KENYA: Laudato Si Week 2021 to “Celebrate” Progress on Ecological Conversion
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Following Pope Francis’ invitation to all Catholics and people of good will to take part in Laudato Si’ Week (LSW) slated for May 16-25 to mark the sixth anniversary of the Encyclical letter, the global event will “celebrate” the improvements made so far towards nurturing the environment.
Briefing Laudato Si Animators (LSA) in an online training about the LSW, the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) Program Manager for Africa Fr. Benedict Ayodi said, “We will celebrate the Laudato Si anniversary to show how much things have changed for the good.”
“Even though we know that much still needs to be done, we rejoice and celebrate because in the last six years, the Church has made significant progress in the ecological conversion journey,” Fr. Ayodi a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFMCap) highlighted while addressing about 200 LSA Wednesday, May 12.
The week which will also culminate the special Laudato Si’ anniversary year proposed by the Pope from May 2020 to May 2021 is sponsored by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and supported by Renova+. It aims to inspire the faithful everywhere to plan further action ahead of the United Nations (UN) Biodiversity Conference (COP15), the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and the decade ahead.
Emphasizing that the LSW is a period to reflect on ecological conversion in action, the Vatican’s Dicastery had earlier noted that “The urgency of the situation calls for immediate, holistic and unified responses at all levels – local, regional, national and international.
According to Fr. Ayodi, during the week-long celebration, the GCCM “will present to the whole Church living testimonies of Laudato Si transformations so far and offer tools that will help everyone in the next step of the journey.”
The week that will run under the theme “For we know that things can change” has various organized Webinars to enlighten the people on ecological conversion including among others critical opportunities in 2021 to create change, call for an integral path, dialogue on education, dialogue on energy and fossil fuels, sowing hope for the planet care prayer network and global action day for our common home.
Besides the global events, GCCM –Africa will organize a Webinar focusing on Laudato Si action platform and its impact in the continent led by GCCM, Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) and Symposium of Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and another Webinar on Living Laudato Si in our daily lives as Christians organized by GCCM-Africa and Daughters of St. Paul (FSP)
Fr. Ayodi underscored that the week will also be a time to reflect on what Covid-19 pandemic has taught us and to offer a roadmap for the future with hope.
