Tokyo cardinal: Church ecological campaign ends, but responsibility for creation continues

Cardinal Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo urged Catholics to maintain their commitment to environmental care following the conclusion of the Church's Month for Protecting All Life. The monthlong observance, which ran from September 1 to October 4, ended on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

In a reflection on October 4, Kikuchi stated that the end of the campaign should not end the efforts inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'. He warned that people often treat the earth as a human entitlement rather than a responsibility entrusted to humanity by God.

Kikuchi used a Gospel parable about farmers to describe how humans have exploited the land instead of fulfilling the mission to cultivate and protect it. He noted that the Pope has previously warned that people have failed in this duty. The cardinal also referenced Laudato Si' to describe how the essential relationships between God, neighbors, and the earth have been broken.