A Catholic archbishop exhorted the faithful to live “Laudato Si” with three P’s: plant, protect and promote, according to CBCP News.
Speaking during Mass to close the Laudato Si Week celebration on May 24, Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona of Caceres said the encyclical must be translated into effective action.
“It must be proclaimed as well, something that bears fruit to others and to our lives,” Tirona said in his homily at the Holy Rosary Preparatory Seminary in San Jose, Camarines Sur.
Offering some more concrete ways, the former national director of Caritas Philippines encouraged the faithful to develop the habit of planting trees.
“You have to personally plant. Ask yourself, have you ever planted a seed, or have you ever planted something?” he said.
The archbishop also called on the public to make efforts to “protect” the environment.
According to him, protecting nature includes “protesting” against any moves that would “destroy and abuse mother nature”.
“We are not masters of creation. We are just stewards,” Tirona added.
Also equally important, according to him, is for people to “promote” the teachings of Laudato Si.
Echoing the encyclical, he emphasized the sense of responsibility on the part of all for the common good.
“Let us listen to the cry of mother nature. Let us proclaim the goodness of God and thank him for the gift of mother nature,” he also said.
The archdiocese’s Laudato Si Week celebration included tree planting activities and symposiums on the landmark document.
The Archdiocese of Cáceres is the Metropolitan See that it comprises the Bicol region with the Dioceses of Legazpi, Sorsogon, Virac, Masbate, Daet, and Libmanan as its suffragan Dioceses.
It directly supervises 93 Parishes with a total Catholic population of 1,526,975 as of 2017.
Founded in 1595 as a diocese (Nueva Caceres), the Archdiocese of Caceres is one of the first dioceses in the Philippines together with Cebu, Nueva Segovia, and Manila, and once had jurisdiction that stretched from Samar in the south and Isabela Province in the north.
The seat of the archdiocese is currently located in Naga City, also known as the Queen City of Bicol. The archdiocese is also home to the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of Bicol.
Created diocese: August 14, 1595. Elevated to Archdiocese: June 29, 1951.
