By Elvina Fernandez
Pope Francis’ call for ecological conversion has transformed hearts and communities worldwide.
In Malaysia, the late Pope’s call for climate responsibility has flourished, with churches leading the movement for environmental stewardship.
Keeping Pope Francis’ legacy alive in Malaysia
In 2023, the country’s bishops signed an Ecological Diocese Pledge, committing parishes to live out “deep ecological spirituality” and advance environmental justice across the country.
All nine bishops in Malaysia initially signed the pledge, before encouraging all the country’s parish priests to do so as well. The document includes ecological protocols, self-monitoring forms, and other documents designed to assist each diocese and parish in their ecological transition, with a focus on reducing carbon footprints and fostering community resilience.
The text of the pledge reads, “The Roman Catholic Parish of (name), Malaysia, hereby declares its pledge to be an Ecological Diocese in perpetuity, living out a deep ecological spirituality and advancing ecological justice and resilience for all creation, by pursuing decarbonised pathways and the building of community and Earth resilience, according to the Ecological Diocese Protocols appended to this pledge, to the best of its ability and creativity within local circumstances.”
The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Julian Leow Beng Kim, told Vatican News that Pope Francis “truly highlighted the existential problem of climate change with the encyclical Laudato si‘ and the more recent and urgent call to action of Laudate Deum.”
“The world is indeed in crisis, and the whole of humanity must respond and have an integral conversion now before it is too late,” Archbishop Julian said.
He added that he is encouraging all parishes in the Archdiocese to undergo an ecological conversion, saying that “although much has been done, much more is needed locally and globally to tackle this climate crisis.”
Laudato Si in Action
Practical steps include eliminating single-use plastics at Church events by avoiding plastic utensils, plastic bags, and plastic water bottles, while promoting waste reduction and responsible waste management.
Among the churches that took the pledge to be plastic-free is the Church of St Anthony in Kuala Lumpur.
Its parish priest, Fr Clarence Devadass, told Vatican News that the move to plastic-free events is not merely a policy change but a call to action for the entire parish community.
“This small but significant change will, in many ways, help reduce reliance on single-use plastics and promote a culture of sustainability among parishioners of all ages. Each of us is called to live our vocation as guardians of God’s creation,” said Fr Clarence.
Fr Clarence underscored that this calling is “not an optional or secondary aspect of Christian life.” Caring for the environment, he said, is a “spiritual and moral responsibility shared by all.”
“At the parish level,” Fr Clarence said, “we understand that success may not be achieved overnight, but we can take small steps toward this universal goal.”
The Church of St Anthony’s Environment & Ecology team has also embarked on a candle wax repurposing project, collecting close to RM10,000 (approx. 2,000 USD) through the sale of recycled Christmas and Easter candles.
Wax from used candles in the parish’s Mother Mary grotto was collected by volunteers, and handed to a team of young parishioners who melted the old wax, adding color and fragrance, then poured it into molds to create new candles sold to parishioners in the archdiocese.
One of these volunteers, Selvanathan, said he was “very surprised to see the candle waste that I pass to the other volunteers, which looks like garbage and has no purpose anymore, turned into beautiful scented candles.”
“All proceeds go to help the poor in the community, supporting those in need with wheelchair, groceries, baby essentials, medical aid, and more,” he added.
