‘Protect environment like how we protect ourselves from Covid-19’ — Cardinal Advincula

Environmental concerns cannot and must not be set aside in the face of the Covid-19 crisis, Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila said on Monday.

On the contrary, he said world leaders have to do everything possible to make sure the environment is a top priority when dealing with the pandemic.

“It is a concern that should be prioritized by leaders of nations, of the church, of business and of various sectors of society,” Advincula said.

He asked the people to protect God’s creation “like how we protect ourselves from Covid-19”.

“We do everything we can to prevent the infection and further spread the virus, so we also do everything to take care of our environment,” he said.

The cardinal made the statement in his video message to participants of the Manila archdiocesan online assembly and planning for next month’s “Season of Creation”.

He encouraged the archdiocese’s Ministry on Ecology and its partners to continue its efforts in raising awareness about “our collective duty as stewards of creation”.

Advincula expressed hope that through the annual celebration, the archdiocese will respond to Pope Francis’ call “for everyone to have an ecological conversion”.

Advincula also assured his support for the ministry “because environmental concerns play an important part in our lives”.

The Season of Creation starts on September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. It ends on October 4, the feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology.

In the Philippines, dioceses extend the celebration until the second Sunday of October, which was declared by the bishops’ conference as Indigenous Peoples Sunday.

This year’s IP Sunday falls on October 10. (CBCP News)

A version of this article was first published on CBCP News.