E-NEWSLETTER ArchdiocesanOffice for
Environment
Vol 2 - issue 8 SEPTEMBER-October 2015
St. Pius X College, Aarey Road, Goregaon (E), Mumbai 400 063 Phone: 91-22-29270953 / 91-22-29270523
Email: [email protected] | Website: www.icor.org.in
THAT PEOPLE MAY LEARN TO RESPECT CREATION AND CARE FOR IT AS A GIFT OF GOD“
(Vatican Radio) “Today is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Let us work and pray.” That was the papal message on Twitter on Tuesday as Pope Francis prepared to lead a special Liturgy of the Word in St Peter’s Basilica marking the Catholic Church’s first Day of Prayer for Creation. At his general audience last week the Pope invited local residents and visiting pilgrims to join him for the Liturgy of the Word in the Vatican basilica, beginning at 5pm. He also urged Catholics around the world to contribute to solutions to the environmental crisis facing our planet by organizing their own prayer and practical initiatives to mark this new celebration. The Pope noted the initiative follows in the footsteps of the Orthodox Church which, for the past 25 years, has dedicated September 1st, the beginning of a new year in the Orthodox liturgical calendar, to care for the environment. Since that time, the World Council of Churches has also marked a month-long ‘Time for Creation’ stretching from September 1st to the feast of St Francis of Assisi on October 4th. In his encyclical letter ‘Laudato Si’, Pope Francis quotes what he calls the “deep concerns” and “valuable reflections” of the spiritual leader of the Orthodox world, Patriarch Batholomew, whom the Holy Father met twice last year, in Jerusalem and at his home in Istanbul. Among the five speakers introducing the Pope’s new encyclical in the Vatican Synod Hall on June 18th was the Orthodox Patriarch’s personal envoy, Metropolitan John Zizioulas, who suggested that all the Christian churches might consider, as an ecumenical gesture, the idea of marking a joint day of prayer for creation. Less than two months later,
Pope Francis wrote to Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the Vatican’s Justice and Peace Council, to announce his intention of instituting an annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation within the Catholic Church.
“The ecological crisis”, the Pope wrote in his encyclical, “summons us to a profound spiritual conversion…….The annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will offer individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation, as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.....We live at a time when all Christians are faced with the same decisive challenges, to which we must respond together, in order to credible and effective”.
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/01/pope_marks_first_world_day_of_prayer_for_care_of_creation
(By Philippa Hitchen)
VATICAN: Pope marks first World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation
We are thrilled to announce the official launching of our #Pray4cop21 prayer chain. For the next 2,000 hours, we are going to pray without ceasing for a strong and ambitious climate treaty to be adopted at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) Climate Summit in Paris in December.
The COP21 is the last opportunity to create a legally binding agreement on climate change that
can slow down the rampant effects of climate disruption and re-route us on a sustainable path.
Our leaders need prayers right now for moral courage to take bold steps on climate justice. Even our own Pope Francis says so.
After last year’s climate summit in Peru, Pope Francis remarked “I was disappointed by the lack
PREPARING FOR COP21
of courage. Let’s hope that in Paris the delegates will be more courageous and will move forward with climate action.”
Let’s pray for our leaders to have courage and put into practice the Pope’s Laudato Si message. Let’s pray 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sign up to pray during any 1 hour time slot that works for you. You could pray the rosary, attend Eucharistic adoration, celebrate a special mass or host a prayer vigil. Parishes or religious communities with perpetual adoration can register here to adopt longer prayer periods.
We will also be praying for communities affected by climate disruption, including the growing number of “climate refugees.” The current migration crisis in Europe is surfacing the role climate events have in triggering wide-scale tragedies.
Watch this short video and then register to pray. (Ref. site for video)
From Moses to Elijah, Samuel to David, our forefathers and foremothers have appealed to God to save humanity from destruction. The #Pray4cop21 follows in that tradition, believing in the power of prayer to seek God’s mercy, and transform the faithful to be God’s vessels to address the situation.
