Can We Still Save Our Beautiful Land?

We will not be successful in our efforts to develop a new attitude towards the natural world unless we are sustained and nourished by a new vision. This vision must blossom forth from our understanding of the world as God intends it to be. We will know the shape of this world by looking at how God originally fashioned our world and laid it out before us".   (CBCP Pastoral Letter "What is happening to our beautiful land?)

Almost 20 years ago the Bishops of the Philippines issued a plaintive plea to Filipinos in its Pastoral Letter, "What is Happening to Our Beautiful Land? At that time the alarm over the thinning ozone layer was being raised all over the world and the foretaste of the crisis that has now been termed global warming was being manifested by changing weather patterns. In our country the dire effects of environmental degradation were seen in devastating floods, landslides, and dying of rivers, and the pollution of the air in urban places. We recognized the causes of the problem—denudation of our forests, unabated mining, disastrous fishing methods, and increasing emissions of pollutants into our atmosphere. We know what has happened to our beautiful land. The question now before us is, "Can we still save our beautiful land?"

Indeed, the problem is a global one. Just recently heads of 21 nations met in Australia and one of the agreements they drew up concerned positive action to address global warming. In our neck of the woods, what are we doing to contribute to the solution, or are we stuck on being the problem?

Several weeks ago we issued the Oratio Imperata At Petendam Pluviam because the rainy season had not commenced at the time it should and, in fact, had long been delayed. We pleaded to God, our Father, Lord of all Creation to send us the rains we need. Thankfully the rains came, sufficient enough to stave off an immediate crisis and to mitigate the threat of drought in our fields. But we cannot constantly test God's mercy and providence. The warming of our planet is not a natural occurrence; it is mostly a man-made situation. Unless we reform our ways, there will be no miracles for us in the future.

Can we still save our beautiful land? We can and we must. We must start with ourselves and our families.

As a people and as a country, we are in a position to do our part in addressing climate change. On the individual level, we need to inculcate energy efficiency and energy conservation measures in our daily lives as well as in our workplaces and communities; simple matters such as using less electricity and gasoline; planting trees, segregating garbage, and turning away from a highly consumerist and wasteful lifestyle. On the national level, let us call on government to encourage and prioritize the use of renewable sources of energy which the Philippines is abundantly blessed with.

It is our vision in the Archdiocese of Manila to be a community of persons…with fullness of life. That vision begins now as we speak. Our actions towards the protection and care of our environment, the beautiful creation that God has given us, will show how we tread the path towards attaining and living our vision.

It is also for this purpose that I ask you, the faithful of the Archdiocese of Manila, to be part of the coming global warming and climate change conference being organized by our Archdiocesan Ecology Desk. The conference will feature resource speakers who have the expertise and experience in the field of environmental management and alternative and indigenous technologies. The Global Warming and Climate Change Conference will be held on    September 22-23, 2007 at the College of the Holy Spirit of Manila, Mendiola, Manila.  

As stewards of God's creation, we have a responsibility to uphold its integrity, raise our voices against its abuse, and act together to promote its protection.   I therefore enjoin all priests, religious congregations, seminarians, all Catholic organizations and institutions in the Archdiocese and neighboring dioceses to take part in this conference.

Let everyone be part of the solution and not of the problem. Let us all together save and love our beautiful land, our beautiful world.

God bless us all!

+ GAUDENCIO CARDINAL B. ROSALES,D.D.
Archbishop of Manila
September 11, 2007