Christians holding baptisms and Eucharist on London bridge as part of Extinction Rebellion

Christians are holding baptisms, a daily Eucharist and foot washing on Lambeth Bridge in London as part of another week of action calling on the Government to do more to address climate change.

Christian Climate Action will also be hosting Taize services and a contemplative prayer pool as part of the Extinction Rebellion protests across the capital. 

The Community of Aiden and Hilda will lead liturgical worship, the Church Army will be hosting poetry workshops, and development charities Christian Aid, Tearfund, and Cafod will be leading a prayer vigil on Monday.

Rev Helen Burnett, vicar at St Peter & St Paul's Chaldon, Southwark, said that the Christian activists wanted to bring their faith into the "heart" of the protest.

"For many of us this is a spiritual act of witness," she said.

"So it makes sense to celebrate this part of our faith and bring it into the heart of the protest."

Police have already threatened arrests over the shutdown of Lambeth Bridge.  LBC Radio reports that police have threatened anyone on the bridge, including its reporter, with arrest. 

Defending the protesters' actions, Christian Climate Action member Holly-Anna Petersen, said: "Shutting down roads around Westminster may seem like a drastic step but we believe it's necessary because of the drastic state of the global climate.

"Extinction Rebellion began last October because it was clear we needed to take urgent action and since then the climate crisis has only got worse.

"We've had UN science reports showing the damage of climate breakdown is causing to our land and oceans, and we've seen climate impacts causing drought and devastation from Africa to Australia.

"The weak pledges made at the New York summit last week shows that our leaders aren't acting fast enough, despite the demands from the world's youth climate strikes.

"So we're left with the only option we have left; peaceful non-violent direct action."

Dr Ruth Valerio, Global Influencing and Advocacy Director at Tearfund, who addressed the protesters on the bridge, said: "The climate emergency is the biggest global issue of our time and it's only right that people from all faiths stand together in solidarity and fight for justice.

"There are more droughts, more floods, and less reliable rain, which makes it harder for people in poverty to feed themselves.

"We respect and share some of the hopes of the activists on the faith bridge who are taking risks to focus urgent attention on tackling the climate emergency.

"We need to go beyond talk because now is the time for real action from governments, businesses and individuals all over the world to ensure global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees."