ASIA/KAZAKHSTAN - Safeguarding creation and social responsibility among the objectives of Caritas in the new year

Saturday, 8 February 2020 evangelization   mission   catholic church   local churches   creation  

Almaty (Agenzia Fides) - "A new year has began: for Caritas Kazakhstan it is a new beginning made up of many challenges, many emotions, new initiatives and old and new friends. We thank all those who joined us in 2019 and hope that they can continue to accompany us on this journey". This is the message with which the director of Caritas Kazakhstan, Fr. Guido Trezzani, talks about the organization's objectives for 2020. In a note sent to Agenzia Fides, the missionary explains that the issue of safeguarding Creation will be of great importance: "The events of the past few months have placed ecology at the center of world priorities. This is not the context to deepen a discussion on the 'Greta phenomenon', but what is certain is that when the volume of slogans is lowered, everyone is left with a question: 'what can I do in practice?'. In this perspective, it was very important for us at Caritas Kazakhstan to take part in the conference organized in Bangkok last December by Caritas Asia and based on the open questions that the Pope launched in the encyclical 'Laudato sì. For a reality like ours, which move its first steps towards such vast problems, it was a unique opportunity to listen to the experiences and results obtained by other organizations of the Confederation and to find inspiration for our present and future projects".
The issue of citizens' social responsibility will also accompany another Caritas project, in collaboration with the clothing brand 'Zara': "At first glance, one might think that the world of fashion is very far from social concerns. Fortunately, however, there are circumstances that break stereotypes. Contacts with 'Zara' began with simple telephone conversations to clarify the purposes and details of a possible collaboration with Caritas Kazakhstan. The project that emerged was to place used clothing collection boxes in three stores in Almaty: Caritas volunteers would then distribute these garments to needy families in the area. In addition to the intrinsic value of the project, there is also a symbolic one: the deepening, through concrete initiatives, of the sense of social responsibility on behalf of all citizens", concluded Fr. Trezzani. (LF) (Agenzia Fides, 8/2/2020)


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