'Season of Creation' to respond to environmental challenges in the Middle East

From Syria to Lebanon, from Iraq to Egypt, moments of prayer, awareness-raising meetings and activities dedicated to ecological themes are planned. The desire to 'recover our ability to listen to the voice of creation'. Initiatives aimed at young people and reforestation projects are planned. 

Beirut (AsiaNews) - Christians in the Middle East are launching a series of initiatives linked to the "Season of Creation 2022", to support the care of the planet and raise awareness of the many environmental issues at a time of growing criticality, as shown by reports that speak of an increasingly "uninhabitable" region.

The ecumenical period under the theme 'Listen to the voice of creation' started last 1 September with the World Day of Prayer and will end next 4 October, the feast of St Francis. The appointment that unites the different traditions of the Eastern and Western Churches, under the banner of a common concern for environmental issues, for ecology and for the future of the planet, "our common home" of which we must take "care" as Pope Francis emphasised in the encyclical "Laudato sì".

In his message dedicated to the day, the pontiff recalled how this period is "a special time for all Christians to pray and care for our common home together". Inspired originally by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the pope continued in his reflection, this time is "an opportunity to cultivate our 'ecological conversion', a conversion encouraged by Saint John Paul II as a response to the 'ecological catastrophe' foretold by Saint Paul Vi as early as 1970".

1 September was proclaimed a day of prayer for the environment by the then Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989, coinciding with the beginning of the year for the Orthodox Church and the commemoration of God the creator of the world. Conversely, on 4 October, Catholics and the Church of Rome celebrate St Francis of Assisi, the author of the Canticle of the Creatures. Over the years, leading Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Anglican organisations have joined together to encourage the 2.2 billion Christians around the world to pray and act on ecological issues, guided by an ecumenical steering committee formed for the purpose. 

As far as the Middle East region is concerned, initiatives and activities related to '"Season of Creation"' kicked off for the first time last year and were enthusiastically endorsed by many in the area. Also for 2022, the faithful from Syria to Lebanon, from Iraq to Egypt will join the 'Christian family in the world' in an ideal way according to the principles of ecumenism, promoting moments of prayer and awareness on ecological issues, initiatives aimed at caring for the planet. 

For the second year running, the Middle East Council of Churches (Mecc) has translated the booklet dedicated to "Creation Time" into Arabic, to make it easier for many of the area's inhabitants to read.

"Paying attention to the voice of creation," the Mecc explained in a note, "requires a degree of listening that is becoming increasingly rare" in modern societies. Within the Christian ecumenical family, the text continues, "there is a vast network of traditions that help us recover our ability to listen to the voice of creation" thanks also to the initiatives promoted by the Mecc and presented by the general secretary Michel Abs, 

"Our campaign includes prayer occasions throughout the Middle East with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon as highlights," stresses Reverend Rima Nasrallah, a leading member of Mecc. "There are also," he adds, "youth-oriented activities and reforestation projects. The first event was held in Lebanon on 3 September, with a hike in the natural areas of the Kfardebian - Keserwan region for young people. An ecumenical prayer was held at the end of the walk, followed by apple picking and a visit to a vinegar production centre. The second event will take place in Egypt on Sunday 11 September, with a solemn concelebration at the Anaphora Prayer Centre in Wadi El Natroun. This will be followed by Syria, where the Time of Creation will be commemorated with a mass in the Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus. And again Jordan, with a celebration at the evangelical church of al-Fadi (the Redeemer) in Jabal-Amman on Monday 26 September. The Mecc will conclude its activities by returning to the Land of the Cedars, with a solemn mass at the Maronite Patriarchal See in Bkerké on the evening of 3 October. 

• Middle East
• Vatican
• Creation Day
• environment
• ecology
• climate change
• Pope Francis