Last of five parts (This is the last of five parts of the presentation of Fr. Reynaldo D. Raluto on “Integral Ecology Ministry in Mindanao Context” at the 17th Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Con…
Indeed, until recently, it can be shown that the promotion of ecological advocacy remains a lonely ministry in the Philippine Church. Based on the , Bro. Karl Gaspar, CSSR reported that “only about 5.2% of the religious were engaged in … urgent pastoral ministries . … 81% were involved in traditional ministries, 8.7% in formation and 5.1% in administration.”My review of the Mindanao synodal syntheses could attest to the fact that little attention has been given to ecological concerns.
Again, as I have noted earlier, the respective Synodal Syntheses of both KidMaCo and ZamBaSulI have hardly mentioned anything about ecological concerns. There are diocesan synodal syntheses that contain some important ecological concerns but, for some reasons, they were absent or excluded in the sub-regional level of synodal synthesis.
It has been reported that in 1967, American historian Lynn White, Jr boldly accused Christianity as “the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen.” For White, Christianity “bears a huge burden of guilt for environmental deterioration”