It has been a tradition for The Catholic Worker communities in and around London to begin Lent on Ash Wednesday by joining Pax Christi and many other Christians for a peace liturgy outside the Ministry of Defence. We did so also this year. First we recognised our own sinfulness before we witnessed against and resisted nuclear war preparations by marking the building of the Ministry of Defence with blessed charcoal.

This year Scott Albrecht from the Catholic Worker Farm managed to write "Repent" on the wall inside the door to the Old War Office before being stopped by the police and handcuffed. He was arrested and taken to the Charing Cross Police Station. About three hours later he was released and has to appear again at the Station on the 14th of May to find out if he will be charged with Criminal Damage and/or SOCPA section 128 for entering a military establishment. He has been banned from the City of Westminster until he appears again at Charing Cross Police Station.

"I make my own the appeal of my predecessors for the non-proliferation of arms and for disarmament of all parties, beginning with nuclear and chemical weapons disarmament."
Pope Francis, World Peace Day message 2014

As a Lenten observance Scott has also shaved his head and is attempting to do a 40 day fast. This is to highlight food poverty in Britain. Keith Hebden who is also fasting said that Scott has a unique perspective on hunger in Britain. Scott writes,"We all have a unique perspective, but I would like to share mine. We live with 18 homeless women and children. Before they came to The Catholic Worker Farm some had sex for food, others stole food or begged. Their children, if in school, despite their deep poverty were not entitled to free school meals. We, in the core community, 'dumpster dive'. That is, we go into the rubbish bins at the back of our local supermarkets and retrieve the out of date food. We have to do this to feed our community, but also to save the food! It the UK there are a half a million people who are turning to Food Banks and the number of malnourished individuals has double in the past two years. There are countless stories of unjust benefit cuts. Let's put the pressure on Government to act justly."

Read more about the End Hunger Fast campaign here endhungerfast.co.uk