Season of Creation: European Bishops Reiterate Call for Ecological Conversion

By Lisa Zengarini, Originally Published by Vatican News

In a message for the upcoming Season of Creation, Albanian Archbishop Angelo Massafra of Shkodër-Pult, a member of the Pastoral Social Care Commission of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), echoes Pope Francis’ call for an ecological conversion, recalling that the current climate crisis is mainly attributable to the actions of man.

As the Church prepares to celebrate the Season of Creation, from 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to 4 October 2021, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron Saint of Ecology, the European Bishops join Pope Francis in urging for ecological conversion to protect and preserve our common home from destruction, and in calling in particular on Christians to be “spokesmen” of what the planet demands.   

“Listening to the Voice of Creation” 

The Season of Creation is celebrated annually by Christian Churches around the globe as a time of prayer and action for the safeguarding or our common home through responsible stewardship. It is a time of grace that the Church, in ecumenical dialogue, offers to humanity to renew its relationship with the Creator and with Creation, through celebration, conversion and commitment to action.

The proposed theme this year is “Listening to the Voice of Creation” and the urgency of doing so is symbolised by the ‘Burning Bush’ (Ex. 3, 1-12), referring to the prevalence of unnatural fires as a sign of the devastating effects that climate change has on the most vulnerable of our planet. 

Fires in Europe

“In particular, our European continent has been faced with a real environmental catastrophe that, in 97% of cases, is attributable to the actions of man,” says Archbishop Angelo Massafra OFM of Shkodër-Pult, a Member Pastoral Social Care Commission of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE).

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