SVD
Generalate

A week before September 8, which marked the end of the Jubilee Year, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation was celebrated. For the first time, a new official Mass form was available for this occasion. In many local churches, this day also marked the beginning of the Season of Creation, celebrated ecumenically from September 1 to October 4. In some countries, it extends until Indigenous Peoples’ Sunday, celebrated in mid-October. These peoples are increasingly under pressure from global warming and from the dominant economic model, which consumes immense resources and encroaches even on the most remote areas for extraction. The last ecological and Indigenous refuges of the world are being sacrificed for so-called “progress” and “economic growth.”

This concern was also raised at our 19th General Chapter, which reflected on our mission in a wounded world. The Chapter statement mentions ecological wounds and identifies their causes. Paragraph 11 states: “Our common home suffers from exploitation and neglect brought about by industrialization and commercialization, often leading to environmental catastrophe.” Furthermore, paragraph 70 emphasizes “our mission to ensure that environmental efforts also support the most vulnerable and marginalized communities, especially those who are forced to migrate, internally displaced, refugees, and Indigenous people who are often affected by environmental degradation.”

In this context, we highlight Constitution 507.4, reformulated at the last General Chapter: “Creation is a sign of God’s love for us. Caring for it is not only part of our mission, but also of our heritage. St. Arnold Janssen believed that nature is the temple of God into which God placed us so that it would proclaim to us God’s existence.”

Caring for creation is part of our mission and heritage. This commitment goes back to our founder and is rooted in the Triune God. He is the Creator of the universe, and He continually cares for His creation. This was also emphasized by Stephen Bevans at the Missiological Congress, held on the occasion of our Jubilee Year at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. It is worth listening again to his lecture on YouTube. The care for creation is grounded in God’s mission, which is also our mission. God, in His abundant love, never ceases to care for creation, and He invites us to be His compassionate co-workers in this endeavor.

Pope Francis reminds us in his groundbreaking encyclical Laudato Si’: everything on planet Earth, our common home, is interconnected. We are connected with God our Creator, with humanity—our brothers and sisters—and with all creatures, who manifest God’s limitless love. Cultivating awareness of this interconnectedness and responsibility for creation within our communities is essential for our mission. “By promoting eco-spirituality, we are encouraged to develop a deeper spiritual appreciation of nature among our members and communities and to foster a profound respect for the earth as our common home. In doing so, we heal the wounds caused by our irresponsible actions.” (Statement of the 19th General Chapter, No. 69)

What irresponsible actions of ours cause ecological wounds? Out of deep compassion for suffering creatures—and for the poor, who are least able to defend themselves against global warming and environmental harm—we are called to acknowledge them, to change our behavior, and to advocate for policies and frameworks that help improve the situation. This is the heart of eco-justice and eco-advocacy. The causes and focus areas may differ depending on the continent and the specific context in which we live and serve as SVDs.

In countries of the Global South, the focus may lie in sustainable agriculture, waste collection and sorting, or avoiding waste altogether. It may involve measures to prevent or mitigate damage caused by climate change, such as planting trees, preventing soil erosion, or cultivating rice and grain varieties resistant to changing environmental conditions. The 150 Wells initiative for our 150th anniversary may also strengthen communities against impending droughts. In addition, solidarity and advocacy are needed for people whose habitats are threatened by agro-industrial projects or mining.

In wealthy industrial countries, the focus must be on reducing the so-called ecological footprint and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, a major cause of global warming. How do we generate the energy we use? What means of transport do we choose? What food do we consume? These are questions that Divine Word Missionaries in Europe and North America must address—ideally leading them to adopt CO₂-neutral technologies, eat more plant-based diets, fly less, and use more public transportation or bicycles. At the same time, SVDs in wealthy countries must ensure that the development of environmentally friendly technologies does not result in more destructive mining in the Global South, and that industrial meat production in Europe does not fuel the destruction of South American rainforests for soybean cultivation to feed cattle and pigs.

Advocacy is essential. We are called to collaborate with environmental and human rights NGOs, as well as with our own NGO at the UN, VIVAT International. A better future for Earth can only be built together. Our understanding of mission is that God is already at work, promoting justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. Surely He is already working through NGOs committed to climate justice, the preservation of nature, and the defense of human rights. Do we approach civil society actors who are committed to preserving life and ensuring a good future for the planet with open eyes and ready hands—willing to join in their mission, which may also be God’s mission?

It is imperative that we unite with all people of good will in a firm commitment to our “Sister Earth,” who cries out “because of the damage we inflict on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.” (Laudato Si’, No. 2)

Fr. Superior General Anselmo Ribeiro, SVD
and the Leadership Team