Caritas Papua New Guinea (CPNG) commemorated the Season of Creation by planting twenty-one trees at the St. Martin De Porres Parish, Morata, on October 5th.
The Season of Creation, which runs from 1st September to 4th October, is an annual global movement that brings Christians all over the world to pray, act and advocate for creation.
According to the Director of CPNG, Mavis Tito, CPNG’s participation was to show solidarity with the people of the Amazon as they continue to struggle to preserve their forests from exploitation for economic gains.
“The tree planting was special in that we knew we were not alone, but rather we were doing this in unison with environmental activists, concerned individuals/communities and believers around the world from Pope Francis at the Vatican to the Amazon and to New Zealand,” she said.
“We demonstrated that little acts did matter and most importantly we demonstrated our support for our affected brothers and sisters in the Amazon. We showed that they were not alone in their struggle.”
Tito said CPNG used to promote tree planting in the past and that it was encouraged in the dioceses that had active logging operations which CPNG now plans to revive.
“It is definitely something that CPNG plans to do on a regular basis under its Environmental Justice Program in partnership with the PNG Forest Authority, Department of Nature and Conservation, schools and parishes. It is a contribution towards combatting climate change and care for the environment,” she stated.
The CPNG team was joined by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (CBCPNGSI) where they planted shade and candle trees on the premises of the parish.
This global movement ended on Friday, October 4th, in the Vatican gardens where Pope Francis planted a tree alongside indigenous leaders from the Amazon region.
(CBC staff planting a shade tree at the Morata Parish)