Religious leaders, policymakers, and civil society groups in Thailand launched a regional interfaith dialogue aimed at confronting climate change on Oct. 2.
Under the theme “Opening New Spaces to Fight Global Warming and Save the World,” the Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace (IBHAP) Foundation organized a three-day event held at Saket Ratcha Woramahawihan Royal Temple from October 2–4.
The opening ceremony saw the participation of leaders from Thailand’s five main religions, including Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arponratana of Bangkok and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand (CBCT), together with Father Suwat Luanngsaard, CBCT deputy secretary, and Father Anucha Chaiyadej, executive director of Catholic Social Communication Thailand (CSCT).
In his keynote address, Archbishop Vira emphasized the urgent moral responsibility of faith communities to protect the planet.
“It is with profound honor that I stand before you today at this invaluable forum, dedicated to a common purpose: to care for our common home—the world in which we live together,” Archbishop Vira said.
Drawing from Sacred Scripture and Pope Francis’ encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, he stressed that caring for the environment is inseparable from protecting human dignity, especially the poor who suffer most from ecological destruction.
“The ecological crisis is undeniably also a social crisis. To destroy the environment is to diminish human dignity,” he declared, warning against selfish lifestyles, overconsumption, and unjust systems that accelerate climate change.
Archbishop Vira underscored the Catholic Church’s response in Thailand, announcing that from 2024 onwards, the Church has dedicated itself to the “Year of Caring for Our Common Home.”
Practical measures include tree-planting campaigns, waste reduction, clean-energy promotion, and ecological education across parishes, schools, and communities.
But he also urged wider cooperation, calling for stronger national policies, including a Clean Air Act, and for an economy grounded in fairness, sustainability, and human dignity.
Father Anucha Chaiyadej of CSCT told LiCAS News that the event builds on Thailand’s longstanding tradition of interreligious collaboration.
“This event is an extension of the strong interfaith cooperation in Thailand, which has a strong foundation in Christianity, starting with the teachings of Pope Francis on Laudato Si’,” he said.
The ceremony concluded with the signing of a Declaration of Intent that symbolizes a united commitment by Thailand’s faith communities and civil society to bring moral leadership into global climate action.
