The Archbishop of Manila in the Philippines, Cardinal Advenkula, urged everyone not to forget to take care of the created world and protect our environment even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Vatican News Network)The Archbishop of Manila of the Philippines, Cardinal José Advincula, attended the online conference of the Archdiocese of Manila. He pointed out in a video message that even during the new crown pneumonia epidemic, protecting the environment is always the top priority. The cardinal reiterated his concern for the protection of the created world. In dealing with the health crisis caused by the new coronavirus, the protection of the created world cannot and should not be put aside.
Card Advinkula urged world leaders to “do everything possible to ensure that the environment is an absolute priority when responding to the epidemic”. The cardinal also urged all believers to protect “God’s creation, just as they protect themselves from the new coronavirus.” “We do everything possible to prevent the spread and further spread of the new crown virus, so we must also do everything possible to take care of our environment.”
The archbishop of Manila mentioned an important point, which is to raise our awareness that we must have a collective responsibility “as managers of the created world” and promoters of “ecological conversion”. As we approached the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Cardinal Advinkula made the above call. Every September 1st is the day of prayer for the care of creation, set by Pope Francis in 2015. This is a catholic prayer event, because the Orthodox Church also celebrated on the same day, with the purpose of urging Christian believers to make a true “ecological conversion.”
In addition, on the day of prayer for creation, the “creation period” also began, that is, from September 1 to October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi ends. This saint pays special attention to the beauty and care of nature. During this time, Christian groups around the world were invited to find new ways to make their lives more sustainable. It is worth noting that in the Philippines, the dioceses extended the “Creation Period” to the second Sunday in October because the bishoprics of the country designated that Sunday as the “Indigenous Democracy Day”.
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