Pope Francis invites all to
unite in prayer for our common home
 |
| People all over the world join in praying for the Care of our Common Home on September 1. |
Pope Francis invites all to pray on the fourth World Day of
Prayer for the Care of Creation, September 1, and says he is thankful for the
“various initiatives” planned in various places by various religious
denominations.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
Once again, Assisi is the place where prayers will be
offered on Saturday, September 1, on the fourth World Day of Prayer for
the Care of Creation initiated by Pope Francis. In the General
Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis mentioned the event which, he said, “we
celebrate in union with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, and with the
participation of other Churches and Christian communities”. For the first time,
this prayer event is ecumenical in nature, and kicks off the Season of
Creation which lasts until 4 October.
World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios proclaimed September 1 as
Creation Day for the Orthodox in 1989, followed by other Christian European
Churches in 2001, and by Pope Francis in 2015. This year, for the first time,
the prayer service for the World Day of Prayer for the
Care of Creation in Assisi is ecumenical and coincides with the start of the
Season of Creation. “I am grateful,” Pope Francis said in the General Audience,
“for the various initiatives organized in different places by Churches,
Institutes of consecrated life, and ecclesial organizations”. The Pope’s
invitation is open to “everyone to unite in prayer, on Saturday, for our common
home, for the care of our common home”.
Season of Creation
Christina Leaño Associate Director of the Global Catholic
Climate Movement (GCCM) said in an interview with Vatican News that
the GCCM is one of the groups facilitating the month-long Season of Creation.
This Season begins in with the World Day of Prayer in Assisi and concludes on
October 4th. The GCCM’s website was launched a few years ago to
bring together all the Season of Creation initiatives organized by member
groups.
Vocation of creation care
Ms Leaño says that the “beauty of the Season of Creation is
that people have the freedom to express this part of our faith to love and take
care of creation”. She spoke of an event called “Rise for Climate Action” on
September 8 in which many environmental groups will participate. “It’s a way to
publically witness to this vocation of creation care”. The GCCM also encourages
people to join in coastal clean-up efforts on the third Saturday of each month.
Individuals around the world are joining through ecumenical prayer services,
cosmic walks, and planting gardens.
Pilgrimage from Rome to Katowice
October 4 begins the GCCM organized pilgrimage
from Rome to Katowice where the 24th UN Conference of
the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will
take place beginning on December 3. Pilgrims will speak with people along the
way about the specific challenges they are facing due to climate change. They
will be presenting the stories collected along the way to UN climate
negotiators.
The Global Catholic Climate Movement
The GCCM was founded in 2015 in anticipation of the release
of Laudato Si’ and is a network including over 650 Catholic
institutions. Ms Leaño says that members “feel called to bring Laudato
Si’ to life and in particular to address climate issues".
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