Joining you in prayer on behalf of all creation and all future generations,
Tomás on behalf of the Global Catholic Climate Movement team
For more information on the above ref. Click Here
World leaders will meet in the U.N. Climate Summit at Paris (called COP21) in late November 2015, to sign a treaty to tackle climate change. After decades of failed negotiations, we need to increase the pressure on our governments for them to be more ambitious to solve the climate crisis.
Pope Francis endorsed this petition and is ready for climate action. What about you? Sign the petition:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:In late November 2015, world leaders will meet in the COP21 Climate Summit at Paris with the
goal of signing a treaty to tackle climate change (see COP21 website and FAQs). Through this petition we urge our political leaders to commit to ambitious climate action and solve this urgent crisis, with the goal of keeping the global temperature increase below 1.5 degree Celsius (aligned with the Catholic Bishops’ 2014 Lima statement). This is an ambitious ask which requires our economies to drastically cut emissions of greenhouse gases (more information about this 1.5°C target here, here and here). Petition signatures will be delivered to world leaders in an event at the U.N.
Climate Summit, together with the petitions of other interfaith and secular organizations. Ultimately, we aim to raise a strong Catholic voice supporting Pope Francis’ words: “On climate change, there is a clear, definitive and ineluctable ethical imperative to act.”
PROMOTE THE PETITION: Here are some ideas (see the Petition Toolkit for more):
1. Send the petition link (www.CatholicClimateMovement.global/petition) to your parish asking them to promote it online (via email or social media) or offline (e.g. in parish billboards and bulletins);
2. Print this paper petition form and collect signatures in your parish, school or community (once finished, send to hello(AT)catholicclimatemovement.global);
3. Embed the petition in your website or blog: fill out this form to get your embed code and then followthese instructions.
- To see more Click Here
LITANY TO THE TRINITY, THE CREATOR
Pope Francis’s universal intention for April isone important way to join Pope Francis and Catholics throughout the world in praying for this intention is to recite this Litany. This can be part of a private devotion or as part of a more formal parish Holy Hour. Your pastor can
provide guidance on ways to use this Litany in a group setting. The Litany reflects on the importance of human dignity and the value of respecting creation—all in light of what God has graciously revealed to His creation.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.
V. Blessed be the Holy Trinity, the Triune God that is love;
R. To You be glory and praise forever.V. Blessed be the Holy Trinity, the Creator,
Redeemer, and Sustainer of all life and all creation;
R. To You be glory and praise forever.V. Lord, have mercy.R. Lord, have mercy.V. Christ, have mercy.R. Christ, have mercy.V. Lord, have mercy.R. Lord, have mercy.
Blessed Trinity, hear us. Blessed Trinity, graciously hear us.God, the Heavenly Father, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.God, the Son, Redeemer of all creation, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.God, the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Father forever, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Only-begotten Son of the Father, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Spirit, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who is, Who was, and Who will always be, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Triune God Most High, Who sustains all eternity, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
To Whom alone are due all honor and glory, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is the source of life, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is the source of love, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is the foundation of all relationships, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone creates, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is love unspeakable, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is life unfathomable, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is ageless justice, Have mercy on us and on the whole worldWho alone is incomprehensible mercy, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is the source of saving grace, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Who alone is the divine physician, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Save us, O Lord, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.Lord, Send Forth Your Spirit,O Holy Trinity, Spare us.To renew the face of the earth,O Holy Trinity, Graciously hear us.To save us from our disordered hungers,O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all sin,O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all destructive desire, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all love of lifeless riches, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all wants beyond that which we require, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all sloth, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all excess, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all gluttony, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all apathy towards our neighbor, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all apathy towards the created order, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all blindness to Your laws instilled within the created order, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all blindness to the laws of life, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all that is contrary to Your holy and natural law, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all misuse of all You have created, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from poisoning what You have created, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from rejecting Your grace, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from all that would separate us from You, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from refusal to perform our duties toward Your natural environment, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.To save us from refusal to perform our duties toward our fellow human person, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.
