The Season of Creation began on the first of September with the World Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends on the fourth of October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.
Over the next five weeks, to mark this Season, a collaborative effort between the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles and the Society of African Missions will publish a series of five Podcasts on the theme of “Witnessing Climate Impact in Africa”.
In this message for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2023 Pope Francis said: “God wants everyone to strive to be just in every situation, to live according to his laws and thus to enable life to flourish. When we “seek first the kingdom of God” (Mt 6:33), maintaining a right relationship with God, humanity and nature, then justice and peace can flow like a never-failing stream of pure water, nourishing humanity and all creatures.” Climate change is a clear manifestation of a wrong relationship between between humanity and nature. It is an injustice in which those who do least to cause climate change are suffering from its impact the most.
In the podcasts we hear missionaries working in Botswana, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana and Niger in conversation with John McGeady, former Justice Officer for the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles, and Gerry Forde, Justice Officer for the Society of African Missions. The series sheds light on the unexpected and startling impacts of climate change in different parts of Africa.
We begin with a discussion with Sr Cynthia Nwadike OLA who lives and works in Botswana. The next podcast in the series will be a discussion with Fr Ignatius Malwa SMA from Zambia. It will be available here on the 14th of September.