Andrew Conradi, Animator; Laudato Si’ Movement, Victoria, BC

Franciscans, as well as other Catholic Religious Orders, actively participated in COP26. We, as Franciscans who actively participated in CP26, dreaming, hoping, and calling that COP26 will … encourage our church leaders to walk the talk and promote ecological lifestyles … the delegation took part in various activities at COP26. … participated in TWO major solidarity protests as Global days of action with Young People and faith-based organizations such as Laudato Si’ Movement, Living Laudato Si’, and all other sectors calling for Climate Justice and so did some courageous bishop servant leaders who set an example at cop26 for all our bishops! It is estimated that at least 120,000 people marched in Glasgow including some Bishops and priests with laity.

The March for many Catholics started with a Mass at 9am at St Aloysius to conclude the 24-Hour Climate Vigil for COP26. It was celebrated by Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, the environmental lead in Scotland, with the homily given by Bishop John Arnold of Salford, the lead in England and Wales.

And Bishop Hayes, the Irish coordinating bishop for ‘Laudato Si’, said in a podcast describing the march, his first march: “I was very tired and very worn out but the people around me, they kept me going.”

Many young people participated in and led the vigil wearing tee-shirts of CAFOD, Trocaire and Pax Christi. Dr Lorna Gold, president of the Laudato Si’ Movement Board of Directors, sat near the front.

Bishop Arnold said he was impressed that young people and faith campaigners, “all have a sense of urgency of caring for Mother Earth – our common home.” And never to underestimate, “that by your personal example you can make a difference.” … We sang ‘Here I am Lord’ as we entered the park and walked to the gathering area where other groups included … the Laudato Si’ Movement with a large inflatable globe.” The words of Pope Francis appeared everywhere – ‘Hear the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor’.

Members of the Catholic Church along with hundreds of people from other denominations and faiths have continued lobbying and praying for a positive outcome at COP26, the UN climate summit in Glasgow, as it drew to a close.

Much Catholic activity centred around St Aloysius Jesuit parish, which hosted a COP26 delegates’ Mass. Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen was the main celebrant, alongside six out of the eight Scottish Catholic bishops, the England and Wales and Ireland leads on the environment, Bishop John Arnold of Salford and Bishop Martin Hayes of Kilmore, the Irish coordinating bishop for Laudato Si’ and around 20 priests.

In his homily Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, president of Scotland Justice and Peace, said: “We need to hold our heads in shame at creation being destroyed by human activity, with polluted air, plastics in our rivers and oceans, and large-scale mining without a care about biodiversity or indigenous peoples.”

Youth afire with enthusiasm

I suggest to Concerned Catholics to raise in their parish and diocesan synods the matter of priests and Bishops setting an example of marching with Fridays for Future for climate to set Catholics, especially youth, afire with enthusiasm for responding to the cry of the earth and cry of the poor in their diocesan synod consultations!

This is not the first time I have suggested that Canadian Bishops and priests march for climate. Now the precedents have been set Bishops, priests and youth marching together for climate could be seen to be a part of the Laudato si’ Action Platform.

So my question to Catholic bishops everywhere but especially in Canada and the USA is when are you going to set an example to your faithful and join a march? Surely it is time for you to walk the walk instead of just talk the talk! We concerned Catholics would be so encouraged and are hoping and waiting to see that!

Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) on conclusion of COP26 wrote: “COP26 has made some progress, but nowhere near enough to avoid climate disaster. While millions around the world are already in crisis, not enough leaders were in crisis mode. People will see this as a historically shameful dereliction of duty.” Some countries that failed in their duty to the future generations are Brasil, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, China, Canada and the USA. Shame on them/us for lacking courage and foresight!

In spite of some progress, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was less upbeat. He issued a statement saying our fragile planet is “hanging by a thread” and we are “still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe.” A number of climate activists, whilst acknowledging some progress had been made, said the final deal was too weak. They warned that the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees was only just alive.

Neither is University of Toronto School of the Environment professor, Simon Appolloni, impressed. “I would expect Christians to be enraged,” he said. “COP26 means that we are now moving even more precipitously toward more frequent, more severe, and longer lasting, dangerous weather events.” [Droughts, crop failures, forest fires, atmospheric river and BC floods; ring a bell?]

COP26 failures no obstacle to real climate action

Laudato Si’ Movement – Canada co-ordinator Agnes Richard thinks that disappointment and even anger at the end of the Glasgow climate summit is not the end of hope for Catholic climate action. “Hearing the news of missed opportunities for solid targets to phase out not only coal, but also oil and gas, is hugely disappointing,” said Richard.

At the end of two weeks of declarations, negotiations and protests, the COP26 United Nations climate summit in Glasgow produced a set of vaguely worded commitments that would allow the globe to heat up 2.4 degrees. An effort to “consign coal to history” led by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to sign on Australia, China, India and the United States, who together represent 70 per cent of the world’s coal consumption.

On the last day, India, with support from the United States and China, managed to wheedle down the final communique from an aspiration to “phase out coal” to a hoped-for “phase down” of coal.

Agnes Richard and the Laudato Si’ Movement around the world are going to be urging Catholic institutions and dioceses to sign onto the Laudato Si’ Action Platform – a Vatican-sponsored effort to get everything from parishes to Catholic hospitals to line up their investments, buildings, employment practices and purchasing policies with the values and objectives of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical.

In December, Laudato Si’ Movement – Canada will launch the Catholic Eco-Investment Accelerator Toolkit to help Catholic individuals and institutions divest from fossil fuels.

Pope Francis said, 14 November 2021, the World Day of the Poor, registrations was open for the Laudato Si’ Action Platform that promotes integral ecology. Has your diocese, parish, lay organisation or religious order registered? If not please ask it to do so! We, as individuals or religious or lay groups, could get involved at the diocesan and parish synod level to promote participation in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform More than 4,200 entities have already pre-registered Worldwide, 159 dioceses registered before the enrollment period opened.

The inclusion of the California Catholic bishops is notable after a study indicated that the vast majority of the U.S. episcopacy have not responded to or promoted Laudato Si’ in the six years since its release.

I do not know which Canadian dioceses have registered and have recently asked the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops for this info. There is nothing I could find on their website about the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, which is frustrating.