To save us from all that tempts us to disregard Your Holy Will, O Holy Trinity, Deliver us.We sinners, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may love You with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all ourstrength, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may love our neighbor as ourselves, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may faithfully keep Your holy commandments, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may never defile our souls, our bodies, and our world, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may never defile the earthly elements that sustain life, help us, OLord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may live with only what is necessary, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may grow in the virtue of prudence, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may grow in the virtue of justice, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may grow in the virtue of fortitude, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we and all people may grow in the virtue temperance, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we may see Your presence in the sight of all you have created, help us, O Lord.We seek your grace that we may hear You in all You have fashioned, help us, O Lord.And to know You from all that is, help us, O Lord.We seek Your grace that we may one day adore You in Your heavenly glory, forever, help us, O Lord.O Blessed Trinity,We beseech Thee, spare us.O Blessed Trinity,We beseech Thee, save us.O Blessed Trinity,Have mercy on us and on the whole world.Lord, have mercy,Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.
V. Blessed be your will, O Lord, on earth as it is in Heaven,
R. May you be praised, exalted, and loved forever.
V. Let Us Pray
Almighty and ever-living God, You who created the human race as the pinnacle of your creation, lift us with Your grace that we may be healed from the effects of our fall. Guide us by Your grace that we may align our
WATER
Life began in water. In begins ever anew in the water of wombs and eggs. Despite the equation of water and life, nearly 800 million people lack adequate drinking water. We use water not only when we turn the tap or flush the toilet, but every time we buy something. Every product
needs water to be made and transported. For example, it takes 15 000 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of beef and every one liter of bottled water requires 3 liters of water in production. So even if Canada is blessed with an abundance of fresh water, our consumption
free will with Your divine will. Protect from our disordered appetites all that you have created. Blessed Trinity, source of all love, relationship, and life, we adore You and we beseech You that by Your grace we may see and love in all created things the imprint of your glory. And may we preserve our natural
home for all generations as we journey ever more closely to You.Father, we ask all this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
R. Amen
Think of one gift you delighted in receiving. Per-haps it was a piece of clothing, or jewelry, or art. Maybe it was something your child or friend had made, or an heirloom passed on to you by a dear grandparent. Whatever it is, picture it now and remember the moment you received it. See the person who gave you this special gift. Bring their face to mind. Now imagine the look on their face as they watch you take their gift and flush it down the toilet or smash it with a hammer. Hold that image.
Jog your memory again. Recall the excitement you felt about giving someone you love something very special. Remember how anxious you were that this important person like your gift. Imagine him or her taking this object of your affection and throwing it into the trashcan right in front of your eyes. What emotions go through you.
Now you have a tiny inkling of how God the Creator looks and feels everyday. The air we breath, the food we eat, the land we inhabit, the animals who are our neighbors, the electricity we use, the gasoline we burn, the metals, stone, glass and plastics that fill our lives are all gifts from God.
Do we treat accordingly? Or do we offend the giver by abusing the gifts? How must the Creator of the earth feel when he sees how unhappy we are with what we receive? If everyone on this planet lived
like North Americans, consuming and disposing as we do here, human beings would need the equivalent of five planet earths just to keep up. Rather than “thank you” we repeatedly say “is that all?”
We are going to assess our relationship with God, Giver and Creator, by examining how we receive the gifts of creation. To do this, we have to remember that everything we see, touch, taste and smell is part of creation. Oaks and pines, wheat and wine, wolves and walruses, human beings, cell phones, condominiums, all these are creatures.
Before modern chemistry and physics, people used to think that every creature was a different combination of four basic elements: fire, earth, air and water. How do we receive these elemental gifts in our private and societal lives today?
Ecological ExamenPosted by Greg Kennedy, SJ in Our Spirituality
of imported goods contributes to water scarcity around the world. How do I conserve, protect
and share water? Am I grateful for life? If yes, then how can I take water for granted?
