Environment
Of Elisa Petrillo – 01 Lug 2024
The metropolitan archbishop of Catania, Monsignor Luigi Renna, launches a heartfelt appeal to citizens to commit themselves to defending the city from carelessness and neglect, starting from a simple but fundamental gesture: the correct separation of waste.
“Let’s defend Catania from our carelessness by starting to dispose of rubbish only after having sorted it: it will be a way to respect the spaces we share; it will be the way to demonstrate the pride in taking care of our city,” declared Renna, underlining the importance of this practice for protecting the environment and public health.
Faced with the waste emergency that risks disfiguring the city of Sant’Agata, Monsignor Renna urged institutions, families, young people and faithful of all confessions to unite in a choral commitment. “We have all learned of the emergency that risks changing something in our lives in these days of great heat: the Municipality, to deal with the problem of landfills insufficient for the regional needs, has issued a severe, but necessary, ordinance, with which it announces that unsorted waste will no longer be collected”.
The municipal ordinance aims to combat “non-compliant” waste collection, a practice that not only violates hygiene regulations but also damages the image of the city in the eyes of tourists. “Those who, with little sense of responsibility, carry out non-compliant waste collection, putting all kinds of garbage in the same bag and abandoning it on street corners, risk a severe complaint,” warned Renna, highlighting how such actions can compromise public health and the tourism economy, vital for many Catanians.
The archbishop expressed his closeness to the mayor and the citizens who want a clean and welcoming Catania, especially in view of the celebrations for Saint Agatha that will be held on August 17. “I join my concerns to those of the Mayor and all the people who want a presentable Catania, to the voice of those who come to visit and make the tourist economy go, to say: it is time to be more responsible. In about 50 days we will celebrate the feast of Saint Agatha: do we want to prepare for August 17 by filling the city, in every corner, with waste that can no longer be collected if thrown in a pile indiscriminately?”.
Renna underlined that this action of care towards the city starts from small things. The municipal administration, you said, is making great efforts to resolve the emergency issue of waste, but the collaboration of citizens is essential. .
The archbishop made a special appeal to mothers, to teach their children respect for the environment, and to young people, who learn the importance of sustainability at school. He also highlighted interreligious collaboration, citing a meeting with the imam of the Mosque of Mercy, Dr. Abdelhafid Keiht, who urged Muslim believers to contribute to the cause.
Monsignor Renna expressed the hope that the fifty days that separate from the feast of Saint Agatha will be lived in the name of responsibility and common commitment to making the city more beautiful. “May these days that separate us from the feast of Saint Agatha be lived with responsibility, in a competition to make your and our city more beautiful”.
Photo on Jas Min su Unsplash
