World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation

For John, BLUF:  Prayer helps.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The [Boston] Pilot we have this article by Ms Cindy Wooden, "Pope Designates Sept 1 as World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation" Here is the lede:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Like their Orthodox brothers and sisters, Catholics formally will mark Sept. 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis has decided.

The day of prayer, the pope said, will give individuals and communities an opportunity to implore God's help in protecting creation and an opportunity to ask God's forgiveness "for sins committed against the world in which we live."

Pope Francis announced his decision to add the annual prayer day to the Catholic calendar in a letter to Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and to Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

For those of you who are all up in the trees over the Pope's recent Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si',♠ On Care For Our Common Home, I have read it and the focus is not so much on the specifics of climate change as it is on our mutual responsibilities toward our fellow human beings as we share our limited global resources.  I would say that the Pontiff has less faith in the operation of free markets to raise people out of poverty than I have.  That said, the belief in the ability of governments to make things better, like the poor, will always be with us.  The true problem is that often, when people lose faith in the Marxist Communist dream they turn to unhelpful alternatives.  For example, Benito Mussolini created Fascism when he lost faith in Communism.  We know how that worked out.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The title comes from a line from Saint Francis of Assisi, “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.  This is part of his Canticle of the Sun.  I have sung this at Prayer Meetings (as much as I sing).