Many people know St Francis of Assisi (c. 1181 – 3 October 1226) as the Catholic patron saint of animals and ecology and also the namesake of the current Pope Francis.
But the Franciscan movement extends well beyond the Catholic Church, with Franciscan orders active within the Anglican, Lutheran and other Christian churches, as well as within secular society.
Furthermore, Francis himself established good relations with the Muslim world during his lifetime, receiving concessions in 1333 that have allowed a Christian presence in Jerusalem and Bethlehem ever since. His teachings and philosophy extend beyond religious doctrine, and many describe him as having started a broad-based social movement.
The Green Net is by no means a religious organisation and certainly does not entertain division along religious lines, but the question of our interconnection (physical as well as mental, moral and spiritual) underlies environmental understanding and the work we do.
As such, the work being done by Franciscans, who ‘are dedicated to the care of creation, seeing all creatures as brothers and sisters’ is of interest to us. In the USA, tens of thousands of Franciscans, some members of the church but many not, have formed the Franciscan Action Network (FAN).
FAN takes a three-pronged approach – contemplation (prayer), education (research, teaching and hands-on restoration) and action (including social justice and environmental advocacy) – to foster public awareness, community coherence, human and ecological health, sustainable economic activity and legislation that protects people and the environment they depend on.
Here in SA, the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) invites all South Africans, regardless of faith, to ‘join the earthkeeping movement and let’s create a more just, sustainable world’. Focus areas include sustainable living, climate action, animal welfare and eco-justice. Similarly to FAN, SAFCEI activities include letter writing, petitions, peaceful protests and legal advocacy where necessary.
With almost 95% of South Africans claiming to belong to a religion and therefore believing in a higher power that created the earth, it follows that human activities should be informed by a fundamental recognition of the sacred in all things and our own interconnection within the web of life – and it is from this place of love that we speak truth to power.
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