A senior Church official in Japan warned that worsening extreme weather in Japan underscores the need to treat environmental protection as part of peacebuilding.
In a homily at the Tokyo Cathedral of St. Mary on Aug. 30, Cardinal Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo pointed to early typhoons, prolonged heat, and heavy rains that have affected several parts of Japan this summer.
“Clearly, the climate is changing,” he said.
The prelate cited recent damage in Chiba Prefecture, reports of heavy rain in Fukui Prefecture and earthquakes in Kumamoto and other areas. He also referred to disasters elsewhere, including the deadly mudslide along the Nepal-China border.
“Indeed, in recent years, Japan’s climate has become more extreme, and the summer climate in particular has become like that of a tropical region,” Kikuchi said.
He acknowledged that some people are still denying the climate crisis, but stressed that extreme weather conditions during both summer and winter in Japan “are enough to convince us” that climate change “is a fact.”
The cardinal delivered the homily ahead of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept. 1, which marks the start of the Season of Creation. The observance runs until Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
In Japan, the period is observed as the “Month for the Protection of All Life.”
Kikuchi said the observance goes beyond climate change and global warming and calls attention to protecting humanity’s “common home” and all life as gifts from God.
He recalled Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’,” which linked environmental responsibility with humanity’s duty to nurture and care for the natural world entrusted to it.
Kikuchi described that responsibility as “also a duty of faith.” He also highlighted Pope Leo XIV’s message for this year’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, drawing a connection between environmental destruction, war, and violence.
“The time has come for nations to ‘beat their swords into plowshares,’ to transform life-savers into life-sustaining ones. But today we see the exact opposite. We continue to pour our hearts and souls into violence and war,” the pope said in the message, as cited by Kikuchi.
Kikuchi noted the pope’s warning that war “produces more and more victims, tears families apart, drives millions from their homes, and instills fear, injustice, and division,” while “leaving behind generations of social devastation and environmental destruction.”
“The Pope clearly stated that addressing environmental issues is an effort towards peacebuilding,” Kikuchi said.
He also cited Pope Leo’s description of war as “a manifestation of a serious failure in living as human beings created in the image and likeness of God, in valuing life, and in caring for the earth entrusted to us.”
“It is not merely a political failure, but also a moral and spiritual failure,” the pope said, according to Kikuchi.
Kikuchi acknowledged that the call of “Laudato Si’” often requires significant changes in people’s way of life and is therefore met with resistance or ignored.
He called on Christians to continue working for environmental protection, peace, human dignity and the defense of life despite the difficulty of pursuing such causes in modern society.
“Living and spreading Jesus’ message in modern society presents numerous challenges,” Kikuchi said.
“Whether it’s addressing environmental issues, establishing peace, or protecting the gift of life and human dignity, the realities of modern society often ridicule those who strive for these things, treating them as if they were merely the pipe dreams of fools,” he added.
The Tokyo Archdiocese will hold a lecture on Sept. 5 with Bishop Daisuke Narui of Niigata, who oversees the Laudato Si’ section of the Japanese bishops’ conference. A Mass officiated by Narui will follow at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
