Creation Day, also known as Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, opens the Season of Creation 2023. Faith leaders from around the globe will lead this time of prayer and reflection as we celebrate the start of the Season of Creation, on this year’s theme, “Let Justice and Peace Flow”. At 3pm (Rome Time). Link for registration here. More information here.
leggi la notiziaLet’s pray for Hawaii, where around 114 people have died due to wildfires on the island of Maui. Search efforts continue on the island and the death toll could rise. There is no exact cause of the blaze, but droughts product of climate change can increase the risk of wildfires. Other countries like Canada and Greece are also facing strong wildfires, obliging people to leave their houses and territories.
leggi la notiziaWe pray for Libya that armed clashes have killed 55 people and wounded 146 more. The fighting erupted on Monday night last week and raged through Tuesday between two main armed groups that have been claiming power since the death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The clashes started after the detention of the head of the 444 Brigade by the rival Special Deterrence Force on Monday. More than 234 families were evacuated from front-line areas and doctors and paramedics trapped by the fighting while caring for the wounded.
leggi la notiziaWe thank God for the ways to tackle climate change with innovative initiatives in countries of the Global South. A Nigerian company called Quadloop is recycling the lithium batteries inside laptops, as well as wires, screws and screens to build solar lanterns. Dozie Igweilo, founder of the company, explained that there is a market for locally produced affordable electronics in Nigeria, but many of the components are not available. With this idea, they are leveraging electronic waste and cutting off the cost of production and sales.
leggi la notiziaWe thank God for the people who see an opportunity in things that seem a problem. In 2015 on the Riviera Maya, Oscar Vasquez saw that sargassum seaweed was washing up on the shores. This seaweed is a problem for resorts and hotels in the area, but he saw an opportunity to turn it into its own sustainable solution. He collected the sargassum seaweed to use as a fertilizer for their business, Blue-Green Nursery, but then realized that seaweed can turn into construction bricks.
leggi la notiziaLet’s pray for Kenya, where protests against the rising cost of living and the levying of new taxes have caused the death of 30 people. Police have been accused of shooting protesters using live bullets in areas where the opposition enjoys broad political support. According to the ministry, one police officer died and more than 300 were injured. On Tuesday, a vigil showed mourners lighting candles to remember the victims who have lost their lives. Human Rights Groups have condemned the police for using excessive force to disperse protesters.
leggi la notiziaWe pray for the Philippines, China and Taiwan where Typhoon Doksuri has landed in the territories with strong winds and rain. Floods and landslides have killed 6 people in the Philippines and have caused schools, businesses and other public areas to be closed. In China, electrical power lines were sparking and bursting into flames, while in another city, trees were uprooted. This typhoon is the second one to make landfall in China in less than two weeks and will move to the north.
leggi la notiziaWe thank God for the creative ways that governments are using to make energy transition. In Paris, an innovative way of producing clean energy has been created. The metro’s turnstile are producing 2200 watts per day with a small movement. When people enter the metro, they pass through the inlet turbines producing energy. With only one day of energy collection, a family of 4 persons can be supplied for 9 hours.
leggi la notiziaLet’s pray for Cameroon. On 16 July 2023, 10 people were killed by unknown gunmen in the Bamenda area, Northwest Region of the country. The Metropolitan Archbishop, Most Rev. Andrew Nkea, visited the site to condemn the killings and to condole with the people of Nacho junction, Bamenda. According to the Archbishop, the area has suffered from a lot of violence and the killings must stop with immediate effect.
leggi la notiziaWe pray for our Mother Earth and the people who are affected by mineral and oil extraction. In Uganda, the French fossil fuel company TotalEnergies’ had planned an oil pipeline in East Africa that has devastated thousands of people’s livelihoods in the country, displacing over 100.000 people. The delays and inadequate compensation are causing food insecurity and lack of income for the families, who are mostly farmers. In Ecuador, authorities confirmed that an oil spill into the Pacific, contaminating 4 km of oceanfront in Las Palmas Beach.
leggi la notizia