“Creation is wounded by human greed”: Catholic Official in Angola Laments, Calls for “attitude of care for creation”

Luanda, 03 September, 2025 / 11:25 AM

The Executive Secretary of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) has lamented the disregard for creation that he said is a manifestation of “human greed”.

In his homily during the Opening Mass for the Season of Creation at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Major Seminary Chapel in Luanda, Fr. Celestino Epalanga emphasized that caring for the environment is not only a moral and human responsibility but also a spiritual duty, and that the current ecological crisis reflects a deeper spiritual challenge in society.

“Creation is wounded by human greed. The Earth groans, the poor weep, and many Christians remain distracted,” the Angolan member of the Society of Jesus (SJ/Jesuits) said during the August 31 Eucharistic celebration.

He appealed to Catholics to “examine their lifestyle and adopt an attitude of care for creation in both small and large actions.” 

Fr. Epalanga described the Season of Creation as “a spiritual opportunity to renew our relationship with God, with others, and with the Earth, our common home.” 

He added, “We are guardians, not owners of creation. And God will hold us accountable for how we care for the world He entrusted to us.”

He went on to outline the dangers of environmental destruction, noting that “forests are disappearing, rivers are being contaminated, and seas are suffocated with tons of waste.” 

All these stem from “an economy that exploits nature as if it were infinite, when in fact it is limited and fragile,” Fr. Epalanga said, and continued, “The way we treat resources reflects the way we relate to God. When we profane creation, we profane the Creator Himself.”

Reflecting on the situation in Angola, he noted that the country is already experiencing the effects of environmental imbalance caused by irresponsible human actions. 

“Much of the waste we throw into drainage channels ends up in the sea, contaminating the fish we eat, and returns to our homes as sickness and suffering,” he said, faulting the excessive and unconscious exploitation of natural resources. 

Fr. Epalanga added, “We act as if we were the last inhabitants of the Earth, without thinking of future generations.”

He also emphasized that environmental damage disproportionately affects the poor. “Climate change does not impact everyone equally. The poor always suffer the most because they cannot defend themselves. When there is no rain, it is the farmer who loses the harvest. When there is too much rain, it is the poor who lose their homes,” he explained. 

He insisted that “the ecological crisis is also a matter of social justice. To care for creation is also to care for the poor. Whoever exploits nature and excludes the poor commits two sins.”

Fr. Epalanga denounced consumerism and individualism as forces fuelling environmental destruction, arguing that an economy driven by profit over human dignity is one of the engines of the crisis. 

“Many of those who amass wealth are not the ones who live off the land, but the ones who exploit it. We are leaving our children a poorer, less habitable, and spiritually emptier world,” the Angolan Catholic Priest lamented. 

He urged Catholics to break with indifference and complacency, saying, “It is not enough to pray. Change is needed. Faith without works is dead, and care for creation is an expression of living faith.”

Fr. Epalanga also warned against vanity, which he described as one of the roots of the ecological crisis. He explained, “We always want to be first, to dominate, to consume without limits. But this vanity blinds us, inflates the ego, and empties the soul. True spirituality is found in humble service, sharing, and simplicity.”

Fr. Epalanga stressed that the Season of Creation is “more than an environmental agenda; it is a time of deep spiritual renewal.” 

Running from September 1 to October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology, this year’s theme is Peace with Creation. “It is an opportunity to renew our commitment to life and to God’s loving plan for all creation,” he said.