”Our lights are in need of people”
”Things were starting to move” — that was the theme of Ulrich Schmiedel’s inaugural lecture at Lund University in September 2024, and it also became the theme of an issue of Uppdrag Mission. ”From your perspective, what do you see starting to move?” was the question that we asked some of Ulrich’s colleagues in different countries and some parish and diocese workers in the Church of Sweden. Rikko Voorberg, director of A World of Neighbours, sent us these impressions:
”Shield the candles, we need the light!”
The world is warming up, ice sheets are crumbling, and permafrost is melting away. That’s not only a description of natural events, it’s a perfect image for what’s happening to human rights in Europe, especially regarding the protection and reception of refugees and migrants. The foundation of our democracy—the rule of law with its accompanying rights and obligations, born from a faith-based worldview — once seemed a firm rock-hard foundation under our feet. But rock turned out to be ice, and the deep frost was no match for the heat of the unholy alliance between big global capital and fact-free nationalism.
Rule of law is disintegrating with lightning speed — keeping pace with climatological changes. Overburdened systems of protection are being robbed of their budgets as we speak. Europe scolds authoritarian regimes for how they treat human rights activists, but Europe has no tools to support their own human rights defenders who stand trial for sharing soup or blankets with dying people in border-forests.
“When it’s night, don’t complain about the dark, but light a candle.” This was A World of Neighbours’ New Years message. This is what we do. But the night is stormy and the lights are vulnerable. They need protection, a little structure to protect it from the storm. Simple ones, so we can carry it to places of the most need. Our lights are in need of people, faith groups, community structures, family — to shield the light from wind and rain. Hold hands, strengthen ties between all people of peace across cultures, religions and walks of life. A night of light.
