Lahore: November 2, 2015. (Pervez Yousaf) During last week Mariam Siddeeqa Custody Pakistan organized a one day seminar on “St. Francis of Assisi and Ecology” at St. Mary’s Hall in Lahore. The seminar was presided by Rev. Fr. Francis Nadeem OFM Cap, Custos of the Mariam Siddeeqa Custody Pakistan. Rev. Fr. Clarence Hayat OFM Cap was the main speaker of this significant seminar which was attended by members of Franciscan families including Fathers, Sisters, Students of the Seminaries, Youth Group and members of the SFO. Talking to the participants Rev. Fr. Clarence Hayat described the theme of the seminar deliberately through a well prepared slide show using the multimedia projector. He said, “Spirituality of St. Francis is visible in every aspect of the creation of nature. St. Francis used to respect and protect every creature of the world considering it a part of his own existence and never expressed hatred or distinction to any human being, animal or other creatures.” Fr. Clarence further said, “After creation of the universe, Almighty God created different relationships and named them accordingly. Seeing the beauty of the world St. Francis used to praise the Creator of the world by singing hymns. We can see the relation between man and universe through three different factors; the first is the relationship between God and human being, the second factor is relationship of one human being with other human beings and the third is the relationship of one human being with his/her own existence. Fr. Clarence continued saying, “The Holy Father appealed to all the human being of the world through his encyclical “Praise be to you, my Lord” to preserve the environment and to maintain its magnificence.” In his encyclical Holy Father said that the world is facing many problems, and environmental pollution is one of the major problems for the entire world.” It means that if we protect our environment, we protect our lives. Expressing his views with the participants of the seminar Fr. Francis Nadeem said, “This is a step towards to protection of the environment. The Capuchin Community of Pakistan will continue to promote the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi with the cooperation of all the Franciscan families.” He urged all to love and protect the nature. All the participants unanimously passed a resolution expressing their vows to protect the nature, including forests and the lift of animals. A hymn of praise by St. Francis of Assisi was sung by the Capuchin brothers of Kot Lakhpat during the seminar which began with the prayer led by Sister Saima followed by opening words by Br. Adeel Mazhar. Br. Adnan Kashif was the host of the seminar.