What's Happening

November 21, 2022, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt – Adrian Dominican Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, Dominican Representative to the United Nations, was among many faith leaders present at the UN Conference on Climate Change, COP27, to express disappointment at the slow speed of negotiations to address global climate change. 

In particular, Sister Durstyne was disappointed in the failure of wealthy developed nations such as the United States to establish climate mitigation funds to help less developed nations – which have suffered more of the consequences of climate change. The Global South has been disproportionately affected by disasters such as drought, floods, and loss of livelihood, she told National Catholic Reporter’s Earthbeat.

Read the article by Doreen Ajiambo. 

November 21, 2022, Adrian, Michigan – In a reflection on the United Nations Climate Conference, COP27, taking place on the Sinai Peninsula, Sister Elise D. García, OP, makes the connection between the holy ground of Mt. Sinai – where Moses communed with God – and the holy ground of Earth. Sister Elise, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, ponders whether the call to Moses 3,000 years ago to “remove the sandals from his feet” because he was standing on holy ground could “be heard by all of us today as a call to recognize our whole Earth home as holy ground.” 

Sister Elise also notes the urgency that the national leaders gathered for COP27 recognize the need to make significant commitments to hold global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent further catastrophic consequences to the Earth community. She cites the statements of numerous faith leaders on the urgency of addressing global climate change and environmental degradation. 

Finally, she encourages people of good will to pray for those gathered at Mount Sinai and for the faith leaders who are advocating for action, and to participate virtually through Shoeless on Sinai: A Digital Pilgrimage to COP27.

Read Sister Elise’s reflection, posted on National Catholic Reporter’s Global Sisters Report.