Today, at a powerfully symbolic event held in the Vatican Gardens, Pope Francis planted a tree alongside Amazonian leaders from Brazil and dedicated the upcoming Synod on the Amazon to St. Francis of Assisi.
Alex, three years old, lives in a gypsy camp in Giugliano in Campania, a few kilometers from Naples. Since May, water and electricity have been cut off, forcing him and the other 400 people in the camp to live in a situation of extreme poverty and marginalization. According to their stories, the institutions would refuse to recognize their presence. And there have been attempts to clear the field against their will. There have been solidarity and support for them. People like Br. Enrico, who choose to dedicate themselves to those who were in need and bring some relief into their lives, so stressful and tiring.
We hope that we can count on your support to help carry this initiative, to have your bell(s), … ring in your towers, belfries, carillon, churches, communities, institutions – a call or another sign – on Friday 4 October 2019 at 14.00 hrs. to give a hopeful sign of prayer, peace and reconciliation among all people of goodwill throughout the world.
The Franciscan Province, “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe” of Central America, Panama and the Foundation of “La Santa Cruz” in Haiti, has the JPIC Commission in the Province, which consists of a friar appointed for animation and coordination in each region of the actions of JPIC, together with the Franciscan Family. The Province has an evangelization project that includes four points for JPIC animation. They are, firstly, JPIC in initial and ongoing formation (formation program), secondly, JPIC in each evangelization settings (parish, rectory), thirdly, JPIC in the schools of the Province, and fourthly, JPIC office in each country. Even if there are JPIC teams of the Franciscan Family in some states of Central America, it’s essential to have an office in each state.
From September 1 to October 4, Christians around the world celebrate the Season of Creation. Some of us pray, some of us do hands-on projects, some of us advocate.
Br. Joseph Nangle belongs to the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) and has served as a missionary in Bolivia for over 15 years, was another 12 years the co-director of Franciscan Mission Service and last Thursday he was arrested, along with 70 other Catholics, for protesting against the immigration policy of the government of Donald Trump. Brother Joseph was kind enough to answer some questions for pazybien.es and highlights the serious situation in which migrants live due to current measures in place by the US administration
The objective of this Alliance, as expressed in the agreement, is to promote a systemic, cultural and spiritual change that should be translated into economic and political transformations in the face of the current climate crisis. By doing so, the adherent 21 organizations have expressed their willingness to put themselves at the service of the community and facilitate links that can generate public-political influence from their respective identities.
And that’s why António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, has called for the UN 2019 Climate Summit on September 21 – 23 in New York with the theme, ‘A Race We Can Win. A Race We Must Win.’ The Church also resonates to this call. The Pope, too, declared a global “climate emergency.” He said that a failure to act urgently to reduce greenhouse gases would be “a brutal act of injustice toward the poor and future generations.”
In conclusion to this wonderful experience of friendship and dialogue, I must say, first of all, that I have witnessed what Laudato si’tells us about our faith and science, i.e. we should also relate our faith with science. Secondly, Carceri and Sacro Bosco are a part of our rich Franciscan heritages. St. Francis and his followers were very much in communion with nature and made it home of encounter with God. For us Franciscans, we can develop here a project of Franciscan ecological spirituality and ministry. We can utilize the sacred sites in nature for our formation in Franciscan ecological spirituality and for visitors and pilgrims as well. With the various species of plants, trees, shrubs, and herbs, rock formations, landscapes, and the whole ecosystem, it will be a venue for scientific studies and its integration with our faith, awe, and spiritual aesthetics.