Litany

Filmed at Scargill House, 13th August 2024. For the hatred that divides us Race from race and class from class And the covetous desire For things that are not ours For the greed that takes advantage And for laying waste the earth Father forgive Father forgive Father forgive For our envy of our neighbour And their good fortune that we see For our indifference to the captive The homeless and the refugee For the lust that brings dishonour And the pride that steals our peace Father Forgive Father Forgive Father Forgive Be kind to one another And tender in your heart Forgiving one another As Christ forgave you Coventry Cathedral is one of my ‘special places’. Shortly after my father was killed on 9/11, I went to the ruined cathedral in Coventry city centre. On 14th November 1940 Coventry was heavily bombed by the Luftwafe and the Cathedral was destroyed with just the bell tower, spire and outer walls left standing. In response Provest Dick Howard committed to a path of forgiveness and reconciliation. The words, “FATHER FORGIVE” were inscribed on the wall of the chancel and a cross made of two charred timbers was erected on an altar of rubble. Another cross, fashioned from three mediaeval nails became a symbol of friendship between former enemies seeking to build a kinder, more christ-like world. The Litany of Reconciliation was written in 1958 and rather than pointing the finger, it asks us to acknowledge the root of failure in our own lives.