He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Saint Bonaventure went so far as to say that human beings, before sin, were able to see how each creature “testifies that God is three”. 237. de Myst. I hope the encyclical will challenge us spiritually. Taking advantage of abundant solar energy will require the establishment of mechanisms and subsidies which allow developing countries access to technology transfer, technical assistance and financial resources, but in a way which respects their concrete situations, since “the compatibility of [infrastructures] with the context for which they have been designed is not always adequately assessed”. The earth’s resources are also being plundered because of short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production. Disinterested concern for others, and the rejection of every form of self-centeredness and self-absorption, are essential if we truly wish to care for our brothers and sisters and for the natural environment. Let us also mention the system of governance of the oceans. [121] Catechesis (15 April 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 16 April 2015, p. 8. Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is currently being used. 197. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. Of Encyclicals and Papal Bull. If the simple fact of being human moves people to care for the environment of which they are a part, Christians in their turn “realize that their responsibility within creation, and their duty towards nature and the Creator, are an essential part of their faith”. In different ways, developing countries, where the most important reserves of the biosphere are found, continue to fuel the development of richer countries at the cost of their own present and future. Honesty and truth are needed in scientific and political discussions; these should not be limited to the issue of whether or not a particular project is permitted by law. The fact is that “contemporary man has not been trained to use power well”,[84] because our immense technological development has not been accompanied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience. On the other hand, the forms of corruption which conceal the actual environmental impact of a given project, in exchange for favours, usually produce specious agreements which fail to inform adequately and to allow for full debate. MEXICAN BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, EPISCOPAL COMMISSION FOR PASTORAL AND SOCIAL CONCERNS, Jesucristo, vida y esperanza de los indígenas e campesinos (14 January 2008). In the story of Cain and Abel, we see how envy led Cain to commit the ultimate injustice against his brother, which in turn ruptured the relationship between Cain and God, and between Cain and the earth from which he was banished. [51] THOMAS AQUINAS, Summa Theologiae, I, q. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters. 93. 144. Many specialists agree on the need to give priority to public transportation. [167] BENEDICT XVI, Homily for the Mass of Corpus Domini (15 June 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 513. [151] Admittedly, Christians have not always appropriated and developed the spiritual treasures bestowed by God upon the Church, where the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us. Pope Francis’s new encyclical spends only six paragraphs on the Church’s doctrine on “just war,” but Fratelli Tutti might have upended the entire teaching on the subject. 21. Not only the poor, but many other members of society as well, find it difficult to own a home. 142. As these gases build up in the atmosphere, they hamper the escape of heat produced by sunlight at the earth’s surface. Also, valuing one’s own body in its femininity or masculinity is necessary if I am going to be able to recognize myself in an encounter with someone who is different. Pope Francis released his long anticipated encyclical on our stewardship of the environment, connection to God, and our mutual responsibility. This makes it difficult to reach a balanced and prudent judgement on different questions, one which takes into account all the pertinent variables. The encyclical Mense Maio (from 29 April 1965) focused on the Virgin Mary, to whom traditionally the month of May is dedicated as the Mother of God. This, then, is the correct framework for any reflection concerning human intervention on plants and animals, which at present includes genetic manipulation by biotechnology for the sake of exploiting the potential present in material reality. 135. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons”. You were formed in the womb of Mary our Mother, you became part of this earth, and you gazed upon this world with human eyes. Nor are mutations caused by human intervention a modern phenomenon. Any technical solution which science claims to offer will be powerless to solve the serious problems of our world if humanity loses its compass, if we lose sight of the great motivations which make it possible for us to live in harmony, to make sacrifices and to treat others well. Interventions which affect the urban or rural landscape should take into account how various elements combine to form a whole which is perceived by its inhabitants as a coherent and meaningful framework for their lives. We need only look around us to see that, today, this option is in fact an ethical imperative essential for effectively attaining the common good. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes millions of premature deaths. The current global situation engenders a feeling of instability and uncertainty, which in turn becomes “a seedbed for collective selfishness”. Nor are there genuine ethical horizons to which one can appeal. This has to do not only with manual or agricultural labour but with any activity involving a modification of existing reality, from producing a social report to the design of a technological development. [61] Hence we need to grasp the variety of things in their multiple relationships. Isolated individuals can lose their ability and freedom to escape the utilitarian mindset, and end up prey to an unethical consumerism bereft of social or ecological awareness. 123. [118] PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 482. [144] This paradigm leads people to believe that they are free as long as they have the supposed freedom to consume. It proclaimed that “human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development”. When we feel that God is calling us to intervene with others in these social dynamics, we should realize that this too is part of our spirituality, which is an exercise of charity and, as such, matures and sanctifies us. It also proclaims “man’s eternal rest in God”. An Asian Response to the Ecological Crisis, Declaration of the Colloquium sponsored by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (Tagatay, 31 January-5 February 1993), 3.3.2. [146] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 66: AAS 101 (2009), 699. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. In calling to mind the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, we come to realize that a healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion, which entails the recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures, and leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change. But the international community has still not reached adequate agreements about the responsibility for paying the costs of this energy transition. All of these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human beings. 178. Worldwide, the ecological movement has made significant advances, thanks also to the efforts of many organizations of civil society. The technological paradigm has become so dominant that it would be difficult to do without its resources and even more difficult to utilize them without being dominated by their internal logic. May the power and the light of the grace we have received also be evident in our relationship to other creatures and to the world around us. As a consequence, serious problems arise, leading to further interventions; human activity becomes ubiquitous, with all the risks which this entails. Just as her pierced heart mourned the death of Jesus, so now she grieves for the sufferings of the crucified poor and for the creatures of this world laid waste by human power. 208. But the cost of the damage caused by such selfish lack of concern is much greater than the economic benefits to be obtained. We are always capable of going out of ourselves towards the other. [157] PAUL VI, Message for the 1977 World Day of Peace: AAS 68 (1976), 709. [50] His divine presence, which ensures the subsistence and growth of each being, “continues the work of creation”. Completely transfigured, she now lives with Jesus, and all creatures sing of her fairness. November 15, 2020. in 1740, Pope Benedict XIV instituted the tradition of writing Papal Encyclicals with his document Ubi Primum. This system seems to provide a quick and easy solution under the guise of a certain commitment to the environment, but in no way does it allow for the radical change which present circumstances require. Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. Around these community actions, relationships develop or are recovered and a new social fabric emerges. With moving tenderness he would remind them that each one of them is important in God’s eyes: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? The poor and the earth are crying out. We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being made by scientists and engineers dedicated to finding solutions to man-made problems. Time and space are not independent of one another, and not even atoms or subatomic particles can be considered in isolation. [134] Once more, we need to reject a magical conception of the market, which would suggest that problems can be solved simply by an increase in the profits of companies or individuals. The rich heritage of Christian spirituality, the fruit of twenty centuries of personal and communal experience, has a precious contribution to make to the renewal of humanity. Yet God’s infinite power does not lead us to flee his fatherly tenderness, because in him affection and strength are joined. Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity. Frequently, when certain species are exploited commercially, little attention is paid to studying their reproductive patterns in order to prevent their depletion and the consequent imbalance of the ecosystem. Thus we forget that “time is greater than space”,[130] that we are always more effective when we generate processes rather than holding on to positions of power. That is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth. At times, developing countries face forms of international pressure which make economic assistance contingent on certain policies of “reproductive health”. The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity. [141] I would add that “religious classics can prove meaningful in every age; they have an enduring power to open new horizons… Is it reasonable and enlightened to dismiss certain writings simply because they arose in the context of religious belief?”[142] It would be quite simplistic to think that ethical principles present themselves purely in the abstract, detached from any context. [57] JOHN PAUL II, Catechesis (26 January 2000), 5: Insegnamenti 23/1 (2000), 123. Why should this document, addressed to all people of good will, include a chapter dealing with the convictions of believers? At the same time, it was an acknowledgment that the gift of the earth with its fruits belongs to everyone. At the same time we can note the rise of a false or superficial ecology which bolsters complacency and a cheerful recklessness. 61. For this reason, we should be concerned that, alongside the exciting possibilities offered by these media, a deep and melancholic dissatisfaction with interpersonal relations, or a harmful sense of isolation, can also arise. A consumerist vision of human beings, encouraged by the mechanisms of today’s globalized economy, has a levelling effect on cultures, diminishing the immense variety which is the heritage of all humanity. 25. Solidarity should be a guiding principle upon engaging specific environmental problems. These are signs that the growth of the past two centuries has not always led to an integral development and an improvement in the quality of life. This allows us to respond to the charge that Judaeo-Christian thinking, on the basis of the Genesis account which grants man “dominion” over the earth (cf. The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognizing that they tell us to “till and keep” the garden of the world (cf. [38] Those who are committed to defending human dignity can find in the Christian faith the deepest reasons for this commitment. A true “ecological debt” exists, particularly between the global north and south, connected to commercial imbalances with effects on the environment, and the disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries over long periods of time. It is time to acknowledge that light-hearted superficiality has done us no good. This tells us that the world came about as the result of a decision, not from chaos or chance, and this exalts it all the more. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Notable distributists include G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. We were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature. [56] This contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us, since “for the believer, to contemplate creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice”. It needs educators capable of developing an ethics of ecology, and helping people, through effective pedagogy, to grow in solidarity, responsibility and compassionate care. MARCH 26, 1967 . A further injustice is perpetrated under the guise of protecting the environment. In this discernment, some questions must have higher priority. Later, Saint Benedict of Norcia proposed that his monks live in community, combining prayer and spiritual reading with manual labour (ora et labora). The feeling of asphyxiation brought on by densely populated residential areas is countered if close and warm relationships develop, if communities are created, if the limitations of the environment are compensated for in the interior of each person who feels held within a network of solidarity and belonging. In some places, rural and urban alike, the privatization of certain spaces has restricted people’s access to places of particular beauty. It is as if the subject were to find itself in the presence of something formless, completely open to manipulation. [107] All such use and experimentation “requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation”.[108]. 199. And now you are cursed from the ground” (Gen 4:9-11). [87] ROMANO GUARDINI, Das Ende der Neuzeit, 63-64 (The End of the Modern World, 56). [166] The Eucharist joins heaven and earth; it embraces and penetrates all creation. God’s love is the fundamental moving force in all created things: “For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it” (Wis 11:24). Since everything is closely interrelated, and today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis, I suggest that we now consider some elements of an integral ecology, one which clearly respects its human and social dimensions. Although the summit was a real step forward, and prophetic for its time, its accords have been poorly implemented, due to the lack of suitable mechanisms for oversight, periodic review and penalties in cases of non-compliance. 140. They prove successful in changing the way businesses operate, forcing them to consider their environmental footprint and their patterns of production. If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. One particularly serious problem is the quality of water available to the poor. 172. But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products. 23: PL 50, 688: “Ut annis scilicet consolidetur, dilatetur tempore, sublimetur aetate”. 47. In doing so, it reveals its eternal newness.[98]. 53. Modernity has been marked by an excessive anthropocentrism which today, under another guise, continues to stand in the way of shared understanding and of any effort to strengthen social bonds. 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