On 1 September 2022, the Laudato Si’ Movement (LSM) participated in the 11th World Council of Churches (WCC) celebration of the 2022 Season of Creation with the theme: “Listen to the Voice of Creation” in Karlsruhe, Germany.

The Panel discussion on the topic: “How to listen to the voices of creation and respond to God’s -possibly the last-divine call for ecological repentance at WCC assembly in Karlsruhe?”, bringing together Season of Creation leaderships and ecumenical environmental activists to promote creation care, climate justice and urgent ecological conversion. 

The participating panelists were: Rev Chad Rimmer (Chair of SoC, Lutheran World Federation, Switzerland/USA), Dr. Elisabeth Sherrill (Renovar Nosso Mundo campaign, Anglican church, Brazil), DrJochen Motte  (Wuppertal call representatives, Evangelical church, Germany), Rev Peter Pavlovic (ECEN representative, Protestant church, Belgium), Rev Mike Vorster (SoC Methodist church, South Africa), Br. Tagoy Jakosalem (Laudato Si Movement representative, SoC Catholic church, Philippines), Rev. Giorgos Basioudis (CEMES representative, Orthodox church, Greece). 

The panel moderators were: Dr. h.c. Dietrich Werner (Evangelical Lutheran Church Northern Germany), Rev Henrik Grape (Church of Sweeden, coordinator of WCC working group on climate change), and Dr. Louk Andrianos (Consultant for creation care, sustainability, and climate justice).

Br. Tagoy Jakosalem, OAR representing the Laudato Si’ Movement, presented the fundamental significance in Pope Francis’ Message for the World Day of Prayer for Creation 2022, where the pope says: “If we learn how to listen, we can hear in the voice of creation a kind of dissonance. On the one hand, we can hear a sweet song in praise of our beloved Creator; on the other, an anguished plea, lamenting our mistreatment of this our common home.” 

During the panel discussion, Br. Jakosalem reiterated a clarion call to WCC, member churches, and participants with this message: “A real ecological spirituality brings a real kairos for creation, true ecological repentance of what we have done to creation. Likewise, our silence to the many cries of creation destroys our relationship with God. Ecological repentance not only brings spiritual change; but should bring also ‘system change’ – in society, in the church, and in our own spaces of encounters. Our ecumenical spaces of encounter/s must bring a greater awareness of ecological repentance to our faith communities. If only faith communities listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, we can then end the anguish of our people and our planet.”