Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Against the backdrop of climate change which is currently a global concern due to variation on weather patterns and extinction of species among other environmental effects, Catholic clergy in Sub-Saharan Africa have been invited for online engagements on ecological conversion for the betterment of creation.
“The Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) in partnership with the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature International, are inviting you to a series of online engagements with other Catholic Clergy in Sub-Saharan Africa about the role that we can play in protecting creation by reversing nature loss and preventing further extinction of plant and animal species through the New Deal for Nature and People,” reads in part an invitation message from the CYNESA Secretariat.
Explaining why they target the clergy, the Programs Manager of CYNESA Mr. David Munene told AMECEA Online in an interview on Wednesday, May 27, “The reverence accorded to the Catholic clergy in Africa and the influence they have over the way society acts implies that they are best placed to drive the call for ecological conversion in Africa by inviting their congregations to make a new deal with nature to prevent further loss of nature upon which many Africans depend for their livelihoods.”
Besides, he added, “our experience working in 10 African countries now shows us that the encyclical, Laudato Si’ has yet to get to majority of Catholics especially in Africa. Partly, this is because most of the Catholic clergy are yet to package the Laudato Si’ in a way that their congregations can relate with in their daily lives.”
According to Mr. Munene who doubles as the Project Coordinator and Session Facilitator in the online engagements, the current pandemic situation in the world has forced the priests to have minimal in-person interactions with the faithful hence they act more digitally which open ways to equipping them with skills.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the unprecedented closure of churches and other religious gatherings through which the Catholic clergy in African mostly engages with the faithful. This has translated into a notable reduction in the activities that the Catholic clergy would otherwise engage in and that potentially leaves them with little time to amplify the call for the care on our common home among their congregations,” Munene explained.
“Taking advantage of the high internet penetration rate in Africa, the clergy are engaging with the faithful through various online platforms and especially on social media,” he highlighted adding that, “It is, therefore, important to equip the clergy with skills and knowledge about how they could rally the public towards an ecological conversion by making a new deal for nature and people that will outlive COVID-19.”
CYNESA and WWF intend to conduct four series of online calls from June 4 to 9 under the theme Laudato Si’ and Biodiversity Loss: African Catholic Clergy Lead the Way, with a keynote address from the Vatican-based Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Monsignor Bruno-Marie Duffé and the lead experts on biodiversity from the WWF.
The four sessions will cover various topics including the significance and role of biodiversity to the African continent; scientific evidence about biodiversity loss with focus on Africa; Laudato Si’ within the framework of the New Deal for Nature and People with focus on ecological conversion and; engaging the Catholic faithful to reverse and halt further nature loss.
Asked about the expectations from the clergy after the online engagements Mr. Munene said, “We expect the clergy to serve as ambassadors of the New Deal for Nature and People to their congregations and communities in order to spur action to halt and reverse nature loss.”
Additionally, the priests will “understand the connection between care for our common home and the importance of ecological conversion.”
The two partners expect participants from all 46 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and they anticipate to continue engaging with the clergy beyond the project timeline.