The Season of Creation begins September first on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and ends October 4 Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  On Wednesday, October 4, as we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi and remember the first anniversary of the release of the film The Letter, Pope Francis chose this day to publish the second part of his encyclical Laudato Si.

The theme of the Season of Creation this year is “Listening to the Voice of Creation”.  I believe that most of us in our world wake up in the morning with hope to pursue life. This pursuit grows more challenging as we witness news of war and now witnessing the growing devastation of Earth and people by the horror of climate change.

Pope Francis calls our Earth the Cathedral of Creation…and in a beautiful way asks us to reverence it as such!  His plea to us is again both challenging and hopeful.  This is a spiritual quest we are on to save our Earth and ourselves and who will or may come after.  I share this missive by Pope Francis because it gives me hope that we may do so. This letter may seem long, but it is amazing to me how comprehensive and inspiring it is to the challenge we all face.   I hope you read it and be inspired to participate in actions to consider how we can think of our Earth as a Cathedral. https://laudatosimovement.org/news/message-of-his-holiness-pope-francis-for-the-celebration-of-the-world-day-of-prayer-for-the-care-of-creation/

It’s time to wake up and step up.  It’s time to rebuild trust based on climate justice.  It’s time to accelerate the just transition to a green economy.  Limiting the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C is still possible.  We must consider this as a moment of hope.  But it will require carbon emissions to be cut by 45 per cent by 2030. June 15, 2023, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General

The United Nations hosts two global meetings this fall on care of creation issues. In his Season of Creation message, Pope Francis mentions both the UN COP27 Conference on Climate and the UN COP15 Conference on Biodiversity

We can add that the Vatican has now formally joined the Paris Agreement.  In a July 21 message from Pope Francis for the 2022 Season of Creation, he said the planet is reaching “a breaking point” and urged “all of us to act decisively.”    The Vatican continues to do just that, announcing on July 8 that it is now a formal party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and intends to formally join the 2015 Paris Agreement.  On July 19, it announced a new investment policy for all Vatican offices that discouraged “speculative investments” in oil and mining industries and encouraged investment in companies working to protect the environment and promote the use of clean energy.

Guterres underscored that however, the adoption of the resolution ‘is only the beginning’ and urged nations to make this newly recognized right ‘a reality for everyone, everywhere.’

For more on the UN General Assembly declaration on the right to a clean and healthy environment see https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123482

July 22, 2002, with 161 votes in favor, and eight abstentions, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution, declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, a universal human right.

The resolution, based on a similar text adopted last year by the Human Rights Council, calls upon States, international organizations, and business enterprises to scale up efforts to ensure a healthy environment for all.

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, welcomed the ‘historic’ decision and said the landmark development demonstrates that Member States can come together in the collective fight against the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Young climate advocates will tell leaders at a UN summit in September that they are out of options: government and big business must work together on ambitious climate action that pushes the world faster towards sustainability and empowers youth with the ‘green skills’ that will secure our future.

May the Holy Spirit once more hover over the waters and guide our efforts to “renew the face of the earth” (cf. Ps 104:30).”

Michelle Loisel, DC
NGO Representative at the UN
Company of the Daughters of Charity