In response to the plea of Pope Francis to protect the earth, our common home, the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar designated 5 February as a day of reflection on the Encyclical Laudato si.’
Three of the Conference’s Commissions (social communications, Catholic education and the apostolate of the laity) organized the event, inviting guest speakers to present several important and timely aspects of the document’s theme. Bishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, Apostolic Nuncio to Madagascar, sketched out the theological aspect of the encyclical; the Secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission helped everyone reflect on the ethical dimension of the document and on justice toward the environment, and the last speaker–a member of the Scout movement–called attention to the environmental challenges facing the country and offered suggestions as to how to tackle them in a practical way, for instance: by recycling garbage, setting aside agricultural zones in urban areas, and implementing reforestation projects.
The Daughters of St. Paul contributed to the event by publishing the Pope’s encyclical and disseminating it among the people.
