The Season of Creation 2023 has as a special prelude the announcement of Pope Francis who is preparing the second part of Laudato Si’. In addition, it is very likely that the Season of Creation will conclude with the presentation of the aforementioned pontifical document, on the 4th October, 2023.
On Sunday the 30th July fr. Massimo Fusarelli, Minister General, arrived in Lisbon for a meeting with the Franciscan friars and the young people of the Laudato Si’ Movement (LSM). Both groups were preparing to develop an integral ecology programme at WYD Lisbon 2023.
On Tuesday 1st August, the Patriarch of Lisbon, H.E. Card. Manuel Clemente, celebrated the Holy Opening Mass of the XXXVII World Youth Day, which takes place in Lisbon, Portugal, until 6th August. Thousands of young people from all over the world took part, gathered at Parco Edoardo VII; as part of the Integral Ecology program, 40 Friars Minor from many parts of the world have taken care of the Park and the gardens it contains.
In the month of May this year, torrential rains flooded western and northern provinces of Rwanda triggering flash flooding and landslides which left at least 130 people dead, 18 000 people displaced, 6000 houses damaged and others facilities such as roads, bridges schools, health care centers demolished.
We Korean OFM JPIC committee held an Open Dialogue on fundraising for ‘Biscuit for Myanmar’ (Emergency Food Assistance for Myanmar refugees) from 16:00 to 18:00 on July 14 at San Damiano cafe, with KOCO (Korean Solidarity for Overseas Community Organization) as a co-organizer.
On 4-8th July 2023, at the Franciscan Spiritual Centre in Kabgayi, a town about 50 km from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, a workshop on Promoting JPIC for Every Creature was organized by Br Jean Eric Mutabazi, OFM, Provincial JPIC animator in the Province of St. Francis in Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius.
From July 2 to 4, at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is hosting a meeting of the Alliance of Ecclesial Networks for Integral Ecology with representatives from Latin America, North America, Africa, Asia , Oceania and Europe.
From 26-29 June 2023, Br. Taucen Girsang and Br. Daniel Rodriguez Blanco from JPIC Office in Rome were in Geneva to participate in different sessions of the 53rd General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).
Br. Fausto Yudego, OFM and Br. Daniel Rodriguez Blanco, OFM, the members of the Franciscan Network of the Mediterranean, already visited Marseille in France from June 17-20, 2023, to meet with both the Franciscan fraternity and the local Church from the city.
The XXIII Ecological Walk 2023 had as its motto “The Common House calls for Environmental Justice”. This is done every year within the framework of World Environment Day. It is being coordinated by the Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of El Salvador (JPIC-El Salvador) together with other social and religious organizations.