These are opportune times to approach the Face of Christ in the needy, the unprotected, those who have no material security and live in an almost haphazard manner.
Friar Andrea Dovio, a 44 year old priest, serving as Secretary to the Provincial Minister at the Portiuncola in Assisi one day made an extraordinary request to his superior. He asked to go and serve in the fight against the novel Coronavirus in the hotbed of the epidemic in the very north of Italy.
The Order held a high-level online consultation on the Order’s response and learnings from the global COVID19 crisis. Attendees include the General Minister, Br. Michael Perry, and representatives from Missionszentrale der Franziskaner, Franciscans International, Franciscan Mediterranean Network, Franciscan Network on Migration (RFM) and representatives of the JPIC Office.
The Korean branch of the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM Korea) comprises more than 30 local Catholic organizations, including the JPIC Commission of the Korean OFM Province, as well as hundreds of individual Catholics
In the first weeks of this crisis, we were carefully observing not only the development of the situation but also the reaction of the United Nations (UN), other human rights experts, and States. We continue to do so.
We hope you’re doing o.k. at this difficult time for people everywhere. Today is World Earth Day, and we want to invite you to join in celebrating our common home while you’re confined to your own home. Will you and the people you’re in contact with rise to the challenge of “Planting hope and harvesting joy”?
The socio-environmental crisis described in the encyclical Laudato Si’ is a challenge for humanity to restructure its ways of relating to God, to the brothers and to creation, through an ecological spirituality, which begins with the insight into the whole creation as free gift from the Creator and its interconnectedness.
“Shareholders of POSCO are not the owners of the Earth!” they shouted. The demonstrators strongly demanded the company take responsibility for the climate crisis and take immediate action on it.
As Franciscans, we must not remain on the sidelines in the peaceful, non-violent transformation but rather be active, creative and courageous participants in it.
Br. Aloysio Kim, OFM, JPIC animator of Holy Korean Martyrs Province, took part, along with other experts in medicine and epidemic, in a panel discussion on PBS, a Catholic TV channel in Korea on March 29. The title of the program was “Virus: Counterattack of Nature.”