Christian protest at St Paul’s demands an end to Rosebank oil field

The Church of England should speak out and call on the prime minister to stop Rosebank. That’s the demand from Christian Climate Action (CCA). The group held a ‘die-in’ outside St Paul’s Cathedral on 18 February, which was Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

Ministers also used symbolic ‘oil’ instead of traditional ash to anoint activists with the sign of the cross as part of the peaceful vigil.

Archbishops urged to campaign against Rosebank

CCA has also written to the archbishops of Canterbury and York calling for their support in urging the government to refuse permission for the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, stating:

As part of our Stop Crucifying Creation campaign, CCA is urging the Church of England to be a prophetic voice in this existential crisis and speak out against the fossil fuel companies that are driving the Climate Emergency.

Rev James Grote explained:

Climate change is crucifying creation through flood and drought, heat and storms. We must speak up with those who are suffering the loss of everything in our one and only planet.

If we are to continue to live in hope we have to act now, move away from fossil fuels, call out the oil and gas giants and stop Rosebank. The UK government must give us hope.

On Ash Wednesday, they held a ‘die-in’ where protesters shrouded themselves under white sheets, with banner messages that included “Don’t Crucify Creation” and “Stop Rosebank,” at the foot of the steps to the main entrance of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Rev Helen Burnett said:

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which is the season of repentance and reflection. A time when Christians consider their commitment to living within the limits of the gospel which frees us to live in ways that bring justice and peace.

That’s why we have chosen today to urge the Church to speak out against fossil fuel extraction and here in the UK that means stopping the Rosebank oil field from being developed.

The Church of England can ‘Speak Truth to Power’ and be a prophetic voice on climate, calling out oil and gas companies and government inaction on the climate and nature crisis.

Rosebank, the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field, is back on the government’s desk. It received approval in 2023, before Scottish courts ruled it unlawful. Norwegian state oil company Equinor reapplied for drilling permission in September 2025.

Following the completion of the Adura joint venture deal between Equinor and Shell in December, Adura has now assumed majority ownership of the field.

An application to develop Rosebank has been resubmitted, which will now be subject to the government’s new climate test. This requires oil firms to account for the climate impact of burning the oil and gas they plan to extract.

Stop Rosebank campaigner Lauren MacDonald said:

We cannot open new North Sea oil and gas projects if we are to stay within the 1.5ºc threshold set out in the Paris Agreement, to which the UK is a signatory. In fact, Rosebank’s vast CO2 emissions from burning oil and gas, would equate to what more than 700 million people living in the world’s poorest countries produce in a year.

It’s simply not possible to drill at Rosebank and uphold our climate commitments.

Not only this, Rosebank is a very bad deal for the UK. It won’t lower bills and will do almost nothing to boost energy security, given that most of it is oil destined for export. It could also lead to a net loss to the Treasury of hundreds of millions of pounds, thanks to the enormous tax breaks for new drilling in the UK.

It is fantastic to see activists such as Christian Climate Action taking this issue to the highest level. It demonstrates how the Stop Rosebank campaign brings people from all walks of life together in unity and hope to save our planet.

Featured image via Angela Christofilou / Christian Climate Action