Pinoy Pie

2 nd  of two parts  5. The Imperative to  “Widen the Space of Your Tent”  The Catholic Church in the Philippines has long recognized the necessity of structured environmental advocacy. As early as 1988, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) proposed a systemic approach, suggesting the establishment of  “a Care of the Earth ministry at every level of Church organization; from the basic Christian communities, through the parish structure and diocesan offices right up to the national level.” [1]  This vision gained structural backing in 1991 when the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP-II) explicitly decreed that “an ecology desk must be set up in social action centers.” [2]  Furthermore, PCP-II directed the Philippine Church to “make ecology a special concern of the social action apostolate down to the parochial level…” [3] In recent years, this pastoral concern has evolved from a secondary ad...