Each year, on April 22nd, we mark International Mother Earth Day, a global moment for introspection on our relationship with our home planet. As Australians representing diverse faiths within Religions for Peace Australia, we recognise the urgency of this day in the face of escalating global warming. Our faiths teach us to cherish and steward the earth, making this day especially significant as an interfaith community. This essay delves into the importance and urgency of International Mother Earth Day and its relevance to our diverse faiths and the broader global community.
Faiths for Earth
Pope Francis to COP28: ‘Choose life, choose the future!’
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin delivers Pope Francis’ speech to delegates at the UN Climate Change Summit, urging world leaders not to postpone action any longer but to craft concrete and cohesive responses for the well-being of our common home and future generations.
Canberra: Multifaith Prayer Support to COP28
There will be a show of public prayer support for the UN Conference COP28 on the lawns of Parliament House Canberra on Sunday 26 November and Monday 27 November 2023. The aim of public multi-faith prayer is to show the need for effective responses is a mainstream faith issue. As given in Laudate Deum, Pope Francis will attend COP28 for days 2 to 4.
Faith leaders head to Canberra – calling for no new coal or gas and urgent action on the climate crisis
Senior leaders from Christian, Muslim and Buddhist faiths will visit key Ministers and MPs in Canberra today to urge the Federal Labor Government to put an end to all new fossil fuel projects in Australia, and to listen to the voices of Pacific Island nations calling for Australia to phase out fossil fuels.
Global Faith Leaders Summit – Interfaith Statement for COP28
In the spirit of unity, shared responsibility, and Human Fraternity, and at this pivotal moment of the global climate crisis that demands transformative action to keep 1.5 degrees within reach and serve affected and vulnerable communities, we, representatives of diverse faith and Indigenous traditions, through dialogue with scientists, religious scholars, academics, women’s organisations, youth, civil society, business leaders, and environmental policymakers, convened in Abu Dhabi in the lead-up to COP28 to express our shared concern for the escalating climate impacts that imperil our cherished planet, as well as our common commitment to jointly address this global crisis, building upon our previous efforts, including the interfaith appeal for COP26. Our faith instils in us a sacred duty to cherish not only our human family but also the fragile ecosystem that cradles us.
Pope Francis to attend UN COP28 Conference in Dubai
Pope Francis said during a Nov. 1 interview with Italian television network RAI that he will attend the United Nations’ COP28 climate change conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first pontiff to ever address such a high-level summit.
Laudate Deum – Pope Francis renews his call to protect our common home
On the feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4), Pope Francis has released his new document on the Climate and Environment Laudate Deum, that completes his encyclical Laudato si’ published in May 2015, and is addressed “to all people of good will on the climate crisis.” The world is not moving fast enough to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change, Pope Francis wrote.
Climate-Responsible Finance – a Moral Imperative towards Children
A new study published in the journals “The Lancet” and “Child Abuse and Neglect” co-authored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) highlights the alarming impact of climate change on the health and wellbeing of children.
Pope Francis’ new environmental exhortation to be released on Oct. 4
Pope Francis will release a follow-up document on the environment on Oct. 4, providing an update to his 2015 encyclical
Pope tells lawyers he’s writing a new document on the environment
Speaking off-the-cuff to a delegation of lawyers from member countries of the Council of Europe on Monday, Pope Francis said he was writing a second part of his Laudato si’ encyclical to update it to “current issues”
NSW: Conference: Pilgrims with the Planet
Pilgrims with the Planet – coming to terms with the Anthropocene is hosted by United Theological College. The aim of this conference is to engage the discourse of the “Anthropocene” in order to explore what theology – broadly conceived – might add to what must be a multidisciplinary discussion. The conference – at North Parramatta, starts on Wednesday, 13 September at 1:00 pm and closes on Thursday, 14 September at 4:30 pm.
Participants at the Emerging Peacemakers Forum send a message of hope to COP28
52 young people from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe are taking part in the Emerging Peacemakers Forum participating on the planting of the Olive trees at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Switzerland sending a message of hope to COP28. Photo: Gloria Koymans/WCC
