by Kalpit Parajuli

For the pontiff, preserving creation is everyone's duty. Condemning waste and the dictatorship of money is fundamental to an Asian continent plagued by poverty and huge social cleavages.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - Nepali politicians, Hindu leaders and scientists have welcomed the words of Pope Francis, and are spreading the papal message issued yesterday for World Environment Day in favour of a "culture of solidarity and encounter" that protects the "human person [that] is now in danger."

"The pope teaches us that it is our duty to preserve creation," said Umakanta Jha, Nepali Minister for Science, Technology and the Environment. "His words are of fundamental importance for Asian and Nepali cultures, in which, despite large-scale poverty, more and more people waste food in the name of money, regardless of the families who have nothing to eat." For the minister, Francis is a model to follow.

According to various scientists and sociologists, in Nepal people who get rich thanks to economic development are proud to waste food.

In the predominantly Hindu country, consumer capitalism has entered the local culture, which for centuries divided society into castes, unconcerned about the poor.

This situation is especially visible in the capital where crowds of beggars coming from the poorest areas of the country can be seen lingering in front of lavish palaces.

Rabinman Shrestha, head of the Environment Division of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, said that the pope underscored one of the most serious problems of our society, namely the dominance of the economy and money over man.

"The pontiff," Shresta said, "noted that money and its rules, not man, are at the centre of our concerns. Such greed is ruining creation", especially in Asia.

Even Hindu authorities have called on people to follow the example of Pope Francis.

"No matter what your faith is. All those who profess a belief, especially their leaders, should be united in the preservation of creation," said Damodar Sharma, a prominent religious leader. "Love for it [creation] is also a way to protect ourselves."

Sharma noted that for several years the Hindu community has been involved in various environmental programmes in various cities across the country where residents are plagued by the pollution, living with smelly fumes and mountains of garbage.

• nepal
• vatican
• environment
• waste
• pope
• francis