The River Above Asia Oceania Ecclesial Network (RAOEN) has encouraged Church leaders across Asia and Oceania to take decisive action in protecting Indigenous communities and addressing the escalating climate crisis.
The organization emphasized the Church’s responsibility in advocating for environmental justice.
In a letter issued by Fr. Pedro Walpole, Network Coordinator of RAOEN, on Feb. 25, addressed to the bishops and major superiors across Asia and Oceania, the organization highlighted the worsening threats to biodiversity, ocean sustainability, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“Peace is a call not to comfort but to courage, not to passivity but to purpose,” the letter stated, stressing the urgency of a united Church response to environmental degradation.
RAOEN, mandated by the Bishops of Asia and Oceania since 2019, aligned its call with Pope Francis’ teachings in Laudato Si’ and Querida Amazonia.
In an interview with LiCAS News, Fr. Walpole said that this call is “coming from within the Church,” adding that the Church knows that it needs to, “in today’s world, accompany all the more the Indigenous [people].”
“We’ve had ten years of Laudato Si’, and we’re aware of this,” the Jesuit priest said. “We have to now find ways to put it into action, yeah, with the Indigenous, okay, in their context, and share it more broadly in our society.”
RAEON’s letter to church leaders underscored that the escalating environmental crisis disproportionately affects Indigenous and ocean-dependent communities.
It warned that atmospheric rivers, once natural climatic patterns connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, have now become destructive forces, heating oceans beyond sustainability, destroying marine ecosystems, and threatening the livelihoods of those who have long served as their stewards.
RAOEN urged Church leaders in Asia and Oceania to take immediate and collective action by fostering dialogue among bishops, clergy, and lay leaders to ensure that voices from affected communities are prioritized.
It called for active participation in global advocacy platforms such as the UN Ocean Conference 2025 and COP30 in Brazil, where the Church can amplify its role in climate justice discussions.
The organization emphasized the need to integrate environmental concerns into the Church’s agenda and distribute educational materials that encourage faith-based community initiatives.
RAOEN also encouraged collaboration between local Church offices, civil society organizations, and government institutions to raise awareness and drive coordinated action against environmental destruction.
“We stand at a threshold. The choice before us is stark—will we be passive observers of the unraveling of creation, or will we rise in synodal solidarity with those who have been its faithful guardians for generations?” the letter read
RAOEN reiterated that climate justice is not merely a policy concern but a moral and spiritual duty of the Church. “This is not just a policy issue—it is a moral, spiritual, and ecclesial call,” it emphasized, urging church leaders to take meaningful steps toward environmental justice.
Fr. Walpole extended an invitation to bishops and major superiors to collaborate in building “a future of hope, gratitude, forgiveness, and reconciliation—not just for the Church, but also for the world.”
