VATICAN: On World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation, Pope Francis Encourages Re-establishment of “Societal Relationships”
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Pope Francis has called for restoration of human relationships with nature, reminding the people that everything is interconnected and that our relationships with the entire creation “is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others.”
In his message released on Tuesday for the World Day of Prayer for care of creation, a day set a part to mark ecumenical reflection on the protection of creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles, the Pontiff has called for re-establishment of “equitable societal relationships,” and restoration of the “original harmony of creation.”
“We have broken the bonds of our relationship with the Creator, with our fellow human beings, and with the rest of creation,” reads in part the Pope’s Tuesday message as he adds, “We need to heal the damaged relationships that are essential to supporting us and the entire fabric of life.”
The annual World Day of Prayer that was inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si’ marks the beginning of the Season of Creation which concludes on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi October 4, whereby Christians worldwide join in prayer and commit to work for the care of ‘our common home’.
Recalling Laudato Si’, Pope says, “Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother River and Mother Earth.”
Pope Francis explains further that the Season of Creation’s theme for this year Jubilee for the Earth: New Rhythms, New Hope is also a call to remember the poor and the most vulnerable in the society and to “share in a spirit of conviviality, not in competitive scramble but in joyful fellowship, supporting and protecting one another, freeing the oppressed and all those shackled in the fetters of various forms of modern slavery.”
Pope Francis noted that creation is groaning.
“Our constant demand for growth and an endless cycle of production and consumption are exhausting the natural world. Forests are leached, topsoil erodes, fields fail, deserts advance, seas acidify and storms intensify.”
He observed that the current COVID-19 pandemic has led people to rediscover simpler and sustainable lifestyles, giving chance to new ways of living.
“Already we can see how the earth can recover if we allow it to rest: the air becomes cleaner, the waters clearer, and animals have returned to many places from where they had previously disappeared,” the Pope said in relation to the earth’s response during Covid-19 period and added, “The pandemic has brought us to a crossroad.”
He advised, “We must use this decisive moment to end our superfluous and destructive goals and activities, and to cultivate values, connections and activities that are life-giving. We must examine our habits of energy usage, consumption, transportation, and diet. We must eliminate the superfluous and destructive aspects of our economies, and nurture life-giving ways to trade, produce, and transport goods.”
“We also need to restore the land,” the Pope said and continued, “Climate restoration is of utmost importance, since we are in the midst of a climate emergency. We are running out of time, as our children and young people have reminded us.”
“We need to do everything in our capacity to limit global average temperature rise under the threshold of 1.5°C as enshrined in the Paris Climate Agreement, for going beyond that will prove catastrophic, especially for the poor around the world. We need to stand up for intra-generational and inter-generational solidarity at this critical moment,” he said.
