Bishop Léonard Ndjadi challenges religious leaders to embrace role in reducing fossil fuels

In his presentation during the Tuesday, September 10 webinar that the Season of Creation committee organized, Bishop Léonard Ndjadi Ndjate said religious leaders are key in realizing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT).

Religious leaders, Bishop Ndjate said, have a threefold responsibility in helping African governments implement the treaty whose “aim is to stop fossil fuel exploration and expansion and phase-out existing production” in line with the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement while supporting “a just transition to renewable energy”.

Proclaiming the Gospel of Creation

Bishop Ndjate said that religious leaders are first tasked with spreading the message of “integral ecology,” which calls for a profound change in how humanity interacts with the environment.

Referring to Pope Francis’s Encyclical letter Laudato Si’, the member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) explained that the proclamation must focus on a “conversion of mentalities, attitudes, and actions” toward caring for creation.

“Religious leaders should proclaim the gospel of creation (LS62) with a strong call to integral ecology, focusing on the conversion of mentalities, attitudes, and actions,” said the 48-year-old Bishop who was ordained in August 2023.

Denouncing Environmental Abuses

The Congolese Bishop who was presenting on “The Role of Faith Actors and Governments in Ensuring a Just Energy Transition and Mitigating Climate Change through FFNPT” urged religious leaders in Africa to play their prophetic role of denouncing the exploitation of natural resources and its consequences.

Bishop Ndjate reflected on how unregulated extraction of resources fuels conflicts and contributes to human suffering, citing the commemoration of war victims in Congo as an example of the tragic results of such exploitation.

He said, “In the Congo, we have just celebrated the second edition of Genocost: the commemoration of the victims of war, not to mention the houses ransacked and burned, the trauma and psychological wounds, the number of women raped is unspeakable, the children left orphans whose future is sacrificed, and the feeling of resentment this can generate in the hearts of these victims and their families.”

“Religious leaders form a single voice to denounce these crimes against humanity and the environment, wherever they come from,” he said.

Leading by Example in Adopting Renewable Energy

The Bishop who is currently in charge of ecological pastoral care and environmental protection in Kisangani Archdiocese emphasized the need for religious leaders to adopt green practices in their communities, such as using renewable energy, separating waste, and promoting organic agriculture.

Bishop Ndjate said that this personal commitment to environmental sustainability can inspire followers to take similar actions.

He said, “We are invited, ourselves, to adopt green attitudes and gestures in our immediate environment: separate garbage cans, the choice of renewable energies (free solar energy), healthy organic food, justice towards our workers, a place reserved for the poor, avoid wasting light."

When a religious leader makes such a choice, the Congolese Bishop went on, “he or she can rally many followers behind him or her. For today's world needs witnesses rather than teachers.”

In his September 10 presentation, the Bishop argued that the world needs a clear moral and political stand in favor of renewable energy, calling for a global treaty to manage the transition away from fossil fuels.

“We cannot afford to be indifferent to a danger that threatens human health,” he said, urging religious leaders to take a central role in this movement, not just through words, but through action and example.

[Silas Isenjia – ACI Africa]