Pope Francis intends to send a strong message to world leaders, a few months before the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), scheduled to take place in Egypt in November 2022. On the occasion of the “Time of Creation”, which will begin on 1 September 2022 with the World Day of Prayer for the Integrity of Creation, and will end on 4 October 2022, St. Francis Day, the head of the Catholic Church invites his faithful and those of other Christian denominations to observe a month of ecological conversion.
This call aims to reduce the carbon footprint of human activities, in a global context and particularly in Africa, where extreme climatic phenomena (drought, floods or hurricanes) affect millions of people. “Praise be to you, my Lord, with all your creatures. This canticle of St Francis of Assisi is accompanied today by a bitter cry: that of the Earth, which begs us to stop its destruction,” says Pope Francis in his message published on 21 July 2022.
The Time of Creation
According to the Catholic Church, the Time of Creation is a period in which the Church, through ecumenical (inter-religious) dialogue, invites humanity to renew its relationship with the Creator and creation, through celebration, conversion and common commitment. Creation Time is an annual ecumenical celebration of prayer and action for the planet.
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The Pope’s call, echoing the encyclical Laudato si’, is accompanied by the prayer intention. “Let us cry with the bitter cry of creation, listen to it and respond with our actions. So that we and future generations can still rejoice in the sweet song of life and hope of creatures,” concluded Pope Francis, indicating that it is a matter of converging together towards common principles, to stop the ongoing collapse and save biodiversity.
Boris Ngounou