Intersect

FIRST PERSON

- ALEX MAGNO

The views of the Church and rapidly emerging technological developments rarely intersect. But in the case of renewable energy, science and faith weave in tightly.

A recent procession in Laguna Province, organized by the Catholic clergy, is a testament to this. The procession issued an inspiring call for the increased adoption of renewable energy for a sustainable future.

This convergence between technological possibilities and the dominant faith is due in large part to the teachings of Pope Francis, specifically his encyclical Laudato Si. The encyclical passionately urges humanity to care for our common home. It specifically encourages a shift towards cleaner and greener energy sources. Citing St. Francis of Assisi, the pontiff likened the Earth to a sister "with whom we share our life."

"This sister now cries out to us," the pope wrote, "because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her... We have come to see ourselves as her lord and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor."

Inspired by the pope's appeal, the local government of Laguna, in close collaboration with the private sector, is now actively supporting renewable energy solutions to meet the population's ever-increasing power needs. Numerous renewable energy projects are now being developed in several areas, in Laguna particularly.