Father Charlie and a supporter at the mass lobby outside parliament
Based in Kenya, Father Charlie is a leading voice on debt justice. He recently attended a key UN conference in Spain - a once-in-a-decade opportunity for lower-income countries to push for a new fair global debt framework. He also joined the hundreds of CAFOD supporters who attended the mass lobby. He reflects with us on the spirituality of his advocacy work and how hope underpins his commitment to social change.
Rev. Charlie Chilufya, S.J.
Act Now, Change Forever Mass Lobby
Wednesday 9 July 2025 | QEII Centre, London
Good morning, friends.
What a blessing it is to stand with you today - citizens from across this land of the UK and around the world - people of faith, conscience, courage and hope.
The world is on fire. From the floods in Kenya to heatwaves here in Britain, from failed crops in Zambia to storms in Cornwall, creation is groaning. This is not tomorrow’s crisis. It is today’s emergency.
And it is a deeply unjust emergency. Those who contributed least to this crisis are suffering the most.
Twenty years ago, in 2005, the UK helped lead the G7 to historic action at the time of the Make Poverty History campaign.
As a result, millions of African children returned 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.
And I’ve come to say this to the people and leaders of this country: you can do it again.
The UK has a privileged platform in global finance, diplomacy and climate negotiations. Africa looks to you. The Global South looks to you. Indeed, humanity looks to you.
And let us be clear: the climate crisis cannot be solved if developing countries are drowning in debt. How can nations invest in adaptation, in clean energy, in resilience, if every dollar goes to servicing old loans? Climate justice and debt justice are two sides of the same coin.
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.
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.
You are the moral wind behind the political will. You are the light in a time of confusion.
And together, you are igniting a movement rooted in love, guided by justice and sustained by solidarity.
So let us rise, with one voice and one resolve:
The time is now.
The responsibility is ours.
And the future is listening.
Call for debt justice in the Jubilee Year
The world is currently facing the most acute debt crisis in history: 54 countries – from Kenya to Sri Lanka – are facing debt distress.
It’s the world’s poorest countries who are the worst affected, with many forced to spend more on payments to big banks, wealthy nations and global institutions than they spend on health, education or tackling the climate crisis.
And the time to act is now!