Vatican, 18 August, 2023 / 3:38 pm (ACI Africa).
In a unique blend of faith and environmental activism, pilgrims from Vancouver handed out rosaries crafted from recycled ocean plastic to attendees of World Youth Day in Lisbon this August. This initiative, backed by Plastic Bank, aimed to spotlight the dual themes of religious devotion and ecological stewardship.
Plastic Bank, a Vancouver-based social enterprise, has carved a niche for itself by transforming plastic waste into items of value. Their mission is twofold: curbing the flow of plastic into oceans and simultaneously addressing poverty by making plastic a resource too precious to discard.
Peter Nitschke, at the helm of Community Partnerships at Plastic Bank, shared with CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, "Of the 1000 rosaries crafted, 100 were distributed during World Youth Day. The response was overwhelmingly positive."
He expressed hope that these unique rosaries would resonate with Pope Francis's message in Laudato Si', urging global citizens to care for the planet. "In intertwining faith with environmental consciousness, our aim is to galvanise both pilgrims and the wider public to embrace the social recycling ethos," Nitschke stated.
The inception of this initiative, as Nitschke recounted, was serendipitous. "Taylor Cannizzaro, our Chief Relationship Officer, was en route to Rome for discussions on potential collaborations between Plastic Bank and the Vatican's Dicastery for Integral Human Development. A chance encounter with a fellow passenger, a rosary artisan, sparked the innovative idea of crafting rosaries from plastic destined for the oceans."
