Diocese of Myitkyina celebrates Laudato Si' Week

St Luke College Catechist 2nd year students, question and Answer section. - Photo: Fr Kurt Zion Pala SSC

This year, the Diocese of Myitkyina in Myanmar has celebrated Laudato Si' Week in a special way because the year marks the tenth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si''.

The newly ordained Bishop John La Sam has asked us, “Our land and God's creation, is crying - do you hear it crying?” He invites everyone, especially the Church leaders and members, to do three things:

To educate our communities about ecological responsibility.

To promote simpler, more sustainable lifestyles.

To nurture a spirituality of creation that deepens our relationship with God, humanity and the cosmos.

In response and with the assistance of the Justice and Peace Commission and Radio Veritas Asia (Kachin), we have posted four videos on the RVA Kachin Facebook page. The theme is “Biodiversity and Biodiversity Loss”. Our posts have accumulated 22,800 views.

Kachin State is rich in natural resources. Human activities, such as mining, logging and banana plantations, have long flourished in the area, but they have also led to environmental degradation. To make matters worse, a catastrophic flood in July 2024 destroyed many properties and displaced hundreds of people. The combination of environmental degradation and floods also displaces animals and reduces biodiversity.

Closing prayer led by Columban Lay Missionary Michael Javier and Sr Roi San FMM. - Photo: Fr Kurt Zion Pala SSC

With biodiversity the theme of this year's Laudato Si' celebration, we invited a project officer from Fauna and Flora International, Mr Zawng Lum, who established a community-led biodiversity conservation program at the Imaw Bum National Park in Northern Myanmar. This program is the first in Myanmar to be gazetted through a comprehensive consultation process of indigenous people.

That same week, we held the first Student Environmental Leadership Camp. The themes were Leadership, Environment and Community. During the camp, members of the Catholic Student Action Myitkyina, aged 14 to 18, learned about Catholic Social Teaching, the See Judge Act method, Laudatos Si', Biodiversity and Solid Waste Management

We also held a two-day workshop for 54 student catechists of the St Luke Socio-Pastoral College. Catechists are vital community and church leaders in the diocese. During the workshop, the student catechists learned practical ways to respond to Pope Francis's call to hear the cry of the Poor and the cry of the Earth. In the workshop, we highlighted the Church's role to remind its leaders and members of our need for individual and communal “ecological conversion”.

In Laudato Si', Pope Francis warns that relying too much on mineral extraction without due regard to the environment will ultimately harm us and other creatures. He invites us to live more simply and urges us to raise our prophetic voices. He says: Our common home is being pillaged, laid waste and harmed with impunity. Cowardice in defending it is a grave sin. People and their movements are called to cry out, to mobilize and to demand – peacefully, but firmly – that appropriate and urgently needed measures be taken. I ask you, in the name of God, to defend Mother Earth. (Pope Francis, July 9, 2015)