Formed just last year, the Franciscan Network for Peace and Integral Ecology in Asia has already held its second gathering. The meeting from 7 to 11 April 2025 in Cebu, Philippines was to follow up on the resolutions and discussions of the first gathering in October 2024 in Kota Kinabalu.
The network’s main goals are to explain why building peace is important, identify key areas of concern, lay out action plans and objectives, and find potential partners with whom to work.
At the meeting were Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) leaders and animators from the Philippines, Myanmar, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei, and West Papua, as well as Franciscans International in Geneva and the JPIC Office in Rome.
The meeting began with a warm welcome from Friar Renee C Dean, Provincial of the Province of St Anthony of Padua in Cebu, who congratulated the participants for their dedication and efforts.
Next, Friar Derrick Yap, President of the South Asia, Australia and Oceania Conference (SAAOC), addressed the group: This year marks 800 years since the Canticle was written by St Francis of Assisi. During this special time, we continue to let God speak through our simple and humble lives even when our hearts feel broken. As brothers and sisters living out our mission, we share hope with others, especially those who are suffering or in need of God’s loving mercy. We do this by walking with them, helping them with our hands, and bringing peace through the smiles we share.
Friar Daniel Rodriguez Blanco, Director of JPIC at the General Curia, shared the Assisi Document. This is the result of a meeting of the OFM International Council for JPIC from 1 to 7 March 2025 in Assisi, during which they discussed the most urgent problems facing the world today, especially those related to human suffering and humanitarian issues.
He also told the animators of the Franciscan Network of the Mediterranean and its work on migration and refugees, dialogue and peace, and encouraged them to draw inspiration from this network as they build the Asian JPIC network.
Inspired by Laudato Si’, Fratelli Tutti and the Franciscan charism, and guided by the spirit of the Canticle and the Assisi Statement, the group agreed on the following resolutions:
Peace Resolution The network has chosen Myanmar as the focus of its peace project. This is in response to the powerful earthquake that hit the country in March, as well as the ongoing civil conflict. The network aims to offer emergency support and aid to victims.
Integral Ecology Resolution The network sees the importance of supporting and empowering JPIC animators in Franciscan communities across Asia. This will help strengthen their efforts in caring for people and the planet.
Social Media Advocacy Resolution The network acknowledges that social media is a powerful tool for raising awareness and promoting messages of peace and care for creation. Therefore, it has decided to create a website and use various social media platforms to broaden advocacy.
The group noted that the success of these resolutions depends greatly on the support of all the leaders of the Franciscan family in Asia.
The meeting ended with dinner at the Provincial House with members of the Franciscan family, including various congregations of Sisters who may be potential partners for the Franciscan Network for Peace and Integral Ecology in Asia. The next gathering will be held in October in Manila.
Friar Cosmas Francis OFM JPIC Animator for the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei)
Malaysia, the collaboration between JPIC and the Creation Justice Committee
From 19 to 22 February 2025, the Church of St. Ann in Kuching (Diocese of Kuching, East Malaysia) welcomed three friars from the General Curia of Rome: Br. Daniel Rodriguez Blanco and Br. Taucen Girsang (respectively Director and Vice-Director of the General JPIC Office), and Br. Dennis Tayo (General Animator for Missions). Their visit was a moment of deep reflection, reinforcing the Franciscan call to justice, peace, and care for creation.
Their insights strengthened the mission of Creation Justice in Kuching, particularly in reducing plastic waste, promoting renewable energy, and supporting sustainable practices. This visit also fostered collaboration among friars in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, integrating ecological justice with social transformation.
A key focus was the Bunan Resilience Project, which seeks to restore indigenous children’s connection to their ancestral land, ensuring their right to heritage and dignity. The friars’ reflections opened hearts to the urgent call of caring for the poor and embracing integral ecology as a Gospel imperative.
Creation Justice and JPIC: A Shared Mission
This visit was an opportunity to deepen the collaboration between Creation Justice and JPIC, opening the eyes of Franciscan friars in Kuching to the interconnection between social justice and care for the earth. The Franciscan mission calls us to walk alongside the marginalized, advocating for both human dignity and environmental sustainability.
By working together, JPIC and Creation Justice can strengthen education and advocacy, empowering communities to protect their land and resources. The Bunan Resilience Project exemplifies how justice for the poor and justice for creation go hand in hand. Through shared initiatives, friars can become catalysts for ecological and social transformation, ensuring that care for creation remains a lived expression of the Gospel.
