The next National Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales annual conference will be held on 21-23 July and take the theme: A Sabbath for the Earth and the Poor: The challenge of Pope Francis. The venue will be: The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire. It is being organised by NJPN in partnership with Church Action on Poverty, CAFOD, Caritas Social Action Network, Vincentians in Partnership, Operation Noah, and Columban JPIC.

The theme of the conference this year is: 'Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world.' (Laudato Si' para237)

We live in a world where people and nature are more often valued according to their economic capacity or usefulness to humans, rather than their intrinsic value as God's creation. In order to be liberated from this commodification, consumerism and utilitarianism, the Sabbath reminds us to rediscover a sense of awe and wonder, to see the beauty in creation and also in relationships, especially with the poor and marginalised.

The conference will seek to: help us understand current realities; find ways to live out and advocate for a different value system; and provide a space for creativity, celebration and contemplation.