Colombo (AsiaNews) – "Pope Francis is a revolutionary man, and the encyclical ‘Laudato si’’ is the proof. When he reiterates that nature is not a commodity but a gift from God and a sacred space, he is challenging the globalised world we live in, where everything is decided by market forces,” Herman Kumara, special envoy to the World Forum for Fisher People (WFFP), told AsiaNews.
President of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO), Kumara is very active in Sri Lanka in the fight against land expropriations and the destruction of natural resources.
"For those of us who are fighting the destruction of ecosystems, Pope Francis’ encyclical letter gives great strength,” he said. “It is like he is on our side in this battle.”
“We appreciate him when he says that 'today the Church is a Church of martyrs'. With these words, Francis recognised the importance of those who work against injustice and fight against those forces that destroy nature in many ways."
Kumara also welcomes the pope’s references to poverty. "His invitation to listen to ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor' is a very important teaching for the Church today. He has identified the structural sin of poverty. When there is a system of continued oppression, there cannot be a change of condition."
"We hope that Pope Francis himself does not become a martyr of the power structures that control the Church and the world system. This is our challenge,” he added.
To meet the later, “We need to make the encyclical available as wide as possible, so that civil society can study it and act following its teachings."