Japan. On 12 February 2023, the young people of the VIDES PORTA group of Japan of Alma Mater (Gia) Province, had an online meeting with the screening of the film The Letter, on the history of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ by Pope Francis.
The PORTA Youth group consists of young people aged 18 to 30, who through active participation in various activities and mutual friendship, offer other young people the opportunity to know and do something positive for others.
During the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, the activities were mostly formation and based on sharing knowledge. Then it returned to meeting together once a month to question the reality of society and decide together some initiatives to be achieved. From the desire not to keep only for themselves what they learned, the plan to create online meetings with the participation of more people was born.
The in-depth theme this year is the encyclical of Pope Francis “Laudato Si'” on the care of the common home.
One of the Youth PORTA members had participated last year in the online meeting of the Interprovincial Conference Ciao, that gave him the opportunity to read the encyclical more in-depth and then be able to explain it to all the members. Subsequently, the group saw the documentary film “The letter” and shared some ideas on how to contribute to a sustainable society.
Thanks to the online Platform, it was possible for the members of Shizouka, Osaka, and Oita in places far from Tokyo to participate in the meeting.
For those who already have a certain sensitivity regarding the problems of the environment, seeing the scenes of the documentary with the roofless school flooded by the rain, or the koala burned by the flames of the fire, aroused a certain apprehension, followed by the desire to do something. Following are the resonances of some participants:
“Probably, if there were not this opportunity, I would not have seen these images. I became aware that the ecological problem also depends on me and, at the same time, depends on the territory and the Country. I felt the importance of living with a sense of responsibility.”
“I understood how important it is to live thinking not selfishly, but considering what happens in the world. In particular, I felt questioned by what is happening in the Amazon. I am grateful to the young people of the Vides Porta for making us aware of the problems.”
By receiving these messages, the young people of the Vides Porta group have perceived how significant it is to reflect together and communicate what is happening to the common home and undertake to continue doing everything they can to make Laudato Si’ known and to act accordingly.
