Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula asked the people to protect God’s creation “like how we protect ourselves from COVID-19."
"We do everything we can to prevent the infection and further spread the virus, so we also do everything to take care of our environment,” CBCP News quoted the prelate's video message to participants of the Manila archdiocesan online assembly and planning for next month’s “Season of Creation."
The cardinal stressed that environmental concerns cannot and must not be set aside in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
Advincula said world leaders have to do everything possible to make sure the environment is a top priority when dealing with the pandemic.
“It is a concern that should be prioritized by leaders of nations, of the church, of business and of various sectors of society,” he said.
The cardinal encouraged the archdiocese’s Ministry on Ecology and its partners to continue its efforts in raising awareness about “our collective duty as stewards of creation."
Advincula also assured his support for the ministry “because environmental concerns play an important part in our lives."
The cardinal then expressed hope that through the annual celebration, the archdiocese will respond to Pope Francis’ call “for everyone to have an ecological conversion”.
The Season of Creation starts on September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. It ends on October 4, the feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology.
In the Philippines, dioceses extend the celebration until the second Sunday of October, which was declared by the bishops’ conference as Indigenous Peoples Sunday.
This year’s IP Sunday falls on October 10.