Taking care of the earth is an ongoing journey. Each action, no matter how small, is a step toward a just and sustainable world. Let us continue to walk this path together, responding to the cry of the earth and the poor with renewed commitment and hope.
The annual course on Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) in Rome resumed this year, after being suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Titled “Greccio and La Verna: Sources of Justice, Peace, and Reconciliation”, the course was organised by the General Curia of the Order of Friars Minor in collaboration with the Pontifical University Antonianum (PUA) in Rome.
Friar Cosmas Francis OFM, the JPIC Coordinator for our Custody of St Anthony Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei was one of about 50 people, including guest professors, who participated. Held from 20 to 26 May 2024 at the PUA, the course drew people from at least 24 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.
The course aimed to provide analytical perspectives on social and environmental justice and peace through three thematic axes:
Conflicts and Wars in the World: Examining cultural, economic, and religious causes.
Justice, Peace, and Reconciliation: Exploring these concepts from Biblical, Christian, and Franciscan viewpoints.
Franciscan Experiences: Discussing various Franciscan approaches to building justice, peace, and reconciliation.
In his inaugural greeting, Friar Agustín Hernández OFM, Rector of the PUA, used Laudato Si’ to illustrate how peace can be realised by returning to fundamental sources of reconciliation and peace as exemplified by St Francis, who is known as a man of peace.
The morning sessions covered the foundations of justice, peace, and reconciliation at the biblical level (Friar Darko Tepert, OFM General Secretary for Formation and Studies), the Magisterium of the Church (Professor Sergio Tanzarella) and Franciscan spirituality (Friar Giuseppe Buffon OFM).
The afternoon sessions focussed on peacebuilding projects — the Nagasaki Project in Japan (Friar Francis Furusato OFM), the Total Peace Initiative in Colombia (Professor Jairo Agudelo), the Franciscan Institute for the Culture of Peace in Split, Croatia (Friar Mijo Dzolan OFM), the reconciliation processes in Rwanda and Congo (Friar Jean-Claude Mulekya OFM), interreligious dialogue efforts in Istanbul, Turkey (Friar Antonio Duma), and philosopher Raúl Fornet-Betancourt’s proposal for intercultural philosophy aimed at dialogue and coexistence in conflictual settings.
On the fourth day, they went to La Verna, where Francis received the Stigmata 800 years ago. The physical wounds of the Stigmata of St Francis represent both the pain and joy he experienced. They also symbolise contemporary issues such as war, environmental crises, and personal wounds. By surrendering these wounds to a greater love, we can attain peace and new life.
On the final day, Friar Taucen Girsang and Friar Daniel Rodríguez Blanco from the OFM JPIC General Office spoke about spirituality, and the profile and mission of JPIC animators within the Franciscan Family.
“The course reinforced the importance of responding to God’s love by promoting peace and integrating with all of Creation,” said Friar Cosmas. “We left with a renewed commitment to preserving and working for peace, inspired by the Franciscan values of justice, peace, and reconciliation.”
For the first part of my Franciscan Year, I was sent to Indonesia to learn about the Franciscan Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) and Eco-Pastoral activities in the Province of St Michael the Archangel (Indonesia). The province has a well-established JPIC office in Jakarta with dedicated staff, and Eco-Pastoral is active in several locations around Indonesia, in Sindanglaya, Atambua, Khurbokho, Pagal and Tentang.
In January and February, I went to the JPIC office every day to learn its administrative structure. In March and April, I was in Eco-Pastoral Sindanglaya, where the friars administer a boarding school and the elementary school. Close by is a middle school, and the friars offer accommodation for students from low-income families and from the countryside.
On weekends and school breaks, a Lay Brother and Eco-Pastoral staff guide the students as they work in the garden or farm. They learn about compost packaging, gather grass to feed the goats, feed the fish, water plants, and harvest vegetables and other produce for their meals. They also learn to lead prayers, and read and sing at liturgical services.
I spent the final week of May to the end of June in Atambua, West Timor, near the border with Timor Leste. The journey to the friary in Atambua took six hours, and the Eco-Pastoral Motamaru mission is another 30 km by motorcycle.
The villagers are poor. When I visited a couple of nearby homes, I was sad to see that they only had soil floors and their walls were made entirely of bamboo. Imagine how wet everything would be when it rained.
