Should Catholics Be Environmentalists?
Submitted by admin on Sat, 11/15/2008 - 20:19.
Here is an excellent article by Ronald J. Rychlak, professor of law and associate dean at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is the author of Hitler, the War, and the Pope (2000) and Righteous Gentiles (2005). It is taken from Catholic Culture.
Professor Rychlak shows how popes have been teaching about the importacne of our caring for the earth, not only for ourselves but for future generations, since Pope Leo XIII's landmark encyclical on social justice, Rerum Novarum, in 1891. He begins thus:
After the Vatican recently hosted several international conferences on the environment and environmental problems, headlines reported that the Catholic Church is finally jumping on the environmental bandwagon. They were wrong on two counts. First, Catholic teaching has long been that care for the earth is both a duty that we owe to God and a reflection of our respect for each other. So, the Church isn't some Johnny-come-lately to protecting the planet. Second, the Church's understanding of what it means to be a good steward is not precisely in line with the thinking of many modern environmentalists.
You may read the whole article here.
Cardinal Rosales: Commit ourselves to saving the Earth
MANILA, Nov. 17, 2008—Every step, no matter how small, is necessary and can bring results, Manila Archbishops Gaudencio Rosales today stressed in his message to the upcoming the multi-sectoral Carbon Cutting Congress versus Climate Change (CCCvsCC) on Nov. 20 at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang Palace.
Rosales said climate change caused by man's emission of greenhouse gases is now upon us, citing the devastating shifting patterns in our weather—the La Niña and El Niño phenomena, floods that bring catastrophic landslides, and periods of drought.
“One of the world's most pressing problems today is climate change... It is urgent that all of the earth's inhabitants respond quickly and decisively to this global problem. There must be a way to bring people to commit themselves to saving our earth,” he urged.
The Carbon Cutting Congress, organized by Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change Secretary Heherson Alvarez will seek to come up with a national consensus on how to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
It will bring together some 350 institutions and individuals from business and industry, academe and the science community, non-governmental organizations and civil society, the religious sector and representatives from local governments, as well as from cultural and communication fields.
“It is my prayer and my hope that the Congress succeeds in crafting effective actions towards turning the tide of climate change. Our earth is the home that God our father in heaven gives us. It is perfect natural habitat for all His creatures,” said Rosales.
He added, “And in His encompassing wisdom, He designed it to be perfectly balanced, harmonious and self-sustaining, if allowed to remain natural as He intended it to be. Let us be faithful stewards of this home from God. Let us love it, protect it, and let it be the way God designed it to be”.
The resulting declaration from the Congress will help inform the Philippine delegation to the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP-14) in Poznan, Poland from December 1-12, headed by Alvarez, when it engages other nations in setting new global emissions targets.
The declaration will also be submitted to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as possible inputs for her attendance in the summit of Heads of States of the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Congress runs parallel to an “Exhibit of Good Practices” on Nov. 19 at the National Library to usher in a week- long information campaign to raise awareness on climate change and programs for responsible citizen action. (CBCPNews)
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