LAND Where would we be without land? Our food, our homes, our clothes and our fuel all come from the land. It supports us constantly. Do we respect it reciprocally? Consider what we eat, or more significantly, what we do not eat. Nearly half of all food produced in Canada ends up wasted before tasted. Canadian households discard 25%
of the food they purchase. Producing all that wasted food adds substantially to the soil erosion, pollution and deforestation committed by industrial agriculture. How I treat my food is how I treat my home. Do I take more than I can eat? How well do I know the land supporting me. How often do I get out to walk with and listen to the geography where I live?
AIRNothing is more communal that breathing. The air particles that were in your lungs a minute ago could enter my lungs any moment. We are always drinking from the same airy cup. And not just we humans, but all animals, insects, plants. What do I bring to this universal neighborhood? Human consumption of
fossil fuels has greatly devalued this neighborhood. Besides dirtying the air, our greenhouses gases have made it warmer and wetter, inducing more storms, floods and landslides. Do I put my convenience and comfort ahead of the safety and stability of the atmospheric neighborhood? Do I experience my need to breathe as an individual right or a common responsibility?
FIREWarmth and light! The gifts of fire are so dear to us that we keep them in our hearts and our minds. Most Canadians receive these gifts today not from the hearth but rather from the wall socket. We plug in to draw out all the benefits of electricity. But every switch we flip or button we press means that somewhere energy is being generated and degraded.
Am I aware that my use of power here disempowers another environment somewhere else? Whether it is nuclear waste, flooded valleys behind a dam or carbon emissions from coal and gas, most of my modern “fire” burns places I do not see. Do I close my eyes and take the warmth and light blindly? Is my use of electricity gentle and enlightened, or dark and heavy?
About The AuthorGreg Kennedy, SJ is a Jesuit scholastic who is pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Javeriana University in Bogata, Colombia.
NEWSMillions of people stage one-day strike against economic policies.Posted on September 2, 2015, 11:20 PM
New Delhi: The Catholic Church in India is supporting some 150 million workers on a nationwide strike Sept. 2 that shut down factories, banks, traffic and government offices across India.Workers across India are upset about labor policies of the government that are detrimental to the welfare of workers, said Bishop Oswald Lewis of Jaipur, head of the Indian bishops’ labor office.“The Church is in solidarity with striking workers because we are concerned about their welfare,” the bishop told ucanews.com, adding that all Catholic forums in the country are supporting the strike.A national network of 10 leading trade unions, including those in the banking, manufacturing, construction and coal mining sectors, organized the 24-hour strike saying that their two rounds of talks with the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party-run federal government had failed to elicit a favorable response to their demands.Their demands range from an enforcement of basic labor laws and universal social security coverage for workers to measures to contain rising prices and unemployment.Media reported that the strike has hit transport and banking operations across the country and that in some parts workers blocked highways and stopped trains. Many schools and colleges as well as factories, government offices and commercial outlets remained closed.Bishop Lewis said the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been following a development principle “based on private-public-partnership, which actually proved to be benefiting industrialists.”“That is what we have seen in Gujarat,” said the bishop, referring to Modi’s tenure as chief minister of the western Indian state for some 15 years until he
became prime minister in May 2014.“We believe policy changes should be done after wider consultation with all stakeholders, including workers. But we don’t see such consultation in the policy making of this government. That is a concern,” Bishop Lewis said.Rocky Green, president of the Christian Workers Movement, also pointed out that “this government is aggressively following certain policies that are seriously hurting workers”.Green said federal policies will “eventually give employers the right to hire and fire workers at will”.Other Christian workers and their organizations across India are also taking part in the strike, said Joseph Jude, president of the Workers India Federation, the official workers’ forum that the Indian Catholic bishops’ conference initiated.“The strike will attract the attention of the nation and the world to the plight of workers in this country,” Jude told ucanews.com. The government’s proposed labor law amendment is “meticulously designed to throw out more than 70 percent of the workers” from the purview of the law, ending legal protection and rights to them, said trade union leader Harbhajan Singh Sidhu in a press release.
