From left Fr. Roy Thomas, SVD; Sr Gretta Fernandes, SpSS; Gaia Mormina – General Secretary of the Scalabrini Foundation; Judith Behnen – Senior Major Gift Officer Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS); Mons. Robert Vitillo, Senior Advisor of the Research and Reflection Section-Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (on screen).Second Day of the JPIC Workshop: The Social Teaching of the Church and Systemic Transformation
New wine, new wineskins! Here we are on the second day of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) training workshop. This new day focused on the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church and systemic transformation.
Four conferences were on the agenda. First, group work on the integrity of creation. Secondly, a video-conference on the theme What is happening to our common home and to the peoples of the world? Thirdly, a video-conference on the theme The Social Teaching of Pope Francis: A Response to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor. And finally group work on some guiding questions. In view of climate degradation, how do you react personally or in your community? What challenges do you face? Can integral ecology give hope?
From the beginning, this second workshop reminded us that today more than yesterday it seems undeniable that the world is experiencing several crises: ecological, health, economic, political, food, etc. These various crises not only challenge our universal conscience, but also push us to act differently in order to redefine our action for the care of our common home. In this second workshop, the various speakers did not hesitate to point out some concrete facts that are at the basis of the various crises in today’s world. Among other things, we can highlight the issue of domination, green energy, food security, conflicts caused by mining, self-centeredness and also systemic problems.
The comfort of some creates suffering for others, they insisted the speakers! Faced with this reality, we have been invited, as Pope Francis recommends in Laudato Si, to ecological conversion and systemic transformation. In fact, conversion is first and foremost an individual path. Everyone must feel responsible for our common home “earth”. Yes, the earth is a common good. As a result, we must move from egocentrism to eco-centrism.
By: Emile Kimembe, M. Afr.