I WOULD like to take this opportunity to reply to your correspondent who made comments about my supporting the Green Party as a Green Christian on the 19th April in Soapbox.

I’m glad the letter writer supports one of my reasons for standing for the Greens and the concern they have for environmental stewardship and social justice.

I call myself a Green Christian because this what I am.

And like others belonging to the ecumenical Green Christian network, CEL, (formerly know as Christian Ecology Link) we support the Green Party.

Not everyone in any political party supports all their policies even the ones they make up as they go along.

Nearly all support abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage.

While some support the Green Party on drug legislation.

This is calling for a Royal Commission to look at the problem.

Don’t you think as a Christian we should find some way of controlling the problem. Is this really immoral?

What I like about the Green Party is its openness to all people, they have no time for discrimination of any kind and ask for more equality for all, not as the other parties do.

I belong to the Green Faith movement which is about respect for belief systems including those who have any form of worship.

I’m completely fooled by the quote ‘In the bowels of Christ’ from Oliver Cromwell he the dictator of England and of persecution towards people of all faiths and none.

Did he really say that?

I have looked at my scripture and find no reference to Our Lord’s bowels?

I am a follower of Francis of Assisi and like Pope Francis I believe he is the example of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically.

Francis shows us how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society and interior peace.

None of this I have found in all the other political parties who also have people of Christian faith as supporters.

I and other Green Christians have found in the Greens a party that has a commitment to all of the issues I mentioned in my original letter when I announced I was standing as a candidate for the local elections.

If our friend who wrote the letter would like to get in touch we can talk in love about the reasons why people like myself support the Green Party.

Please do contact me. I am happy for my details to be shared with our fellow Christian.

John Vivian

Fareham