Caring for our common home
When in Rome… We came together As people of all faiths and beliefs Moved by the need for Humanitarian and planetary relief And we pledged To work together, to care And repair Our Common Home When in Rome… We spoke Of Greater Manchester’s history Of revolution And industry And of our region’s call To enable good lives for all To grow from our roots A place that’s green and fair We looked to the future To generations to come And to the need To protect our planet mum We shared our values Of equity and humanity And our wish to Eliminate injustice and poverty When in Rome… We found home In a humble gurdwara A magnificent mosque A great synagogue In stunning churches Of all denomination Places of teaching Science and spiritual formation We felt belonging In warm welcomes The sharing food Hands, arms, doors held open to include We talked As we walked And reflected, by old thrones And trails of stumble stones When in Rome… We grew knowledge And understanding Of each other, of faith And of place We shared laughs And tears Some Aperol Some beers! We had fun Shared rituals and runs Rode e-bikes and scooters In the sun When in Rome… We named the challenges The social and planetary fragility And instability The culture flaws and wars We talked Of consumption, distraction Planetary extraction And the call, for action We spoke of the need To heal divisions and scars That separate people Behind walls and bars We sowed hope A boy And his bucket And the teachings of a humble Pope We discussed How integral ecology Is deeply rooted in our values Beliefs and theology When in Rome… We acknowledged Our influence and responsibility To use and grow power For change, at this critical hour We committed to act With courage and hope To lead change and fulfil Our three pledges to the Pope We explored How to mobilise communities At scale and pace, in place And retrofit our buildings and space We held hands And pledged to take a stand To increase biodiversity Across our lands We debated Divesting, from fossil fuels And investing, in green energy Green skills, jobs and tools …Some may say what happened in Rome Should stay in Rome, but There’s so much we’ve brought home Including the wish to do more To put climate and social justice At the core The need to spread and share The human impulse to care And our collective longing To nurture people’s sense of safety and belonging We return home... With greater Clarity and conviction Of our purpose and role With increased Weight of responsibility And sense of possibility With new language and words To help us reach Beyond eco-nerds! With a stronger sense Of togetherness Of unity, and community And of course The greatest gift Of the trip Is our friendship Which I know I’lll treasure Forever We return home... From Rome More spiritually whole With greater depth to our soul Greater breadth to our thinking With love bursting from our beating hearts And collectively As, oh, so much more Than just the sum of our parts And this is where our real journey Now starts...
Eve Holt 