Focolare joins the Global Catholic Climate Movement

There are many ways that each of us can make this choice our own, from changing our lifestyle to choosing ethical finance that avoids fossil fuels or weapons.

The Global Catholic Climate Movement contributes to the Catholic Church in order to take better care of our planet. Begun after the encyclical Laudato si: on the care of our common home was published, today the network includes close to 1,000 Catholic organizations, including parishes, schools, NGOs.

Among these is the Focolare Movement. We spoke with Luca Fiorani, a physicist and coordinator for EcoOne.

So Luca, what’s EcoOne?

It’s the international network that started in the Focolare Movement that brings together people who are expressing their ecological awareness in a new way.

What does the partnership with the Global Catholic Climate Movement mean for the Focolare Movement?

It means that the Focolare becomes a part of this global initiative that is committed to fighting against climate change. In Italy, for example, it has checked its accounts and can say that it does not invest a single cent in funds that support the fossil fuel economy.

Can you explain more about the link between climate change and fossil fuels?

When we use coal, oil or natural gas, we produce carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect and heats up the atmosphere. This brings a number of negative effects that we can observe, from desertification, which is one of the causes of migration, to extreme weather events, which cause flooding.

What can people in the Focolare Movement do to participate in this partnership?

We look at nature and humanity with new eyes: those of the heart. And then we use our heads and hands to act in favor of humanity today and future generations. We change our lifestyles: we don’t waste water, we use energy efficiently, we improve recycling, and we “vote” through the things we consume. For example, if we discover that our bank invests money in fossil fuels or weapons – all you need to do is go online and quickly search to see – we choose a more sustainable bank. The pope, and many with him, are concerned because the cry of the Earth is the cry of the poor – and we can’t just sit back and do nothing!

Lorenzo Russo