The Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, today welcomed to Scotland the Anglican Communion delegation for COP26, along with the Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and other Communion members from around the world.
The Primus and the Archbishop were presented with the ‘Climate Resistance and Just Financing’ policy document, which was brought together by the Anglican Consultative Council’s COP26 Working Group. The document calls for concrete actions to tackle the climate crisis aimed at policy makers and stakeholders within government, multilateral organisations, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, including faith groups.
The Primus said: “It is a privilege as Anglican Primate of Scotland to welcome our Anglican sisters and brothers to Glasgow, and to Scotland for these vital talks. One of the joys of the Anglican Communion is that we are in fellowship with Anglican communities across the world, enabling the issues facing each community to be shared – this is what we pray will happen at COP26: an honest sharing of experiences and a commitment to find solutions.
“I echo the call within the policy document for climate action and climate justice. One of the most powerful things I experience in my work as a Primate of the Anglican Communion is listening to, and learning from, people all around the world. In recent years the stories from friends in Brazil, in Africa, and from indigenous communities has been consistent. In every place, and in many languages, but with one voice the Communion cries out for creation.
“COP26 may be our last chance to start the necessary international effort that will be required to address this. A step on that road was welcoming the Anglican Delegation to COP26 in Glasgow today. We have truth to tell, and prayer to offer for creation.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “Our Anglican brothers and sisters in the Scottish Episcopal Church have been a vital voice calling for honesty, compassion and justice at COP26. Thank you to the Primus for hosting us – we stand alongside you and pray with you for God’s world.”
After a prayer breakfast at the Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church of Scotland, the group heard from Dr Elizabeth Perry, Advocacy and Communication Manager for the Anglican Alliance, who presented the Climate Resistance and Just Financing policy document. There was also testimony from Pastor Ray Minnicon, a former Inaugural Chairperson of the Sydney Anglican Indigenous Peoples Committee, and the Most Rev Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop in the Anglican Church of Canada, on the subject of indigenous experience in climate policy.
(Photographs show, from top: The Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church with the Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; the Anglican Communion delegation joined by the Primus, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Wallace, Moderator of the Church of Scotland; and the Primus with Nicholas Pande of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa)