The Season of Creation 2025 concluded with a meaningful ecumenical service and forum held at the CRC Hall, Bishop’s House Compound, on 6 October 2025. A focal point of the event was a discussion on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, facilitated by Saint Louis University’s (SLU) Chief Information Technology Officer and Data Protection Officer, Cecilia Mercado, PhD.
Leaders of faith, education, and the indigenous community came together to talk about the theme “Indigenous Peoples and Artificial Intelligence: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures.”
The closing ceremony was organized by the Laudato Si’ Community, the Baguio City Ecumenical Council, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio–Environment Commission, as part of the global observance of the Season of Creation with this year’s theme, “Peace with Creation” (Isaiah 32:14–18).
Most Rev. Rafael T. Cruz, Bishop of Baguio, led an ecumenical service in the morning. He gave a homily that stressed how important it is for people to care for creation as a way to build peace and make peace with nature
After the worship service, there was a forum to start off the Indigenous Peoples Week Celebration. The core theme discussed was the intersection of AI and indigenous rights. This brought up both the risks and opportunities that new technologies bring to traditional ways of knowing.
Dr. Mercado delivered insights on AI ethics, indigenous data sovereignty, and the moral imperatives of inclusive technology governance. She emphasized that “Technology shouldn’t take away identity; it should protect it.” The wisdom and voices of indigenous peoples must be at the heart of AI’s growth.
The forum brought attention to three important areas of advocacy:
1) Protecting indigenous data sovereignty and intellectual property rights in the digital era
2) Amplifying indigenous voices in shaping equitable and culturally aware AI systems
3) Ensuring participation of indigenous peoples in the development and governance of technology.
The event also reaffirmed support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16): Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. This aligns with the CICM advocacies of Peace, Justice, and Care for the Environment, Indigenous Peoples Apostolate, and Dialogue. It stressed how technology can make institutions uphold peace and justice expansively, inclusively, and accountable when guided by ethics and human rights. In particular, this initiative is under the Systems and Technologies for Ethical Accountability, Leadership, Transparency, and Harmony (STEALTH) program of the Data Protection Office and the Information Systems and Technology Service Department of SLU.
