The Roman Catholic Church in Bangladesh, to honor Pope Francis’ 2015 pro-environmental encyclical “Laudatio si”, has launched a tree planting campaign in the territory of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
The campaign will plant approximately 400,000 trees. This number reflects the population of Catholics in Bangladesh. The first plants were planted in August 2020 in the capital Dhaka. Three trees symbolizing bishops, faithful and members of religious congregations were planted on the grounds of the Bangladesh Episcopal Conference Center. The bishops present at the ceremony encouraged Catholics from all 8 Bangladeshi dioceses to repeat their actions.
More trees are to be planted in plots belonging to parishes, religious houses, church charitable institutions and near the homes of individual believers. The reforestation campaign launched by the Bangladeshi episcopate coincides with efforts already underway to protect forests that are at risk of destruction in many regions of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh due to soil erosion, floods or cyclones.
RELIGION IN BANGLADESH
According to a 2020 report by Open Doors, about 90% of Bangladesh’s population is Muslim, 8% is Hindu, and the remaining 2% is Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, follower of Judaism, and atheist. The Bangladeshi Christian population is mainly Catholic (about 400,000 people – 0.2% of the country’s population) and members of various Protestant churches (also about 400,000 people – 0.2% of the country’s population). Over the past 10 years, the number of Christians in Bangladesh has increased from 600,000 to 800,000 – but this is due to the overall increase in the population of Bangladesh during this period.
Traditionally, the presence of Christians in Bangladesh is linked to the mission of St. Apostle Thomas, who arrived on the Malabar coast around 52 AD. The dynamic development of the Christian community began in 1510, with the arrival of Portuguese missionaries.
Grzegorz Suchanicz
Picture: www.pexels.com, author: Akil Mazumder
Source: KAI.