CBCP head asks faithful to support ‘Earth Hour’
By Jeannette Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:58:00 03/28/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo urged the faithful to support the “Earth Hour” as he pointed out how sinful it was to continue to ignore pressing environmental issues.
Lagdameo, in an interview aired over Catholic Church-run radio Veritas, said that we can consider the damage we have done to the environment as a sin because it causes destruction to life.
“Many floods in Samar are caused by illegal logging. As for illegal mining, even if residents in mining sites participate in the activity, they remain poor. Others enrich themselves and not our fellow Filipinos,” he said in Filipino.
He said that it is not justified to sacrifice the environment in the name of progress, pointing out that by destroying the environment, we may be ruining the future of the young Filipinos.
“There may no longer be anything left for them if we continue to exploit our natural resources for the present. We need to think about the future of the youth,” Lagdameo stressed, adding that it was the reason that he is enjoining everyone to observe the “earth hour” particularly in the Archdiocese of Jaro.
“This is in response to the problem on global warming which we are facing not just in the Philippines but in the whole world,” he said, emphasizing that his archdiocese will join the event to symbolize their commitment in the global fight against climate change.
“Earth Hour” is slated on Saturday night when participants will turn off their lights from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. as a simple step to create public awareness about reducing global emissions and slowing the pace of global warming.
Apart from the Philippines, many cities from around the world including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Toronto, Copenhagen, Christchurch and Suva, will take part in the hour-long event.
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales also made a similar call among people in the Manila archdiocese to support the activity in a pastoral message circulated around parishes in his area as a means to redeem the planet “from the abuses of those whose responsibility is to safeguard and protect it.”
He also asked the faithful to atone for “ecological sins” and seek “to reverse the tide of destruction that modern life and human selfishness have wrought on it.”
Even as the cardinal asked all to participate in Earth Hour, he urged them to use the opportunity to pray, reflect, and resolve never to commit the same ecological sins.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer and INQUIRER.net will take part in the global environmental awareness project.
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