Global – Catholics in the climate emergency
The webinar promoted by the European Alliance Laudato si' proposes ideas and solutions to optimise the role of the Church in the context of the environmental crisis. The President of the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa (JENA), Fr Charles Chilufya SJ: "We live on a limited planet, but our hearts are infinite".
The webinar, "To make our voice heard in the words of Pope Francis," was inaugurated by quoting Pope Francis's very own words. It was organised by the European Laudato Si' Alliance (ELSiA), an association that promotes ecological justice closely linked to the teachings of the Church. "We are based on three fundamental pillars," explained Laura Mausini, director of the European programmes, "eco-spirituality, eco-practice, and eco-vocations. The event was moderated by journalist Lou del Bello, in dialogue with Fr Eduardo Agosta Sacarel, senior advisor to the Laudato Si' movement, and Fr Charles Chilufya SJ, President of the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa (JENA).
The role of Catholics
Father Sacarel, via the media set up in Sharm el-Sheikh for COP27, began by highlighting the active role of the Holy See in the climate change debate. "For years, the Vatican was a mere observer state, simply tasked to guide at the end of the proceedings," explained Father Sacarel. However, this year, following Pope Francis' endorsement of the 2015 Paris climate agreements, the Holy See has officially joined the debate.
From theory to practice
Father Chilufya then underlined the importance of "emphasising the cry of the poor" from a Church that is "the Church of the poor", especially in developing countries. Originally from Zambia, Fr Chilufya gave as an example the many African populations hit by climatic catastrophes, such as record temperatures, cyclones and sandstorms. In this regard, he echoes the words of Pope Francis, who, in his encyclical "Fratelli tutti", stresses the responsibility towards developing countries, which are too often affected by over-industrialisation. "It is also an ethical question," Father Chilufya reiterated, "which makes us ask the question: how can we all live and live well?"
Nourishing faith and hope
The discussion then turned to the concrete contribution Catholics can and should make to the sensitive climate issue. "As religious leaders and as faithful," stressed the President of the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa, "we must exhort to maintain hope, knowing that God has given us immense power to do things differently." Therefore, the Church must think, invent, and test. "At the beginning of the pandemic, Pope Francis called us to imagine the future and to see how to change things. We must do this to mobilise people and their faith."
New lifestyles
According to both clergy, the first step is awareness of the need to change lifestyles. "The encyclical Laudato Si'," says Father Sacarel, "urges us to return to traditional Christian models and to make the motto 'less is more' our own. Limit consumption, reiterating that human life is not fully realised in possession of material goods. We live on a planet with limited resources," says Fr Chilufya, "but our hearts are infinite."
The importance of temperance
Following a question posed by participants, temperance was discussed. Temperance is "the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and enables us to maintain balance in using created goods. The key, according to Fr Chilufya, is to bring this approach into the realm of everyday life. "In each of us, there is a need to find purpose, a sense of fulfilment," he concludes. It is up to us to direct this desire towards a simpler lifestyle from which everyone, including the planet, can benefit.
Image and information from vaticannews.va
Source: Jesuitas.lat
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