In partnership with the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) Commission for Ecology, Caritas India on May 22, 2021, hosted a webinar on Laudato Si in the context of Post Covid Strategies & Biodiversity conservation.

The virtual event marked the celebration of the sixth anniversary of Laudato Si and to develop an understanding of the sustainable ways of living and addressing our commitment to take care of mother nature. The webinar invited academician, researchers, conservationist, medical professionals and Church leaders to share their perspectives to restore the relations with creation, especially in the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Fr. Joshua, Secretary, CCBI commission for ecology welcomed all the 252 participants attending the meeting from across Asia.

In his introductory message, Fr. Paul Moonjely, Executive Director of Caritas India acknowledged the presence of Cardinal Oswal Gracias, the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of India for leading the Catholic Church in the Country from the front and motivating people to observe Laudato Si week. He explained how Caritas India is observing the Laudato Si week which started from May 16, 2021, by sharing and promoting several Caritas India environmental conservation measures like Plantation, well recharging, Renewal Energy, Waste Management, Care of Creation, Carbon Fasting and Garden of Eden.

“Laudato Si week is an invitation by our Holy Father, Pope Francis to remind us about the environmental and ecological legacy that we are leaving behind for the generations to come,” shared Fr. Paul. He highlighted the five ways of living Laudato Si’ during the pandemic promoted by Developmental Alternatives, Caritas Canada.

• Ecological conversion of the normal. The truth is, Laudato Si’ calls for the ecological conversion of “normal.” We are not going back to normal… ever! but the new normal is in the making and we are becoming part of the new normal and how do we create a new normal of sustainable nature and a sustainable future.
• Do the hard work that authentic relationships call for. Laudato SI’ is about the hard call to relationship—with God, each other, and the Earth. While the pandemic is keeping us physically apart from most, it is also keeping us physically closer to others, like our family members, for example. How are we responding to the challenges of those relationships? Are we willing to work through the conflicts that close contact creates? Or do we resort to neglect and violence when it gets tough?
• Give thanks to God for everything. Our life has to be constant praise. Be with God, Praise him, our life is a gift of God, our life is nothing but a relationship, a relationship with God, a relationship with others, a relationship with oneself and a relationship with nature. The moment we distance ourselves from all these beautiful dimensions of relationships, we become alienated. While the pandemic is keeping us physically apart from most, it is also keeping us physically closer to others, like our family members, for example. How are we responding to the challenges of those relationships?
• Support or contribute to the policies of sustainable change. We see a day-to-day change on how the policies are taking a structural paralysis, jeopardizing the intent of the poor people, the marginalized people and also sometimes endangering the wonderful earth, the common home. As people responsible for our nature and our human lives, how do they look at these issues and respond and put ourselves in front to influence policies which ensure sustainable nature and a sustainable future?
• Change the way we eat. What do we eat? We eat food, drink water, breathe air. We do not live to eat but eat to live. How do we responsibly make use of the resources of nature and how do we space it out for the generations and communities around us. Caritas India, the humanitarian face of the Catholic Church in India is trying our best to bring back lives and build back better. The future of our nature depends on the nature of our future.

Introducing His Eminence Cardinal Oswald Gracias as a good leader and listener, Bishop Allwyn D’Silva, the Chairperson of CCBI Commission of Ecology informed the participant that Cardinal Oswald is in the council of Pope Francis and is one of the committee members of FABC.

Cardinal Oswald highlighted the issue of the recent Pandemic. Terming as human-made, Cardinal emphasized that it is high time to rethink our relationship with nature and the care for creations. Quoting Pope Francis in the context of Laudato Si, he shared about our love for nature, and our relationship with nature. Laudato Si talk of Climate change. The submergence of land into the sea as the impact of climate change is not far.

“The preliminary chapters of Laudato Si spoke about the understanding environment and fixing it,” said Ms. Sarita, the Marine and Coastal Policy researcher working on grassroots marine wildlife conservation, community engagement etc. She was sharing her views on the ecological aspects of Post Covid strategies. She informed ecological injustice is the very reason behind ecological and biodiversity loss. “Marine life in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, which feeds a great part of the world’s population, is affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to a drastic depletion of certain species,” concluded Ms. Sarita.

“Every year thousands of plant and animal species disappear of which we will never know and our children will never see, because they have been lost forever,” informed Fr. Robert Athickal, the founder of Tarumitra and the person behind promoting Oxygen belts, the roadside plantation in many parts of North India. Fr. Athickal mentioned the eco-centre being promoted in 10 acres of land in Patna with local multi-species plants and butterfly garden which has become a good model now. The Cry of the earth is the cry of the poor.

Dr. Cecil, the Professor of Medicine and Head Hematology at St. Johns Medical College Hospital Bangalore shared about the Known Knowns to unknown unknowns about the epidemic. He said, In the initial stage of covid, people had symptoms like fever and on the fifth day there used to be breathlessness and oxygen deficiency and respiratory disorder and more complications. These responses depend on individual inborn immunity and adaptive immunity. Pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have also impacted Mental health which can be seen in rising cases of depression and domestic violence.  

Reiterating the urgent challenge to protect our common home, Fr. (Dr.) Jolly Puthanpura, the Assistant Executive Director of Caritas India insisted to connect the intersecting concerns of environmental responsibility and authentic human development. He informed that Caritas India has been releasing posters each day of the week with the message to promote Eco restoration measures. In addition, Caritas India has organized virtual webinars like ‘Laudato Si and Covid -19 Pandemic’, ‘Safeguarding Biodiversity and Eco-spirituality and Valuing water resources’ to raise environmental consciousness and promote the teaching of Laudato Si at the community level.

He also informed that Caritas India developed a Laudato Si implementation plan by including eco-restoration measures and also developed guidelines on the Laudato Si implementation plan. As an initiative, 12300 nutrition garden/Garden of Eden were developed in different parts of India through our partners and also promoting green audit and green protocol.

Bishop Allwyn moderated the open forum to help the participants in getting clarity on the environment and health concerns during the covid-19 pandemic. The resource person adequately responded to the queries of the participants with detail.