The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) on Friday, 17 th June 2016 organized a seminar whose theme was ‘Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s creation as our Christian Experience’ as a support and deliberation of Laudato Si’, an encyclical by Pope Francis on the care for our common home – mother earth and the environment.
Bishop Alfred Rotich, Bishop emeritus of the Military Ordinariate, was the guest speaker of the event. He stressed on the message found in the encyclical that calls on every human being to be thoughtful about the earth, common home, and participate in caring for all that this common home has. He said that seeds of goodness need to be planted and cultivated in everyone above and beyond the planting of trees.
Contemplation, according to Bishop Rotich, is a key to achieving harmony. He also said that it is necessary to have a conversation with nature and this will only happen if noise such as accusations and sinful acts are not present. He concluded his speech by urging everyone to use all forms of communication to spread the news in the encyclical.
Speaking during the seminar, Rev. Prof. Juvenalis Baitu, founding director of Centre for Social Justice and Ethics in CUEA and Former Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) Administration, highlighted the areas of vocation in Laudato Si’. He also said that everyone needs to act in order to make change otherwise. “If we wait until everything moves, nothing will ever move,” he said.
Rev. Fr. Charles Odira, National Executive Secretary Commission for Pastoral & Lay Apostolate of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), was also present at the event. He said that when people do not have a document to guide their activities such as a constitution, they will always ask to have one but if there is one, they will ask for changes in the document. He said, “Caring for the environment is a common responsibility, it starts with us, it is also a commitment and it is ultimately a spiritual exercise.”
At the end of the seminar the participants lit candles in honor of the victims of earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador, challenging themselves towards the necessary sensitivity to caring for mother earth.
The event was organized by Mother Earth-Network (ME-NET) and the Franciscan office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, Franciscan Africa.
Source: CUEA Press