Press Release: Sisters for the Environment

Sisters for the Environment: voices of Catholic Sisters for the care of our common home

On November 3rd, the International Union of Superiors General will present a new statement, marking the UN summits COP27 and COP15 on climate and biodiversity. This will include stories of the commitment of consecrated life for the care of our common home.

Sr. Anne is a missionary of Saint Columban who has worked in the Philippines alongside indigenous Subannen people, threatened by extractive mining projects on their land.

Sr. Jyotisha left her job as a teacher to become a social activist in India, where she set out to ensure education and support for vulnerable communities with her congregation, the Sisters of Notre Dame.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sr. Nathalie has been working as a lawyer to ensure that international corporations involved in cobalt mining respect the environment and the local communities.

These are some of the stories told in the statement Sisters for the Environment: Integrating Voices from the Margins, which will be launched officially by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) during the event taking place in Rome on Thursday, November 3rd at 4pm.

The event is one of the initiatives organised by UISG to mark the two UN summits, COP27 in Egypt and COP15 in Canada – dedicated to the twin climate and biodiversity crises – with the aim of enriching the global conversation on environmental policy through the inclusion of voices from the marginalised communities supported by Catholic Sisters.

The publication of this statement will create a platform to outline principles and orientations for a more sustainable future, based on the learnings that Sisters have acquired through their exceptional engagement with grassroots communities. Rooted in the experiences of its Sowing Hope for the Planet campaign, this document will be a pillar of UISG’s environmental advocacy, stimulating action that is decentralised and diversified through the involvement of religious and non-religious groups, men and women, younger and older people, governmental agencies and inter-governmental bodies, international organisations and private companies.

Taking part in the event: Sr. Patricia Murray, Executive Secretary of UISG; Sr. Mary John Kudiyiruppil, Associate Executive Secretary of UISG; Sr. Sheila Kinsey, Coordinator of Sowing Hope for the Planet; H.E. Chiara Porro, Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See; Maria Dolores Sanchez Galera, Coordinator of Research and Reflection Unit at the Dicastery for Integral Human Development; Neil Thorns, Director of Advocacy and Communications at CAFOD; Josianne Gauthier, Secretary General of CIDSE; Catalina Hinojosa Lopez, co-Coordinator of the Agriculture and Justice Village of The Economy of Francesco; and Sr. Jean Quinn, Executive Director of UNANIMA International, who will be attending COP27, where she will bring the voices of over 1,900 superior generals and 600,000 Sisters worldwide.

The launch of the statement will be live online in four languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French) via https://www.uisg.org/en/youtube-channels.

You can take part in the debate via the official hashtag #Sisters4Environment.

Press contact: Anna Moccia +39 3384460056, advocacy.info@uisg.org

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