Peace and all Good!
Greetings of St. Francis to you all!
There was held the conference SAVING OUR COMMON HOME AND THE FUTURE OF LIFE ON EARTH at the Vatican on the occasion of the third anniversary of the encyclical, Laudato Si’ on July 5-6 (the documents, presentations, and the live stream recordings are available at http://laudato-si-conference.com). In the letter to the participants of the conference, the Pope Francis said, “We can think back to the call that Francis of Assisi received from the Lord in the little church of San Damiano: ‘Go and repair my house, which, as you can see, lies in ruins.’ Today, the common home of our planet also needs urgently to be repaired and secured for a sustainable future.”
The Pope’s words imply that the initiative of the encyclical came from the experience of St. Francis and that this Franciscan experience should be reinterpreted in the ecological perspective in the 21st century. I believe that Laudato Si’ is the Franciscan Source of the 21st century because it changed the hearts and minds of so many people just like the original Franciscan Sources did several centuries ago. For example, the encyclical gave a tremendous inspiration worldwide especially to the delegates at the COP21, Paris, and its historical outcome, the Paris Agreement. And that’s why the International Council of JPIC 2016 has decided to take it up as the main source for the JPIC animation in the Order.
Then, what are the obstacles in our way of conversion to the Heavenly Father who is the source and the Creator of all Good? What are the challenges to our Franciscan mission which is JPIC animation?
Pope continues to explain those challenges regarding the climate crisis. “The COP24 Summit, to be held in Katowice, Poland, in December, could prove a milestone on the path set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement. We all know that much still needs to be done to implement that Agreement. All governments should strive to honor the commitments made in Paris, in order to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most, and we cannot afford to waste time.” The Pope is addressing the gravity of the global crisis, the urgency of the collective counteraction, and the importance of immediate international collaboration.
To put them in different words, what prayer and liturgy can the Church offer to God while we the human beings are making the planet unlivable for all lives? What should we do when the ecosystem of whole creation crumbles down? They are simple questions but, at the same time, are difficult to answer just like the characteristics of the challenges.
In this issue of CONTACT, you can find an article from a Buddhist environmental activist. Its title is “A Climate Solution: Reconnecting with All Beings.” This is an answer to the question on the role of religions for the ecological crisis. I hope this could give you some inspiration and encouragement.
And also, there are stories from several entities. I appreciate all of them who gladly sent their stories to us. There is the final report of the peace project in the Philippines, news about several meetings in Italy, Brazil, Korea, Jerusalem, and Nazareth. Br. Christian Seno shared his report on the JPIC course in Guadalajara with us. Finally, we added our interview by a Dutch research student, who wanted to know better our JPIC work.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, the challenges of the time are enormous, and we may not be powerful enough to confront them. But we are the little ones of the Heavenly Father, and we believe in His Goodness. So, we are all invited to pray with the Pope Francis, “May St. Francis of Assisi continue to inspire and guide us on this journey and may our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.”
May the Lord bless us all in our journey of conversion!
Br. Rufino Lim
Assistant, JPIC General Office – Rome