Listen to the Voice of Creation: Pakistan

The Archdiocese of Birmingham is hosting an online event titled 'Listen to the voice of Creation: Pakistan' on Monday 3rd October from 5-6pm. Guest speaker Columban Fr. Liam O'Callaghan has been invited to report on the recent flooding in the Sindh Province and explain more about the impact of the climate crisis on countries such as Pakistan.

In July, Sindh Province in Pakistan received a staggering 500% increase in rainfall, causing catastrophic floods. Hear directly from Pakistan in this online event, hosted by the Archdiocese of Birmingham’s Diocesan Climate Change Group.

Columban Fr. Liam O’Callaghan, who lives and works in the Sindh Province of Pakistan which has been badly affected by the floods, will speak of his experiences of climate change and the devastating effect it is having on communities there.

The impact of the flooding in Pakistan is significant. The Met Office said Sindh received 680.5mm of rain since July, whereas it would normally receive 109mm on average. This has had a devastating impact on crops and livestock that will lead to food shortages and inflation over the coming months.

Columbans have joined Christians all over the world to celebrate The Season of Creation, a time when we unite and pray for creation.

Columbans see close-up the devastating impacts of diminished biodiversity, the collapse of ecosystems and climate change on communities who contribute least to these problems and whose natural resources are exploited and destroyed for the benefit of others. Besides Fr. Liam and others assigned to Pakistan, Columbans live in coastal communities suffering from sea-level rise, in deserts where communities live with water scarcity, and in communities suffering from massive logging and deforestation.

For the Season of Creation this year, the Columban Working Group on Biodiversity, with members from Australia, Britain, China, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, and the USA, have launched a second season of fantastic podcasts, ‘Jubilee for the Earth: Biodiversity and Our Sacred Story’ which can be found on our YouTube channel. ‘Jubilee for the Earth’ is about the beauty of God’s biodiversity and the threats it faces. Each episode explores biodiversity loss and a related issue such as climate change, indigenous peoples, young people, etc.

The Columbans are focussing their attention on the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, which will take place between the 7th-19th of December 2022 in Montreal, Canada. COP15, as it is also referred to, will see governments from around the world come together to discuss global action to protect nature and halt biodiversity loss around the world.

The event which will be hosted on Zoom on the 3rd October will include a talk from Fr. Liam, an opportunity for questions and answers, meaningful prayer, and an invitation to take action with regards to caring for creation.

Please share this event with your parish, with climate groups, friends, family and colleagues.

Register your interest in the event here.

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Please support us by donating to our Pakistan Floods Appeal

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