Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta, talked about the need for ecological repentance in caring for God's creation.
He conveyed the message in the pastoral letter to honor World Environmental Day (WED) 2022 on June 4.
He said, “We need a more profound ecological conversion because caring about the environment is not just a way to show that we are religious.”
The cardinal stated that WED encouraged everyone to focus on three issues: global warming and climate change, the devastation of nature and the loss of biodiversity, and pollution, especially air pollution.
“We also feel these three concerns daily because, up until now, mankind, including ourselves, has not shown much concern," he said.
He thinks that people need to take an ecological approach to protect the integrity of nature and everything in it, including our way of life.
Quoting Pope Francis, the cardinal said, "We need a new ecological strategy that can change how we live in the world, our lifestyle, our relationship with natural resources in general, and how we see people and humanity."
In addition, the cardinal reminded, “We could not care for those less fortunate until we care for the environment.”
"Many people are starving due to the degradation of fertile areas." Many individuals are parched due to a scarcity of potable water. "Many individuals are ill due to polluted air," he emphasized.
He also said that people's suffering and the destruction of the environment are not the only essential things. “It binds us as sisters and brothers according to our beliefs and the teachings of the Apostle Paul,” he added. “As children of God the Father, we are responsible for one another's well-being.”
"We are all people created by God who share a common home on earth," he emphasized.
He told everyone, “We need a more profound ecological conversion because caring for the environment is not just a sign of our religious faith.”
“We make caring for the environment a crucial part of our religion, we should be able to see all of God's beautiful and good creations as the shining faces of God the Creator, not just as tools or ways to help people,” he added. - Kasmir Nema
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
