From 1 September to 4 October, Christians around the world mark the Season of Creation, an ecumenical initiative inviting us to deepen our relationship with God the Creator, with one another and with the world entrusted to our care. The season concludes on the feast of St Francis of Assisi and, in 2026, takes on particular significance as we mark the 800th anniversary of his death.
To mark this year’s Season of Creation, the Interdiocesan Commission for Promoting Integral Human Development is launching a campaign aimed at strengthening awareness that care for creation is not something peripheral to Christian faith, but an integral part of our Christian responsibility.
The campaign will follow a simple progression:
Understand → Be inspired → Act.
Understand: Why should Christians care for creation?
The first part of the campaign will explore some fundamental questions: Why should Christians care about the environment? What does our faith tell us about our relationship with creation? And why does the Church speak about climate change, environmental damage and development?
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis speaks of the need for an “ecological conversion”, through which our encounter with Jesus Christ becomes visible in the way we relate to the world around us. Caring for God’s creation, he insists, “is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience”.
These themes will be explored through social media posts and a special podcast episode.
Be inspired: Change is possible
Environmental discussions can easily become dominated by bad news. The second part of the campaign will therefore highlight positive initiatives already taking place within Church communities and institutions in Malta and Gozo.
Through short videos and other features, we will showcase examples of Church entities putting care for creation into practice. By sharing these experiences, we hope to demonstrate that meaningful change is possible, encourage Church organisations to learn from one another and inspire further action.
Act: What is the next step?
The final part of the campaign will invite individuals, families, parishes, schools and Church organisations to consider what more they can do. This may involve practical changes in areas such as energy and water use, consumption and waste, transport and food choices, but also actions at the political level.
The IHD Commission also hopes to bring Church entities and environmental organisations together during the Season of Creation for dialogue around one central question:
How can the Church in Malta and Gozo take its responsibility for our common home more seriously?
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing the campaign material on the IHD Commission’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Follow us and join us as we seek to understand, be inspired and act for our common home.
