The objectives of the activities were formation & conscientization on climate crisis for local Franciscans and others, taking acts of solidarity for climate justice, a projection for future action and celebration of the spirit of Laudato si’.
In the past few months, we have seen the planet earth burning with numerous wildfires in different parts of the world, exacerbating the climatic emergency that we live today.
Pope Francis, in the encyclical Laudato si’, invites the entire human race to hear the cries of the poor since they are the most affected by the climate crisis.
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.”
Greta has become the symbol of the struggle of youth that claims intergenerational responsibility and a minimum of consciousness for future generations. Pope Francis has put some open questions about our current lifestyle 4 years ago. “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up? This question not only concerns the environment in isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal. When we ask ourselves what kind of world we want to leave behind, we think in the first place of its general direction, its meaning and its values.” (LS n.160)