Groups urge faithful to think of Mother Earth during Lent

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY –– Give the Earth a break from garbage this Holy Week.

This was the appeal of two environmental groups to the Christian faithful during the observance of Lent.

The Caritas Philippines, together with the EcoWaste Coalition, invited Catholics to mark Holy Week with acts that would prevent pollution, especially by reducing the use of single-use plastics.

“As stewards of God’s Creation, let us celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Holy Week with a deeper reflection on what is happening to our environment and the climate, and the need for us to speak and act as one to defend our Mother Earth from being further degraded and harmed,” said Fr. Antonio Labiao Jr., Caritas Philippines executive secretary, and EcoWaste Coalition board member, in a statement.

Labiao has appealed to the Catholic faithful to be responsible stewards of the Earth and not further contribute to its destruction by weaning away from plastics.

“As we again commemorate Holy Week at a time of a global public health crisis due to COVID-19, let us reflect on the insidious throw-away culture that is turning our lands and oceans into dumping grounds for chemical and waste pollutants,” Labiao said.

“Let us listen to the cries of Mother Earth who is choking from tons upon tons of single-use plastic waste, and act with compassion and urgency to save her from this sorry plight,” he added.

Jove Benosa, EcoWaste Coalition zero-waste campaigner, invited the faithful to explore and embrace practices that would help reduce trash, starting in every household.

“As we adopt stricter COVID-19 curbs (in the national capital) during Holy Week, let us pay closer attention to practical ways of reducing garbage and beating the plastic pollution crisis in our midst,” he said.

Caritas Philippines and the EcoWaste Coalition jointly urged the faithful to embrace a zero-waste lifestyle by, among others, using reusable cloth or fabric face masks, especially for nonmedical frontliners.

LZB