With an invitation to live the care of creation as a shared path, representatives of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (Celam), the Latin American Confederation of Religious (CLAR), and Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean called on the communities of the region to participate in the Time of Creation 2026, which begins this September 1 with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and will extend until October 4.
In a joint message broadcast through a video with three voices, Monsignor Lizardo Estrada Herrera, Secretary General of Celam; Sister María Inés, Secretary General of CLAR, and Nicolás Meyer, Coordinator of Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighted the various ecclesial expressions that are already working in favor of the care of our common home.
Celebration that arises from prayer
Monsignor Lizardo Estrada recalled that the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, celebrated every September 1, is inspired by an ancient liturgical tradition of the Eastern Churches. This date marks the beginning of the Time of Creation, a period dedicated to prayer and reflection on the mystery of creation and the responsibility to care for it.
“This is the great opening of the Time of Creation”, Mons. pointed out. Estrada, explaining that the celebration will last until October 4, when the Church commemorates Saint Francis of Assisi.
The proposal aims for this period to be a opportunity to renew practices, strengthen awareness of the socio-environmental crisis, and recognize initiatives that are already being developed in the communities.
Transforming destruction into life
Sister María Inés stated that the message for this year is inspired by an image of the prophet Isaiah taken up by Pope Leo XIV: “They will turn their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks”.
For the religious, this image expresses a necessary transformation: to move from conflict and destruction to a logic oriented towards life, cultivation, and care.
The biblical reference thus proposes a perspective that links the care for creation with the building of peace. The invitation is to transform realities marked by violence and destruction into spaces where life, hope, and care can grow.
A Church that is already walking with the communities
From Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean, Nicolás Meyer recalled that the commitment to the common home is already part of numerous pastoral actions on the continent. “This care is already lived in many ways among us”, he recalled, mentioning the work of the Episcopal Conferences, Caritas, and the social pastoral efforts that accompany communities especially affected by the consequences of the environmental crisis.
This work emphasizes the people and territories that directly face the effects of environmental and social transformations. From there, the Time of Creation allows sharing the experiences of communities and uniting the different initiatives for caring for our common home.
Sister María Inés added that religious life also maintains a close presence in various peripheries of the continent. To this task, laypeople and organized laywomen, networks, and Catholic organizations that work in different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean join. “We articulate this care throughout Latin America and the Caribbean”, she expressed, before thanking those who participate in this journey and recognizing it as an expression of synodal walking.
Call to the whole Church
One of the emphases of the message is that the Time of Creation should not be reduced to a single day or activity. Nicolás Meyer explained that the period begins with the Mass for the Care of Creation, but also includes community prayer, formation processes, and the concrete actions that the communities develop throughout the year.
In this way, the proposal aims to integrate spirituality, formation, and commitment to reality. Caring for our common home is presented as a task that involves Christian communities as a whole and can be expressed in pastoral, social, educational, and community initiatives.
At the close of the message, Monsignor Lizardo Estrada extended the invitation to the different expressions of the Church in the region: Episcopal Conferences, dioceses, parishes, religious communities, lay movements, and Catholic organizations. “Let us be one Church, united in the care of life”, he urged, relating this task to communion with other Christian Churches.
Thus, from September 1 to October 4, the Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean are invited to make the Time of Creation a space for prayer, encounter, and shared action, recognizing that the care of life and the common home is part of the Christian mission.
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