Combining faith and politics in pursuit of a more equal world: A directors report from ILRS 2026 congress in Barcelona
Last month, I had the privilege of spending the weekend in Barcelona at the invitation of the International League of Religious Socialists (ILRS), for their 2026 congress. The ILRS is a group of our sister religious socialist organisations, including Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden, and it was wonderful to spend time with them and build friendships with those working at the intersection of faith and left-wing politics across Europe.
The congress was held in Barcelona to coincide with the Global Progressive Mobilisation, a much larger gathering of global leaders and activists to discuss how we might fight back against the rising tide of far right politics. I spoke on a panel about faith and progressive politics as part of the GPM alongside contributors from Spain, Norway, Italy and Sweden including the ILRS president ,Jan Rudy Kristensen, and one of the first female Muslim mayors in Europe, Sara Kukka-Salam. At a time when the far right wants to use religion to divide us, we were able to speak from our different faiths and shared politics about the power of our beliefs to build bridges.
Panel from L-R Steffano Ceccanti (Italy), Sara Kukka-Salam (Sweeden), Hannah Rich (Director Christians on the Left, UK) Jan Rudy Kristensen (Norway)
A panel of four people sat behind a red banner saying “forward together now” in white letters
We also attended the GPM plenary session, a truly global gathering discussing everything from the climate crisis, to taxing the super-rich and global security. We heard from global leaders including the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa , the Brazilian president, Lula and the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who hosted the entire event. Along with economists, activists and politicians from every continent, they spoke powerfully and optimistically about what is needed for a progressive alternative to the division and divisiveness of the far right, which is growing in influence in many countries including our own.
On the Saturday night, I attended an ecumenical service to celebrate 100 years of the ILRS, gathering in the former monastery of Sant Pau del Camp, a beautiful historic church in the heart of Barcelona. Each of the organisations present shared about their values and their work in the context of a chosen passage of scripture, along with a prayer or hymn from their country and tradition. I read the stunning ‘Prayer for the Tired Angry Ones’ by Laura Jean Truman, which will be familiar to those who attend our monthly prayer breakfasts, and which I love for the way it encapsulates the need to remain ‘fiercely kind’ in our political endeavours, combining both justice and gentleness.
The delegation from the Sweedish Social Democrats for Faith and Solidarity
A group of seven people stood at the front of a church with one woman behind a lectern giving a reading.
I am delighted that, in the course of the congress, the ILRS committee extended the invitation for Christians on the Left to formally rejoin the ILRS, which we have accepted in conversation with the officers of our executive committee. The whole weekend was a real tonic for the soul, and a joy to spend time with those from other parties who shared our commitment to combining our faith and politics in the pursuit of a more equal world. I am excited for how this relationship will develop.
