VATICAN: It is Time Act Justly and Stop War Against Creation: Pope’s Plea Ahead of World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
In anticipation of world day of prayer for care of creation to be commemorated in the month of September, the head of the Catholic Church has appealed to all people irrespective of faith and denomination to strive towards ending war against creation and act justly by being kind to the environment.
In his message dated Thursday, May 25, Pope Francis pointed out that humanity has been doing harm to creation and not leaving as per God’s law “to enable life to flourish.” Rather destruction of environment has led human beings to lose connectedness with creation.
He referred to a time of his pilgrimage to Lac Ste. Anne (lake) in Central Alberta, Canada, a site where pilgrims “weighed down by life’s burdens,” could find waters of consolation and get strength to carry on, terming the place “the maternal heartbeat of the earth.”
“Just as the hearts of babies in the womb beat in harmony with those of their mothers, so in order to grow as people, we need to harmonize our own rhythms of life with those of creation, which gives us life,” reads part of the Pope’s message.
The Holy Father emphasized that in the contemporary world, there is lack of harmony because of the injustices which creation is experiencing.
“During this Season of Creation, let us dwell on those heartbeats: our own and those of our mothers and grandmothers, the heartbeat of creation and the heartbeat of God,” The Pope said and expounded, “Today they do not beat in harmony; they are not harmonized in justice and peace.”
Focusing his reflection on this year’s theme for world day of prayer for care of creation which is “Let Justice and Peace Flow,” the Pontiff called all people to “heed our call to stand with the victims of environmental and climate injustice, and to put an end to the senseless war against creation.”
He expressed that the effect of acting against creation can be seen in the many rivers that are drying up as Pope Benedict XVI once observed, “the external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast.”
According to Pope Francis, the many acts humanity is doing which leads to disruption of planet’s water cycle include, “consumerist greed, fueled by selfish hearts. The unrestrained burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests are pushing temperatures higher and leading to massive droughts.”
He adds, “Alarming water shortages increasingly affect both small rural communities and large metropolises. Moreover, predatory industries are depleting and polluting our freshwater sources through extreme practices such as fracking for oil and gas extraction, unchecked mega-mining projects, and intensive animal farming.”
In this case he said, “Sister Water,” in the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, is pillaged and turned into “a commodity subject to the laws of the market.”
The Pontiff revealed in his message that recently the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stressed on the need for acting with greater urgency as this will enable humanity “not to miss the chance to create a more sustainable and just world.”
“We can and we must prevent the worst from happening. Truly, much can be done provided we come together like so many streams, brooks and rivulets, merging finally in a mighty river to irrigate the life of our marvelous planet and our human family for generations to come,” the Pope said adding, “Let us join hands and take bold steps to “Let Justice and Peace Flow” throughout our world.”
To contribute to the mighty river of justice and peace in during this year’s Season of Creation which takes place in the month of September, and to heal the earth so that once again it teems with life the Holy Father said, “We must do this by resolving to transform our hearts, our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies.”
Transformation of heart calls for “renewal of our relationship with creation so that we no longer see it as an object to be exploited but cherish it instead as a sacred gift from our Creator, reads part of the Pope’s message as it continues, “Furthermore, we should realize that an integral approach to respect for the environment involves four relationships: with God, with our brothers and sisters of today and tomorrow, with all of nature, and with ourselves.”
For the transforming lifestyles, the Pope said in reference to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, “let us repent of our “ecological sins.” These sins harm the world of nature and our fellow men and women. With the help of God’s grace, let us adopt lifestyles marked by less waste and unnecessary consumption, especially where the processes of production are toxic and unsustainable.”
He emphasized on being mindful of habits and economic decisions so that “our fellow men and women wherever they may be, and future generations as well can thrive.” As we “cooperate in God’s ongoing creation through positive choices: using resources with moderation and a joyful sobriety, disposing and recycling waste, and making greater use of available products and services that are environmentally and socially responsible.”
On the other hand, transformation of public policies that govern the societies and shape the lives of young people “calls for all people of good will to act in conformity with perspectives on society and nature.”
“Economic policies that promote scandalous wealth for a privileged few and degrading conditions for many others, spell the end of peace and justice,” the Pope said and highlighted that “It is clear that the richer nations have contracted an “ecological debt” that must be paid.”
World day of prayer for care of creation marked on September 1, started among the world Orthodox Christian community over three decades ago with the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In an ecumenical gesture of global significance, in 2015, Pope Francis announced that the Catholic Church will also recognize September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