The mission consists of two lay Franciscan brothers and four aspirants, and is neither affiliated with a church nor engaged in traditional ministry. Instead, it finds ways to interact with the villagers through eco-farming and, because it has a water pump, providing them with clean water. They are undoubtedly living the two Franciscan lungs of fraternity and minority.
My month there was a precious experience that strengthened my vocation. The morning I arrived, they had already begun their day. I am grateful that I was able to work with them in the paddy fields. It reminded me of what I used to see with my maternal great grandmother when I was a child.
However, the rice mill was what really moved me. It was not what I am used to seeing in my hometown in Sabah. This was smaller and ‘”do it yourself”.
I took a photo of Br Agus smiling while sitting on top of the rice mill, and looking at the photo later, I thought that he must have been smiling with the satisfaction of reaping what he had sown. A few bags of rice were kept for the friars’ consumption for the next six months, and the rest was sold to support the life of the friars and the aspirants.
Initially I was troubled by the lack of security. People were free to come and go, and to use our water pump at any time. I was always worrying as I had heard about goats and cows being taken in the past. However, God was teaching me to have faith, and to worry less in order to pay attention to what I was doing. So I said, “God, if it is meant to be, so be it.”
From West Timor, I moved to Flores Island on 2 July. There I worked, until the end of August, in an Eco-Pastoral with parish in Khurbokho, and later in Eco-Pastoral Pagal, where the Eco- Pastoral ministry began.
I learnt that the Eco-Pastoral mission provides practical experience through study and internships with nearby schools or universities. Students go to learn about how to care for the soil, and how to grow vegetables without using chemicals or pesticides.
The Eco-Pastoral team also teaches the younger generation that farming is a vocation. Eco-Pastoral Pagal is even introducing new varieties of vegetables to the villagers.
It is only now, after working with Eco-Pastoral Pagal, that I can grasp the meaning of Integral Ecology. It is the cycle of life, and we human beings are interconnected with the ecosystem. Eco-Pastoral is a way friars can build bridges in response to the cry of the poor and the earth.
As I look back on my time in Indonesia, I remember a line in a song by Ivan Nestorman in Manggarai dialect (the local language in West Flores) – “One hau de daku nai… ai hau de, mata leso ge”. This translates to “I give you all my loving heart, because you are my sunshine”.
This is like a prayer for me as I give God my time and myself, since he is the one who always shines the light for my journey, and is where my soul finds rest. Now, whenever I am feeling down, I find consolation in looking at the sun rising, shining in dazzling yellow, or setting in an orange-coloured sky. I feel the warmth of God’s love as he is always with me.
Friar Marvin Voo OFM
The Franciscan Year is an important time when the student friar is exposed to other fraternities, missions and possibilities to help him clarify the desire for solemn profession and his sense of belonging to an international Order.
The congregation pouring water into a common pot, reminding us of how small each of our actions may be to care for creation but we can still make a difference when we come together as one.
On September 1, the Church of the Risen Christ conducted a paraliturgy and reflection session, followed by a Eucharistic celebration to launch the Season of Creation in the parish.
Parish priest, Friar Esmond Chua, OFM. brought to light that we have allowed injustice and greed to drown out the virtues of justice and peace all in the name of progress and development. Yet, we still refer to ourselves as “Christians” living a double life: pious and humble in church, but selfish and wasteful when in the world. Our response to care for creation has to be one that is internalised.
He then invited us to reflect on the image of rivers. Just as rivers are persistent, such that nothing can stop a stream from flowing, we are to be persistent to let “justice” and “peace” flow. We give up easily even before trying to respond to the call to care for creation because just the thought of what needs to be done can be overwhelming — from having to bring our own utensils wherever we go or to speak out for environmental policy changes. We do not want to be inconvenienced and thus, as a result of our choices: global warming, polluted rivers and land.
He further pointed out to us how we may grow and be persistent like a river, that is to transform our perception, our hearts and our lifestyle. Transforming our perception needs us to see the bigger picture from the “Me, Myself and I” to “You and We”; from “obstacles” to “opportunities”; from “too much work” to “what more must be done”; and from “no one’s watching” to “even if no one’s watching.” This transformation will, then, lead us to see the need, importance and urgency to allow justice and peace to flow in our relationships, perceptions, and treatments towards one another and creation.
Transforming our hearts needs us to make time to listen with the ears of our heart, that is, to dialogue with the oppressed and the voiceless, both people and creation. We are to work together in this, just as the lakes and seas are a collection of rivers.
