Pope Francis Urges Courageous Action for Earth Protection in Message for Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

(Vatican News Network) The Press Room of the Holy See held a press conference on May 25 to announce and introduce the message written by Pope Francis for the 2023 Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. In his message, the Pope emphasized that justice is as essential to the life of God’s children as water is to the survival of human beings and the environment. This year’s Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will be held on 1 September with the theme “May justice and peace flow like rivers that never cease” (cf. Zechariah 5:24).

The Pope started by speaking about the phenomenon of environmental destruction: “Insatiable consumerism, driven by selfish motives, is disrupting the water cycle on Earth. The inordinate use of fossil fuels and deforestation are causing rising temperatures and severe droughts .Extreme water scarcity is increasingly afflicting our dwellings, from small rural communities to metropolitan cities.In addition, predatory industries are depleting and polluting our drinking water sources by means of extreme means such as hydraulic pressure Fractured extraction of oil and gas, uncontrolled large-scale extraction projects and intensive animal farming. The ‘water sister’, as San Franciso called it, is plundered and turned into a commodity.”

Next, the Pope pointed out the actions that need to be taken to heal the common home: inner conversion, transformation of lifestyle, new governance policies, and a path of fellowship.

The first is inner refuge. “This is the ‘ecological conversion’ that Saint John Paul II urges us to undertake, that is, to renew our relationship with creation so that we no longer see it as something to be exploited, but rather As a divine grace of the Creator, we should then be aware that this holistic view requires us to practice respect for ecology in four ways: reverence for God, respect for our fellow beings today and tomorrow, respect for the natural world as a whole, and Respect ourselves.”

Second, we need to change our lifestyle. In other words, to reduce waste, reduce useless consumption, especially toxic and unsustainable products in the production process, and live a simpler life with joy, more modest use of resources, waste disposal and recycling, use of Environmentally and socially responsible products and services. The Pope pointed out: “We must start from gratitude and appreciation for the Creator and creation, and repent of our ‘ecological sins’, as my brother, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, warned. These sins hurt It hurts the natural world, and it hurts our brothers and sisters.”

Another action that should be taken is a shift in public policies that have an impact on governing society and shaping the lives of young people. World leaders attending this year’s 28th Climate Change Summit (COP28) in Dubai from November 30 to December 12 must listen to the scientific community and start a fast and fair transition to end fossil fuels, the Pope said. fuel age.

“It is absurd to allow continued exploration for fossil fuels and the expansion of infrastructure in light of the Paris Agreement’s commitment to curbing the dangers of global warming. Let us speak out and stop this injustice against the poor and our children and grandchildren, They will be more severely affected by climate change. I call on all good-hearted people to act in these directions concerning society and nature.”

Finally, the pope set his sights on the Synod of Bishops on the theme of fellowship on October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, which coincides with the end of the Creation period. The Pope insists on the vision of solidarity and communion between churches, religious groups, different associations, voluntary organizations, and anyone who drinks from the “same source of water”. He hopes that everyone will act and pray with the same intention, so that the common home will once again be filled with life and deserts. Be a garden again.

“Each source adds to its unique and irreplaceable contribution, until all springs flow into the vast ocean of God’s mercy and love. Just as a river is the source of life for its surroundings, so must our fellow Church be our common home The source of life and all those who dwell in it. Just as a river nourishes the life of animals and plants of all kinds, so a like-minded Church must give life, spreading justice and peace everywhere it reaches.”

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