least 40 people gather to listen to our stories, to bring food and beverages, break bread with us, support our petitions, watch our presentations and generally fill us with so much hope and a sense of solidarity that it is hard to put into words.

The walking takes us through varied landscapes and the highlight so far was leaving Trieste, a beautiful port city in north eastern Italy, to cross into Slovenia. On that day we were joined by 15 people whom we had met along the way and who simply wanted to accompany us over the border. They came from various nearby

Crossing Italian Slovenian border

villages we had visited and walked with us for the 24 kms on Sunday. That is solidarity.

For the past two days we have been in Ljubljana following some rainy days walking. We have been fully occupied with events in parishes, schools and Slovenian national media are keeping us very busy. We even featured on a full page story in Slovenia's national newspaper.

Today is the anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever recorded in human history which slammed into the Philippines in 2013. 15,000 people died. Please take time to watch and share this short video which features the story of Yeb and AG who lead this Climate Pilgrimage. We walk in solidarity with them and for them and for all who are suffering because of this global crisis.

In the run up to COP24 it is so important that our pilgrimage receives as much publicity as possible and that a strong message is sent to government leaders worldwide. You can walk with us by taking action in your own country. Please follow this link and share with your contacts, colleagues, friends.

http://climatepilgrimage.com/take-action/