Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“The poor and the earth are crying out. O Lord seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future, for the coming of your Kingdom of justice, peace, love and beauty. Praise be to you! Amen.” (Pope Francis, “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home,” May 2015
Laudato Si (prayerfully translated “Praise be to God”) for Hawaii being spared from the destructive power of Hurricane Douglas! While we were blessed to escape major damage, the threat of future catastrophic storms is not over. Scientific evidence shows climate change as a main factor causing ocean warming, rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms. Such impacts, coupled with the current COVID-19 crisis, have significantly compounded the dislocation of many families across the globe.
During this fifth anniversary year of his encyclical “Laudato Si,” our Holy Father calls us to “care for our common home” by responding to all in need, reminding us to hear the cry of the earth as well as the cry of the poor. “Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods … This in turn affects the livelihood of the poor, who are then forced to leave their homes, with great uncertainty for their future and that of their children.”
In his message for the Sept. 27 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the pope again identifies climate change as a major driver of migration –– forcing many to flee poverty-stricken areas affected by wars as well as by natural disasters ecologically linked to pollution, overconsumption and waste. Climate displacement is de facto already a reality for many people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic who are forced to relocate because of rising seas and the washing away of ancestral homelands.
As our Micronesian sisters and brothers here in Hawaii can testify, sea-level rise is prompting mass migration of people from many Pacific islands and low-lying coastal areas. The deadly combination of climate change and pandemic is exerting ever greater pressures on vulnerable populations across the globe. According to the World Bank, these crises could cause more than 140 million people to be displaced within their own countries’ borders before 2050.
The double whammy of hurricane season and the COVID-19 crisis makes this an important time to prayerfully reflect on “Laudato Si” and ways to “care for our common home” together as One Ohana. “Laudato Si” calls us to respond to climate change and the health care needs of all through actions in our own daily lives, such as consuming less energy; reducing our environmental footprint; and increasing our compassion for all affected by climate change. Other examples include supporting food banks and parish food pantries to provide nourishment for families hard hit by unemployment, or helping deliver meals to kupuna staying safe at home. And it also means responsibly taking simple personal protective health measures like wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing and regularly washing our hands.
The anniversary of “Laudato Si” (“Praise be to God”) is an opportunity to deepen our solidarity in prayer and action by sharing and caring for our common home with millions of others who are facing and suffering from climate change, COVID-19, unemployment and food insecurity. All are called to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor and be inspired to do something about it. “O Lord seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future … Praise be to you!”
The official full text: “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.”
For suggestions on implementing “Laudato Si,” please visit the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops usccb.com and the website for the Global Catholic Climate Movement catholicclimatemovement.global.
Mahalo,
Your friends from the Office for Social Ministry