Source: UCAN
The future of birdsBirds suffer from the impact of Climate change in every continent. A status report compiled for WWF finds a clear and escalating pattern of climate change impacts on bird species around the world, suggesting a trend towards a major bird extinction from global warming.For further reading visit our website –
www.stfrancisxavierpanvel.in , go to GEM section and click GEM E-NEWSLETTER and read GEM-6/15-THE FUTURE OF BIRDS.AWAKE THE WORLD: Let’s join with Pope in his concern for Mother Earth and ‘awaken the world’ by bringing awareness and take corrective action before it is too late. To bring such a mass awareness, an ENVIRONMENT QUIZ is planned during coming Diwali vacation. You can already
prepare for it by reading the GEM PPTs connected with various environmental issues. This time the quiz will be held on PPTs 1 to 20.For the last year question set, and positive and enriching feedbacks from participants click ‘Know ur Environment Quiz’ section of the website. Parishes or parish organizations like BCS, Civic/political/environment cells, SCCs, youth groups, NGOs, Housing
societies are invited to conduct this quiz and bring mass awareness on environmental issues. You can prepare your own question set, or question set prepared by the GEM team may be emailed to you on request 1 or 2 days before the quiz day.Forward this mail to your contacts as your small contribution for environmental protection and social consciousness.
- Fr Felix Rebello
The Archdiocesan Commission for IRD has decided to organize a reflection on Laudato Si’ - IR Perspectives on Mission Sunday, 18th October 2015, from 4.30 to 7 pm at St. Andrew’s College A/V Room. It is the annual Alumni Day of the BIRD Course.Tentative Programme:4.30 - 4.45 pm : Inaugural Prayer4.45 - 5.15 pm : A Presentation of Laudato Si’5.15 - 5.30 pm : A Hindu Perspective on Laudato Si’5.30 - 5.45 pm : A Muslim Perspective on Laudato Si’5.45 - 6.00 pm : Questions and Answers6.00 - 6.30 pm : Indian Legal Perspectives on Care for the Environment6.30 pm : Concluding Remarks
ST JOHN THE BAPTIST SCHOOL, THANEI’ll be a defender of My PlanetThis was the theme for the Independence Day celebrations at St. John the Baptist High School. The festivities began with the hoisting of the tricolor. The colorful performance put up by the students of the 3 sections was innovative as they performed to a line rendition of ‘The Earth is my home’, ‘Mother Earth’, and ‘Don’t kill the World’ by the school choir. All the speeches highlighted the impact of climate change and measures to be implemented by the common man to save our planet. The uniqueness of the prize distribution ceremony was that the S.S.C toppers were felicitated with a sapling to encourage them to go green. After the programme, students and teachers went out in a rally around the locality surrounding the school, singing songs and chanting slogans to create awareness. Saplings were distributed to the residents.Thus ended the programme with the students returning home with a promise in their hearts to keep the earth healthy and beautiful.
School Assemblies on Climate ChangeSchool assemblies, an important aspect of
the school curriculum, have the potential to encourage students to understand and reflect on universal values.So, ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, morning assemblies were conducted to highlight ‘The Impact of Climate Change on Human Life’.
Students were made aware of the causes and effects of Climate Change. The speakers emphasized that the earth is fighting a battle of survival and they also listed different ways to combat global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.Students were also informed that we humans are mainly responsible for climate change and as concerned citizens, it is our moral obligation to care for creation, as the earth is our only home.Supporting Pope Francis Global Call for Urgent
Action on Climate Change, the students made us aware of the harm caused to our Mother Earth and the steps we need to rectify it.