Friar Esmond requested those present to reflect on the individual commitments that they could make, using the following questions as a guide:
1. What are some of my perceptions about “Caring for Creation” that need to change? 2. What collaborative opportunities are there in my neighbourhood which I can participate in to care for creation?
3. How can I contribute to the care of creation with the unique gifts and talents that I have been entrusted with?
The Litany of Repentance was led by assistant priest, Friar Crispus Mosinoh, OFM. Then the people were invited to make a commitment on how to care for creation; by symbolically pouring water into a common pot, reminding us of how small each of our actions may be to care for creation but we can still make a difference when we come together as one.
The programme drew to a close with Mass and fellowship.
This event was put together in collaboration with Caritas Penang and the Creation Justice Commission of Penang Diocese.
Friar Cosmas Francis OFM (Custody JPIC Animator) participated in a forum on how different faiths understand and care for creation from their faith perspective in conjunction with the Season of Creation 2023.
Faith leaders gathered at the Penang Harmony Centre for an Interfaith and Ecology forum themed Bringing Together Diverse Beliefs for a Greener Tomorrow September 3. The forum was jointly organised by Penang Harmony Corporation (HARMONICO) and the Creation Justice Commission, the Diocese of Penang.
Sukhindarpal Singh, director of Harmonico welcomed everyone for an insightful understanding of Interfaith and Ecology and detailed Harmonico’s vision, mission and programmes. Arokiadass Anthonysamy explained that the Creation Justice Commission of the Catholic Church is following the call of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ in protecting our common global home, organising green workshops, eco exhibitions and community clean-up activities.
The faith panel included Kalpa Vrksha Das, International (Society for Krishna Consciousness), Sukhindarpal Singh (Malaysia Gurdwara Council), Kenneth Lee Tze (Federation Taoist Association Malaysia), Friar Cosmas Francis OFM (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei), Loo Bong Seng (Malaysian Buddhist Association and Malaysian Buddhist Institute), Prof Zainal Alimuddin (Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia Caw. Penang) and Renuka Radakhrishnan (Penang Green Council).
Friar Cosmas gave the Catholic perspective when he related that the Book of Genesis gives an overview of God’s creation, where all humanity has been charged with stewardship of the natural world.
Faith leaders then related that spiritual knowledge is imperative to being in harmony with nature. We must endeavour to close the gap in the inequalities between rich and poor, and to encourage moderation in daily living. Happiness should not be pursued as an end to itself but will always follow the blessings of work in faith and love. Efforts are also being made on the micro level to instil sustainable actions like the 3R’s of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, having recycling stations at religious festivals, instilling the habit of waste not, having eco-friendly religious materials and educating sustainable living.
Moderator Magdalene Chiang summed up the forum’s deliberation in that we are all one human race, we have one Mother Earth as our common home, and we are one in love with the environment.
However, the panellist also expressed concern that citizens are not taking the ecological crisis seriously. E-hailing food services cause more plastic waste and food waste! We all have a duty to protect the earth from the corruption of deforestation and over-development. We should not take Mother Earth for granted. We must harmonise our lives with the environment for if the earth suffers, we humankind are at fault. Statistics are frightening where according to the UN 2023 SDG Summit, the global temperature has already risen 1.1ºC above pre-industrial level, and by 2030 an estimated 700 million people will be at risk of displacement by drought alone. Friar Cosmas solemnly declared that our actions will result in the effect for ‘we will reap what we sow’.
Pope Francis encyclical, Laudato Si’ Praise Be — has the subtitle “on care for our common home”. We all call our planet Mother Earth because of its nurturing nature and, like a mother, she embraces, sustains, and governs us. The encyclical relates to the cry of the earth together with the cry of the poor and downtrodden when facing the ecological sins of wasteful consumerism, the throwaway culture, irresponsible development, environmental degradation, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and global warming. Creation must come with Justice because climate change is an issue of justice where in times of natural disasters, famines, droughts, and floods, the poor are faced with even greater poverty as their sustenance and livelihood are affected.
The forum ended with the presentation of terrarium glass containers that mimic the earth’s eco-system to the panellist and Paul Au, GM of Harmonico. All participants also received an eco-friendly food grade silicon collapsible coffee cup.
The forum ended with the movie The Letter: A Message for our Earth telling the story of a journey of leaders to Rome to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ with Pope Francis.
