Seminar on Pope’s encyclical held in city

SHILLONG: Pope Francis’ second encyclical Laudato Si (Praise Be To You) was tabled for a one-day seminar and action plan at Sacred Heart Theological College (SHTC), Mawlai, on Monday.
The chief guest on the occasion, David Nongrum, MLA and Chairman of Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation, said, “Laudato Si, the encyclical should drive everyone to take action to prevent ecological catastrophe and general societal misery”.
He also appealed to the gathering of Priests, Religious and Laity to promote livelihood, eco and culture tourism to highlight the indigenous art and culture of the people.
Speaking on the occasion, George Maliekal SDB, urged the participants to promote frugal use of water and electricity but promote greenery.Suggestions were made to involve people in the action plan, to release a booklet of guidelines for all institutions, to promote rain water harvesting, to avoid uses of plastic in the Church as well as junk foods in the canteen.
The participants also suggested that the planting of saplings in schools should be encouraged and awareness should be on creation on proper garbage segregation and disposal and encouraging writers to write and translate articles for publication on environmental issues.