EXHIBITION- EMBRACE THE EARTHThis year’s unusually sparse rain fall, with its resulting drought in many parts of India, points to a larger crisis. It is the crisis of the environment. For long, we have taken the earth and all its natural resources for granted. We have exploited its facilities, destroyed its potential. It is now time to reverse the trend. To care for, and be concerned about the environment is not merely an activity; it is an attitude. And so we organized an exhibition to instill this attitude in children.Our little nature warriors exhibited the ‘fun fundas’ of food. To be able to eat right, children
must know what to eat, they must know about junk food, what to avoid eating and how unhealthy eating can adversely affect our bodies.The primary students explained to us how plastic is today choking the lungs of the earth and creating garbage that cannot be disposed off. Jute, cloth, paper bags were distributed to promote the use of bio-degradable materials. They also displayed organic food, home remedies and herbs like turmeric, leaves like tulsi and neem and threw light upon their curative and recuperative powers.The Secondary Section displayed lovely plants and vegetables. They unraveled the verity that there is no poem as beautiful as a tree. This Exhibition aimed at creating the next generation of environmental leaders and helped students to understand their responsibility towards the environment.This exhibition highlighted the following points and taught us that-1. The care of Mother Earth is in our hands.
2. Each of us can make a difference 3. The earth is the only home we have.4. Once destroyed, the earth cannot be
reconstructed.
Interviews on Laudato Si and climate change action(published on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the care of Creation)1st Sept - Pope Francis declares annual Catholic environment day
Here are a few links that would be great if you shared and amplified:• Press Release: Cardinal Tagle Launches Season
of Creation During Pope’s Day of Prayer• Nice Vatican Radio article about the World
Day of Prayer in the Philippines and Cardinal Tagle’s support to the Catholic Climate Petition (and Tweet to share)
• Prayer resources for Sept 1st: - Official resource of Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace [translated to a few languages by (GCCM) Global Catholic Climate Movement volunteers] - Compilation of Sept 1st resources
• Open source sharing happening in our Sept 1st Facebook event
Thanks for flagging this and greetings from the UNFCCC intercessional in Bonn – tomorrow will provide a useful surround sound for the negotiations here, and I’m keen for the GSCC network to include it in their emails to journalists along with references to the upcoming Catholic mobilizations around the Pope’s visit to the US and the recent Islamic Declaration as yet more evidence of faith mobilizing in the run-up to Paris. It would be great if we could share any tweets and materials (press releases, quotes, photos of mobilizations) on this chain so we can support and amplify.Francis declares annual Catholic environment day
GCCM has two things planned for that day:1. Launch of the Season of Creation, which
runs from Sept 1 to Oct 4, following the lead of the Filipino Church and other Christian denominations. More info on the Season of Creation website. We are working on some promotional and prayer resources for anyone to use. We’ll soon host a webinar about it. I’ll send the info whenever details are confirmed.
2. “Pray for Paris” prayer chain- Pray for COP21Pope Francis declares annual Catholic environment day.1 September chosen for day of environmental awareness; Vatican calls for faithful to adopt “appropriate lifestyles”Pope Francis has announced the Catholic Church will celebrate an annual “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation”, starting on 1 September 2015.It’s the Pontiff’s latest foray into global environmental politics, off the back of hiswidely publicized Papal Encyclical on the environment, released in June.In a statement on the Vatican website, Pope Francis said all Christians should work towards resolving what he termed the “ecological crisis” facing the world.The day “will offer individual believers and
communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation,” he wrote.All 1.2 billion Catholics will be invited to participate in an event offering opportunities for “prayer, reflection, conversion and the adoption of appropriate lifestyles”.1 September is already celebrated by Orthodox Christians as their environment day. This year it also coincides with a set of UN climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany.The Pope’s encyclical emphasized the urgency of addressing climate change and soaring levels of greenhouse gas emissions – backing efforts to secure a global emissions cutting deal later this year.“Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain. We may well be leaving to coming generations debris, desolation and filth,” it said.“We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels – especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas – needs to be progressively replaced without delay.”The Pope will take his message to New York for the General Assembly meeting next month. He is also scheduled to meet President Barack Obama and address the Congress during his US visit.Read more on: Pope Francis Click Here
FABC Climate Change Regional Seminar - East Asia
Honeyville Canossian Retreat House, 57 Mt. Davis Road, Hong Kong Tel: 852 2817 8660 September 9 – 10, 2015
Photos of the 4th Regional Workshop
Thank youWE LOOK FORWARD TOWARDS
CREATING GREEN EARTH
