Kinshasa, 07 December, 2019 / 12:07 am (ACI Africa).
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Catholic Church has partnered with the Church of Christ of Congo (ECC) to preserve the tropical forest in line with Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter ‘Laudato si’ which calls on the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path.
Held at the headquarters of the Catholic Church’s National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO) in Kinshasa, the initiative was officially launched during the December 3-5 workshop that brought together religious leaders alongside other stakeholders to deliberate mechanisms combat tropical deforestation.
"This workshop contributed to strengthening our ecological responsibility by raising our awareness of the importance of protecting nature,” the Catholic Bishops' online newspaper Diacenco has quoted Archbishop Marcel Utembi of Kisangani as saying at the end of the workshop Thursday, December 5.
“It is in an interreligious context that we will get involved, in the light of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudoto Si, which promotes a culture of respect for forests and the people who live in it,” Archbishop Utembi said in reference to the role expected of religious leaders in the initiative.
The interfaith initiative for the preservation of the tropical forests intends to highlight the moral urgency and provide spiritual resources to global efforts to address climate challenge.
