ENDEAVOR

Today marks the start of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai that seeks “to unite the world towards agreement on bold, practical and ambitious solutions to the most pressing global challenge of our time.”

To gain a broader perspective of COP 28’s significance, here’s the story in Washington Post on the day after Pope Francis visited Tacloban on Jan. 17, 2015:

“Braving stiff winds and heavy rains in a yellow rain coat during an open-air mass in Tacloban earlier in the morning, (Pope) Francis attempted to comfort worshippers still reeling from the Nov. 8, 2013, storm, which remains the strongest ever recorded on land, according to BBC News.

Ignoring his prepared remarks at one point, (Pope) Francis addressed the crowd of 150,000 Catholics gathered in a field near the airport in his native Spanish. “So many of you have lost everything,” he said. “I don’t know what to say to you, but the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silent. And I walk with you all with my silent heart.”

Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to the Philippines was themed “Mercy and Compassion.” 

I was among those who stood in the rain on the grounds of the Tacloban airport to hear the mass celebrated by Pope Francis. It would not be far-fetched to imagine that what Pope Francis experienced in Tacloban etched such a deep imprint on the pontiff’s consciousness. It provided the wellsprings for his pathfinding encyclical, Laudato Si, that he issued on the feast of the Pentecost, May 24, 2015.

I gained this insight after viewing The Letter: A Message for our Earth, a powerful 82-minute documentary that enables viewers to gain a deeper understanding on Pope Francis’ pastoral wisdom.

Upon his election in 2013 following the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, he chose the name no predecessor opted to use — Francis, from St. Francis of Assisi, who, according to a Franciscan Order narrative, “recognized creation as another manifestation of the beauty of God” and was  named patron of ecology for characterizing the Sun, the Moon and the Earth as fraternal creations.

Recalling the building of the Tower of Babel, he pointed out that its architects cared more for bricks that would fall during construction, than for the safety of the workers. In like manner, he said, humankind has neglected the nurturance of nature — in fact, allowing its conscious destruction in the name of exploiting resources from the Earth to build a capitalist economy.

The rationale for the encyclical is stated in its first sentence:

“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” — “Praise be to you, my Lord.” In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.”

Stewardship for Mother Earth and seeking to sustain the environment is an inter-generational responsibility. 

He cited initiatives taken by his predecessors, Blessed Pope Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, respectively, to heighten the faithful’s awareness on “a tragic consequence” of unchecked human activity: “Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming in turn a victim of this degradation;” and that human beings frequently seem “to see no other meaning in their natural environment than what serves for immediate use and consumption.” For his part, Pope Benedict XVI proposed “eliminating the structural causes of the dysfunctions of the world economy and correcting models of growth which have proved incapable of ensuring respect for the environment.”

Pope Francis now stands on the threshold of fusing both the moral and secular movements for preserving and sustaining the environment. On Saturday, Dec. 2, he is scheduled to address COP28 in Dubai, to deliver what could well be its keynote and highlight.

From St. Francis to Pope Francis, we now turn to Fr. Francis Gustilo, president of the Don Bosco School of Theology, who has launched the Laudato Si’ Certified Environmental Trainer Program that he describes as “a union between science and faith.”

For 10 weeks, resource speakers from both the religious and environmental tell the story of Laudato Si’ through the use of theology, ecology, and technology. Topics such as cosmogenesis, or the origin of the world, and ethics of ecology, which examines how morality and ecology are related, are discussed to explain the moral foundation of our duties as stewards of God’s creation. Climate change, sustainability, as well as laws governing the environment are also highlighted provide an in-depth understanding of present-day, real-world problems. In order to demonstrate concrete ways on how to respond to such challenges, hands-on workshops are conducted.

Upon learning the value of composting, Teacher Bernadette de los Reyes  of Immaculate Heart of Mary School applied it immediately in her own backyard. She realized that composting will improve the health of the soil and help in reducing food waste. Guided by their teachers Arnel Leonardo and Nino Faustino, University of Makati student council officers launched a seedling activity for a hydroponics project to promote a greener school and cleaner air.   

Teacher Fatima Asad of Veritas Parochial School shared her new learning. She offered to give ₱150 and a merienda to the street kids in her neighborhood who learned about the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and how they can earn a living through waste segregation. Science teacher Myrna Salingay from Immaculate Heart of Mary School taught her students to use PET bottles for hydroponics gardening. Finally, protecting the environment also means being the voice of nature. Religious sisters who graduated from the program were not afraid to speak and make a stand on the planned reclamation of Manila Bay.